Bern

Zytglogge to the Rosengarten over two days along the Aare loop

Two days are enough for Bern's old town and museums. On the first, walk the arcades to the Zytglogge, the Münster and the Bundeshaus, then swim or watch the Aare from the Marzili. On the second, see the BärenPark, the Rosengarten view and the Zentrum Paul Klee.

Day one, morning. Walk from the station along Spitalgasse and Marktgasse under the arcades to the Zytglogge, and time it to watch the clock figures on the hour. Book the guided tour inside to see the workings. Continue down Kramgasse to the Einstein House, then on to the Münster, whose platform garden overlooks the river.

Afternoon. Join a free guided tour of the Bundeshaus if Parliament is not in session; bring your passport. Then ride the Marzilibahn down to the river and, in summer, swim or just watch the floaters coming in.

Evening. Eat in one of the cellars on Gerechtigkeitsgasse or Kramgasse.

Day two. Cross the Nydeggbrücke early to see the bears in the BärenPark, then climb to the Rosengarten for the view. Take a bus to the Zentrum Paul Klee for the late morning. After lunch, head to Helvetiaplatz for the Bern Historical Museum, and finish the day on the Gurten, riding the funicular up for sunset over the Alps.

Berner Platte, onion tart and the cellar restaurants

Bernese cooking is hearty farm food. The signature is the Berner Platte, a heaped platter of smoked and boiled meats and sausages served over sauerkraut, green beans and potatoes, traditionally to celebrate the 1798 victory at Neuenegg. It is a cold-weather dish, best shared.

At the Zibelemärit in November look for Zibelechueche, onion tart, and Chäschueche, cheese tart, eaten in the street with mulled wine. The Berner Haselnusslebkuchen, a dense hazelnut gingerbread often decorated with a bear, is sold in bakeries year-round.

The atmospheric places to eat are the old guild houses and vaulted cellars on Kramgasse and Gerechtigkeitsgasse. Some of the tourist-facing Swiss restaurants are expensive for what they serve, and plenty of locals prefer Italian or Asian food, so shop around. For a cheaper meal, the markets on Bundesplatz on Tuesday and Saturday mornings sell bread, cheese and fruit, and the station has supermarkets open late.

Dinner starts early: many kitchens stop taking orders around 9.45pm.

Thun, Interlaken and the Oberland by train

Bern makes a practical base for the Bernese Oberland. Thun is under 20 minutes away by train: walk up to the castle above the old town, then take a lake boat towards Spiez, whose castle stands on a bay lined with vineyards.

Interlaken lies under an hour from Bern by direct train, and from there the mountain railways climb to Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen and beyond. It makes a long but easy day trip; set out early in summer, when clouds often build over the peaks by afternoon.

Fribourg, about 20 minutes west, sits right on the language border, with a Gothic cathedral and a steep old town above the Sarine. Murten, on its own lake, keeps a full ring of walls you can walk along.

The season matters. Summer days in Bern reach 23 to 25C and the river is warm enough to swim. Winter highs of 3 to 5C bring snow higher up, which suits skiers in the Oberland. The Zibelemärit on the fourth Monday of November and the Christmas markets that follow are the reasons to stay in the city in the cold months, and Fasnacht closes the winter with its own parades in February or March.