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Sustainable Bern
Bern is Europe’s second-greenest capital after Vienna. Here’s some inspiration for how to keep your carbon footprint to a minimum while visiting Bern.
Sustainable Activities
E-Bike Tours around Bern
Lub your bike chain, adjust the saddle and get out your sunglasses! The warm weather brings a longing for the outdoors. Be it by Lake Wohlen, in the Gantrisch Nature Park, in the town of Laupen, on the Frienisberg plateau, or in the Emmental valley: If you’re kicking off the cycling season on one of Bern’s Top 10 routes, you can expect plenty of highlights. Every single one of these circular routes has stunning views of the Bernese Alps and characteristic regional features in store for bicycle trekkers.
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Book now a 4 day e-bike vacation
City Tour "All about water"
At 288 kilometers, the Aare is the longest continuous river in Europe. The unmistakable spot around the UNESCO-listed Old Town, the bend of the Aare, served, among other things, as protection against unwanted guests. What else did the river serve for in the past, what are the stories behind the various fountains, and what do the fountains on the Bundesplatz represent? No wet feet on this city tour, but an immersion in Bern's interesting water history.
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SDG Walk
SDG stands for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. They comprise a world at peace in which no one has to experience hunger, land and water ecosystems are protected, and consumption and production do not exceed planetary boundaries. The aim is to accomplish this by 2030. If you’re wondering whether that’s realistic, go on the 4-kilometre SDG Walk through Bern's Old City to discover all of the things that are being done to reach these goals.
Green Aare Walk
In Bern, you don’t need to be a swimmer to fully enjoy the Aare river and its unmistakable charm. Going for a stroll along our favourite river is the perfect celebration of Bern’s characteristic, relaxed joie de vivre. From the Botanical Garden to the protected meadows of Elfenau park – the Green Aare Walk takes you through the federal city one green oasis at a time and is packed with culture and culinary delights.
Barrier-Free Bern
With its six kilometres of arcades, Bern is home to one of the longest covered shopping streets in Europe. That’s great for rainy weather, but more importantly, it enables people with disabilities to discover Bern’s UNESCO-listed Old City without having to deal with the cobblestones. On the barrier-free route through the city, visitors pass impressive landmarks, cultural institutions, and of course some great places to stop for a tasty meal or a coffee.
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Sustainable Food and Drink
Our Favourite Vegan Eateries
Be it in the bustling heart of the city, in a quiet residential neighbourhood, or on the Gurten, Bern’s local mountain: Switzerland’s capital is big on sustainability, making Bern a mecca for vegans – your taste buds can feast on plant-based treats from sunrise to sunset. Our 14 recommendations even include a restaurant with GaultMillau points and, for those with a sweet tooth, the city’s favourite gelateria.
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The Best Sustainable Restaurants
The shorter the distances, the better for the environment. If you’re interested in knowing exactly where the meat or the carrots on your plate are from, read on: at these great Bernese restaurants, sustainability is not just an empty promise. So, what will it be? A tofu medallion with a coconut sauce, homemade horse tartar, or simply a locally brewed beer?
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Bern, the Beer Capital
In Bern wird fleissig getüftelt und gebraut, sogar in Hinterzimmern, Garagen und Waschküchen. Über 200 Brauereien – so viele wie nirgendwo sonst in der Schweiz – sind hier registriert. Kein Wunder also, gehört lokal gebrautes Craft Beer zu Bern wie der Hopfen zum Malz! Die lokale Biervielfalt kann bei einer fachkundigen Biertour, bei einer begleiteten Stadtführung mit Feierabendbier oder auch einfach individuell in den besten Bierlokalen der Stadt entdeckt werden.
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The most beautiful farm stores
Potatoes, peaches, apple juice, tree nuts, dried sausage, goat's cheese, honey, jam, ice cream and, and, and... The products sold in Bern's farm stores are seasonal and fresh and the variety is endless. To celebrate sustainability from A to Z, we recommend combining the regional shopping experience with a bike ride - don't forget your "Velochörbli" or rucksack for the delicacies!
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Several times a week, the farmers bring their products to you! Everything you need to know about Bern’s farmer’s markets can be found here.
Kooky
Getting up, getting ready, and grabbing a coffee to go on your way to work to start the day off right – sound like a familiar morning routine? But: those tasty morning coffees come in disposable cups, which means they generate waste. That’s where Kooky comes in: Instead of a paper cup, get a Kooky cup at a point of sale. Once it’s empty, you can return it to one of the drop-off stations (keep your eyes open, they are everywhere – for example in front of the Tourist Information at the train station). Sounds like the perfect solution to us!
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reCIRCLE
What makes Bern so great? There are lots of things, of course, including the innovative, forward-thinking minds that got together to found the Bernese start-up company reCIRCLE – we’re sure you’ve seen the purple food containers in everyone’s hands at lunchtime. Instead of producing new takeout containers that end up in the trash, you can use the environmentally friendly reCIRCLE food and drink containers for your takeout and then return them to one of the vending points. Genius!
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Sustainable Shopping
Sustainable shopping spree in Bern
You’ll find the most charming and special shops in Bern’s UNESCO-listed lower part of the Old City, which begins at the Zytglogge (Clock Tower): under its arcades and in its characteristic vaulted cellars, there are ateliers, boutiques, and quaint shops run by locals – unique gems that make a sustainable shopping spree in Bern unforgettable. Many of these stores can only be found in Bern, like Bernese perfume maker Brigitte Witschi’s atelier “Art of Scent”.
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Sustainable Travelling
Bern Ticket
If you spend one or more nights at an accommodation in the city of Bern, you will receive a Bern Ticket for the entire duration of your stay for unlimited free streetcar and bus rides in zones 100 and 101 of the LIBERO network – including the Gurten funicular!
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BLS
From the federal city of Bern through the rolling hills of the Emmental to pretty Lucerne or through the Aaretal to beautiful Lake Thun and on to the neighbouring canton of Valais: with its 420 kilometres of well-developed route network and characteristic Swiss punctuality, the BLS regional railway and its diverse offers are perfect for discovering the destination Bern in all its diversity. It also offers lots of tips for excursions, be it bike tours, hikes, or boat trips.
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Rent a Bicycle
At the SBB luggage counter in Bern’s main station, the TCS Bern Eymatt campground, and other interesting locations in the destination Bern, you can rent bicycles from “Rent a Bike” for longer tours. Simply reserve the desired bike, be it with or without an electric motor, in advance and then pick it up at and return it to the chosen location. By the way: the “Rent a Bike” rental contract also serves as a train ticket for the rented bicycle.
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If you want to get from A to B quickly within the city of Bern, it's best to download the app from Publibike and use their rental bikes.
Swissôtel Kursaal Bern
If you’re planning a carbon-neutral event or overnight stay, you have come to the right address. For conferences, guests pay an extra 1% of the net sum, for overnight stays, 2 Francs per person and night – and the Kursaal doubles it. This arrangement has helped pay for a photovoltaic system on the roof, among other things. Speaking of the roof: the hotel’s rooftop terrace is home to around 300,000 bees with ten queens. This means that you can enjoy homemade honey for breakfast year-round. Yum! And once a year, the bears at Bern’s BearPark are in for a treat, too: in the spring, when their hibernation is over, they get to indulge on some Kursaal honey, too.
Sustainability in the Destination Bern
Swisstainable and Other Commitments
We take a stand for sustainable tourism in the travel and business destination Bern and are part of the sustainability programme Swisstainable by Switzerland Tourism, among other things. Together, we aim to develop sustainable offers and ensure that our beautiful nature is preserved for coming generations.
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