Two Days in Bern Itinerary: Old City, Gurten, & Museums
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After exploring Bern and taking in its gorgeous landmarks, picturesque spots, and even its charming fountains, I’ve come to realize that half a day is just ample to cover the city’s highlights, and a full day only allows for a thorough exploration of the Old Town and the Rose Garden.
To fully experience the city’s other offerings, including its museums, delightful spas, and surrounding natural wonders, you would need at least two days. For a truly relaxed journey, consider extending your stay to three days.
Now, if you opt for a two-day itinerary in Bern, I have some excellent tips to help you make the most of your time in the Swiss capital. Ready to start?
Yet, I must admit, two or three days do not seem entirely practical, especially when you consider other Swiss destinations that offer more memorable experiences, such as the Jungfrau Region and Lucerne for your entire Switzerland trip.
In fact, if you’re planning a two-day stay in Bern, it may be more rewarding to dedicate your second day to a day trip to nearby attractions, like the quaint town of Thun, Lake Thun, or Oberhofen Castle, as outlined in my 4-Day Switzerland itinerary.
Nevertheless, a two-day visit to Bern can be quite enjoyable, particularly if you’re spending a week or longer in Switzerland or if it’s your second visit to the country. (If you’re undecided, I can help you decide how long to stay in Bern.)
Day 1 in Bern: Old City & Gurten
There are several ways to spend a day in Bern; however, your priority should be seeing the old city. It is, in my humble opinion, the primary reason to visit Bern.
The old city of Bern is a beautiful place, filled with picturesque, romantic scenes. If you are a history lover, an architecture enthusiast, or a photographer, I’m sure you’ll find your trip to Bern worthwhile.
I honestly think the old city alone can “complete” a trip to Bern. Every visitor can undoubtedly find value in it. You can see unique historical landmarks, learn about Swiss history and politics, and have some relaxing moments at places with panoramic views. Visiting the old city can keep you busy for the entire day.
However, there are times when an attraction is unavailable for tourists, or you might not be interested in a specific destination and decide to skip it. If that happens, you will indeed create some spare time. Of course, we don’t want to be idle during our trip, as visiting Switzerland is quite expensive!
We want to maximize our day, constantly seeing new, beautiful places or having great experiences. The museums can fill the space in the itinerary, but I would not suggest them yet at least for day 1. Especially if the weather is excellent, you have to take advantage! I suggest going to other outdoor attractions like Gurten or the River Aare in Bern.
As I mentioned at the beginning, there are many ways to spend a day in Bern. If you really like the outdoors and the weather is fantastic, you can also spend a day in Bern: half in the old city, half in Gurten. This can be a good option, as you can already see the unmissable places in the old city of Bern in half a day.
You might find these interesting!
Old City of Bern (Main Destination for Day 1)
Spending time in the Old City of Bern is simple: explore it on foot.
It’s the best way to fully immerse yourself in the uniqueness of Bern’s Old City. Start at the train station, which is located west of the old city. From the train station, move eastward, explore every street, and you’ll effortlessly encounter the tourist attractions and main points of interest in the town.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the local culture, get the inside scoop on the best eateries, or uncover Bern’s hidden gems, think about getting a local guide for a personalized city tour. Just let the guide know your interests and they’ll take care of the rest, making your day in Bern hassle-free!
Here is the visual summary of the places to see/visit in the Old City of Bern
Here’s how you can make the most of your visit to 3 of the 4 must-see attraction in the Old City of Bern: Bundeshaus, Zytglogge, and Bern Cathedral.
Gurten (Alternative Destination for Day 1)
Gurten is the nearest mountain to Bern, located just a few miles south of the city.
It stands a little over 2780 feet high. From the area around its peak, you can enjoy a sweeping view of Bern and a panoramic vista of the Bernese Alps.
I believe Gurten is a fantastic alternative to the Rose Garden for watching the sunset in Bern. It even features an observation tower that you can access at no cost. Ascend it for even more panoramic views.
Day 2 in Bern: Museums & Other Indoor Attractions
One way to spend another day in Bern is by engaging in activities that aren’t dependent on the weather.
Naturally, these are the indoor tourist attractions in Bern, such as the museums, spas, and tours inside the historical sites in the old city.
Is museum hopping in Bern a good idea? I believe so.
The museums in the city are fun and unique, especially the Einstein Museum and the Museum of Communication. If you’re a fan of art and history, Bern’s Historical Museum and Zentrum Paul Klee are worth a visit.
Visiting different museums in Bern is easy as they are located near each other in their own district called “Kirchenfeld,” which some people refer to as the “Museum district” of Bern. In Kirchenfeld, you’ll be walking short distances to go from one museum to another.
Kirchenfeld is situated south of the old city, across the Aare River.
