Apps · art · saving food – in Bern

Bärner Bier Rundi 2026: about 20 breweries in one evening

In 1990 Switzerland had 32 breweries, today over 1,000. About 20 from Bern and the region will be at BERNEXPO on 13 and …

Sunday shopping in Bern 2026: shops open on 13 and 20 December

Before Christmas the shops in Bern's city centre open on two Sundays: 13 and 20 December 2026, with recommended hours …

Schützenbrunnen: the banner bearer and the bear with the gun

A man in armour with a banner and a sword, between his legs a bear aiming a gun at the arcades. The Schützenbrunnen has …

Läuferbrunnen: the city messenger with the little bear

A man in red and black with the Bernese coat of arms on his chest, a young bear at his side. The Läuferbrunnen at the …

Freezing and thawing: how to keep your food safe

Freezing is one of the easiest ways to save food. It stays safe if the temperature is right, if you thaw it the right …

Ryfflibrunnen: the marksman with the little bear

A warrior with a feathered hat on a red column, next to him a little bear with a gun. The Ryfflibrunnen on …

Rendez-vous Bundesplatz 2026: the light show at the Federal Palace

Until 21 November 2026 the façade of the Federal Palace becomes a screen every evening. The light show “Natur pur” …

Bernabrunnen: Berna in front of the Federal Palace

A woman with a mural crown, a lance and a bear shield watches over the courtyard of the Bundeshaus West. Berna stands …

Organising your fridge: zones, 5 °C and a thermometer

A fridge is not equally cold everywhere. If you know what goes where and check the temperature, your food stays good …

Long-life food: what keeps for a long time and what an emergency supply looks like

Rice, pasta, tins, salt and sugar keep for a long time if they are stored cool, dry and dark. The Swiss government …

Fountain water in Bern: can you drink it?

Yes, as a rule. The city's fountains carry the same water as the tap at home, it just runs all the time. There is one …

Anna-Seiler-Brunnen in front of the Käfigturm

A woman in a blue dress pours water from a small jug into a bowl. The fountain in front of the Käfigturm bears the name …

Carnival bear in the Käfigturm: 11.11. at 11.11 am

Every year on 11 November at 11.11 am, Bern's carnival bear goes to prison, in the Käfigturm to be precise. It …

BärenPark Bern: the bears go into winter rest

In autumn the bears in the BärenPark on the Aare eat up reserves. In October and November they then retreat to their …

Zibelemärit 2026 in Bern: date, times, tips

On the fourth Monday in November, Bern's city centre becomes the city's biggest market. In 2026 that is Monday, 23 …

Christmas markets in Bern 2026: dates and opening hours

From 19 November 2026 the first Christmas markets open in Bern. Here they all are, with place, dates and opening hours …

The gallery with no ticket: art on Bern's cemeteries

At the Zentrum Paul Klee or the Kunstmuseum Bern you pay 20 to 24 francs to get in. On the cemeteries there are …

“Best before” or “use by”: what you can still eat, sell and donate

Past the date does not always mean spoiled. Here is what the two dates on the pack mean, when your senses decide and …

Saving food in Bern: public fridges, foodsharing and support services

In Bern, good food does not have to end up in the bin: there are public fridges, groups that rescue food, and places …

Passing on food safely: temperature, cold chain, labels and allergens – what Swiss law requires

Giving leftover food away counts as placing it on the market, even for free. Here are the rules on temperature, cold …

Food waste in Switzerland: how much is lost, where, and what it means for Bern

In Switzerland, around a third of edible food is lost somewhere between the field and the plate. Here is where it …

Checklist for restaurants and canteens: donate surplus food instead of throwing it away

At the end of service there is often good food left in the kitchen. This checklist shows how your restaurant, canteen …

Architecture & monuments: Bern’s listed buildings on the map

Bern has many historic buildings. On the map Art in Bern you can switch from art to architecture and …

Welttelegrafen-Denkmal on Helvetiaplatz

In front of the Historical Museum, a large seated bronze woman is surrounded by groups of people. The monument recalls …

Vennerbrunnen on Rathausplatz: the banner bearer

A knight in armour holds a banner with the Bernese bear. He stands in front of the town hall, but he was not always …

Simsonbrunnen: the man who tears a lion apart

In the middle of Kramgasse, a man in Roman armour tears open the jaws of a golden lion. It is the biblical hero Samson, …

Pfeiferbrunnen: the bagpiper of Spitalgasse

A brightly dressed bagpiper stands on a red column in the middle of Spitalgasse. The fountain once had another name, …

