Tourist Attractions in Bern

The most interesting and beautiful tourist sites in Bern

Photos, reviews, descriptions, and links to maps

About Bern

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Top-20 Tourist Attractions in Bern

Byrne & Woods Bar & Restaurant

 4.3/5

559 reviews

The historic part of Bern, located in the hilly bend of the river Are. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. Most of the city’s attractions are located precisely in the old quarters. The first settlements in this area appeared at the end of the XII century, when the founder of Bern, Duke Berthold V Zeringen, came here. Nowadays, restaurants, hotels, clubs and offices are housed in former residential buildings in this part of the city.

Open time

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 3:00 – 11:00 PM
Thursday: 3:00 – 11:00 PM
Friday: 12:00 PM – 12:30 AM
Saturday: 12:00 PM – 12:30 AM
Sunday: 12:00 – 11:00 PM

Pfeiferbrunnen

 4.6/5

50 reviews

Bern is famous for its numerous well fountains, many of which were created as far back as the 13th – 16th centuries. Bern’s fountains are guarded by statues of fairy-tale creatures made by sculptor G. Ging. The most frightening statue is the “Child Eater”. It is an evil giant with a bag full of children’s bodies (he eats one of them). Apparently, the sculpture was created to help parents to bring up disobedient offspring.

Open time

Monday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open 24 hours
Thursday: Open 24 hours
Friday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Sunday: Open 24 hours

The Parliament Building

 4.5/5

1438 reviews

The palace complex was built in 1894-1902 according to the design of H. Auer in the Neo-Renaissance style. The building is used as a meeting place for the Swiss state authorities. In height the palace reaches 64 metres. Its roof is topped by a huge dome, on the inside of which the coat of arms of Switzerland and its 22 cantons (as of the beginning of the 20th century) are mosaicked. The building is open to the public. You can watch the parliamentary session from the special galleries.

Open time

Zytglogge

 4.6/5

3012 reviews

A tower with an astronomical clock, supposedly erected in the 13th century as a defensive fortification. At the beginning of the 15th century, the structure burned down and was rebuilt from local sandstone. The building acquired its modern appearance in the XVI century. The ancient Zitglogge tower clock is more than 500 years old. For all these centuries, the townspeople have used it to tell the time.

Open time

Käfigturm

 4.4/5

776 reviews

The tower was built in the middle of the 17th century on the site of the city gates. Until 1897 it was used to hold prisoners (hence the name), then the premises were used to house the city archive. At the same time there was an observation point in the tower, from where the caretaker could spot a fire in time. The tower has now been converted into a viewing platform for tourists.

Open time

Monday: 2:00 – 6:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday: Closed

John W. Byrne Municipal Building

 0/5

Bern’s Town Hall is an example of mixed style architecture. It has Romanesque features as well as early and late Gothic elements. The town hall was built in the early 15th century for the needs of the city council. Subsequently, the building has been rebuilt several times and its architectural appearance has changed somewhat. Today, in addition to the town council, the church parliament of the canton of Bern meets here.

Open time

Cathedral of Bern

 4.6/5

4669 reviews

The cathedral of the Protestant Church of Bern, located in the historic part of the city. The construction of the church lasted several centuries – from the 14th to the end of the 19th century. The dominant architectural style of the building is late Gothic. The interior of the cathedral is quite simple and laconic. All unnecessary, in the opinion of church reformers, decorations were removed from here back in the XVI century, so that believers could concentrate only on communion with God.

Open time

Frauenkirche Dresden

 4.8/5

28784 reviews

A small church with a high steeple, built in the middle of the 14th century. During the difficult years of the Reformation, the church was almost abandoned, and services were resumed here only in 1566. In the middle of the XX century the building was reconstructed under the direction of architect M. Perincaioli. As a result, new bronze reliefs were added to the facade. In 1968, a monument in honour of Berthold V Zeringen was erected in the churchyard.

Open time

Holy Spirit

 4.4/5

120 reviews

A modest and elegant 18th century Baroque church, considered one of the most important Protestant parishes in Switzerland. Like other local churches, its interior decoration is not luxurious, but still the walls are decorated with rich mouldings and the hall has a circular gallery of massive columns. The Church of the Holy Spirit is one of the most capacious in the country. It can accommodate up to 2,000 people.

Open time

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

 4.5/5

129 reviews

The first Catholic church built after the victory of the Reformation in Switzerland. The church was built between 1858 and 1864. The façade is in a mixed architectural style. On it you can see features of Gothic and late Romanesque style. The interiors were painted in Art Nouveau style relatively recently – in 1998. Despite belonging to the Catholic diocese, the Church of St Peter and St Paul is relatively independent from the Vatican.