It is connected to the old city via Kirchenfeldbrücke, the bridge next to Bern Casino. You can get directly to Kirchenfeld from Bern’s central train station by taking Bus #19 or Tram #8 or #9.
However, I wouldn’t entirely recommend it, especially if you want to see a different panoramic view of the old city.
I think you’ll also appreciate the view of the old city while walking along Kirchenfeldbrücke.
From the bridge, you can get a different perspective of the old town’s skyline—it’s picture-perfect. Facing the old city, you can see a panorama that includes the Bundeshaus, Bern Casino, and Bern Cathedral.
By the way, in addition to some of the museums mentioned earlier, you can also find the Natural History Museum, Kunsthalle Bern (an art museum), and Alpine Museum in Kirchenfeld. There are several restaurants near the museums, so you might not need to leave Kirchenfeld and return to the old city for lunch.
Visiting a few museums in one day can be tiring. This is especially true if you enjoy visiting museums and can spend hours exploring, strolling, and standing to appreciate the exhibits.
If you need some pampering and relaxation, you might want to check out Hammam & SPA Oktogon. In a nutshell, it’s a beautiful spa with a unique bathing experience in its 4-story building.
Let me share the four museums that I think are the most interesting in Bern.
The Bern Historical Museum is the second-largest historical museum in Switzerland.
If you’re coming from the old city of Bern, it’ll be the first museum you see in Kirchenfeld. You can spot it right away from Kirchenfeldbrücke. Your first impression will likely be a question: “Is that really a museum or a castle?” That’s surely due to its castle-like structure, reminiscent of those from the 15th to 16th centuries. It even looks like a Disney castle from Kirchenfeldbrücke!
Do you love architecture? I believe the Bern Historical Museum is one of the most beautiful landmarks of Bern outside the Old City. One particularly notable architectural feature of this museum is the glass mosaic above its entrance, called “The Age of History.”
As the name of the museum suggests, you can expect to see many things related to history, archaeology, and ethnography when exploring the Bern Historical Museum. There are half-a-million artifacts in the Bern Historical Museum from different eras, originating from different parts of the world.
If you’re a map enthusiast like me, I bet you’ll also enjoy seeing some historical maps inside the museum. One that stuck in my mind was the map of Europe during the reign of Augustus and Caesar. You can also find miniatures of cities and villages from different parts of the world. Of course, there is also a miniature of the old city of Bern inside the museum.
The last time I checked, the Bern Historical Museum had exhibits about Japan and its Samurai. It was impressive and full of learning. It featured more than an hour of audio stories providing comprehensive insight into this part of Japanese culture.
Overall, it would take slightly more than a couple of hours to see every part of the Bern Historical Museum. However, you wouldn’t want to leave the museum building yet because there’s a second part to your visit: it’s the Einstein Museum.
You can learn more about the Bern Historical Museum from its official website, linked at the end of this post.
The Einstein Museum is another museum you can find in Bern’s museum district. It’s located on the second floor of the castle-like building of the Bern Historical Museum, featuring a 10,764-square-foot or 1000-square-meters exhibition of many aspects of Albert Einstein’s life.
If you plan to see the exhibits at the Bern Historical Museum and the Einstein Museum, you should allow at least half a day. Be prepared to learn a lot when visiting the Einstein Museum. You’ll not only discover Einstein’s private and professional life but also the events and happenings from the 1920s up until World War II.
If you’re a fan of science, visiting the Einstein Museum will be even more enjoyable. The cosmos and the special and general theories of relativity are well explained inside the museum. They’ll satisfy your curiosity about space and time!
Discovering something new is quite fun and straightforward in the Einstein Museum. Why? In addition to the 500+ original objects and replicas of Einstein’s work and daily life items, the museum also has films and animations that explain science in a clear and easy-to-understand way.
If you’re imagining a futuristic learning museum, you’re on the right track. I think you’ll be amazed even before you enter the Einstein Museum. The entrance is a mirrored staircase that gives the impression you’re stepping into another dimension, which hints at the science that Einstein revealed to the world.
You can learn more about the Einstein Museum from its official website, which I linked at the end of this post.
Among the museums in Bern, I believe the Museum of Communication is where you can find the most fascinating, fun, and futuristic exhibits. Where is the Museum of Communication? It’s located behind the Bern Historical Museum, along Helvetiastrasse.
In a nutshell, the Museum of Communication showcases everything related to how people communicate. It’s filled with old phones, telegraphs, tablets, computers, and many more electronic devices. Indeed, it’ll be a nostalgic visit, especially for Millennials and older visitors!
Phones and other electronics used for communication aren’t the only types of exhibits that await you inside the museum. The Museum of Communication spans three floors, each filled with various exhibits that provide insight into how humans have communicated for thousands of years.
I find the Museum of Communication fascinating because it showcases objects we use every day but don’t consciously think of as communication tools. It’s mind-blowing to realize that these items also serve as means of communication. Some examples are paper, cars, bicycles, CDs, fireworks, and more!
