Bern and Gstaad, Switzerland
- Pearls of Switzerland
- Sep 28, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 29, 2021
48 hours with Pearls of Switzerland tours, trips and more
The city of Bern is the capital of Switzerland (CH) and counts more than 143’000 inhabitants. I visited the city last year and came back this year to stay overnight at the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa (the hotel is part of the Bürgenstock Selection, see www.burgenstockselection.com) as I was invited by Made in Bern for a B2B Networking Event and an excursion to Saanen – Gstaad to explore the region. I will return during the Winter Season to Gstaad and write a newsletter about the Hotel Palace in Gstaad.
The Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa – Making History. Since 1859.
In the heart of the capital the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa welcomes guests since 1859 and is located opposite the main railway station of Berne.
From charming Queen rooms to Family rooms and, the Presidential Suite… the Hotel offers 99 elegant guest rooms and suites of different sizes.
I was checked-in in a Deluxe Boutique Room (room 309, around 38 m2) with beautiful oak parquet flooring, TV, king size bed, working desk with a modern office chair and a modern chaise longue with little table and a French Bergère chair, bathroom with a walk-in rain shower and bath tube - with Bulgari amenities, minibar with nespresso coffee and tea, safe, etc.. The room was cosy and bright with two French balcony facing to the surrounding scenery below.
If you book Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa you have the following included services:
Bern Ticket (free use of public transport in Bern)
Free access to Spa with its 500 m² spa area
24/7 access to the Fitness Studio
Mineral water, Nespresso coffee & tea
Bulgari amenities
Pillow menu
Wireless and Wired Internet
On request: Baby & dog set-up
You can park your car in front of the hotel as they offer valet parking (CHF 50.-/day).
Eat & Drink
The Jack’s Brasserie with 14 Gault-Millau points serves à la carte breakfast (petit-déjeuner) starting every day from 06:30am till 10:30am and on Sunday till 11:30am. The restaurant and its premises are accessible free of barriers and offers seasonal and modern dishes using regional ingredients. Special dish to try: Fregola Sarda (vegetarian) or the Wienerschnitzel. You will discover many names of celebrities who have dined here on engraved gold brass plates such as Christina Onassis, Josephine Baker, Grace Kelly, Roger Federer, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Princess Anne and many more. If you want to avoid long waiting times, please make your table reservation. Telephone: +41 31 326 80 80, Email: info@schweizerhofbern.com.
The Lobby-Lounge-Bar has signature cocktails & light meals, while the Sky Terrace has seasonal offers and breath-taking views of Bern and surrounding mountains.
After a walking and shopping tour I recommend to relax in the Spa area (500m2). It includes a hammam, ice fountain, Finnish sauna / cold water pool, whirlpool with with bubble loungers, massage jets and fountain shower, experience showers an a relaxation room outfitted with water beds, treatment and cosmetic rooms and a fitness room with technogym equipment for cardio and strength.
Opening hours (wet area) MON - FRI 3pm - 8pm, SAT 9am - 9pm, SUN 9am - 7:30pm
Spa treatments MON - FRI 10am - 8pm
Fitness room is open for hotel guests during 24 h on 7 days.
I also do recommend to go to the Hammam & Spa Oktogon when in the city.
Meetings & Events
Eleven rooms for private celebrations and business events are available on the 800 square metres of the Bel Etage on the 1st floor.
Plus points of the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa:
The location
Express check-in and check-out
14 Gault Millau points Restaurant
Sky Terrace
Meeting rooms 10 – 420 persons
24h in-room dining
Bulgari amenities
Free Wi-Fi
Spa 500m2
Concierge service
Cigar Lounge
Valet parking CHF 50.-/day
Limousine servic
Reasons for Bern:
Swiss Capital
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Perfect Hub & Gateway to the Alps
Shopping under the Arcades
Cultural Diversity
Living Traditions
Innovations & Science
Contact Information:
Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa
Bahnhofplatz 11, 3001 Bern - Switzerland
Tel.: +41 31 326 80 80
Mr. Dennis Deitmers, Senior Sales Manager
Tel.: +41 79 525 05 25
COVID-19
The Covid certificate is checked on site in printed or electronic form. You need to have one of the following certificates:
Vaccination certificate
Certificate proving complete recovery
Negative PCR test, which is not older than 72 hours
Negative antigen rapid test, which is not older than 48 hours
Nearest COVID-19 test center in Bern for travellers next to the train station: Welle 7
2nd Day Excursion to Saanen/Gstaad
Our meeting point was the Kursaal Bern. Kursaal Bern is the leading venue in the Swiss capital and the city's most popular meeting point (from the train station take tram no. 9 or bus 10)
From Bern we were chauffeured to the Hotel Huus in Saanen-Gstaad. The Hotel Huus is a 4*superior home away from home. Parents looking for a good value, designer, boutique style hotel, in the Swiss Alps with amazing service and facilities for kids - this is the one for you. The cosy and modern rooms are equipped with Hästens beds.
After a Hotel tour we had coffee and croissants on the terrace with a fantastic view to the Gstaad airport and the scenery of beautiful nature around us.
After the break we continued to drive up to the top of Hornberg and reached the reservoir lake (Speichersee). The man-made reservoir lake is situated in a picturesque setting in the Hornberg cauldron and is quite shallow, which means it warms up quickly and makes for pleasant bathing. Also located at the lake is Europe’s highest wakeboarding installation, a bar, and a small cosy sunbathing meadow. There are also two mountain restaurants nearby for those keen to enjoy a culinary treat. Their panoramic terraces offer wonderful views of the mountain scenery.
We had BBQ and also could try out some outdoor activities sponsored and presented by the Alpinzentrum Gstaad AG: Wakeboarding, Jodelworkshop and shooting challenge.
After our delicious BBQ lunch and the outdoor activities it was time to return home.
Elevation: 1,797 m above sea level How to get there: By car from Saanenmöser along Hornbergstrasse to the lake. Public transport: The Hornberg region is easily accessible from Schönried with the Horneggli cable car. From the mountain station the lake can be reached on foot in 15 minutes along the pleasant hiking trail. Location: above Gstaad, Schönried, Saanenmöser in the Hornberg cauldron. Highlights: Hiking trail Horneggli-Rinderberg, Hornberg mountain restaurants, Wake Up Gstaad, mountain bike cable-car tour, Hornfluh climbing garden.
Back home in Hergiswil am See in the Canton of Nidwalden the same evening with memories to last a lifetime. Special thanks to Made in Bern, Gstaad Marketing GmbH as well as all of the participants.
Gstaad is a destination you should not miss in your life. It is paradise for people who love to have privacy and a place where beautiful nature is just a food step out the door with many outdoor activities to make lifetime memories to yourself and your loved ones. The Winter Season in Gstaad starts in December and lasts untill March. Winter Wonderland awaits you and Pearls of Switzerland welcomes you!
Feel free to contact reservations@pearlsofswitzerland.com about more information or if you have a question about the destination and hotel reservation. I am happy to help and make the reservation for you.
And last but not least - very important to know when driving in the mountain roads of Switzerland:
When driving on narrow roads, the uphill driver has the priority and the downhill driver is expected to back-up if there is insufficient passing room.
Buses and trucks have the priority over cars, and buses have a priority over trucks.
The Swiss weather website is an excellent resource for trip planning.
When driving Swiss mountain roads a driver must be able to stop in an emergency in at least half the visible distance.
If you find yourself driving more slowly than local drivers, it is an unwritten rule of courtesy to pull over. There are not many places where they can overtake safely, so give anyone following you a break and move out of the way.
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