Switzerland’s capital city, Bern has much to offer the visitor, from the charm and history of its medieval city center to its vibrant cultural scene to the great natural beauty of its landscape. Surrounded by the Swiss Alps, and straddling the banks of the lovely Aare River, Bern is located to the west of Switzerland’s center. 

 

Bern's Old Town, a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site, abounds with sites of interest including the famous Zytglogge – a medieval clock tower with whimsical moving puppets that “perform” every hour, a 15^th-century Gothic cathedral, and six kilometers of arcades that form one of the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe. The magnificent Bundeshaus, a 19^th-century building that houses Parliament, welcomes visitors with its impressive display of fountains, and is available for guided tours when the government is not in session.

 

One of Bern's most famous attractions, and certainly its most unusual, is the Bärengraben (bear pit), a feature of the city since the 16^th century.  In fact, legend has it that the city’s founder, Duke Berchtold V von Zähringen, named Bern after the first animal caught here.

 

Museums abound in Bern, from the Museum of Fine Arts, known for its exceptional Klee collection, to the Swiss Alpine Museum. Visitors can also tour the Einsteinhaus, a small flat where Albert Einstein developed his theories of relativity.

 

On warm days, locals flock to the Gurten, a hill just beyond Bern reached by a panorama train. From the top, visitors are treated to a picturesque park offering hiking paths and great views of the city and the Bernese alps. In the summer, the Gurten is the site of the Gurtenfestival, an open-air music festival.

 

Bern is connected to destinations beyond by a convenient rail system that whisks visitors to neighboring cities and into the spectacular countryside. Lucerne, Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne and Interlaken are all within one to two hours of the city. It is also serviced by a small international airport just a few kilometers outside the city.

 

Visitors to Bern will find its most luxurious accommodations at the legendary Bellevue Palace, a historic hotel next the Bundeshaus.