Visit Bern during a weekend

You know those places that you have to visit but think is boring. You go there and it is completely the opposite. Bern was such a place to me. Of course I had to visit the Swiss capital and when it was a 10K running race there I combine the two things. Sightseeing and running. The train ride to Bern is just an hour from Zürich HB so you can easily go for a daytrip but I stayed over night.

Summer was on and hot weather and sun greeted us. A pair of exploring shoes was on and sightseeing mind as well. The one and only thing I have heard about Bern was that there was a stream in the lake that people used to swim in during the summer. A must do for a beach lover as me. But first up on the non existing plan was a stroll along the river Aare. The water had such a beautiful turquoise color. Of course there was a city mountain to climb so guess who headed up there? moi.

Ended up in a rose garden with stunning views over the old city. Next up was Bern Bärengraben. Bern is known for its bears so had to check it out. Then we kept on strolling along the river and ended up in the museum zone. Weather was to nice for being indoor otherwise I could have visited some. The buildings was beautiful from outside aswell and just outside the Historical museum they had a large area of sun seats so got a take away salad to enjoy there.

Bern old town is a UNESCO classified place and I am not surprised. It was unique. Beautiful well kept buildings and cobble stone streets. Was a famous clock also where people took pictures. And long lines for ice cream so didn’t got my.

Sunday in Bern

Like its neighbor Germany most places are closed on Sundays in Switzerland. I prefer it open but what can you do except adjust? The city was not quiet this Sunday I visited because the Womens only 5K and 10K race took place. When I saw an ad about it back in April I signed up and though it would be a great time to finally run sub 45. On the day of the run I did absolutely not felt for a fast run especially after I had been going all in on two different 5K races during the last week. It wasn’t a flat course either so I was pretty sure I was not going to make it so decided to go for a 47ish minute run.

It was a great run. Loads of people out on the streets cheering and the course was very beautiful in some forest, along the river and in the city center. There were a bunch of famous Swiss runners taking part in the race and we were a trio from Adidas runners Zürich that challenged each other. For being a fun run I was happy with the outcome. Place 111 of 2080 female runners and 12 in my age group. They did not hand out any medals which was sad because I love to save the ones from races. Instead everyone got a pink t-shirt but it didn’t looked nice so I never picked mine up and I have so many running tees.

After the race we watched other runners and sat down for a bit in one of the luminous parks. It was still early in the morning since the run started at 09:10.

But after running my very best after run activity took place. Beach. Bern is a typical summer city with loads of beach clubs and beach bars. The beach setting we visited was a huge one about a kilometer from the absolute city center. They had a few swimming pools and an area outside where you could swim in Aare river. That was so fun. Like a waterpark but all natural.

Tired of activities, new impressions and sights I got on a train back to Zürich at 3pm. That Bern was such a gem I could never imagined. If you are in Switzerland during the summer you cannot afford to miss out going.

/ Pernilla that had a great time in Bern