ViaBerna

The hike begins in the gentle hills at the edge of the Franches-Montagnes. Each subsequent Jura height is more intense: you hike through the largest wind farm in Switzerland and across the imposing Combe Grède gorge to the Chasseral. You reach urban Biel via gentler Jura chains and through the romantic Taubenloch gorge. Get to know small Jura villages such as Belleley, Nods or Magglingen along the way. You also encounter the former watchmaking towns of St. Imier and Tramelan along the route.

On the next part, the path follows the course of the Aare to Lake Thun except for some small deviations. It winds its way through the natural landscape of the Old Aare before arriving in the idyllic town of Aarberg. As far as Lake Wohlen and on the way to Bern, you will come across attractive shore landscapes and valuable protected areas, as well as impressive facilities for energy production. Between Bern and Thun, you can experience the different stages of the renaturation of the floodplain landscape. A widened course of the river with tributaries and gravel banks alternates with the original, straight riverbed. Between Thun and Faulensee, the path often follows the shore of the lake directly or runs across the hills of the former lateral moraines of the Aare Glacier. In addition to natural beauty, the cities of Bern, Thun and picturesque Spiez also offer cultural highlights. In Aeschi, the route leaves the pretty lake and river landscapes, and you move closer to the many peaks of the Bernese Alps and cross the first pass.

It is now time to climb more passes, go back down into the valleys, and follow high-altitude trails to finally arrive at the Susten Pass via the old mule track. The places to be found en route are remote mountain villages such as Saxeten, Isenfluh or Gadmen. You will also encounter sites that remain from its tourist heyday, including the mountain lodge on the Schynige Platte and the historic hotels in Rosenlaui and on the Engstlenalp. Panoramic views of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, as well as the magnificent sight of the Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, the Schreckhorn and other Alpine peaks, are a delight to see along the way. Three times you have to descend into deep U-shaped valleys created by ice age glaciers. Strenuous ascents then bring you back to heights with a superb outlook. On the old mule track, you finally reach the Susten Pass on the border with the canton of Uri, going up from Gadmen through a unique natural landscape. After completing the 20 stages through the Canton of Bern, you have enjoyed some enriching moments and experienced an important part of the extensive natural and cultural landscape of the canton.