Skip to search.

Breaking News Visit Yahoo! News for the latest.

×Close this window

 
 
Have any great photos of this city?
Add your own photos »
Of all Swiss cities, Bern is perhaps the most immediately charming. Crammed onto a steep-sided peninsula in a crook of the fast-flowing River Aare, its quiet, cobbled lanes, lined with sandstone arcaded buildings straddling the pavement, have barely changed in over five hundred years. The hills all around, and the steep banks of the river, are still liberally wooded. Views, both of the Old Town's clustered roofs and of the majestic Alps on the horizon, are breathtaking. Coming from Zürich or Geneva, it's hard to remember that Bern is the nation's capital, home of the Swiss parliament and wielder of final ... More
Overview of Berne, Switzerland
Information by Rough Guides
 

Of all Swiss cities, Bern is perhaps the most immediately charming. Crammed onto a steep-sided peninsula in a crook of the fast-flowing River Aare, its quiet, cobbled lanes, lined with sandstone arcaded buildings straddling the pavement, have barely changed in over five hundred years. The hills all around, and the steep banks of the river, are still liberally wooded. Views, both of the Old Town's clustered roofs and of the majestic Alps on the horizon, are breathtaking. Coming from Zürich or Geneva, it's hard to remember that Bern is the nation's capital, home of the Swiss parliament and wielder of final federal authority.

For all its political status, Bern is a tiny city of under 130,000 people and retains a small town's easy approach to life. The attraction of the place is its ambience; traffic is kept out of the Old Town and you could spend days just wandering the streets and alleys, café-hopping and – if it's warm – joining the locals for a plunge into the river. The perfectly preserved medieval street plan, with its arcades, street fountains and doughty towers, persuaded UNESCO to deem Bern a World Heritage Site, placing it in the company of such legendary sites as Florence, Petra and the Taj Mahal. The most hectic shopping goes on in the western half of the Old Town, on Marktgasse and Spitalgasse in particular; the older, eastern half is slower-paced. However, not for nothing does the tourist office tout the famous arcades, lining both sides of every street in the Old Town, as being "the longest covered shopping promenade in the world". In a strange turnaround of expectations, it's when you walk under the crowded arcades that you get a full-on blast of modern consumerism, with music, shop windows and advertising vying for your attention. Step a few metres to the side to walk in the open air and – with a little imagination – it's easy to picture yourself in the Bern of the sixteenth century. In a competition for the world's most beautiful and relaxing capital city, it's hard to think where could knock Bern into second place.

 
 
 

Top Things to Do for Berne from Yahoo! Travelers

     
    HOTELS
     
     
    THINGS TO DO
     
     
    RESTAURANTS
     

Top Restaurants for Berne from Yahoo! Travelers

     
    HOTELS
     
     
    THINGS TO DO
     
     
    RESTAURANTS
     
Know a great hotel in Berne?suggest one »
Search for local restaurants:search Yahoo! »
Know a great attraction in Berne?suggest one »
 
 

Popular Trip Plans for Berne

 
 

Travel Articles for Berne

Berne, Switzerland Videos
provided by videosurf.com
Watch travel videos about Berne, Switzerland at VideoSurf Video Search Engine, where you'll find the best videos from across the web about Berne, Switzerland. More
Bern, Switzerland Videos
provided by videosurf.com
Watch travel videos about Bern, Switzerland at VideoSurf Video Search Engine, where you'll find the best videos from across the web about Bern, Switzerland. More
 
 
Related Travel Options
The Hotel Bern at the heart of the Capital. Art Nouveau facade wit...
The Holiday Inn Bern Westside is located four miles from city cent...
Founded in the 12th century on a hill site surrounded by the Aare ...
 
 

Yahoo! Users Voted

Top tags for Berne
ROAD TRIP (1)
 ()
 ()
No entries yet. Vote on what it's best for...
 
 

Similar Cities

Nearby Cities

Geneva, Switzerland [92.8 miles]
Zurich, Switzerland [73.3 miles]
Lausanne, ... [56.9 miles]
 
 

Ask Yahoo! Users

Search for questions about Berne
 
 
 
 

Theme Vacations

 
 
 
 
Suggest a Hotel or an Attraction
*Terms & Conditions: Savings calculation is based on Flight + Hotel vacation package bookings for a 3 month period for 2 adults with a 2+ night length of stay compared to price of the same components if booked separately during same period. Savings will vary based on origin/destination, length of trip, travel dates and selected travel supplier(s). Savings not available on all packages.

Check Rates data provided by TripAdvisor®
Y! TimeTraveler App for iPhone- Timed Travel Made Possible -
 
 
Loading...
Interactive Map of Berne, Switzerland
 
Map Refresh On?

By keeping map refresh on, you will see new search results as you move the map.

Yes, keep on No, turn it off
Updating Map
 
 
 
Loading...
Yahoo! Users Voted
Berne, Berne is best for
Select a Tag
Add a Custom Tag
Thanks! Your changes have been saved.
Oops, that didn't work.
Please click the Close button below and try again.
 
 
 
 
  • Flights
  • Hotels
  • Cars
  • Cruises
  • Rentals
  • Vacations
Close
Open