007 Travel story: Bern (SWITZERLAND) 2014, day 2/2

In order to read Switzerland 007 Travel story from day 1, please click here.
This is our second day in Bern. You might also like to read about our first day in Bern, see it here.

Tuesday 15 July 2014

We had breakfast in City Hotel Metropole and checked out.

Later we entered fabulous Hotel Schweizerhof Bern.

Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

In the film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969) James Bond (George Lazenby) stands on the fourth floor balcony of Hotel Schweizerhof. Bond copied villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld's (Telly Savalas) secret documents in Gebrüder Gumbold's (James Bree) office.

Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

Thank you for co-operation:
Anja Ullmann, Director of Sales
Nathalie Stöckli, PR & Communications Manager

Hotel: Hotel Schweizerhof Bern
Stars: 5 *****
Address: Bahnhofplatz 11
Check in: 15.00
Check out: 12.00
Room type: Deluxe Plus Double with one King bed and one extra bed

The following services are included in the room rate (see prices and reservations here)

Continental breakfast, free use of the SPA with gym, pamper pool, sauna and hammam, Business Package (free WiFi Internet access, unlimited national telephone calls and unlimited choice of movies on demand), mineral water, soft drinks and beer from the minibar, a refreshing welcome drink, a selection of fresh fruit, a newspaper, shoe cleaning service, a fine selection of tea and Nespresso coffee in the room, beauty care products by Bulgari, a fleece bath robe during the stay, service charge and VAT.

See our wider hotel introduction here.

The deluxe plus double king rooms overlooking the bustling city center of Berne or the peaceful inner courtyard measure approx. 43 sq. meters, include a 180x210cm king size bed and a comfortable seating area. The rooms are afforded a warm and cozy atmosphere by the brown and taupe colours throughout, from the elegant herring-bone oak parquet to a classic chandelier and top-quality reproductions of the works of Bernese artist Paul Klee. The fixtures also include amenities such as a wardrobe with interior lighting, a minibar, a coffee machine, a kettle, adjustable air climate control, a safe with socket and state-of-the-art technical equipment. This includes a large flat-screen TV, latest generation telephone, wired and wireless Internet and a media hub enabling you to play content from MP3 players, laptops or mobile phones via the TV set. For anyone wanting to work, the room also has a large desk fitted with sockets for Swiss, European and British electrical appliances.

Pirita

Deluxe Plus Double with one King bed and one extra bed.

Welcome to Hotel Schweizerhof Bern

Relax in the bath tube and watch TV at the same time

Bathing products

The luxurious bathrooms are fitted with a rain shower, a Japanese soaking bathtub, a large heated mirror, a towel warmer, a hair dryer and a movable, back-lit make-up mirror and an additional television set next to the bath tube.

Our little Agent Traveler

Children's backpack with
special amenities for smallest guests

The welcoming in the hotel was very friendly. We got fresh orange juice and they took really good care of us.

At first we went for a lunch at Jack´s Brasserie.
The legendary Jack’s Brasserie is the main restaurant at the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern. In its typical fin-de-siècle ambience it offers classic market-fresh, French Brasserie cuisine as well as Schweizerhof classics – such as its famous Wienerschnitzel.

Mika @ Jack's Brasserie

Opening hours
Monday - Sunday: 06.30 - 23.00

We tasted excellent foods there. See the menu here.

Nathalie Stöckli (left)
and Anja Ullmann (right)

Later we met Nathalie Stöckli and Anja Ullmann, and we interviewed them. See the interview here.

They were very kind and showed us the hotel and the filming places of 007 movie "On Her Majesty´s Secret Service", (1969) starring George Lazenby.

Of course everything started in the reception hall which is 007 filming location.

Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC

Decoration inside the elevator is its original condition.

The elevator shaft

We visited the Sky Terrace as well.
The elegant Sky Terrace behind the Schweizerhof turret offers a 360° panorama view over the UNESCO world cultural heritage of Bern. In an atmosphere reminiscent of the Orient enjoy refreshing cocktails creations, light summer dishes mezze-style with gentle lounge music in the background.

Photo by: Stöh Grünig

A view from the Sky Terrace

We had drinks in the Lobby-Lounge-Bar.

The new Lobby-Lounge-Bar in the heart of the Hotel Schweizerhof is the ideal meeting point for hotel guests and visitors alike. Whether for coffee and pastries, appetizers or midnight snacks: The Lobby-Lounge-Bar offers 60 comfortable seats to make you feel at home. Modern design, international ambiance, tasty dishes and refreshing drinks make the Lobby-Lounge at the Hotel Schweizerhof a hot spot in town, welcoming guests to relax and enjoy.

Opening hours

Continental Breakfast
Sunday - Thursday: 07.00 - 10.30

Menu of the day: 10.30 - 00.30

Continental Breakfast
Friday & Saturday: 08.00 - 10.30

Menu of the day: 10.30 - 01.30

Beatrice Lang

We want to thank Bern Tourism and their guide Beatrice Lang for the Private tour "From Hollywood to Bollywood". According to movie theme, she gave us some popcorn.

