Travel to Berne

Travel to Berne

Berne, the capital city of Switzerland, is situated in the north central part of the country and is a beautiful and interesting place to spend a few days. The Old Town is the heart of the city, and many of the buildings here date back to the 15th century fire, which saw wooden buildings give way to sandstone construction. There are some interesting museums, with the ones dedicated to Albert Einstein and Paul Klee being the most significant. The citys clock is one of the most famous sights here, and there is a colourful display every hour.

Transportation to Berne

Berne Belp International Airport is one of the smallest airports serving a European capital, but despite that, Berne is easily reached by air, road or rail. There are a small number of flights here to other European cities and some budget airlines operating flights to Italy, the UK and Germany in particular. Berne Belp Airport is conveniently located only six miles from the city centre.

Berne is connected both to the European E4 motorway and to the domestic road network. Roads in Switzerland are generally well maintained and of an excellent standard. Basel is only 60 miles away, Zurich 80 miles and Geneva 100 miles. All three cities are easily reached by road from Berne. Southern Switzerland and Italy can be accessed via the Ltschberg Tunnel or the St Bernard road tunnel.

Switzerland has the densest rail network in the world and the service is extremely efficient. Berne is Europes only capital on the route of the three main high-speed trains TGV, ICE and Cisalpino. Fast trains to Paris take around 5 hours, and to Milan about 3 hours. There are also regular services throughout the day to Basel, Zurich, Geneva and all over Switzerland.

What to see

There is plenty to occupy your time in Berne. Strolling around the Old Town is a great experience and there are many good cafs and eateries. The Clock Tower is the most famous sight here, and is always busy, as there is a mechanical puppet show on the hour, every hour. It is also possible to take a tour inside the Clock Tower.

The citys late Gothic cathedral is the largest ecclesiastical building in Switzerland and contains some stunning sculptures. The citys fountains are also unique and some of themare quite bizarre.

Albert Einstein and painter Paul Klee are two of Bernes most famous former residents, and its no surprise to find museums dedicated to bothmasters here. The Einstein Museum is located in the flat where he once lived, and the building that houses the Klee Museum is something of an attraction itself.

The bear is the symbol of the city and there has been a bear pit here since the 16th century. It remains one of the most popular tourist attractions today.

Daytrips

There is plenty to see in the surrounding area, with the beautiful Bernese Oberland being home to some of the most famous skiing resorts in the country. There are also some excellent cycle paths and it is popular to spend a day cycling up into the hills to enjoy the stunning views.

Activities and leisure

As in much of Switzerland, skiing and other winter sports are some of the most popular leisure activities. The popular resort of Interlaken is less than an hour from Berne by car, andmany visitors will combine a visit to the city with some skiing or snowboarding.

There are also plenty of opportunities for sport within the city, and tennis, badminton, squash, swimming and bowling are all readily available.

For non-sport enthusiasts, the small city centre is excellent for shopping, and there are many covered shopping arcades, which are particularly good for cold and wet conditions.

Safety issues

Berne is considered a very safe city, and it is rare to have any problems while visiting here. However, there are a few points to take note of; there is the possibility of pickpockets or bag-snatchers operating in the busy tourist areas, and the area around the train station is best avoided at night.