Bern

houses Switzerland’s oldest permanent collection, ranging from an exquisite early Renaissance Madonna and Child by Fra Angelico to 19th-and 20th-century works by the likes of Hodler, Monet and Picasso. — Lonely Planet

Bern’s 15th-century Gothic cathedral boasts Switzerland’s loftiest spire (100m); climb the 344-step spiral staircase for vertiginous views. — Lonely Planet

— Frommer's

Bern’s answer to the Guggenheim, Renzo Piano’s architecturally bold, 150m-long wave-like edifice houses an exhibition space that showcases rotating works from Paul Klee’s career. — Lonely Planet

Bern's Communications Museum houses items such as antique phones and stamps as well as an entertaining historical retrospective on computers. — Lonely Planet

Climbing Gurten is an activity that ticks all the right boxes. — Michelin Guide

Home of the Swiss Federal Assembly, the Florentine-style Bundeshaus contains statues of the nation’s founding fathers, a stained-glass dome adorned with cantonal emblems and a 214-bulb chandelier. — Lonely Planet

The town, rebuilt in yellow-green sandstone after a terrible fire in 1405, remains an iconic example of adaptation to a site, with its spiralling streets and terrace gardens overlooking the river. — Michelin Guide

This huge garden, developed in terraces which go down as far as the river, adorned with fountains and water features, lets you admire a large variety of Alpine plants and, in the greenhouse, exotic plants. — Michelin Guide

Head to the basement for the real focus: Bern and its place in Swiss history. — Fodor's

The biggest draw here is the stuffed body of Barry, a St. Bernard who saved more than 40 people in the Alps between 1800....interactive temporary exhibits, and more than 200 wildlife dioramas. — Fodor's

This is the place for an in-depth look at the world of mountaineering and its passionate participants and followers. — Fodor's

This simple apartment may have inspired some of the most important theories in the history of science.  — Atlas Obscura

A completely different animal from the Kunstmuseum across town. — Fodor's