Discover Bern, Understand Switzerland Walking Tour
Description
See beyond the monuments and discover how this country really works. This isn’t a dry history walk. It’s a journey through Bern’s Old Town — a UNESCO World Heritage Site where medieval streets, legends, local stories, politics and real Swiss life come together. But this tour is more than sightseeing. It helps you understand Switzerland — its mentality, neutrality, direct democracy, money culture and everyday life. You’ll hear stories about Napoleon, the Swiss army, Einstein, local legends and Bern’s famous bear. We’ll explore Bern’s highlights, including Zytglogge, the Federal Palace, Bern Cathedral, the Matte Quarter and views along the Aare River. You’ll also get practical local tips, honest recommendations and insights beyond the guidebooks. Ideal for travelers who want more than just sightseeing. By the end, you won’t just know Bern — you’ll understand Switzerland, with surprising facts and stories you won’t find in guidebooks.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Discover the heart of Swiss democracy, explore its historic details and understand how the system works and the mindset behind it.
Discover how Switzerland’s military past shaped both the city and the country — and how its influence can still be seen today.
See Bern’s iconic medieval clock tower and discover what makes it so special.
Enjoy the stories behind Bern’s most famous fountains and learn about the house where Einstein once lived
See Bern’s impressive Gothic cathedral and learn what makes it so fascinating.
Walk through Bern’s historic working-class district by the Aare River and learn why this area played an important role in the city’s past.
Enjoy beautiful views from Bern’s first modern bridge and capture great photos from a different perspective.
Hear the story behind the bear — the symbol of the city.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(17)
Bartos was full of entertaining stories. He kept us informed and on track for completing on time. The tour was interesting. Covered practically all highlights of the city.
Bartos was a great guide! Very knowledgeable, super helpful and made it interesting for everybody. Highly recommend me a visit to the area outstanding.
This tour of Bern is the best! it was very informative, detailed, and engaging. The tour guide is extremely knowledgeable about not only the city of Bern but also about life in Switzerland. He'll answer your questions and really give you an insight about the history of the places you'll see. I enjoyed all of the sights he brought us to, the detailed descriptions about the areas, and information about what local life is like. I highly recommend this two hour walking tour! It was the best experience from my ten day vacation in Switzerland.
Bartos was fantastic! He is incredibly knowledgeable, and we learned so much about the city of Bern. He kept the tour fun, engaging, and informative from start to finish. He also shared excellent recommendations for places to visit during the rest of our trip. We highly recommend exploring the city with him!
Bartos was fantastic! He is incredibly knowledgeable, and we learned so much about the city of Bern. He kept the tour fun, engaging, and informative from start to finish. He also shared excellent recommendations for places to visit during the rest of our trip. We highly recommend exploring the city with him!
We have taken many Guru Walks and this is one of the best. Our guide Bartos was animated, providing history in an engaging manner. Even his "quiz" at the end was fun. We definitely recommend him. As a reminder to those taking the tour, Guru Walk is free to sign up, a reasonable tip at the end should be given.
Wow, Bartos is an outstanding, friendly, and informative host. He was patient with all of our questions and was always smiling. His recommendations for other places to see and where to eat were excellent as he suggested many out of the way cool spots. Give the opportunity, I would book him again.
Our tour guide was a lovely man called Bartos (GoBartosTours) who was clearly very enthusiastic about the culture, the customs, the oddities, the laws and rules, and the mentality of the Swiss. He really told us a great deal about this country, not just Bern. I have a new respect for Referendi now (after our disastrous UK Referendum on Brexit!!). Bartos was articulate, spoke clearly, kept up a good pace and kept us all engaged, despite a quite heavy downpour at one point. Luckily we all had umbrellas. He also recommended a really good place to eat that evening. I can highly recommend Bartos if you have at least one day to spend in Bern, which is a lovely historic city. We booked through Get Your Guide.
Bern is a small town and at first I thought I could explore it on my own. But I decided to book this tour because I didn’t want to miss out on the experience. The guide was very friendly and his explanations were easy to follow. Thanks to the occasional jokes he included, it was much easier to remember the historical background that I would normally have overlooked. It was a very hot day but Bartos was well prepared — he even lent me an umbrella and had sunscreen available. I really appreciated those little details! The time flew by. His tour is a great way to get a taste of Switzerland’s history, culture, politics and everyday life in a very engaging and easy-to-understand way. I highly recommend it.
Barthos is the best guide you can have! Knowledgeable, funny, considerate! He even brought umbrellas and sunblock for us since it’s a sunny day! In a short 2 hours, we learned so much about the history, religion, politics and military. Very good!
