Getting Around Bern by Public Transport

The network in one minute

Bern is Switzerland’s capital, but its old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is compact enough that most visitors barely need public transport once they’re inside it. Everything sits within the loop of the river Aare, and the arcaded streets are walkable end to end.

• Trams, the main way to cross town or reach the outskirts, several lines radiate from the main station.
• Buses, cover the gaps the trams miss, including some steeper residential streets.
• S-Bahn, regional trains connect Bern to the wider region and to Lake Thun towns like Interlaken.

From the main station outward

Bern’s main station sits right at the edge of the old town, roughly a five-minute walk from the clock tower (Zytglogge) at its centre. If you’re staying near the old town, you may not need a tram at all for sightseeing, walking is often just as fast given the short distances.

For anything further out, trams leave from directly outside the station roughly every few minutes, and a short-hop ticket covers most single trips within the city.

Tickets without the guesswork

Bern uses the same zone-based ticketing as the rest of Swiss public transport: a short-hop ticket for one or two stops, a longer zone ticket if you’re heading to the suburbs. A day pass is worth it once you’re making three or four trips.

See it live

Bern’s trams run frequently, but knowing which platform and which direction saves real time, especially around the main station’s busy forecourt. The Swiss Transport app shows live departures and the next connections from wherever you’re standing, so you can walk straight to the right stop.