Worth a Visit – Bern City Center
A tramlink provides transport through the Bern city center
As travel photographers, we like to be well prepared for the sites we plan to see. This past summer, we were touring Switzerland and our plans fell apart after following our GPS 300 kilometers in the wrong direction. It turned out that Switzerland had two towns with the same name and we had arrived in the wrong town.
We decided to head back to our first location at Lucerne with no idea how we would spend the remaining days. Bern was not in our original plan, but with some days to spare, we decided to check it out. We had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be our favorite of the Swiss cities.
Children enjoying the Bern summer
I found out after the trip that the Bern city center has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983. The award is well deserved. The center is largely medieval by design and hosts some incredible works of architecture. Some sites worth checking are:
• The architecture and views around the Parliament Square
• The view from the bear pit
• The very gothic, Muster cathedral
Dusk lighting brings the Bern Parlaiment building to life
The city is rich in history and culture, but if you’re feeling more sporting, you will not be disappointed. Bicycles make up a large portion of the city’s transportation and cyclists are well catered for. In the summer months, locals flock to the River Aare to escape the heat. A lazy option is to sit on a tube and meander past the Bern sites. A better option is to strap on a wakeboard and grab one of the bungee cords attached the bridge. The locals use the elasticity to wakeboard against the river current.
Some Bern tips:
• If you’re a shopper, you should consider limiting yourself to window shopping, Bern is not cheap.
• Learn some basic German as it will help you understand signs and maps.
• Bern is hot during summer – bring something to swim in.
• The fountains in Parliament Square are very photogenic during the summer months.
The disgarded clothes of the local children playing in the fountains
