Old City of Berne Historical Site

Address: Old City (Altstadt), 3000 Bern, Switzerland

Hours: Public spaces open year-round

Admission: No admission (historic city center)

The Old City of Berne is Bern’s medieval centre built on a narrow peninsula formed by a loop of the Aare River and is recognised for its well-preserved urban fabric. The area contains extensive sandstone facades, covered arcades and a number of civic and religious buildings from the medieval and early modern periods.

Key landmarks include the medieval clock tower known as the Zytglogge, the long covered arcades that run along the main streets and the city cathedral with its late Gothic tower. The streets combine civic monuments, fountains and protected historic façades and are arranged in an ordered grid reflecting medieval urban planning.

Bern developed as a regional centre from the high medieval period and the core of the old town retains its historic street pattern and many original structures, even where façades were modified in later centuries. Conservation and restoration work over the 19th and 20th centuries has sought to preserve the historic character.

The old city occupies the central district of Switzerland’s de facto capital, on a loop of the Aare River, and is a short walk from Bern’s main transport hubs and civic buildings.

• Walkability: The old town sits on a pronounced loop of the Aare River and is compact enough to explore on foot, with most highlights within a short walk of the main station.

What to See#

• Zytglogge: A medieval clock tower with an astronomical clock dating to the medieval period that served historically as a civic timekeeper and watchtower.
• Arcades (Lauben): A long stretch of covered arcades along the main streets that contain shops, cafes and medieval facades, forming a continuous pedestrian shopping promenade.
• Bern Cathedral (Münster): A cathedral with a prominent late-medieval tower and Gothic interior situated on the eastern edge of the old town.

Bern’s Old City is immediately adjacent to Bern Hauptbahnhof (Bern main railway station). The Swiss Federal Railways run frequent intercity and regional trains to Bern from Zurich, Geneva, and other Swiss cities (Zurich-Bern ~1 hour by direct train).

From Bern station the medieval center, Zytglogge and main sights are a 5-10 minute walk.

• Walk into the Old City from the Bahnhof (train station) early in the morning to experience the arcades (Lauben) with few people and to reach the Zytglogge before peak crowd times.
• Climb the Münster cathedral tower for one of the best panoramic views of Bern's rooftops and the River Aare-this viewpoint is often overlooked by day visitors who stay at street level.
• Combine a stroll along the riverside promenades with a quick visit to the Bear Park just downstream of the Old Town; the park is close by but often missed by visitors focused only on the central squares.