The quiet old town of Bern, Switzerland
The lights of the old city area
Welcome to the winter wonderland of Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We are now in the medieval center of the city, the Old Town, where many of the buildings were built between the 12th and 15th centuries.
The old town was founded in 1191 on a long, narrow peninsula surrounded by the Alle River on three sides. Nowadays, tourists and locals alike enjoy wandering through the charming medieval buildings and strolling through quaint alleys and cobblestone streets. In winter, many people stop here on their way to the nearby Bernese Oberland for skiing or visiting the Snow Palace of Lake Schwarz.
People familiar with the matter also advised everyone to climb to the top of the Bern Cathedral, which, as our photo shows, is the tallest church spire in Switzerland. There are only 312 steps to the observation deck, but we had a panoramic view of the snow-capped roofs and nearby peaks, which was well worth a climb.