Bern Region

Bern, the Swiss capital, and the Bernese Oberland, home to the Jungfrau, with glaciers, waterfall valleys, and Lake Thun and Lake Brienz side by side.

This region is defined by whole cantons and includes the entire canton of Bern (including Biel/Bienne, the Bernese Jura and the Emmental in the north) and the canton of Solothurn. To the west it borders Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Jura (part of the Lake Geneva and French-speaking Switzerland region); to the south the ridge of the Bernese Alps separates it from Valais; to the east lie the cantons of Central Switzerland; and to the north, Aargau and Basel belong to the Basel region.

Highlights: the UNESCO World Heritage Old Town of Bern, with its arcaded streets, clock tower and Bear Park; the Bernese Oberland, centred on Interlaken, where a cogwheel railway climbs to Jungfraujoch station at 3,454 m, with views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau; the Staubbach and Trümmelbach waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the car-free villages of Wengen and Mürren, the Schilthorn, and Grindelwald with First; Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, Thun Castle and the Ballenberg Open-Air Museum; and Gstaad in the southwest, an upscale resort. The Baroque Old Town of Solothurn is also worth a visit.

Classic itinerary: 1 day in Bern and 3–4 days based in Interlaken or Grindelwald, combining the Jungfrau, the Schilthorn and a hike at First; the GoldenPass line runs between Lucerne and Montreux.

Getting there: Bern is the country’s railway hub, about 1 hour from Interlaken.

Note: Jungfraujoch tickets are expensive, but discounts are available with the Swiss Travel Pass or a Jungfrau Railways pass; at high altitude, watch out for sun exposure and altitude sickness.

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Itineraries