What’s even more interesting is that the museum is incredibly up-to-date. The Museum of Communication even has an exhibit of a meme with several copies, illustrating how the “copy-paste” function has made our lives more fun and simplified communication. You can also find screenshots of the social media platforms we use today.
When it comes to fun, the Museum of Communication offers a multitude of ways to enjoy yourself. You can try using interactive stations (like printing postage stamps, film karaoke), playing video games (like preventing a hacker’s attack), or watching real people on screens sharing facts about communications. Kids and teens will absolutely love these activities.
There is so much to do inside the Museum of Communication that you can expect to spend more than three hours there. More information is available at the official website of the Museum of Communication, which I’ve linked at the end of this post.
Are you a family that loves to travel? You should also take them to the Natural History Museum. It’s located on Bernastrasse, just a short walk from the Museum of Communication and Bern Historical Museum. The Natural History Museum of Bern is definitely one of the places your young kids will enjoy, like kids under 10 or 7.
The museum has hundreds of life-sized dioramas of animals from different parts of the world, I think your little ones will be curious to see them. It’s like visiting a museum of stuffed animals—that’s why it’s great for kids! However, I believe the museum needs to add more descriptions for most exhibits so adults can also enjoy them and find them educational.
You will not only find dioramas of dogs, rhinos, vultures, giraffes, hippos, walruses, and more at the Natural History Museum. There are dinosaurs, too! I am impressed by how good the dioramas are. If they were moving, you might think that they’re real animals.
When you visit the Natural History Museum, you should not miss the main star of the exhibits. It is the stuffed hide of Barry (a dog of a breed later called St. Bernard). Barry was a mountain rescue dog from the Great St Bernard Hospice, known to have saved more than 40 lives.
Aside from hundreds of stuffed animals, the Natural History Museum also has exhibits about alpine rocks & minerals, meteorites, and animal bones or skeletons. Believe it or not, this museum is said to hold Switzerland’s most extensive collection of animal skeletons and bones. I think the most impressive reconstructed skeleton in the museum is the T-Rex.
If you are really interested in the Natural History Museum’s exhibits, you might spend 3 to 4 hours inside the museum. I think 2 hours would be enough to see the highlights and the most notable exhibitions.
You can learn more about the Natural History Museum from its official website, which I’ve linked at the end of this post. Updated visiting information is posted on their website.
I always aim to make my travels as productive as possible. My goal is to either bring home a new learning or experience, create new friendships, or be completely refreshed for another period of work and hustle. If you also aim for the latter on your trip to Bern, there’s no better way to end your Bern trip than by getting a massage or a spa session.
You’ll surely be tired after a day of strolling in the old city and exploring two or three fascinating museums. And for your body to be fully revitalized for post-vacation activities, you should get a simple massage or access your hotel’s spa services before leaving the city.
However, you might like to try Hammam & SPA Oktogon for a high-quality and unique spa experience. They specialize in a Middle Eastern cleansing ritual that soothes all of you—mind, body, and soul. Usually, the ritual lasts for 2 hours. The ritual takes place in hammams where you can experience a strangely comforting warmth and soothing relaxation.
The rooms where you’ll be staying are decorated with colorful cushions, lanterns, and other oriental elements. As it is a “ritual,” you can expect that your 2-hour stay inside Hammam & SPA Oktogon will involve several steps. There are natural peelings, warm baths, hot herbal steams, and Moroccan clay masks. Can you imagine how relaxing it is? It’ll soothe both your body and eyes. A total indulgence.
You can book online if you want to try Hammam & SPA Oktogon. And if you want to learn more about the spa’s services and visiting information, check out its official website linked on the next section of this post.
Resources
I hope this two-day itinerary for Bern has given you an idea of how you can spend a couple of days in the Swiss capital. For further planning, here are the official websites of various museums and attractions in Bern, where you can find the most recent practical information for your trip.
- Gurten
- Einstein Museum
- Bernisches Historisches Museum
- Museum of Communication Bern
- Natural History Museum of Bern
- Hammam & Spa Oktogon Bern
Plan Your Trip Now
Here are my recommended services
Two days in Bern are usually sufficient, and it’s recommended to visit other places in Switzerland after that.
If you want to stay in the Swiss Capital for longer, it’s practical to use it as your home base. For instance, if you stay here for three days, consider making your third day a day trip to nearby beautiful destinations like Thun — absolutely one of the most magical places in Switzerland. The town sits by its own lake, Lake Thun — a lake surrounded by castles and mountains. There’s Oberhofen Castle, Thun Castle, and more.
From Bern, you can also spend a day in Lake Thun if you wish. You can enjoy a cruise, visit a cave, and more. You must see the 10 attractions that make Lake Thun worth visiting.
