Things to do in Bern
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Terrasse & Casa
Terrasse is a glass shoebox with wooden decking over the water, sun lounges overlooking a weir (illuminated at night) and comfy sofa seating – a perfect spot for Sunday brunch or a drink at any time of day. Casa, by contrast, cooks up Italian food in a cosy, country-style timber-framed house.
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Il Grissino
With 'bump knees with your neighbour'-style seating (claustrophobics beware), this oft-packed pizza and pasta joint emits a boisterous vibe. Choose from more than 30 different pizzas; the large is big enough for two (unless you're super hungry).
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Stauffacher
A labyrinth of a bookshop, with a brilliant range of English-language fiction, nonfiction, travel literature and books about Switzerland on the 3rd floor.
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Zytglogge
Called Zeitglockenturm in High German, it was once part of the city's western gate (1191-1256). It's reminiscent of the Astronomical Clock in Prague's old town square in that crowds congregate to watch it chime - and then wonder why. The clock's revolving figures begin twirling at four minutes before the hour, after which the actual chimes begin. Tours enter the tower to see the clock mechanism between May and October (contact the tourist office).
It's said the clock tower helped Albert Einstein hone his theory of relativity, developed while working as a patent clerk in Bern. The great scientist surmised, while travelling on a tram away from the tower, that if the tram we…
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Einstein Haus
The world’s most famous scientist developed his special theory of relativity in Bern in 1905. Find out more at the small museum inside the humble apartment where Einstein lived with his young family between 1903 and 1905 while working as a low-paid clerk in the Bern patent office. Multimedia displays now flesh out the story of the subsequent general equation – E=mc², or energy equals mass times the speed of light squared – which fundamentally changed our understanding of space, time and the universe. Upstairs, a 20-minute biographical film tells his life story.
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Berner Münster
The high point of the 15th-century Gothic cathedral Berner Münster is its lofty spire. At 100m, it’s Switzerland’s tallest, and those with enough energy to climb the dizzying 344-step spiral staircase are rewarded with vertiginous views of the Bernese Alps on a clear day. Coming down, take a breather by the Upper Bells (1356), rung at 11am, noon and 3pm daily, and the three Lower Bells, each weighing 10 tonnes, making them Switzerland’s largest bells.
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Bärengraben
Bern sounds like it has something to do with bears, and indeed it does. Founded in 1191 by Berthold V, a powerful Duke of Zähringen, the city derived its name from his first hunting success in the area - a bear, or Bär in the local dialect. Today, there are still Bärengraben in the city, where five animals live. They're very cute and undoubtedly well cared for, but animal lovers might not approve.
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Kornhauskeller
Dress well and dine fine beneath vaulted frescoed arches at Bern’s surprisingly ornate former granary, now a stunning cellar restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine. Beautiful people sip cocktails alongside historic stained-glass windows on the mezzanine above, and across the street in its neighbouring café (lunch menu Sfr18.50), punters lunch in the sun on the busy pavement terrace.
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Houses of Parliament
The 1902 Houses of Parliament, home of the Swiss Federal Assembly, are impressively ornate, with statues of the nation's founding fathers, a stained-glass dome adorned with cantonal emblems and a huge, 214-bulb chandelier. Tours are offered when the parliament is in recess, otherwise you can watch from the public gallery. Bring a passport.
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Markthalle
Buzzing in atmosphere and quick-snack action, this covered market arcade is jam-packed with cheap eateries from around the world: curries, vegetarian, wok stir-fries, bruschette, noodles, pizza, southern Indian, Turkish, Middle Eastern. You name it, it’s here – to be eaten standing at bars or around plastic tables.
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Decorative Fountains
Built around 1545, this series of 11 Bern landmarks all depict characters from history and/or folklore and are concentrated along Marktgasse as it becomes Kramgasse and Gerechtigkeitsgasse. However, the most famous lies in Kornhausplatz; it's the Kindlifresserbrunnen (Ogre Fountain), which depicts a giant, snacking…on children.
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Westside
Bern’s snappiest dresser is Westside, a state-of-the-art leisure and shopping centre – 55 shops, a cinema, restaurants, a water park and spa – designed by internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. It opened west of the city centre in 2008; take bus 14 from Bubenbergplatz (Sfr3.80).
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Bundeshäuser
Home of the Swiss Federal Assembly, the Bundeshäuser, built in Florentine style in 1902, contain statues of the nation’s founding fathers, a stained-glass dome adorned with cantonal emblems and a 214-bulb chandelier. During parliamentary sessions, watch from the public gallery. Bring your passport to get in.
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Münster Plattform
This small patch of parkland drops away suddenly into a steep cliff, and you need the public lift (admission around CHF2) in the corner to travel down to Badgasse and the Matte (www.matte.ch in German) area on the river plain below. In good weather, a café on the platform serves coffee, cake and hot chocolate.
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Dampfzentrale
Host to far more than its action-packed Friday-night club (from 10pm), this industrial red-brick riverside building hosts concerts, festivals and contemporary dance, and has a riverside restaurant terrace ( [tel] 031 312 33 00; open for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday, and dinner Saturday and Sunday).
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Cesary
New and trendy, this super-swank Italian restaurant and lounge attracts a well-dressed crowd. After work it's all about the suits and ties, but when dark descends so do the little black dresses and Gucci purses. Stop by for an aperitif and people watching from the comfort of a suave white leather stool.
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Sassafraz
A lovely address for wine lovers, this contemporary lounge and vinothèque cooks up the whole gamut of cuisines, English fish and chips (Sfr25.50) included, but it is the Italian mozzarella bar that steals the culinary show. In summer tempting smells waft across the teak tables outside.
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Le Mazot
Very cosy with dark wood panels, this place is a well-known specialist in Swiss food. There is a massive rösti, raclette and fondue menu. For those with small stomachs, half-portions are available. Sit outside in the glassed-in patio on warm days.
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Reitschule
While determinedly cleaning up its act and trying to keep the drugs out, this infamous - and ramshackle - centre for alternative arts, music and theatre still retains a bit of its old charisma, attracting local slackers, students and curious tourists.
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Eclipse
Bars such as Eclipse are popular with hip young 20-somethings. During the day, people come for snacks, lunch or merely to chill out on the lounge chairs, but come evening they're heaving with eager wannabes out for a good time with cocktails and DJs.
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Sous le Pont
Delve into the grungy underground scene around the station, with this bar in the semichaotic alternative-arts centre, the Reitschule, an old stone, graffiti-covered building – an old riding school built in 1897 – by the railway bridge.
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Quasimodo
Backpackers staying at the Hotel Glocke will like the convenience of this techno bar-club downstairs. Arrive after 22:00 and you'll find the small dance floor packed with swaying, sweaty revellers from all parts of the globe, including Switzerland.
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Klub Elf
House, techno, trance and minimal form the dance beat at this popular weekend club, where the real Saturday-night party kicks off after midnight and continues with an ‘after’ party from 5am on Sunday. Find flyers on their website.
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Du Nord
This gay-friendly space, with a good-value international kitchen and bar buzzes with Bern’s hippest and the occasional gig, is one of Bern’s hottest addresses. Find it crowned by a pretty pink, fairy-tale turret in the leafy Lorraine quarter.
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Stade de Suisse
Bern’s 32,000-seat Stade de Suisse, built over the demolished Wankdorf Stadium (host to the 1954 World Cup final), northeast of the Old Town, is home to the local Young Boys team and hosts international matches.
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