Summer

Simply grand. A slight haze tints quiet rivers with subtle pastel hues. Impressively vast roofs shelter prosperous Emmental farmhouses.

The red of the geraniums in their window boxes is more intense than anywhere else in the world. At Gürben Valley and the Schwarzenburgerland, gentle hills, which mark the end of the pre-Alpine region, blend into the Laupenamt and Seeland plain, bordered in the north by the Jura range, next to Lake Bienne, Solothurn and the Oberaargau region. The prosperity of the villages flows into the cities with their massive protective walls, arcades, romantic alleyways and fountains topped with statues, which stand as silent witnesses to a colourful past. Time seems to stand still. Why hurry? In spite of the TGV, ICE and Pendolino high-speed trains that stop in Bern (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage) daily, that seems to be the city's motto. Take the time for a visit to the central part of the canton of Bern - the local inhabitants always have time for you.

Winter

A stroll through Bern along six kilometres of arcades lining the streets of the old city. Busy market stalls liven up squares, and pubs and restaurants with plenty of character serve wholesome food under ancient arched ceilings, while small theatres in cellars below the arcades offer stimulating entertainment.

Time seems to stand still in the medieval towns of the surrounding Schweizer Mittelland. The Alpine foothills, the Jura range, the Emmental, the Gurnigel-Gantrisch area and Mount Weissenstein, above Solothurn, are renowned for their winter sports, and Gstaad, the Bernese Oberland and Jungfrau ski regions are close by.