Switzerland
About Bern
Bern wraps its medieval old town inside a tight loop of the glacial Aare, and the river is the whole point.
Arcaded sandstone streets run for kilometres under one roof, an astronomical clock performs on the hour, and bears live in a park by the bridge. It's the capital, but a sleepy, walkable one that never tries to outshine Zurich or Geneva.
In summer the entire city floats-office workers leap into the cold green Aare and let the current carry them home.
Eat a Bernese platter of meats and drink a beer on the bank as the water rushes past.
Get to Bern
Round trip from Prague, any dates in November 2026.
Buses from Bern
Day trips from Bern
- Day trip
Oeschinensee
~1 h
, then gondolaA turquoise amphitheatre of a lake beneath two-kilometre rock walls above Kandersteg, reached by gondola and a short walk. Rowboats in summer, a mountain toboggan run, and one of the great picnic spots of the Alps.
- Day trip
Lauterbrunnen
~1 h 10 minA glacial valley of sheer 300-metre walls and 72 waterfalls, with Staubbach falls free-falling beside the village church — Tolkien's model for Rivendell. The gateway to the car-free villages of Wengen and Mürren.
→ in WayoniDay tripGrindelwald
~1 h 15 minThe resort valley beneath the black north face of the Eiger, the way up to Jungfraujoch and the First cliff walk.
About Switzerland
Peaks, trains and quiet
The Alps at their most vertical, reached by trains that leave on the minute. Spotless, endlessly walkable and priced accordingly.
Explore SwitzerlandRegions, highlights and when to go