The 20 Best Things to See and Do in Bern, Switzerland
From Einstein’s house to the Kunstmuseum via Renzo Piano‘s Zentrum Paul Klee, here is Culture Trip’s pick of the best things to see and do in Bern, Switzerland.
The capital city of Switzerland is small and compact, with a lovely atmosphere, picture-perfect cobblestone streets and beautiful views of the river Aare. The Old Town is where you will find all the main sights. Most of it is pedestrian-only and the distances are short, making it a paradise for those who like to explore towns on foot.
See the animals at Tierpark Dählhölzli
Zoo
“More space for fewer animals” is the slogan at Tierpark Dählhölzli, Bern’s wooded animal park, which opened in 1937. Back then a visit meant peering into little wire cages at distressed exotic creatures. Today it’s about strolling beside the leafy River Aare, where the pelicans have a long, rock-studded lake; or through graceful, silver-trunked beech trees where bison roam. Not that there’s a shortage of animals – the spacious zoo cares for nearly 300 different species, from wolves and wild boar to otters and harbour seals. Bird lovers will find puffins, snowy owls and endangered Bali mynas thriving here. Add a riverside café, kids’ playground, pony rides, face-painting and a smartphone quiz, and a family day out at Dählhölzli is the wild cat’s whiskers.
Tell the time at Zytglogge
Building
Relax by Moossee lake
Natural Feature
Hop on the train at Bern’s main railway station and 10 minutes later you’re disembarking in the village of Moosseedorf. Stroll along the Badweg for five minutes, and you’ll find yourself on the shores of Moossee, a fine lake fringed with birches and a golf course. At the village end there’s a small grass-edged beach, or Strandbad, where you can pay a few coins to spend a sunny afternoon with the family, enjoying table tennis, diving towers and a raft to swim out to, and a playground with a paddling area for little kids. Then head to the parasol-shaded terrace of the seasonal café nearby for chips, salad, hefty sausages or thin, pizza-like flammkuchen topped with bacon and onion.
See the scary Kindlifresserbrunnen
Historical Landmark, Architectural Landmark
The name means, roughly, “children-gobbler fountain”, and it certainly does what it says on the tin: a huge figure, in bottle-green medieval leggings and belted scarlet tunic, perches on an ornate column, stuffing an infant into his mouth. Sticking out of the ogre’s bag are several more, presumably about to suffer similar fates. At the foot of the column, under a circle of carved bears, four peaceful geranium-ringed fountains spout into a hexagonal trough among the tourists, trolleybuses and pavement cafés of Bern’s busy Kornhausplatz. Theories behind this mysterious 16th-century landmark abound, among them the idea that it represents the jealous older brother of Bern’s 12th-century founder Berthold V. Whatever, it’ll certainly divide opinion on your Instagram feed.
Discover the rest of Bern's quirky fountains
Architectural Landmark, Historical Landmark
Think of them, if you like, as age-old prototypes of the water cooler in today’s offices: points where townsfolk could gather to swap gossip, get news, find out what was going on politically – oh, and have a safe, clean, potable drink. Bern is famous for being home to some very peculiar fountains, attributed to 16th-century artist Hans Gieng. Scattered around the Old Town, you will find more than 100 extravagant creations, 11 of them topped with distinctive-looking allegorical sculptures. From Justice and Moses to the biblical figure of Samson in Roman gear preparing to finish off a lion, you will easily spot them in the streets and squares of the town centre.
Climb the rustic Chutzen tower
Natural Feature
Half an hour’s drive or bus ride beyond Bern, through flat fields and gentle hills, are the pine-covered slopes of Chutzen hill. At the summit, climb the oak steps inside the Chutzenturm, a 45m-high tower of Douglas fir and steel, for views over the treetops, across mile upon mile of Swiss Plateau. The tower and its panoramas are halfway along the three-mile Chutzen Trail, between the nearby villages of Wahlendorf and Frienisberg, passing a couple of handy restaurants and a Cistercian abbey en route.
