Bern has a long history with bears, from the founding of the city many centuries ago. Apparently, the founding Duke of the city decided to use that name after killing a bear on his first hunt. This claim to fame, if you like to call it that, is not something that anyone can back up.
Despite that, Bern has been hosting bears in various bear pits around the old town since 1549. They have often been of questionable quality, with the brown bears leading a very sad life locked in a small pit. However, in 2009 the old bear pit was closed and the whole thing was moved to a great location on the Aare river banks.
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The Bear Park in Bern Today
Today the new Bear Park is a far more enjoyable experience for both the visitor, you, and the bears. The park is huge with lots of space for the bears along the banks of the Aare. They have grass and trees and also a small pool along the bottom of the park.
You can wander along the top and look down at the bears, or take the stairs or lift down to the bottom. There the bear pool is easy to see and you can look up trying to find the three bears that live there today – Finn, Björk and Ursina.
Sure, if you are not partial to zoos or keeping animals captive, the bear park seems a little unkind. However, as far as zoos go it is great. the area the bears can roam is huge in comparison to most zoos and the keepers really care about them like children.
Bears are slowly making a comeback into Switzerland and you can now add them to the Swiss wildlife list. However, the best place to really see them in real life is here.
In winter, they go into their dens where they sleep away the cold weather to emerge again in the spring.
Bern Bear Park – General Information
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If you are heading to the Bern Bear park, here is all the information you need at a glance:
- Opening Hours: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- Price: Free
- Location: Bank of the Aare River next to the Nydegg Bridge at the bottom of the old town
- Address: Grosser Muristalden 6, 3006 Bern
- Google Maps: click here
- Bear keepers availability: 8am – 5pm
- Bears in Hibernation: late fall – early spring
- Accessibility: Wheelchair, Pram (both top and bottom sections – there is a lift down)
The bear enclosure is actually an integral part of the river bank and is not closed in any way. Yes, the brown bears are closed inside a fence, but the upper and lower parts of the park where you walk are just part of the public areas by the river. So, there is no opening times or entrance fees as such.
There are also a few facilities at the Bear Park where you can grab something to eat, an ice cream and drinks.
- Altes Tramdepot Brauerei und Restaurant – open 11 am – 12.30 am (after midnight)
Getting To The Bear Park
The Bear Park is easy to walk to if you are visiting the Bern Old Town. Just walk downhill along the main street until you hit the Nydegg Bridge. On the far side of the bridge on the right hand side is the park.
There is a bus stop (Bärenpark) right outside if you want to get there faster. It only takes between 5-10 minutes to get down here from Bern’s main station.
If you are heading over to the Rose Garden park (Rosengarten) for the afternoon you can also stop here on the way.