Bubenberg-Denkmal: the defender of Murten

A man in armour, no helmet, a hand on his sword: the monument on Hirschengraben recalls Adrian von Bubenberg, who …

Zähringerbrunnen: the bear in armour

A bear with a helmet, swords and a flag stands in the middle of Kramgasse, with the Zytglogge behind it. It recalls the …

Universal Postal Union Monument on the Kleine Schanze

Five women float around a globe and pass letters to each other. The monument recalls that the Universal Postal Union …

The main portal of Bern Minster: the Last Judgement

Above the main entrance of the Minster, angels, saints and the damned crowd together. For more than 500 years the …

Moses Fountain on Münsterplatz

In front of the Minster stands Moses with the Ten Commandments. His finger points at the ban on making images, while he …

Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen: Justitia with her eyes covered

Blindfolded, with sword and scales, Justitia stands above Gerechtigkeitsgasse. At her feet are a pope, an emperor, a …

Your birth-year tree: a city tree from the year you were born

Somewhere in Bern there is a tree as old as you. Jahrgangsbaum finds it in the city's tree …

Why Bärn Kit works without accounts, ads or tracking

You open a map and see the nearest fountain. That's all it takes. So Bärn Kit doesn't ask for your name and doesn't …

Which market is on today? Bern's markets through the year

Bundesplatz, Breitenrainplatz or Münsterplattform: the Märit-Kalender shows you which market in Bern is open today, and …

Where to take glass, aluminium and PET in Bern?

The bag of empty bottles is already by the door. Recycling Bern shows you the nearest collection point for glass, PET, …

Where does the data come from? Open data and OpenStreetMap

Bärn Kit doesn't make up places. Every app names its source. Most points on the maps come from OpenStreetMap, others …

When is collection day? The waste calendar for your address

Does the bag go out today or tomorrow? Abfall Bern tells you when the city collects household waste, paper and …

What is open now? Pharmacies, shops, petrol stations

Sunday, no bread at home, or looking for a pharmacy in the evening? Jetzt offen in Bern shows you what is open right …

What is in season now? The Bern seasonal calendar

Asparagus in spring, pumpkin in autumn: the Saisonkalender shows you what from the Bern region is in season right now, …

What is free in Bern

Swimming, watching the bears, going to a museum: lots of things in Bern cost nothing. Gratis Bern collects these offers …

Vereinsfest-Küche: a hygiene checklist for your event

An event with food needs a few firm rules. The Vereinsfest-Küche takes you through everything that matters, from the …

Through Bern by wheelchair: find toilets and drinking fountains

In a wheelchair or with a pram, you cannot reach every toilet or every fountain. Barrierefrei Bern shows you the …

The street is our gallery

In Bern, art stands in the street, with no opening hours and no entrance fee. Our map shows you …

The figure fountains of the Old Town

Between Spitalgasse and Gerechtigkeitsgasse, almost every corner has a fountain with a colourful figure on its column. …

The emergency sheet: one page that saves time in an emergency

Which medicines? Which allergies? Who to call? The emergency sheet (Notfallblatt) gives paramedics the most important …

The Treppenhaus-Zettel: a friendly way to offer help

At the top: what you can help with. Below: where you could use some help yourself. The Treppenhaus-Zettel (stairwell …

The Aare now: temperature and flow before your swim

Before you get into the Aare, it is worth checking two numbers: how warm the water is and how much of it is flowing. …

Swap, give away, second-hand: Kreislauf in Bern

What you no longer need, someone else might. Kreislauf Bern shows you where in Bern you can give things away, swap …

Swap books: the open bookcases in Bern

Take a book, leave another one, with no library card and no money. Bücherschränke Bern shows you where the open …

Suggest an artwork: how a work gets onto the map

The map “Kunst in Bern” shows a lot, but not everything. If you know a work that is missing, you can suggest it with …

Still good or not? How to read best-before dates

The date on the pack is often not a throw-away date. Haltbar oder nicht? shows you for 41 foods when you can trust your …

Sicher feiern: a poster against drink spiking

Anyone who feels uneasy at the bar says a harmless-sounding sentence, and the staff help. Sicher feiern makes a poster …

School holidays and public holidays in Bern at a glance

Is today a public holiday? When do the autumn holidays start? Are shops open on Sunday? Ferien & Feiertage Bern answers …

Reste-Küche: 44 recipes from what you have

Stale bread, cooked rice, brown bananas: Reste-Küche shows you what you can cook from them instead of throwing them …