Open time

Zentrum Paul Klee

 4.4/5

2062 reviews

A museum whose collection is made up of works by P. Klee, an avant-garde graphic artist and art historian. The idea to create the exposition appeared after the descendants of the master donated more than 700 of his works to the city. The building of the museum was erected at the expense of the Müller family according to the project of architect R. Piano. It was opened in 2005. The collection is located in the underground part of the building, as Klee’s paintings are sensitive to light.

Open time

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Einstein House

 4/5

2091 reviews

In the house on Kramgasse 49 A. Einstein lived in the house on Kramgasse 49 from 1903 to 1905 while working in the local patent office. It was here that the great scientist wrote the first articles that covered the fundamental postulates of the theory of relativity. Einstein’s former flat recreates the original furnishings of the early 20th century, with photographs of the scientist and his family hanging on the walls and scientific papers and documents on the shelves.

Open time

Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Bernisches Historisches Museum / Einstein Museum

 4.6/5

2751 reviews

The museum is located on Helvetiaplatz. The building was built at the end of the 19th century. From the outside, it resembles a real castle. The museum exposition is divided into four large sections, where thousands of items are exhibited. In total, the funds contain more than 250 thousand exhibits. Here you can look at knight’s armour, ancient coins, elements of temple decoration, church utensils and much more.

Open time

Laura Mars Gallery

 4.4/5

5 reviews

The collection contains a large number of paintings by Swiss, French, Italian and Spanish masters of the XIV-XX centuries. The avant-garde exposition, which was given to the museum in 2014 on behalf of a private art connoisseur, deserves a special mention. It includes works by S. Dali, P. Cezanne, A. Matisse, A. Modigliani, V. Kandinsky and other artists. In addition to paintings, the museum holds 3,000 sculptures and 48,000 prints.

Open time

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 1:00 – 7:00 PM
Thursday: 1:00 – 7:00 PM
Friday: 1:00 – 7:00 PM
Saturday: 1:00 – 6:00 PM
Sunday: Closed

Natural History Museum

 4.7/5

24083 reviews

Natural science exposition, which was founded in 1832. The museum team co-operates closely with the University of Bern. The collection consists of stuffed animals, skeletons, minerals, huge crystals. There are even meteorite fragments and gold bars. Many of the halls have interactive installations that mimic the smells and sounds of wildlife. The Bern Museum has one of the most comprehensive natural science expositions in Switzerland.

Open time

Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM

Museum of Communication of Nuremberg

 4.6/5

395 reviews

The museum exhibits tell visitors the history of the development of various means of communication. There are ancient telephones, telegraphs, radio apparatuses, televisions, computers and other devices. An impressive part of the exposition is devoted to digital technologies. The museum has a specialised sanatorium where people suffering from computer addiction are treated.

Open time

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Bear Pit

 4.4/5

13496 reviews

“The Bear Pit” is a small bear park with an adjacent moat, they are a branch of the city’s Delhölzli Zoo. The bear is considered to be the heraldic symbol of Bern, and this animal is treated quite reverently here. The first pit appeared in the city in the XV century, since then it has repeatedly moved from place to place. The park is a popular tourist attraction.

Open time

Monday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open 24 hours
Thursday: Open 24 hours
Friday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Sunday: Open 24 hours

Universität Bern Botanical Garden

 4.7/5

1146 reviews

The Botanical Garden is located at the University of Bern. It has a collection of plants from the tropics, deserts, steppes, forests and alpine meadows. The garden was established in 1862. Some greenhouses with particularly valuable plants may be restricted to visitors with children, as the administration is concerned about the safety of delicate flora that are sensitive to the slightest impact.

Open time

Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Bern Rose Garden

 4.7/5

4027 reviews

A romantic landscaped park where about 220 varieties of roses and about 200 species of irises grow and fragrance. The garden is studded with flowers in all shades of red, yellow and white. From here you can enjoy a picturesque view of the historic part of Bern, as the rose garden is located on a hill. The garden was created in the 20th century on the site of the former city cemetery. It is a wonderful place for strolling, relaxing and philosophical reflection.

Open time

Monday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open 24 hours
Thursday: Open 24 hours
Friday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Sunday: Open 24 hours

Gurten Park im Grünen

 4.7/5

2733 reviews

Mount Gurten is located a few kilometres from Bern. Its height is about 864 metres. An amusement park of the same name is organised on the elephants of the mountain. In winter, skis and sledges are used here, in summer – on bicycles. On the territory of the park there is a hotel, restaurants and places for conferences. The annual Gurtenfestival music festival is held here, attracting participants from all over Europe.

Open time

Monday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open 24 hours
Thursday: Open 24 hours
Friday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Sunday: Open 24 hours