Bern in Winter: Old Town Arcades, Landmarks and Seasonal Events

Bern, Switzerland’s federal city, is at its most atmospheric in winter, when frost settles on the sandstone arcades and lights glow in the windows of the old town above the River Aare. Its compact medieval centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and almost everything worth seeing is within a short walk under cover.

Bern old town: a medieval city on the Aare

The Zähringen family founded Bern in the 12th century, probably in 1191 under Duke Berthold V, on a hilly peninsula wrapped in a tight loop of the Aare. The street plan has barely changed since. Long parallel streets run the length of the peninsula, lined with arcades added in the 15th century and punctuated by painted fountains from the 16th century.

Bern is the seat of the Swiss parliament and government, which meet in the Federal Palace, built between 1857 and 1902. Yet with about 146,000 people, it feels more like a large town than a capital, and residents still shop, work and live in the old town.

Landmarks to see in winter

• Zytglogge: the medieval clock tower, whose name means “time bell” in Bernese German and its moving puppet figures.
• Bern Minster: begun in 1421 and completed in the 16th century, it is the tallest cathedral in Switzerland.
• Einstein House: Albert Einstein lived at Kramgasse 49 from 1903 to 1905 while working as a patent examiner, the years in which he developed his theory of relativity.
• Bear Park: bears have been kept in Bern since the 16th century, in the old Bärengraben and now in an open-air enclosure nearby.
• Gurten: Bern’s 864-metre home hill, just outside the city, gives wide views over the city.

Winter events in Bern

The season opens with the Zibelemärit, the onion market, held on the fourth Monday of November. Stalls fill the old town with braided onion strings and onion dishes. In late winter the city celebrates the Bernese Fasnacht, its annual carnival. Dates change each year, so check the Bern Welcome official visitor information before booking.

Bern winter weather and practical tips

Bern’s winters are cool but rarely severe. January is the coldest month, with an average daily temperature of about −0.4°C, and the area gets around 104 days of frost and about 53 cm of snow in a typical year. Snow comes and goes, so a white old town is a bonus.

The arcades are the city’s great winter asset: about 6 km of covered walkways, among the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe, let you browse shops, cellars and cafés out of the weather. Wear shoes with good grip on cobbles, and plan a museum or a long lunch in the middle of the day when the light is shortest. Bern also makes an easy base for trips into the Bernese Oberland, and our guides to The Cambrian in Adelboden and Swiss ski resorts can help you plan a mountain day. For another city in winter, see Vivienne Gucwa’s New York photographs.

Related reading:

• Furka Pass: The Mountain Road, Its Seasonal Limits and the Journey Around It
• 15 Swiss Ski Resorts: Compare the Villages, Terrain and Connected Areas
• Oeschinensee: A Mountain-Lake Visit for the Right Season and Route
• Solvay Hut on the Matterhorn: A Shelter Reserved for Emergencies
• Nine Climbers on the Jungfrau: A Mountain Turned into a Tiny Planet
• Pilatus Cogwheel Railway: What a 48% Gradient Means and How the Train Climbs It
• Sphinx Observatory at Jungfraujoch: The Science Behind the Famous View
• The Matterhorn Through the Day: Twelve Photographs, One Remarkable Mountain

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