Family visitors and outdoor enthusiasts alike will find Bern is a veritable treasure trove of activities, offering a selection that is capable of capturing the attentions of holidaymakers of all ages and that covers all seasons of the year. When the weather’s warm, cycling and swimming are popular pursuits, while come wintertime the slopes of the nearby mountains offer excellent winter sport possibilities.

Bern Zoo (Stadtischer Tierpark Dahlholzli Bern)
Covering a spacious 16-hectare area, Bern Zoo, or Dahlholzli as it is known locally, is a popular city attraction that draws around 200,000 visitors per year. The zoo has a mixed selection of animal inhabitants, with a large number originating from Madagascar. The zoo’s programme for breeding endangered European species has also ensured a number of interesting specimens. 
Phone: +41 31 357 1515

Cycling
There are plenty of shops in Bern at which visitors can rent bicycles, with models large and small and suited to all members of the family. Cycling around the city is easy on account of its compact nature but if you prefer something a little more strenuous then by all means venture out into the surrounding countryside where there are some challenging hills to take on.

Golf
There are a number of clubs offering 18-hole courses in and around the city of Bern. With the city getting its fair share of rain throughout the year, enthusiasts can be sure that the fairways are lush and the greens are certainly green. Closest to the city are the Golf Club Thunersee, Blumisberg Golf Club, Interlaken-Unterseen Golf Club and Wallenried Golf Club.

Skiing
Switzerland’s winter sport scene is internationally known, and from Bern visitors have access to some of the country’s finest resorts. Within easy driving distance of the city are the likes of Gstaad, Interlaken, Grindelwald and Muerren, where pistes suited to beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders are available.

Swimming
The River Aare runs through the city and on hot summer days is the ideal place to enjoy a relaxing swim. The city designates specific areas of the river as safe for bathing in and these include those between Eichholz and the Marzili public pool and Kornhausbridge and the Lorraine public pool. Both the aforementioned public pools can also be swum in; admittance is free of charge.

Reinforcing its status as a destination with a broad tourist appeal, Bern is packed with cultural attractions to secure the attentions of visitors with interests in areas such as history, heritage and aesthetics. For art lovers, the Contemporary Art Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts and Paul Klee Museum are definitely the highlights, while for anyone wishing to take a look at the city retrospectively, the Bern Historical Museum is a must.

Bern Historical Museum (Bernisches Historisches Museum)
The Bern Historical Museum is housed in a building that dates to 1894 and was built to incorporate the influences of classical 15th-century architecture. Inside the museum itself is a large permanent collection of exhibits relating to the history of the city and it includes a significant section dedicated to Albert Einstein. The museum also regularly hosts visiting exhibitions. 
Phone: +41 31 350 7711

Contemporary Art Gallery (Kunsthalle Bern)
Situated on the Helvetiaplatz, Bern’s Contemporary Art Gallery has been a feature of the city since 1918 and has come to be one of its premier exhibition spaces for modern art. Among the artists who have had work displayed over the years or continue to have it displayed are Christo, Alberto Giacometti, Daniel Buren, Paul Klee, Henry Moore, Sol LeWitt, Bruce Nauman and Jasper Johns. 
Phone: +41 31 350 00 40

Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum)
Bern’s museum of natural history features a large collection of exhibits covering a variety of areas but specialises in particular on animals and their habitats. The highlight is the massive diorama, Europe’s largest, which includes 220 exhibits featuring stuffed mammals and birds in accurate mock-up of their natural environments. 
Phone: +41 31 350 71 11

Museum of Fine Arts
The impressive collection of works are art in this museum covers eight centuries and includes around 3,000 works in paint and sculpture as well as around 55,000 drawings, photographs, printed works and videos. Art movements such as cubism, expressionism, surrealism and impressionism are covered and works by big names such as Dali, Braque, Kirchner, Kandinsky and Picasso are on display.
Phone: +41 31 328 09 44

Paul Klee Museum
This is perhaps the most popular art space in Bern as far as the locals are concerned, as Paul Klee was a Bern-born artist and one whose life and works are celebrated greatly by the city’s aesthetes. The greater part of the museum is dedicated to displaying the artist’s works but there is also a large auditorium in which presentations on relevant topics relating to art and the works of Klee are sometimes held. 
Phone: +41 31 359 01 01; www.paulkleezentrum.ch

Swiss Alpine Museum
The city’s Swiss Alpine Museum is dedicated to offering visitors background on historical aspects of the Swiss Alps region. The museum is a two-storey facility and on its ground floor, displays and exhibits focus on themes such as geology, weather, glaciers, tectonics, flora and fauna. On the second floor, subjects covered include folklore, alpine agriculture, tourism and winter sports, conservation and cartography. 
Phone: +41 31 350 04 40; www.alpinesmuseum.ch/index.php?article_id=1&clang=2

Bern’s local fare is based predominantly on the influences of typical Swiss-German gastronomy although visitors will find that Italian cuisine is popular in the city. Well-known dishes are based heavily around starches and proteins and are always served in large portions so anyone with a healthy appetite is sure to enjoy eating out in the city. Typical dishes to look out for include the veal in white wine creation known as rasterrtopf and the bernrplatte, which is similar to a Swedish smorgasbord and comes with various hot and cold meats, potatoes, beans and sauerkraut.

The city is teeming with great places to eat out, with the main downtown area offering an excellent mix of traditional Swiss-German establishments alongside others offering Swiss-French, Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, as well as Asian fare such as Chinese and Indian. Favourite venues for local cuisine include Della Casa on Schauplapzgasse and Anker and Kornhauskeller on Kornhausplatz and Altes Tramdepot on Grosser Muristalden.

Shopping in the city can be a good time killer after you’ve exhausted sightseeing possibilities and are interested in getting some souvenirs or goods typical of the city. Though Bern is not especially famous for producing any one unique product, typical Swiss fare such as high quality cheese and chocolate is commonly available and is as authentically Swiss as anything you are likely to find on sale.

Gerechtigkeitsgasse, Kramgasse, Spitalgasse, Marktgasse and Postgasse are the main shopping streets in the city. Across these you will find a mix of both major department stores and smaller, independent retailers. Beeler and Abegglen, both located on Spitalgasse, are among the best shops to head for if you want top-quality chocolate. For cheese and a variety of other interesting edible produce, try the daily market that covers Parliament square, Barenplatz and the surrounding streets.