Old Town Shopping Walk, Bern

Old Town Shopping Walk (Self Guided), Bern

Bern's Old Town has approximately 800 years of history and boasts a beautiful collection of old buildings, some of which date back to the 15th century. Even though most of the medieval town was restored in the 18th century, its original character has remained. And since 1983, the district has been on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.

The heart of Old Town shopping is Spitalgasse and Marktgasse, the main shopping streets. There are shops, boutiques, high street stores and art galleries. While most of the Old Town's shops are at street level, some are housed in the basements of buildings, so it's worth looking down during your visit to ensure you don't miss anything.

One of the principle streets here is Kramgasse, an attractive shopping avenue with Baroque façades. You will probably find just about anything you want or need in its shops, which include second-hand stores, shopping malls, traditional markets and boutiques. The street was once the center of the city’s urban life.

Bern has around six kilometers of arcades, or “Lauben” as they are known locally, making the city the home of one of the longest covered shopping areas in Europe. There are arcades on many streets, housing boutiques, specialty stores and galleries. Another not-to-be- missed highlight is the outdoor market at Bundesplatz, Bärenplatz and Münstergasse. For most of the year it operates on Tuesdays and Sundays, while during the summer it opens every day.
How it works: A discovery walk features a route using which you can explore a popular city neighborhood on your own. This walk, along with other self-guided walks in over 1,500 cities, can be found on the app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" which can be downloaded from Apple App Store or Google Play Store to your mobile phone or tablet. The app's built-in GPS navigation functions allow following this walk route with ease. The app works both online and offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Old Town Shopping Walk Map

Guide Name: Old Town Shopping Walk
Guide Location: Switzerland » Bern
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Discovery)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
Author: naomi
Spitalgasse, Church of the Holy Ghost

1) Spitalgasse, Church of the Holy Ghost

Spitalgasse, Schweizerhof Passage

2) Spitalgasse, Schweizerhof Passage

Waisenhausplatz

4) Waisenhausplatz

Amthausgasse

6) Amthausgasse

Zeughausgasse, Ristorante Luce

7) Zeughausgasse, Ristorante Luce

Bundesplatz

11) Bundesplatz

Walking Tours in Bern, Switzerland

Create Your Own Walk in Bern

Create Your Own Walk in Bern

Creating your own self-guided walk in Bern is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Fountains and Statues Walking Tour

Fountains and Statues Walking Tour

With over 100 public fountains in the Old Town alone, Bern has a well-deserved reputation as the "City of Fountains". During medieval times, local life revolved around fountains as they provided water for residents and served as locations for news exchange and social gatherings.

Throughout history, Bernese residents have cherished their fountains and decorated them with elaborate...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
Bern's Historical Churches

Bern's Historical Churches

They say architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness. While the outside appearances of historical churches in Bern beckon seekers of beauty and tranquility, the ethereal atmosphere within embraces the visitor with a sense of timeless serenity.

Enveloped within Bern's historic old town, the Church of the Holy Ghost (Heiliggeistkirche) is one of the largest...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
Bern Introduction Walking Tour

Bern Introduction Walking Tour

The de facto capital of Switzerland, Bern is commonly referred to by the Swiss as the "federal city". Built around a crook in the Aare River, it traces its origins back to the 12th century. According to the local legend, Berchtold V, Duke of Zähringen, founder of Bern, vowed to name the city after the first animal he would kill on the hunt. That animal happened to be a bear, hence the...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip


Swiss Sweets and Pastries

Swiss Sweets and Pastries

Among other things that make Switzerland popular around the world, chocolate is definitely the one. Still, chocolate isn't the only Swiss-made sweet deserving attention, as there are plenty of baked products, such as Magenbrot, Vermicelles, and Biberli, to mention but a few, that are well worth...