Bern, Switzerland

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

This is a look at Bern as a great destination to explore but it is also included as a post cruise destination for a Tauck cruise. You also might consider it as an alternative to the very popular visits to Lucerne and Zurich that are the 2 most common land extensions for Rhine River cruises that either start or end in Basel Switzerland.

So, let’s explore it together and learn about Bern as a base for a couple of days or just for a land extension on a river cruise.

Overview

Bern is the capital of Switzerland and built around a crook of the Aare River. It first was a fort site, as the land peninsula was surrounded on 3 sides by the river and was an excellent barrier to defend a castle. It slowly developed into a city that was quite prominent in the Middle Ages. In the late 1800’s, its central location was a key reason it was chosen as the confederation capital of Switzerland. This German speaking region has a population of only 133,315 (2017) according to Wikipedia, quite small for a capital city.

It is the small-town charm, relatively small number of inhabitants, and important political and cultural position that makes it quite different when compared to most European capital cities. For most visitors, the easily walkable old town is the most interesting area to explore. The old town has covered areas that offer boutique shopping stores, and cafes that used the old cellars of the medieval-style homes to create an unusual travel experience. These covered arcades, led one person to say you never get wet in Bern even in a heavy rain—sounds like music to the ears of the many shoppers who read our blog!

The Swiss also love their museums, and there are 3 good ones and 2 art museums that also might interest you.

So, let’s learn about the key sites in Bern.

Old Town Bern In the distance you can see the Bern Cathedral Steeple Tower.

Key Sights in Bern

The Federal Palace (Bundeshaus or Parliament Building)

This is the national parliament of Switzerland. The building is crowned by an imposing 64-meter-high green dome, decorated with stained glass windows depicting the coats of arms of Switzerland's cantons and a central mosaic of the Federal coat of arms with the motto “One for all and all for one”. There is huge statue of the three confederates, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, the founders of modern Switzerland. The building can be toured when parliament is not in session.

One part of the huge parliament building

One view of the 64-meter high green dome of parliament building

The Old Town

The medieval old town is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is surrounded on three sides by the Aare River.

There are some cool public fountains, topped by statues. The water is safe and the Swiss love to decorate their fountains—we have seen them throughout Switzerland, but there seems to be more in Bern than other Swiss cities (one source I read said there are 11 but can’t attest this is totally accurate) . Here are a few fountains that Anne got pictures of during our visit:

The Simsonbrunnen (depicting Samson killing a lion),

The Zahringerbrunnen (a bear in full armor)

Bear in armor Fountain . This fountain commemorates the Zahringer Duke who founded Bern. In the background is the clock tower

Close up of the Lady of Justice. Note she is blindfolded, holds a sword in her right hand and the scales of justice are in her left hand. At the bottom of her feet are an emperor, a king and a sultan—none is above the law.

Orge Fountain Granary Square. This monster fountain was believed as a warning for children to behave.

Anna Seiler Fountain who founded Bern’s first Hospital

A picture of mural facade of the historic pharmacy on the Barenplatz square

The Clock Tower (or Zytglogge), dating from 1220, is one of Bern’s iconic symbols. Found above the Old Town’s western gate tower, this 75-foot structure displays a large astronomical clock was made between 1527 and 1530. This was the main gate entrance into Bern and in an age when most of the population did not have clocks, these huge clocks helped the citizens know what time it was during the day.

An unusual fact about this clock system is that this huge clock must be wound by hand for 20 minutes each day.

The huge clock that must be wound by hand

Mechanical Figures. Right before the clock strikes the hour, a crowing rooster starts the show. Bears dance, a jester signals the hour too early, and Chronos, the god of time, turns his hour glass over. On the left is the astronomical display clock

A troupe of mechanical figures—including a rooster, Chronos (the Roman god of time), jesters, knights, and a piper—put on a dance show at four minutes to the hour. Visitors can climb the 130 worn steps to the Zytglogge’s observation platform for great views of the city and the Alps.

This is a good view of Kramgasse Street. On both sides you can see the covered arcades..

