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Named for bears that once roamed local forests, Bern serves as Switzerland’s capital, a slow-paced small city with a history stretching back 800 years. The old city center is a charming preserve of medieval guild houses, clock towers, fountains topped with carved statuary and more than 3.5 miles of arcades -- making up one of Europe’s longest covered shopping promenades. Adding to the architectural refinement are imposing foreign embassies and the Swiss parliament’s Bundeshaus, whose square fills on Saturdays and Tuesdays with an artisan food market. Even the city’s namesake bears are well taken care of: Two brown bears, the city’s mascots, live in BärenPark (Bear Park), a 64,500-square-foot grassy enclosure near the city center.
It is responsible for Toblerone chocolate, Omega watches and E=MC2 (Einstein penned the equation here in 1905). It has been named "Europe's most beautiful floral city" -- no mean feat. And Bern also happens to be the federal capital of Switzerland. You'd think the town would be full of itself, but it's a modest place. The streets are cobblestone; a 16th century clock tower is the visual centerpiece. The town has so kept its medieval architecture and feel that it has been listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site. You can, though, snap right out of the mid-ages and into 20th century consumer habits along the city's four-mile-long covered shopping promenade -- Europe's longest. If it's the arts you're after, you can spend hours gazing at Paul Klee pieces in the Berne Museum of Fine Arts, home to the largest collection of his work. The bear logo that is on everything Bernian comes from the town's name. The Duke that founded Bern in 1191 named it after his first hunting quarry. To this day, the city celebrates that heritage with the Bear Pit, which is home to five live bears. But if it's a touch of the natural world you're after, we'd recommend the Natural History Museum or an excursion to nearby Interlaken.