Why go now?
Spring events include a major new exhibition, Chinese Whispers, which opened on Thursday at the Zentrum Paul Klee and features the work of Ai Weiwei and other contemporary Chinese artists ( until June 19; zpk.org) and the 41st International Jazz Festival (March 12-May 21; jazzfestivalbern.ch), while the city’s famous bears are now back in their refurbished riverside park (baerenpark-bern.ch).
The city’s perennial attractions are its state of preservation (essentially it’s a medieval town overlaid with a baroque veneer), which has earned it Unesco World Heritage status; its manageable size (you can walk the Old Town end to end in 20 minutes); and a laid-back, friendly ambience.
Two towering figures of the 20th century – Albert Einstein and the artist Paul Klee – have Bern connections and sites associated with them attract tourists from all over the world.
Bern is the capital of Switzerland, by the way, though it’s so self-effacing you would hardly know it.
Getting there
SkyWork Airlines (flyskywork.com) flies from London City (via Basel on short stopover) and from Southend direct. Or fly to Zurich and take the train (about 1hr 15 min). Swiss (0845 601 0956; swiss.com) flies to Zurich from LHR, London City, Birmingham and Manchester from £115 return.
Zurich-Bern return by rail using the Swiss Transfer Ticket (swisstravelsystem.co.uk) costs £97 in second class, £156 in first. From the airport, bus No 334 runs regularly to the central bus and railway station.
Any visitor staying overnight in Bern is entitled to a Bern Ticket, which ensures free public transport in and around the city centre (show your hotel reservation on bus to hotel, then obtain ticket from hotel reception). If your hotel is in the Old Town, you can probably walk from the railway station.
Where to stay
Special treat
The Bellevue Palace at Kochergasse 3-5 (0041 31 320 4545; bellevue-palace.ch) is a belle époque extravaganza perched above the Aare River with a view of the Bernese Alps. It’s a haunt of politicians (the parliament building is next door) and visiting heads of state. Doubles from Sfr356 (£255) with breakfast.
Mid-range
The Hotel Allegro at Kornhausstrasse 3 (0041 31 339 5500; kursaal-bern.ch/hotel), part of a modern business and leisure complex that includes a conference centre, casino and restaurants, is just over the Kornhaus Bridge from the Old Town. Doubles from Sfr198 (£140), excluding breakfast.
Budget
Hotel Goldener Schlussel at Rathausgasse 72 (0041 31 311 0216; goldener-schluessel.ch), a 34-room, family-run guesthouse built above a medieval stable (now the hotel restaurant), is in the Old Town, just a few minutes’ walk from the Clock Tower. Doubles from Sfr175 (£117) with breakfast.
On arrival
5pm
Reach the Zytglogge (Clock Tower – zeitglockenturm.ch) before the 16th-century clock strikes the hour, and watch the drama unfold, including a cock that crows, rotating bears and a golden man who strikes the bell (you will see behind the scenes on a tour tomorrow).
5.15pm
Stroll the arcaded streets around about, pausing for “the best coffee in town” (according to locals) served at Adriano’s at Theaterplatz 2 (adrianos.ch).
6pm
Walk south to the gardens known as The Platform, next to the Minster, with views across the Aare River to the Bernese mountains. Drop down to the riverside by Kirchenfeld Bridge and then walk east along the river. When you reach Nydegg Bridge, cross it and climb the hill on the other side to the Rose Garden (Rosengarten) to watch the sun set over the Old Town and/or panoramic night-time views.
7.15pm
Return across Nydegg Bridge for dinner at Kornhauskeller at Kornhausplatz 18 (0041 31 327 7272; kornhauskeller.ch), a sumptuous vaulted cellar restaurant in the high baroque style with an Italian-Bernese menu – veal escalope with tagliatelle, Sfr45 (£30); black forest roulade, Sfr9 (£6).
Day one
10am
Start at the Einstein House at Kramgasse 49 (einstein-bern.ch), where the great man lived in a high-ceilinged apartment from 1903 to 1905 – when he formulated his special theory of relativity. Open daily, 10am-5pm, Feb-Dec; closed in Jan; Sfr6 (£4). Fortify yourself with a midmorning coffee at the Einstein Kaffee downstairs (einstein-kaffee.ch).
11am
Walk across Kirchenfeld Bridge to the Einstein Museum, part of the Bern Historical Museum (bhm.ch) at Helvetiaplatz 5. It provides a superb overview of Einstein’s life, times and theories. Tues-Sun 10am-5pm, Sfr18 (£12).
1pm
Lunch at Lötschberg at Zeughausgasse 16 (0041 31 311 34 55; loetschberg-aoc.ch), a hipster café and deli selling artisanal breads and cheeses: medium-sized mixed Lötschberg salad Sfr13 (£8.70), homemade iced tea Sfr4.50 (£3).
2.30pm
Take a guided tour of the 16th-century clock mechanism in the Zytglogge (available April to Oct daily; book on 0041 31 328 12 12; citytours@bern.com; Sfr15/£10).
3.30pm
Devote the rest of the afternoon to the Fine Art Museum at Hodler strasse 8-12 (kunstmuseumbern.ch), with its superb permanent collection – Picasso, Matisse, Giacometti, Rothko and many more. Open Tues 10am-9pm, Wed-Sun 10am-5pm, Sfr22 (£15); collection is free until April 7.
5.30pm
Time for an early evening Hemingway (extra-dry) Martini (Sfr17/£11) amid the classic American styling of the Bellevue Bar in the Bellevue Palace hotel (see Where to stay).
7pm
Dine at Verdi, an Italian restaurant at Gerechtigkeitsgasse 7 (0041 31 312 6368; bindella.ch): mozzarella and tomatoes Sfr17 (£11), small prosecco risotto with scallops Sfr25 (£17).
Day two
10am
Visit the gothic Minster (bernermuenster.ch) – highlights are the 15th-century Last Judgment over the main portal and the panoramic mountain views from the top of the tower (if you are able to manage the 300-plus steps). Open Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, 11.30-5pm; free; tower access Sfr5 (£3).
10.30am
Take your luggage with you and jump on bus No 12, which terminates at Zentrum Paul Klee (zpk.org), a powerhouse of a museum dedicated to the Bernese artist who became one of the great figures of early 20th-century art. Chinese Whispers, the exhibition of Chinese art, is also on through spring. Open Tues-Sun, 10am-5pm, Sfr20 (£15). Grab a quick lunch at the café (“Klee’s sonnenwirbel salad” is good value at Sfr9.50/£6), then return to the railway station on bus No 12 for train to Zürich or airport bus.
City checklist:
Buy a card for access to 20 museums, from hotels and tourist information bern.com: it costs Sfr28 (£19) for 24hr and Sfr35 (£23) for 48hr.
Take tram No 9 from the main station to Gurtenbahn and the cable car to the top of Mount Gurten. A summer toboggan run will open this spring.
Bernrollt (bernrollt.ch) runs a free bike scheme. After leaving a deposit of Sfr20, you can pick up a cycle from one of three central locations and use it for up to four hours.
Source from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
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