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Winter walks with a view in Bern

A short walk that leads you right into a winter wonderland? Not uncommon in Bern. Also: The walkers are usually rewarded with a breathtaking view. And on some walks, you can even use a sledge for the journey home.

Two people sit peacefully on a tree trunk in a snowy landscape, enjoying the winter sun and gazing at a misty distance with mountain silhouettes. It radiates tranquillity and a connection with nature.

Winter walk to the Bramberg monument in Neuenegg

Do you want to visit the infamous «Röstigraben» (the linguistic border between French and German)? What are you waiting for? Go on one of the various winter hikes in the Laupen region. Start out at Laupen station, below the famous Laupen Castle, and follow the path to the Saane-Sense-Spitz. This point is often associated with the linguistic border, even though they speak Bernese on both sides. Continue on foot along the river and soon, the Flühlen mill with its impressive water wheel will appear at the end of the forest. Shortly after, another highlight will come into view: the Bramberg monument. It commemorates the Battle of Laupen in the 14th century, from which the Bernese emerged victorious.

Bantiger: sledging with a view

This is an absolute classic, only 25 minutes by car from Bern. The starting point of this popular circular trail is the «Cholgruebe» car park near Bolligen. After about 1,5 hours of walking through the forest, you’ll be greeted by a 196-metre-high radio and television tower – make sure to take the stairs to the top. Once you reach the observation deck, you can enjoy the panoramic view from the Jura over the Mittelland, into the Emmental, and as far as the Bernese Oberland Alps. By the way: bringing a sledge will give you the upper hand on the descent. If the snow conditions are good, you can use it to race down the last part of the trail to the «Cholgruebe».

Take a ten-minute detour on your way to the observation deck to visit Geristein Castle, an impressive 11th-century ruin.

Hike with a view of the Mittelland

The magnificent views on this circular hike in the Bipper-Jura will make you feel dreamy. You’re free to choose your starting point but ideally, it would be a larger car park. There, you’ll find free maps showing various hiking trails as well as the Legends Trail in the Bipper-Jura. You can discover numerous highlights along the way. For example, part of the circular hike leads along the Legends Trail where you can really immerse yourself in the mystical world of the Bipper-Jura and study anecdotes about the region’s legendary stories. We highly recommend a stopover at the mountain restaurant Stierenberg to relax your legs and satisfy your hunger. By the way: if you have enough energy, you might want to take a detour to the Ankehubel or even the Hällchöpfli, at 1,232 metres the highest point in the Oberaargau.

Our favourite sunset spots

Looking for a bit of romance at night? Why not fill a thermos with your best herbal tea and observe the sunset from the hills in Bern? It’s only at this time of the year that you can see the colours change so spectacularly from light blue to bright orange, purple and lilac until finally there are only twinkling stars left in the sky. If you’ve wrapped up enough, you can even stay for a while longer and with a bit of luck, you’ll see a shooting star. Witnessing an occurrence like that will certainly put you in a dreamy mood.

More winter walks in Bern