Planning Your Time

The Bernese do not scurry around their city, and neither should you—its considerable charms are best discovered at a slow, steady pace with a plan to get from A to B but no fixed idea how. The most efficient, flexible, cheap, and enjoyable way to navigate Bern's cobblestones is on foot. The city is easy to navigate: count on 10 minutes to walk at a steady clip from the Hauptbahnhof to the Bärengraben; about five to take the bus.

It is technically possible to see the major sights in a day, but you'd miss seeing the sun set over medieval rooftops, you wouldn't be able to linger in restaurants, and this is a city that comes out at night. Do pace yourself as you wander the streets, do visit the museums at a steady clip, and do get a running start on the narrow curved steps up the Münster steeple. Indulge any urges to explore Marzili or Matte, to pursue your curiosity at the markets, to take a sudden chocolate break, to feed the bears, or to admire the fountains—although it is indeed strange to find the latter sitting in the middle of main-street traffic.