BERN & BIEL | Political and Watchmaking Capitals Private Day Tour

In one day, you can compare two Swiss cities whose history and cityscape echo each other and reveal striking contrasts. Bern rises around 1250 as a self-made capital shaped by economic strategy and political fiction. As you walk through its charming lanes, you sense the spirit of an Alpine city-state where quiet, order and beauty merge into a vivid sense of power. Meanwhile, Biel follows a more fragile path, long caught between servitude and struggle for freedom. In turn, this preserves an historic town that feels like an untouched fragment of another era, where cute towers and colorful façades gently pull you into a medieval fairy-tale. Around 1870, watchmaking know-how arrives from the mountains and turns Biel into an unexpected success story. From Rolex and early Omega’s clean lines (1917) to the bold new buildings (2017), we literally pass through the biting mouth of the Swatch Snake to step into a riverside park where water, stone, nature and green energy flow in a continuous multi-sensory experience.

We will meet at the cathedral square (Münsterpl. 1, 3000 Bern). If your accomodation is in the near surroundings, I can pick you up. BERN 1. Cathedral’s platform 2. Cathedral, outside and inside tour 3. Rathaus (City Hall) 4. Samson’s Fountain 5. Einstein’s House 6. Zähringer Fountain 7. Zytglogge 8. Zytglogge 9. Federal Terrasse 10. Federal Square 11. Bear’s Square 12. Church of the Holy Ghost 13. Medieval city walls We will now enjoy some nice views on the Bernese countryside while traveling by train to Biel. We can have lunch either in the train or in a restaurant once we arrive. Please let me know if you have special wishes. BIEL 1. North Wind City Gate 2. Castle Square 3. Ring Square (political heart) 4. Gothic Church 5. Angel Fountain 6. Old Rolex Building 7. City Wall Tower and first industry 8. Napoleonic Officer Mural 9. Lower Old Town 10. Walk along the Schüss River 11. Omega's Old and New Headquarters 12. Planet Swatch 13. Swatch Headquarters 14. Schüss River Park