As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city of Bern has a lot to offer visitors in terms of sights and attractions. Just walking the medieval streets of the Old Town is a very special experience. One of the most famous landmarks is the Zeitglockenturm, the clock tower, with its astronomical calendar clock from 1530. The Bear Pits are also a landmark, intimately linked as they are to the city's history and indeed its name and identity.

Switzerland's largest ecclesiastical building, Bern's late-medieval Cathedral, is also worth a visit, not least because of the views offered by the country's highest church tower. A much more recent building is the Bundeshaus, the house of parliament (completed in 1902). It is an imposing structure with interesting artwork inside and a lovely square outside (the redesign of which was finished in 2004).

You are never far from nature in Bern, and there are many green spaces. One of the nicest is the Botanical Garden in the heart of the city, which has around 6,000 plant species in its grounds. Another lovely green space is the park at the Gurten, Bern's own mountain, which offers fantastic views of the city and the Alps in the distance.

Art lovers should check out Bern's Museum of Fine Arts, which has a good collection of art from the Italian Trecento via 15th-century Swiss art to international masterworks from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Tourist Information Centre
Bahnhofplatz 10A
Tel: (031) 328 1212.
Website: www.berninfo.com

The visitor centre's helpful staff provides visitors with the information and advice they need as tourists in Bern, and also offer help with accommodation, bookings and tickets.

With the BernCard visitors get free unlimited travel on the public transportation system in the city and its environs (zones 10/11), free admission to the permanent exhibits at 27 museums, libraries, archives, gardens (excluding special exhibitions) and the BernShow at the Bear Pits, as well as a discount on all official city tours. The card is available at the tourist information centres at the railway station and the Bear Pits, at the Libero Shop, all Bern Museums Association institutions and all hotels in the city.