Bern tourist information & hotel reservations

We warmly welcome you to visit Berne and wish you a wonderful vacation.

As the capital of Switzerland, Bern is a city of importance for diplomats and a venue of many international organizations and meetings. Bern is one of the oldest and most interesting cities on the continent, dating back to the twelfth century. Due to the fact much of its medieval architecture is still preserved, the city leaves the feeling of a large provincial town rather than a capital city. Since 1983 Bern is listed as a World Cultural Landmark by the United Nations.
Over the years the city landscape has been glorified by numerous renowned visitors, such as Horace Walpole, who called it “the most Faire city”.
The modern blends harmoniously with the old in Bern, and in recent years its residents have added contemporary homes and edifices to the impressive historic environment.
Bern joined the Swiss Confederation in the distant 1353, and later in 1848, it replaced Zurich as the seat of the federal government. The city lies on a land that is bordered on 3 sides by the Aare River, with several bridges connecting the different sections of the capital.
The market days in Berne are Tuesday and Saturday, when people from the different areas come here to sell their production and wares. Bern’s last big event before the winter is the centuries-old Zwiebelmarkt (Zibelemärit) or Onion Market held on the fourth Monday of November. In city’s historic core, vendors arrive at the small hours to set up stalls featuring plaited strings of onions, customary to sell some one hundred tons of onions in just one day during this specific festival. However, the fest not only salesmanship - jesters disguised as onions run around, lots of confetti are thrown, and everyone have some fun. Of course, local restaurants feature all their special dishes made with onions at the festival time.
Bern is also a preferred starting point for various excursions, particularly to the lakes and peaks of the Bernese Oberland - a large recreational area on only minutes from the capital city.