Bern worth visiting on a short trip?
Jerry is planning to visit Wengen after spending 2 nights in Lucerne and is considering a half-day stop in Bern to explore the historic center. He's looking for opinions on whether it's worth the time, especially since his itinerary doesn't include more Swiss or German historic cities.
- Bern is the capital and offers a lot of sights, especially for those interested in history and culture.
- If you're visiting for a short time, it might be better to spend your time in the stunning Swiss Alps instead of Bern.
- Consider using a Swiss Travel Pass for easier travel around Switzerland if you plan to visit multiple places.
AI-generated summary-
I recently posted a similar post about Zurich and now ask about Bern.
Again, I realize there is no definitive answer to this but I welcome your opinions on:
After spending 2 nights in Luzerne my next destination is Wengen. My question is, would it be worth stopping in Bern long enough for a 1/2 day tour of the historic center before moving on to Bern. Please note that the rest of proposed itinerary does not include any more Swiss/German historic cities.
Thanks to all who responded to previous post.
Jerry
-
Hi Jerry!
You can have a look at this link and decide if it’s worth it depending on your personal interests:
http://www.myswissalps.com/be rn
Bern is the capital of Switzerland, so plenty to see and do there!
Have a wonderful trip!
Maria.
Thank you for your reply.
Based on what you said, I have learned that in the future I should include a statement that I have already read all pages re topic on myswissalps.com including forum postings.
I am primarily interested in personal opinions based on experiences and knowledge.
Jerry
Hi Jerry
If that’s what you’re after, could you give us some guidance in terms of your personal interests, fitness level etc. ? For example are you into sightseeing, history, culture, architecture or are you more of a sports and nature lover?
Also helpful would be the month or time of the year you are planning your trip. A lot of the activities in Switzerland are season dependent.
Having that information will certainly increase the quality of the responses you get on MySwissAlps 🙂
Maria.
sightseeing, history, culture, architecture and nature lover with good level of fitness
After 21 trips to the Bernese Oberland my personal opinion is that Bern is a great destination if 1) you are staying in the BO for a long-ish time (like at least a week) AND 2) you have a rainy day and have run out of better things to do in the BO on a rainy day (there are many).
You do not state your travel dates nor what you mean by “short trip” but I would give Bern a bye. It is a lovely small city but you can see lovely cities anywhere in the world. And you will have just come from a city (Luzern) What’s special about Switzerland are the Swiss Alps. You cannot see those anywhere else in the world. Therefore I strongly recommend that you maximize your time there (Wengen area)
I fully agree with Kim, if I had half a day to kill I would spend it in the beautiful Swiss mountain scenery. One trip up a cable car would beat Bern anytime. Same with Zurich!
Slowpoke shared some good tips about Bern at the end of his second post here: http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/traveling-from-lucerne-in-one-day.
Hi Arno –
I was just getting around to answering Jerrys, when I saw your post. Thanks. I’ll note I agree with Kim’s opinion in general.
<<“What’s special about Switzerland are the Swiss Alps.”>>
However, if Jerrys wants to spend time in Bern, I’d tend to disagree in particular with the statement
<<It is a lovely small city but you can see lovely cities anywhere in the world.”>>
Jerrys has expressed an interest in architecture and culture. Both are prominent in Bern.
<<“sightseeing, history, culture, architecture and nature lover with good level of fitness”>>
It is a Zähringer city:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ House_of_Z%C3%A4hringe n
The Bear Pits, although featured as tourist attraction, actually are an artifact of the history of Bern, whose name is derived from the German word for bear.
It is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site for no reason.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Old_City_(Bern)
Slowpoke
Thanks for good response
Thanks for your good input.
I was in Bern previously a long time ago and liked it. However, I’m traveling with some other people and just looking for some input.
Hi Jerry –
<<“sightseeing, history, culture, architecture and nature lover with good level of fitness”>>
For medieval history…Carolingian times :
http://www.outdooractive.com/ en/church/graubuenden/ st.-peter-s-church-in-mistail/7131492/
Well off your path, as I understand it.
Wine Culture:
This special inn in the Graubünden, where the root stocks of the grape vines date back to Roman times:
This following is a stretch, and only works at some times of the year.
Since you have apparently locked in your travel plans on “name” places, it may also be irrelevant.
There are many centers of historical cultures… One in particular is the Emmental. The “Pennsylvania Dutch” in the USA, also Amish and Mennonites in other states, have extensive roots in the Emmental between Luzern and Bern. Here, the Anabaptist were persecuted in the 1600’s in Schloss Trachselwald ( the German Schloss means castle ) the focal point of the attached panorama. Some of the farmsteads around Fankhaus have priest’s holes. Beautiful country for walking, and the Emmental Inns, a part of the cultural traditions, though gradually disappearing, still support the rural culture to some degree. Hiking in the countryside with many accessible inns for overnight stays has been a tradition for generations.
Cheese is well known as part of the Swiss culture. A Show Dairy (Schaukäserei) in the Emmental displays old and modern techniques.
The cities don’t tel the whole story. Neither do the mountains.
The history of Switzerland, and its governance culture (Direct Democracy) are unique in modern Europe. I’m not sure of the best way for a tourist to experience this, but, I offer:
“Why Switzerland” by Jonathan Steinberg…particularly, the second edition, ISBN-13 978-0-521-48453-4 paperback.
Slowpoke
Attachments:
- The thread ‘Bern worth visiting on a short trip?’ is closed to new replies.
