Visit Berne, the federal capital of Switzerland. The city was founded in 1191 and is one of the few medieval cities which remains intact. Appropriately, Bern is a UNESCO world heritage site. According to the legend, it was named after the first animal caught in the area, a bear, and bears have played a part in its history ever since. The city has bear pits where the animals are raised and displayed. The most striking thing about Berne is its medieval appearance. Some of the buildings in the city's old town date from thirteenth and fourteenth century The low silhouette of its roof lines appears to be different from those of most of Europe's other cities with origins in the same era This ancient architectural asset is most visible when you view the city from the Nydeggbrucke Bridge crossing the Aare en route to the bear pits. Bern is a medieval city, yet it is a new city as well. Over the centuries, Bern's citizens have developed a remarkable means of combining modern living with centuries-old facades of their surroundings. The city has a cosmopolitan ambience with a wide array of multi-ethnic restaurants, including wide selection of hotels, museums and concert halls. The river Aare embraces Berne in a great natural bend, like the river the visitor will also embrace this ancient Swiss city after having tread its cobblestone streets. VyomTravels offers cheap bargain airfares to Berlin from all cities in USA.

Cheap Airfares to Berne (BRN), Switzerland

Origination airport in US	Prices in USD
San Francisco(SFO) to BRN	$540.00
Los Angeles(LAX) to BRN	$540.00
San Diego(SAN) to BRN	$540.00
Las Vegas(LAS) to BRN	$620.00
Houston(IAH) to BRN	$500.00
Dallas(DFW) to BRN	$500.00
Atlanta(ATL) to BRN	$475.00
Miami(MIA) to BRN	$500.00
Orlando(MCO) to BRN	$560.00
Key West(EYW) to BRN	N/A
Washington D.C(IAD) to BRN	$410.00
Detroit(DTW) to BRN	$480.00
New York(JFK) to BRN	$370.00
Chicago(ORD) to BRN	$430.00
Seattle(SEA) to BRN	$540.00

Places of Interest

Switzerland has always been the ideal place to unwind in the fresh air, the bucolic calm undisturbed but for the clang of cowbells and the occassional yodel. The homeland of tourism knows how to look after its visitors, which is why the world's best hotel-keepers are Swiss or Swiss-trained. Small as it is, Switzerland is divided into four linguistic regions, majority speak a form of German, but English is also spoken fluently by many. Political stability, neutrality and hard work have made this decentralized democracy into one of world's most prosperous countries.

The popular means of sight-seeing in Berne: on foot or by comfortable motor coach escorted by multilingual guide. If interested in the walking tour, the tourist office sells map that marks the walking trail through the city to its famed bear pits. The bus tours takes typically about two hours and stops at all popular tourist spots in the city. Some of them are:

• Bear pits
• Zeitglockenturm - city's famous clock tower that first began ticking in 1530
• Berne's shopping arcades - four miles long offering one of finest selections of wares and food found anywhere in the world
• Walk through the old town
• Swiss Alpine Museum
• Albert Einstein's House
• City tour by raft on river Aare
• Guided tour of the Federal Parliament Building(Bundeshaus)
• Late-Gothic cathedral(Munster) with 15th century stained glass windows and magnificent Renaissance choir stalls
• Fine Arts Museum(Kunstmuseum) - hosts collection by Paul Klee
• Kirchefeld Bridge - gives fantastic view of the old Berne
• Natural History Museum - known for its excellent presentations

Around Berne

• Golden Pass Adventure(The Alps a la Train) - Dollar for dollar, franc for franc, this day excursion is one of the best train-travel deals in Europe. The Lucerne- Interlaken-Montreux rail route provides an exciting variety of landscapes and cultures. This train ride offers unobstructed and breathtaking scenery between Zweisimmen and Montreux.
• Interlaken - the focal point of social and cultural settings of Swiss Alpine areas, is nestled between Lake of Thun and Lake of Brienz. This town has its origins in the twelfth century as a small cluster of buildings surrounding a monastery. Towering over the entire scenery is Jungfrau, a massive mountain that tops out at 13,642 feet above sea level, 11 miles south of Interlaken.
• Lucerne - this city has much to offer, Lucerene's lakefront, rimmed by the mighty Alps, is an unforgettable sight. One of world's most famous monuments, The Dying Lion of Lucerne, is hewn from natural rock in commemoration of the heroic, fatal defense by Swiss guards of Louis XVI at the Tuileriesin Paris at the beginning of the French Revolution.
• Rheinfelden - A medieval jewel set on the banks of the swift-moving Rhine River just above Basel, stirs visitors imagination. Much of its wall and watch towers are still standing, they were erected back in the eleventh century.

Currency

• Swiss Franc(CHF)

Language

• German
• English
• French
• Italian

Transport

Berne has the unique distinction of being the only city in Europe joined by all three of Europe's high speed trains - the TGV from Paris, the ICE from Berlin and Cisalpino from Milan .

• Switzerland's international airports, Basel, Geneva and Zurich, connect incoming flights with trains to Berne. At Bern-Belp airport, which is situated about 5.7 miles south of the city center, has direct connections to and from many European cities.
• Berne is probably one of the most well connected among the European cities by rail. Some of the direct trains go to Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Luxemborg, Milan, Paris, Rome, Venice and Zurich. Berne's Railway station is well equipped with snack stalls, restaurants and baggage storage.
• Guided Bus tours are also available in Berne

Quick Lookups

• Berne Tourism Center - +41 (0)31 328 12 12
• Swiss Federal Railway Station at Berne - 0900 300 300
• Guided Bus Tours - +41 (0)31 328 12 12