Part of the charm of the old town is the shops that are covered in arcades. It is the largest in Europe (covers 3.7 miles) and they are adorned with flags and flowers. The main shopping streets are Marktgasse, Kramgasse and Gerechtigkeitgasse.

Einstein House no 49 where he wrote his paper “The Theory of Relativity”. It now has a small museum inside.

Here is a picture of the Old Town Hall

Banneret Fountain Statue in Town Hall Square

Bern's Bear Park (Bärenpark)

Bern's first Bear Park opened in 1857. It is located at the far end of the Nydeggbrucke Bridge, next to the Aare River. The original bear pit is listed as an object of national cultural significance as the bear is the symbol of Bern and is on its coat of arms. The bear pit has 6,000 square meters of interconnected enclosures that house four brown bears.

Bern Münster (Bern Cathedral and Cathedral of St Vincent)

The Münster is 276 feet long, 110 feet wide, and 330 feet tall at the apex of its tower. The bell tower is open to those prepared to climb the 254 steps to its upper viewing gallery. The views over Bern and to the Swiss Alps make the effort worthwhile. It is located in the heart of the Old Town next to the Aare River.

The Rose Garden-- Located at the top of a steep hill (a ten-minute walk from the Bear Garden), and occupying four acres, the Rosengarten was a cemetery between 1765 and 1877 and has been a public park since 1913. It contains formal and walled gardens (with 223 varieties of roses, together with 200 iris and 28 Rhododendron species), ponds, fountains, lawns and a number of impressive sculptures. The Rose Garden also offers stunning views over the Old Town and to the Alps and Jura.

In front the Aare River. The large hill is the Rose Garden Park

3 Good Museums

Einstein Museum and Historical Museum of Bern

This is the second largest museum in Switzerland. The Historical Museum displays 500,000 objects dating from the Stone Age, arranged into eight galleries such as ‘Stone Age, Celts, and Romans', 'From the Middle Ages to the Ancient Regime', ‘Bern’s Silver Treasure’, ‘Captured Treasure—Court Art in Bern’ and ‘Bern and the 20th Century’. The Einstein Museum is devoted to the life of the world's most famous modern scientist. Admission charge; closed on Mondays.

Bern Communications Museum

The Museum’s permanent collection comprises three exhibitions. The first, So Near and Yet So Far: People and Their Media, charts how people have communicated over history. The second, As Time Goes Byte: Computing and Digital Culture, takes a look at the first computers. The final exhibition, Imagery that Sticks: The World of Stamps, is the museum’s smallest. It is devoted to Swiss stamps. Admission charge; closed on Mondays.

The Natural History Museum

Exhibits include Barry, a preserved Great St Bernard alpine rescue dog who lived between 1800 to 1814 and was responsible for saving over 40 lives; the Stones of the Earth collection, which exhibits alpine minerals, the Planggenstock giant crystals, gold mined in the Swiss Alps, and a number of meteorites; and .220 dioramas. Admission charge.

2 Art Gallery Museums

The Kunstmuseum (the Museum of Fine Arts) holds over 4,000 paintings in its permanent collection and is Switzerland’s oldest and premier fine arts gallery. Admission charge; closed on Mondays.

Paul Klee Center—Klee is a famous modern art painter. His unique style transcended surrealism, abstraction, cubism, and expressionism, and is particularly well-known for combining different media into the same work (ie, paint, ink, pencil, pastel etc.). There is a rotating display of his works. Admission charge; closed on Mondays.

Getting Around

The old town center is the main tourist attraction. It is compact and can easily be explored on foot from the rail station. There is free public transport across the entire town.

The Rail Station.

The main rail station is simply called 'Bern' and is situated in the heart of the city, at the edge of the historical town center. The station offers a shopping center that is opened 7 days a week, and many train services to towns all over Switzerland.

Our Final Thoughts

Bern is a good destination to visit. I believe it is worth a couple of days. We hope you enjoyed this report. Please enjoy Bern—we did! We plan to visit this Spring on our next trip to Europe.

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ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:

AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent

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