Bern Day Trip

Bern Altstadt (Zytglogge)

Clock tower, arcades and bears; half a day does it

Tickets

Old town, Bear Park and Rose Garden free; trains covered by the Swiss Travel Pass

Address

10 minutes' walk from Bern station along the main old-town street

It's the capital, but the old town is a 30-minute walk end to end. Stone arcades run for nearly 6 km, so you stay dry even in the rain, and painted fountain statues stand in the middle of the streets. A few minutes before the hour, a crowd gathers at the Zytglogge clock tower to watch the figures move. Cross the Aare to the Bear Park, then climb to the Rose Garden to look over the roofs and the river bend, and the day wraps up neatly.