Transparency
Sources
The official Bern pages we verify against
When a guide on Love Bern quotes a price, an opening hour, a transit fare, or an event date, we check it against the official source — the venue, the transport operator, or the city tourist board — and link it so you can re-check the latest yourself. Bern is small and walkable, but tickets, timetables, Aare conditions, and festival dates still shift through the year, so the linked source of truth is the best place for anything time-sensitive. The full per-page fact record (with the value and review date for each) lives in our repository’s FACTS-SOURCES file.
Tourism & official city information
Bern Welcome (Bern.com) and Switzerland Tourism are our first stop for what's open, what's on, and the practical basics — including the free Bern Ticket that hotel guests get for local transport.
- Bern Welcome — Bern.com
Official destination site: attractions, opening hours, events, and the Aare safety pages.
- MySwitzerland (Switzerland Tourism)
Currency, tipping, the Swiss Travel Pass, and country-wide practical information.
- Bern Ticket (free transit for hotel guests)
What the free guest transit pass covers — buses, trams, and the Gurten/Marzili funiculars.
Public transport (tickets, fares, zones)
Central Bern sits in Libero zones 100/101; one ticket covers bus, tram, and S-Bahn within the zones you pay for. We verify fares and the airport connection here.
- Bernmobil (city transport operator)
Routes, timetables, and service alerts for Bern's trams and buses.
- Libero — fares & zones
Single tickets, the Bern day pass, and which zones cover the centre.
- Bern Airport (Belp) — getting to the city
Bus 160 plus S-Bahn from Belp to Bern Hauptbahnhof.
Trains (Thun, Interlaken, the airports & beyond)
For day trips and arriving from Zurich or Geneva airports, we check the national rail operator directly — journey times are firm, fares are dynamic.
- SBB — Swiss Federal Railways
Live timetables and fares for Bern–Thun, Bern–Interlaken, and the airport connections.
- Swiss Travel Pass (MySwitzerland)
What the pass and the Half Fare Card cover (prices change yearly).
Museums & landmarks (hours & tickets)
Admission prices and opening hours change without notice. Each of these is the official source we cite on the relevant guide.
- Bern Münster (Cathedral)
Tower-climb admission and opening hours (the nave is free).
- Einstein House (Einsteinhaus)
Admission, hours, and the winter seasonal closure on Kramgasse.
- Zentrum Paul Klee
Admission and hours for the Renzo Piano gallery (closed Mondays).
- Museum of Communication
Admission and hours (closed Mondays; discount after 15:30).
- Tierpark Bern — BärenPark
Opening hours for the free, year-round bear enclosure.
- Federal Palace (Parliament) tours
Free guided tours — booking and photo-ID rules, plus session dates.
- Gurtenbahn (Gurten funicular)
Funicular fares and operating hours up Bern's house mountain.
- Botanical Garden (BOGA)
Free admission and seasonal greenhouse/garden hours on the Aare.
The Aare & seasonal events
For river swimming and the festival calendar, we point to the live and official sources — conditions and dates shift, so these are the places to re-check.
- Bern.com — Aare safety ("Aare You Safe?")
Official safety advice for swimming the Aare — exits, currents, and warnings.
- aare.guru — live Aare conditions
Current water temperature and flow before you decide to swim.
- Buskers Bern
Dates for the August street-music festival in the Lower Old Town.
- Gurtenfestival
Dates for the July open-air music festival on the Gurten.
A quick verify checklist
- Confirm opening hours and last-entry times for the day you visit.
- Note Monday closures (Zentrum Paul Klee, Museum of Communication) and the Einstein House winter break.
- Check live Aare temperature and flow on aare.guru before you swim.
- Book Federal Palace tours ahead and bring photo ID.
- Re-check festival dates (Buskers, Gurtenfestival, Christmas markets) each year.
Next reads
Keep exploring Bern with guides that pair well with this one.
