Bern ‘Runseeing’ Tour

This is a nearly 10k ‘runseeing’ tour of central Bern, including the Inner City (Old Town), with its main squares and fountains, Weisses Quarter, the affluent Schwarzes Quarter, and the Kirchenfeld (Museum District). Directions are quite straightforward. Start at the Clock Tower (Zytglogge) in the Inner City. Bern’s Old Town is narrow and long, so this first section is a couple of up and downs along the cobblestoned streets, Kramgasse and Rathausgasse. In this mainly pedestrian only area, you’ll pass by some main sites: the Bundesplatz (main square), the Käfigturm tower, Cathedral of Bern, and couple of the city’s iconic fountains (Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen, Zähringerbrunnen).

Next, run through the the impressive Waisenhausplatz square, and then along Aarbergergasse, which has a pedestrian path crossing two main roads into the University of Bern. Do a quick loop of the small, pretty campus, and then head east on the main road to cross over the Aare River using the Lorrain Bridge (Lorrainebrücke), passing the Blutturm fortress. Just over the bridge, run through the small, but pretty Botanical Garden for 0.5 km, and then back to over the river using Kornhausbrücke. This next 1 km section is through the Schwarzes Quartier, a quiet, affluent district beside the River Aare. Cross the Kirchenfeldbrücke (Kirchenfeld Bridge) for a 2 km jaunt around the Kirchenfeld Museum District (Kirchenfeld). Difficult to route the precise streets here, so create your own route around this impressive area, featuring the iconic Kunsthalle Art Museum, Natural History Museum, Alpine Museum, Communications Museum. For the return, cross back over the Kirchenfeldbrücke or use the smaller Dalmazibrücke back to the Inner City.

Shorter Option: Eliminate Kirchenfeld section or the jaunt out to the Univ. of Bern