Playgrounds in Bern with drinking fountains and toilets

Playground, water, toilet: only with all three is it enough for a whole afternoon outside. Spielplatz plus shows them …

Parking in Bern: free spaces live and the rules

Before you drive into town: Parken in Bern shows the free spaces in the nine public car parks live and explains the …

New in Bern: the first steps after moving

The boxes are unpacked, but what needs to be done by when? Neu in Bern takes you through the first 30 days in nine …

Meret Oppenheim Fountain on Waisenhausplatz

A tall column with water running down it in a spiral and moss and grass growing on it. When the fountain arrived in …

Lost something in Bern? How to get it back

Keys gone, wallet left on the tram? “Verloren?” asks you one or two questions and then shows you the office that might …

Learning German in Bern: free and cheap

Learning German does not have to be expensive. Deutsch lernen collects courses in Bern that are free or cheap and shows …

Kindlifresser Fountain

A giant devouring children, right in the middle of Bern's Old Town. He has stood on Kornhausplatz for almost 500 years, …

Join in: report errors, suggest places, set a status

Bärn Kit gets better when people on site say what is right and what isn't. There are three ways to do that, all without …

How übrig works safely: hygiene check, label, log

If you pass on food, you are responsible for it. übrig guides a kitchen through four steps covering everything that has …

Hilfe-Brett: neighbours helping neighbours

Someone needs help carrying things, someone is giving away a chair, someone is looking for company. The Hilfe-Brett …

Gardening without a garden: gardens in Bern

You have no garden, but you would like to dig in the soil or just see some flowers? Gärten Bern shows you where you can …

Galleries in Bern: art without an entrance fee

Besides the works on the street, Bern has many places where art is shown. Galleries and art spaces are often smaller …

Free help in Bern: advice when things get tight

A letter from an office you don't understand, bills piling up, a notice to move out: Gratis Hilfe shows you where to …

Free drinking water in Bern: all fountains on one map

Bern has fountains on almost every corner. Bern Trinkwasser shows you the nearest one you can drink from, with walking …

First aid: what to do until the ambulance arrives

Someone collapses, and the phone is already in your hand. Bärn hilft shows you what you can do until the ambulance …

Finding a flat in Bern: where to look, what to watch out for

Hardly any flats are free in the city of Bern. Wohnung finden sums up where you can look, what goes in your application …

Farm shops, cafés and restaurants nearby: GoodPlaceToGo

Out and about and fancy some farm eggs or a coffee? GoodPlaceToGo shows you the nearest farm shop, café or restaurant …

Cool in summer, warm in winter: places in Bern

A shady park or a pool in summer, a warm room with tea in winter: Kühl und warm in Bern shows you the nearest …

Cooked, but left over: why canteen food should be passed on

At the end of a shift there is often good food left in the kitchen. At the same time, there are people in Bern who …

Cheap meals today in Bern

A warm meal for a few francs or for free: Günstig essen heute (cheap meals today) shows you, day by day, where you can …

Bärn Kit on your home screen: how to do it on iPhone and Android

Bärn Kit runs in your browser, so you don't need to download anything from an app store. You can still put it on your …

Bern Gallery Weekend 2027: 16 and 17 January

Once a year the galleries of the Verein Berner Galerien open on the same weekend, each with a new exhibition. In 2027 …

Barbecues in Bern: public fire pits on a map

Sausages packed, good weather, but where is the nearest fire pit? Grillstelle Bern shows you the public barbecue spots …

Arzt heute: walk-in clinic, pharmacy or 144?

No GP, no appointment, but it's not life-threatening? Arzt heute (doctor today) shows you where to go or who to call in …

Art walks

Art walk Länggasse

From the Grosse Schanze past the university and the Neufeld to the Bremgartenfriedhof: in the Länggasse, art stands in …

Art walks

Art walk Lorraine

From school buildings in the Lorraine across the bridge, past the station, to the Bundeshaus and the Kunstmuseum: this …

Allergen poster for clubs and small businesses

The 14 main allergens must also be declared for food that is not pre-packed. The Allergen-Poster turns this into a …

A winter day in Bern with Bärn Kit

Cold, dark early, and still plenty going on. With four small Bärn Kit apps, you'll get through a winter day in Bern …

A summer day in Bern with Bärn Kit

It's hot and the day is free. With five small Bärn Kit apps, you can plan it from the Aare to the barbecue …

A bench to rest on: find benches with a backrest

If you are 80, pregnant, injured or in pain, you often plan your route around benches. Sitzbank Bern answers the …