Beautiful Bern – more than just another city
Most visitors to Switzerland will opt for the mountains or, if they visit cities, tend to spend time in the more renowned Swiss tourist centers such as Lucerne or Interlaken. Not quite as many will opt to visit the capital BERN, although it holds great architectural appeal and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In fact, Bern could be seen as among Switzerland's most charismatic and architecturally charming cities – as it lacks the crude business appeal of Zurich or the cold, diplomatic feel of Geneva.
A good place to start any visit to Bern is therefore at the so-called ROSENGARTEN, a former cemetery and nowadays charming park area with numerous kinds of roses – and a spectacular panoramic viewpoint, from which the entire Old Town of Bern along with the AARE valley can be enjoyed in one sweeping view. Numerous photographers, painters and other artists tend to congregate here to capture the scenic beauty of the Swiss capital.
From here, it is possible to choose a brief 5 minute descent to the BÄRENGRABEN with the tourist information and new terrain for the bears – so much more spacious than the former bearpit. This is hardly a Treasures-Off-The-Beaten-Track destination, as recent headlines surrounding construction and cost of the new home for Bern's bears has caused a huge influx of curious visitors all trying to catch a glimpse of the happy bears in their new enlarged environment. Nonetheless, it is a delight to look at the new terrain and the adjacent AARE with its river promenade. To complete the standard visitor program, no better way than to proceed into the Old Town to enjoy the lovely ARCADES and medieval fountains, and to admire the ZEITGLOCKE with a clockwork dating back to the 18th century.
The true beauty of Bern, however, reveals itself upon leaving behind the crowded city center and to seek solitude and beauty near the AARE river. It is possible, for instance, to turn right behind the Zeitglocke to head down Hotelgasse and turn left on Münstergasse. On weekends we find a nice local market on this alley, which then leads right up to Bern's famous MÜNSTER, which took 150 years to build in both Gothic and later Historicist style and was originally designed by the famous cathedral architect Matthäus Ensinger from Ulm, Germany.
Following a visit to the Münster, there is a passage to the right of the building leading to MÜNSTERPROMENADE and a beautiful park area overlooking the AARE valley nearby. Numerous outdoor cafes and shops invite for a respite here. It is possible to walk down to the river from here, or to take an elevator ride down for a small charge.
Down by the river, it is then recommended to stroll along the AARE with sweeping views of the forest and recreation areas on the other side. Crossing over, however, is not quite so easy, and, unless one can walk on water, the only worthwhile option is to choose a set of stairs and passageways further down to the right – the socalled FRICKTREPPE and FRICKWEG, which then helps to connect to the mighty Kirchenfeldbrücke. Upon crossing the bridge, it is then easy to descend to the river itself in its most scenic and beautiful setting along the ENGLISCHE ANLAGE, an English park right adjacent to the AARE river.
As we then sip our afternoon coffee basking in the sun at the riverside outdoor cafe area nearby, we tend to forget for just a moment that this is in fact a city of 150 000 and capital of Switzerland – so far removed we find ourselves here from all the buzzing activity on busy Marktgasse in central Bern, only 10 minutes away from us. This privileged geographical position along with its splendid architecture truly goes to show that beautiful Bern is far from being just another big Swiss city.
A good place to start any visit to Bern is therefore at the so-called ROSENGARTEN, a former cemetery and nowadays charming park area with numerous kinds of roses – and a spectacular panoramic viewpoint, from which the entire Old Town of Bern along with the AARE valley can be enjoyed in one sweeping view. Numerous photographers, painters and other artists tend to congregate here to capture the scenic beauty of the Swiss capital.
From here, it is possible to choose a brief 5 minute descent to the BÄRENGRABEN with the tourist information and new terrain for the bears – so much more spacious than the former bearpit. This is hardly a Treasures-Off-The-Beaten-Track destination, as recent headlines surrounding construction and cost of the new home for Bern's bears has caused a huge influx of curious visitors all trying to catch a glimpse of the happy bears in their new enlarged environment. Nonetheless, it is a delight to look at the new terrain and the adjacent AARE with its river promenade. To complete the standard visitor program, no better way than to proceed into the Old Town to enjoy the lovely ARCADES and medieval fountains, and to admire the ZEITGLOCKE with a clockwork dating back to the 18th century.
The true beauty of Bern, however, reveals itself upon leaving behind the crowded city center and to seek solitude and beauty near the AARE river. It is possible, for instance, to turn right behind the Zeitglocke to head down Hotelgasse and turn left on Münstergasse. On weekends we find a nice local market on this alley, which then leads right up to Bern's famous MÜNSTER, which took 150 years to build in both Gothic and later Historicist style and was originally designed by the famous cathedral architect Matthäus Ensinger from Ulm, Germany.
Following a visit to the Münster, there is a passage to the right of the building leading to MÜNSTERPROMENADE and a beautiful park area overlooking the AARE valley nearby. Numerous outdoor cafes and shops invite for a respite here. It is possible to walk down to the river from here, or to take an elevator ride down for a small charge.
Down by the river, it is then recommended to stroll along the AARE with sweeping views of the forest and recreation areas on the other side. Crossing over, however, is not quite so easy, and, unless one can walk on water, the only worthwhile option is to choose a set of stairs and passageways further down to the right – the socalled FRICKTREPPE and FRICKWEG, which then helps to connect to the mighty Kirchenfeldbrücke. Upon crossing the bridge, it is then easy to descend to the river itself in its most scenic and beautiful setting along the ENGLISCHE ANLAGE, an English park right adjacent to the AARE river.
As we then sip our afternoon coffee basking in the sun at the riverside outdoor cafe area nearby, we tend to forget for just a moment that this is in fact a city of 150 000 and capital of Switzerland – so far removed we find ourselves here from all the buzzing activity on busy Marktgasse in central Bern, only 10 minutes away from us. This privileged geographical position along with its splendid architecture truly goes to show that beautiful Bern is far from being just another big Swiss city.
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