Check out the magical Elfenau country estate
Architectural Landmark, Natural Feature
Anna Feodorovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, bought the estate here in the early 19th century and renamed it Elfenau to reflect the elvish magic she felt in the hilly riverside parkland. A century later, citizens voted in support of buying it as a public green space. Not far beyond the Tierpark, Elfenau can be reached in 15 minutes on bus 19; alternatively, hike a couple of miles beside the tree-lined Aare River. Reward yourself in Elfenau’s summer café with homemade mint tea, local apple juice or an unfiltered Bärner Müntschi beer from Bern’s Felsenau brewery.
Have a spiritual moment at Heilliggeistkirche
Church
Got half an hour before your train leaves? Just arrived and want to get stuck into sightseeing? Explore this huge early-18th-century baroque church by the railway station. One of Switzerland’s biggest Protestant places of worship, the Heilliggeistkirche (or Church of the Holy Ghost) is essential viewing, designed by architect Niklaus Schiltknecht (who also worked on Bern’s unmissable Minster). Admire the tall, free-standing pulpit and 14 massive sandstone pillars that hold up the painted ceiling. With luck, you’ll catch some organ music or even one of the regular lunchtime concerts.
Experience peak Bern
Natural Feature
Billing itself as Bern’s local mountain, the car-free Gurten is a great place to head for panoramic views over the city and the river, winding away to the distant snowy Alps. Tram 9 from Bern station quickly gets you to the bottom of the colourful Gurtenbahn funicular, which you can ride if in possession of a public-transport pass. There’s fun for all the family at the top, including an imaginative playground, year-round tobogganing and hiking trails as well as a choice of cafés.
Tour the Sensorium Rüttihubelbad
Museum
A barefoot pathway, a hall of mirrors, a tree of smells, a singing bowl, gongs, fountains, coloured shadows… The Sensorium has 80 exhibits designed to stimulate the senses. It was artist and philosopher Hugo Kükelhaus (1900-1984), best known for designing tactile toys for toddlers, who conceived the idea of a multisensory experience. At Rüttihubelbad his theories live on in an experimental museum, in the rolling countryside half an hour’s drive east of Bern. Once the kids have finished exploring, titillate the sense of taste at the on-site restaurant, with a bowl of ice cream and gummy bears or, for parents, a glass of fine aromatic Swiss Heida Visperterminen.
Explore the Naturhistorisches Museum Bern
Museum
South of the Aare river, amid Bern’s cluster of institutions housing exhibitions on everything from Einstein to the Alps, is the Natural History Museum. Here you’ll find hundreds of skeletons and taxidermy dioramas as well as a huge interactive biodiversity display in an impressive 1930s building. A new Wunderkammer (“cabinet of curiosities”) displays thousands of weird and wonderful creatures and animal body parts in jars, including a collection of eyes, and has windows with views into a research laboratory in the heart of the museum.
Take in the views at Bern Münster
Cathedral
Visit the Einstein House
Museum
Admire art at the Kunstmuseum Bern
Museum
Learn about Switzerland at Bundeshaus
Building, Market
See more art at Kunsthalle Bern
Museum
Discover the Historical Museum
Museum
Meet the bears at Barenpark
Zoo
Bern’s relationship with its heraldic animal, the brown bear, is centuries old. The creatures have been part of the city since the 1500s – formerly in the Bear Pit, which is a famous attraction today (non-functioning, of course). To say hello to the furry citizens you’ll need to visit them in their new-fangled riverside “home”, a 6,000sq m (64,583sq ft) open-air park with hills to roam and access to water, unveiled to the public in 2009. At the moment there are bears – Finn, Björk and Ursina – in residence and you can get (safely) up close to observe them eating, sleeping and playing around.
Sample beer at Altes Tramdepot
Restaurant, Swiss, French, Asian
Easy to find near Barenpark, Altes Tramdepot is a site of gastronomic excellence and natural interest. With views of the park, Bern’s Old Town and the silvery sunlit Aare river from its beer garden and front terrace, the restaurant is an eternal “wow” among visitors to the capital. The menu is eclectic, presenting Swiss dishes, traditional French cuisine and Asian plates. But the main attraction here is the integrated brewery – notice the copper vats in the middle of the restaurant behind the bar – in which the house beer is brought to fruition.
Uncover the work of Paul Klee
Building, Museum
Find a great place to stay in Bern and see opportunities to explore further by checking out the best hotels in all of Switzerland. Book your stay now with Culture Trip.
This is an updated version of an article originally by Chiara Assi.