Bern
Bern’s answer to the Guggenheim, Renzo Piano’s architecturally bold, 150m-long wave-like edifice houses an exhibition space that showcases rotating works…
Must-see attractions in Mittelland
Bern
Bern’s flag-bedecked medieval centre has 6km of covered arcades and cellar shops and bars descending from the streets. After a devastating fire in 1405,…
Bern
Bern’s most famous Old Town sight, this ornate clock tower once formed part of the city’s western gate (1191–1256). Crowds congregate to watch its…
Bern
Fresh from extensive renovation and expansion, Bern's Museum of Communication reopened its doors in August 2017. Occupying almost 2000 sq metres of…
Mittelland
Architect Gaetano Matteo Pisoni restrained himself with the classical Italianate facade of Solothurn’s monolithic 18th-century cathedral, but went wild…
Mittelland
Watch Emmental cheese being made into 95kg wheels and taste it at the Emmental Open Cheese Dairy in Affoltern. Short videos explain the modern production…
Mittelland
The centrepiece of Solothurn's Fine Arts Museum is Ferdinand Hodler’s famous portrait of William Tell (looking a bit like a red-haired, bearded Goliath in…
Bern
Tapestries, diptychs and other treasures vividly illustrate Bernese history from the Stone Age to the 20th century in this marvellous castle-like edifice,…
Bern
Bern's Museum of Fine Arts houses Switzerland’s oldest permanent collection, ranging from an exquisite early Renaissance Madonna and Child by Fra Angelico…
Bern
Bern’s 15th-century Gothic cathedral boasts Switzerland’s loftiest spire (100m); climb the 344-step spiral staircase for vertiginous views. Coming down,…
Bern
A popular etymological theory is that Bern got its name from the bear (Bär in German), when the city’s founder, Berthold V, duke of Zähringen, snagged one…
Bern
Inside the Zentrum Paul Klee, the fun-packed Kindermuseum Creaviva lets kids experiment with hands-on art exhibits or create original artwork with the…
Bern
Housed in the humble apartment that Einstein shared with his young family while working at the Bern patent office, this small museum includes a 20-minute…
Bern
The Natural History Museum near Helvetiaplatz features the famous moth-eaten and taxidermied remains of Barry, a 19th-century St Bernard rescue dog. Its…
Mittelland
A knight, a king and a Grim Reaper jig on the hour atop this 12th-century astronomical clock with its hands reversed so the smaller one shows the minutes…
Mittelland
The unprepossessing facade of this church (1680–89) disguises an interior of baroque embellishments and stucco work. All the ‘marble’ in here is fake –…
Mittelland
This robust 12th-century castle could be straight out of a book with its drawbridge, thick stone walls and trio of museums focusing on castle history,…
Schweizerisches Alpines Museum
Bern
The Swiss Alpine Museum hosts special exhibitions; its permanent collection of relief maps and Alpine mountaineering exhibits are kept under wraps.
Bern
Home of the Swiss Federal Assembly, the Florentine-style Bundeshaus (1902) contains statues of the nation’s founding fathers, a stained-glass dome adorned…
Bern
A great outdoorsy escape only 3km south of town, this small peak boasts a couple of restaurants, a miniature railway, cycling trails, a summer circus,…
Mittelland
Fresh from extensive renovations completed in late 2016, the early 17th-century rust-coloured facade of this vast, multi-windowed arsenal museum is a…
Bern
Bern is home to 11 decorative 16th-century fountains depicting historic and folkloric characters. The most famous is Kindlifresserbrunnen (Ogre Fountain),…
Mittelland
West of the clock tower, this fountain (1561) portrays a blindfolded Justice, holding aloft a sword, while the four most important contemporary figures in…
Mittelland
Burgdorf (literally ‘castle village’) is split into the Upper and Lower towns. The natural highlight of the Oberstadt is the 12th-century Schloss Burgdorf.
Bern
A flight of steps leads from the northern end of Lorrainebrücke to the University Botanical Garden, a riverside garden with plenty of green specimens to…
Mittelland
In the new Lower Town, the works of Switzerland’s foremost photo-realist painter steal the show at the Franz Gertsch Museum.
Mittelland
Just east of the cathedral, this is Solothurn's most attractive city gate. Nearby, the city’s former bastion makes a decent picnic spot.
Mittelland
The works of Switzerland’s foremost photo-realist painter steal the show at the Franz Gertsch Museum.
