Bern has a great collection of museums featuring both history and art. Most are concentrated in Helvetiaplate, which is located in the southern part of the Kirchenfeldbruck. These museums tend to close pretty early; most of them shut their doors at around 5 P.M. They all charge a reasonable entrance fee, but be sure to ask for student, senior, and child discounts. Also check the prices for each day; sometimes the museums are cheaper on specific days, or even free!

Benisches Historisches

If history interests you, don’t miss the Benisches Historisches Museum (Bern History Museum). It is set in a huge castle with turrets build in 1894. There are 7 floors of exhibits, so take a map. The Schweizerisches Alpines Museum (Swiss Alpine Museum) gives an intimate look at life in the mountains, mountaineering, Alpine flora and fauna, tourism, and the impacts on the environment.

Naturhistorisches Museum

Two excellent museums for those that enjoy science and technology are the Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History), and the Museum fur Kommunikation (media and communication). The former has mineralogical displays of meteorites and cut diamonds as well as the largest exhibit of stuffed animals in Europe. The latter relates the history of communication from postage stamps to the internet.

Berne Kunstmuseum

Art lovers will appreciate the Berne Kunstmuseum which displays fine arts pieces by such artists as Dali and Picasso. For contemporary pieces, check out the Kunsthalle Art Gallery.

If you’re really into museums and plan on staying in Switzerland for awhile, it might be worth it to purchase the Swiss Museums Pass. It costs CHF 144 and allows you to visit over 400 museums.