City of Berne The City Guide For Anyone Who‘s Not Like Everyone Table of Contents Page Description 1 Contents 2 DearVisitors, Legend fortheIcons 3 City Plan withInfo aboutYour Location 4 BerneseHouse Mounation„Güsche“ 5 –6 Museums 7 – 12 Places of Interest 13 Stadiums 14 DisabilitySports in Berne 15 – 16 Restaurants 17 – 18 Hotels / Accommodation 19 – 21 Shopping 22 Cinemas 23 – 24 Parking for Drivers with Disabilities 25 AccessibleToilets 26 DisabledTransport Services 27 Public Transport 28 Public Transport –Plan 29 Emergencies 1 Dear User Welcome to the city of Berne. Here you will find plenty of information about ho hotels, restaurants, places of interest, public transport and further interesting tips. This city guide has been especially created for people with limited mobility and elderly people. We would like to thank the sponsors of this project, the Disability Conference Berne, the City Guide AG and our colleagues with limited mobility who have contributed in making this project a reality. And now we wish you lots of fun during your stay in the city of Berne! Your MyHandicap team Legend for the Icons 100% Barrier-free within the facility Partial accessibility within the facility. An aid may be required! A car park is in the immediate vicinity of the facility A toilet is in immediate vicinity of the facility Acoustic apparatus are available Visual apparatus are available 2 City Plan 3 Bernese House Mountain „Güsche“ Welcome to 862 metres over sea level! With beautiful views, near proximity to the city and in the midst of nature. A “dream mountain” has evolved out of the Bernese house mountain: The “Guesche” is a “Play Mountain, Appetite Mountain, Panorama Mountain, Gourmet Mountain, Event Mountain, Music Mountain, Theatre Mountain and sport – and ski Mountain. Discover the dream Mountain: treat yourself to a day trip whenever you have time and fancy a day out. Gurten - Park in the Green www.gurtenpark.ch 3084 Wabern Phone +41 (0)31 970 33 33 Fax +41 (0)31 970 33 44 [email protected] Gurten Train Berne AG www.gurtenbahn.ch Dorfstrasse 45, 3084 Wabern Phone +41 (0)31 961 23 23 Fax +41 (0)31 961 23 37 [email protected] Bel Etage www.gurtenpark.ch A-la-carte- and fine-dining restaurant Gurten - Park in the green Phone +41 (0)31 970 33 33 Opening hours Monday to Saturday: 11.30 - 14.00 17.30 - 23.30 Sunday: 11.00 - 18.00 Getting Here The road up to the top of Gurten is inaccessible for regular traffic. You can reach the Bernese House Mountain comfortable with the Gurten-train. To get to the base station, you can take the S-Bahn (S-train), Tram no.9, Bus no.29 or by car. At the base station there is a parking house with 285 car spaces and 200 free places for bicycles and motorcycles as well as two disabled parking places. When arriving by car, take the Bern-Ostring or Bern- Köniz exits off the motorway. 4 Museums Art Museum www.kunstmuseumbern.ch Hodlerstrasse 8 - 12 Opening hours 3011 Berne Monday: Closed Phone +41 (0)31 328 09 44 Tuesday: 10.00 – 21.00 Fax +41 (0)31 328 09 55 Wednesday to Sunday: 10.00 – 17.00 [email protected] Information +41 (0)31 328 09 66 Paul Klee Centre www.paulkleezentrum.ch Monument im Fruchtland 3 Opening hours 3006 Berne Exhibitions: Phone +41 (0)31 359 01 01 Monday: Closed Fax +41 (0)31 359 01 03 (Auskünfte) Tuesday to Sunday: 10.00 – 17.00 [email protected] Ticket sales: 09.30 – 17.00 Museum Street / Shop / Café Monday: Closed Tuesday to Sunday: 09.30 – 17.30 YB-Museum in Stade de Suiss www.stadesuisse.ch Papiermühlestr. 77 Opening hours 3014 Berne Saturday: 14.00 – 16.00 Phone +41 (0)31 344 88 88 Visiting as part of a stadium guided tour: Fax +41 (0)31 344 80 89 Monday to Saturday: 11.00 [email protected] Advance booking is necessary for groups 5 Museums History Museum www.bhm.ch Helvetiaplatz 5 Opening hours: 3005 Berne Tuesday to Sunday: 10.00 – 17.00 Phone +41 (0)31 350 77 11 Monday: Closed Fax +41 (0)31 350 77 99 [email protected] Guided tours for the public to the highlights from the collection: Saturday at 11.00 Uhr Natural History Museum www.nmbe.unibe.ch Bernastrasse 15 Opening hours: 3005 Berne Monday: 14.00 – 17.00 Uhr Phone +41 (0)31 350 71 11 Tue/Thur/Fri: 09.00 – 17.00 Uhr Fax +41 (0)31 350 74 99 Wednesday: 09.00 – 18.00 Uhr [email protected] Saturday and Sunday 10.00 – 17.00 Uhr 6 Places of Interest Bear Pit (Bärengraben) According to tradition the founder of the City of Berne, Berchtold V. von Zähringen slayed a bear on the Aare peninsula, this gave the city its name and