Probably, one of the most charming cities in Switzerland. Crammed onto a peninsula in a crook of the fast-flowing River Aare, Bern’s cobbled lanes, lined with sandstone arcaded buildings straddling the pavement, have barely changed in over five hundred years.

The city’s perfectly preserved medieval street plan, with its arcade, street fountains and bold towers has been named as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This award is justified; take a few steps in the middle of the walking street, and with little imagination, you are transported in the middle of the XVIe century.

The panorama of the Old Town’s clustered roofs and of the majestic Alps on the horizon, is breathtaking. The main attraction of the town is its atmosphere; traffic is kept out of the Old Town and there are plenty of opportunities for café-hopping or shopping in the so-called “the longest covered shopping promenade in the world”.

Bern is also the nation’s capital, home of the Swiss parliament and the National Bank. But despite its political status, Bern is a very small city that retains a small town’s easy approach to life.

Bern is the home town of Paul Klee, who is perhaps the best known of all Swiss artists, whose work takes in elements of primitive art, cubism, surrealism and expressionism. The entire collection is displayed in the Paul Klee Zentrum, a futuristic designed museum.