is symbolized on the coat of arms of Berne to this day. Today's Bear pit has been at the same location since 1857. The Bear pit was largely restored in 1995/96 to provide the bears with a more natural habitat. Today two Pyrenean brown bears (Pedro and Tana) inhabit the enclosure. The bears a free daily between: 09.30 - 17.00 Bear Park (Bärenpark) Today's Bear pit will be transformed into a Bear Park in the future. The project was launched in April 2003 and plans to provide the two bears with a 10,000m2 park. The new park will be open 24 hours a day and pathways circumventing the park will offer visitors a good insight into “Bear life”. Additionally there will be technical assistance available to help visitors locate the bears, which will wander freely through the park all year round (they will rest in caves in the winter). Furthermore the bears to have access to the waters of the River Aare for swimming and fishing for the first time ever. Berne Tourism Tourist Center Bärengraben Grosser Muristalden 6 3006 Berne Phone +41 (0)31 328 12 12 Daelhoelzli Animal Park www.tierpark-bern.ch Visitors to the animal park can see the more than 200 different species in Daelhoelzli 365 days a year. The animals can be observed in this unique natural landscape along the banks of the River Aare. The park is inbedded between the river and the Daelhoelzli forest. The range of animals in the park includes exotic species like tropical iguanas, butterflies and orange bishop weaver birds as well as European species like otters, musk oxen, lynx, wolves’ bison, elks, reindeers and ibis.admission to the park along the river bank is free, there is an admission charge to the vivarium and the enclosed park. All pathways are wheelchair accessible. Tierpark Dählhölzli Tierparkweg 1 3005 Berne Phone +41 (0)31 357 15 15 Fax +41 (0)31 357 15 10 7 Places of Interest City Hall (Rathaus ) www.berninfo.com In its longstanding history the City Hall has survived the Burgunder War, the Reformation and the revolution. To this day it is still the seat of the Cantonal government, where the Bernese council meets five times annually. The proceedings of the Council are never open to the public. Rathaus Rathausplatz 2 3000 Berne Phone +41 (0)31 633 75 50 Fax. +41 (0)31 633 13 54 The Granary (Kornhaus ) www.kornhaus.org The granary was transformed into a public bar in 1893 after having lost the use of its original function at the beginning of the 19th Century. The new granary was reopened in 1998 in the centre of the City of Berne. A multi- facetted cultural and meeting place in the centre of town was established with the Kornhaus stage of the City theatre, the Kornhaus Library, a specialized library for art and design, the Forum for media and design and the two restaurants; the Kornhauskeller and –Café. Today, painted on the pillars within the Kornhaus bar are 12 of the most important Bernese women’s traditional costumes, in the archways there are 31 musicians in the traditional German male costumes of the renaissance. There are also many other mythological figures portrayed on the walls including the man on the moon, the dragon, the mermaid, the lady of the well and others. The result is a folkloristic panorama that reflects the characters of a colourful history book. Kornhaus Kornhausplatz 18 3011 Berne Phone +41 (0)31 312 91 10 Fax +41 (0)31 312 91 13 8 Places of Interest The Clock Tower (Zytglogge) www.berninfo.com The Clock Tower (Zeitglockenturm) was Berne's first western city gate (1191 - 1256) and formed the boundary of the first city extension. Today it is one of Berne's most important sights. The ornate astronomical calendar clock was created in 1530. The tower clock was the city's main clock and therefore had an authoritative function in Berne. It was from there that travel times indicated on the hour stones along the cantonal roads were measured. Length units - formerly cubit and fathom, today meter and double meter - for public inspection are displayed in the arch of the gate. Berne Tourism Amthausgasse 4 3000 Berne 7 Phone +41 (0)31 328 12 12 Fax +41 (0)31 328 12 77 The Federal Palace (Bundeshaus) www.bundeshaus.ch The construction of the Federal palace (today Federal building west wing) began as early as 1852. In 1884 it was completed with a replicating east wing and finally in 1902 it was developed further when the central parliamentary building was completed. Altogether 38 artist from all over Switzerland were responsible for decorating the building.