Our guide showed beautiful Bern to us.

The history of the city of Bern proper begins with its founding by Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen in 1191. Local legend has it that the duke vowed to name the city after the first animal he met on the hunt, which turned out to be a bear. Both the name of the city (Bern can stand for Bär(e) n, bears) and its heraldic beast, come from this legend. The entire old town of Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See more information here.

Untertorbrücke and Felsenburg

The Untertorbrücke (Lower Gate Bridge) is a stone arch bridge that spans the river Aare at the easternmost point of the Enge peninsula in the city of Bern, Switzerland, connecting the Mattequartier in the Old City to the Schosshalde neighbourhood. Built in its current form in 1461–89, it is the oldest of Bern's Aare bridges, and was the city's only bridge up until the middle of the 19th century. See more information here.

The Felsenburg is a fortified castle and tower in the city of Bern and the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site of the Old City of Bern and, together with the adjacent Untertorbrücke, it is a cultural property of national significance. See more information here.

Nydegg Church (Nydeggkirche)
Address: Nydegghof 2

The second-oldest church building in the city of Bern.
The original Nydegg Castle was built around 1190 by either Duke Berchtold V. von Zähringen or his father Berchtold IV as part of the city defenses. Following the second expansion, the castle was destroyed by the citizens of Bern in 1268. The castle was located about where the Choir of the church now stands, with the church tower resting on the southern corner of the donjon. See more information here.

Denomination: Protestant/Reformed
Sunday service: 10.00

Directions: Bus no. 12, to the "Nydegg" stop.

Bagpiper Fountain (Pfeiferbrunnen)
Address: Spitalgasse 21

The Pfeiferbrunnen is a fountain near Spitalgasse 21 in Bern, Switzerland. It is one of the Old City of Bern's 16th Century fountains and is part of the list of Swiss heritage sites of national significance. There are over 100 public fountains in the city of Bern of which eleven are crowned with Renaissance allegorical statues. The statues were created during the period of civic improvement that occurred as Bern became a major city-state during the 16th century. The fountains were originally built as a public water supply. As Bern grew in power, the original fountains were expanded and decorated but retained their original purpose.
See more information here.

Prison Tower (Käfigturm)
Address: Theater am Käfigturm, Spitalgasse 4

The Prison Tower, built between 1256 and 1344, was the second city gate into Bern. The name "Käfigturm" literally means cage tower, a reminder that the tower gate was once used as a prison (1643 - 1897). The clock mechanism was added in 1691 and is of great historical interest today. See more information here.

Opening hours

Monday - Friday: 8.00 - 18.00
Saturday (during exhibitions): 10.00 - 16.00
Arrival / travel route

From the train station, tram no. 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 to "Bärenplatz" stop or 5 minutes on foot.

Parliament Building (Bundeshaus)
Address: Bundesplatz 3

The Parliament Building is the seat of the Swiss government (Federal Council) and the parliament (National Council and Council of States). The building was completed in 1902. The central domed hall and both chambers feature numerous symbolic renderings of Swiss history. See more information here.

Guided tours: Available in German, French, Italian or English. See more information here.

Bern Historical Museum (Bernisches Historisches Museum)
Address: Helvetiaplatz 5

In its permanent exhibition, the Bernisches Historisches Museum shows highlights from the fields of history, prehistory, early history and ethnography. The objects on display range from the Stone Age to the present, from cultures of all continents. See more information here.

Opening times

Tuesday - Sunday: 10.00 - 17.00
Monday: Closed

Arrival / Travel route
From train station, tram no. 6 / 7 / 8 or bus no. 19 to "Helvetiaplatz" stop

Clock Tower (Zytglogge)
Address: Zeitglockenturm (Zytglogge), Bim Zytglogge 1

The Zytglogge is the landmark medieval clock tower in the Old City of Bern. It has existed since about 1218–1220 and is one of the most recognizable symbols of Bern. The name Zyglogge is Bernese German and translates as Zeitglocke in Standard German or time bell in English. A "time bell" was one of the earliest public timekeeping devices, consisting of a clockwork connected to a hammer that rang a small bell at every full hour. The Zytglogge clock is one of the three oldest clocks in Switzerland. Today it is one of Bern's most important sights. The ornate astronomical clock with its moving figures was built in 1530. It served as the city's main clock and thus had an authoritative function in Bern. See more information here.

The Last Judgement (Berner Münster)
Address: Münsterplatz in Old Town of Bern

Statues representing the Last Judgement, over the main portal of the Münster of Bern.
Above the main portal is a rare complete collection of Gothic sculpture. The collection represents the Christian belief in the Last Judgment where the wicked will be separated from the righteous. The large 47 free-standing statues are replicas (the originals are in the Bern History Museum) and the 170 smaller statues are all original. See more information here.

Matte

Situated along the banks of the Aare River, the Matte today has become a stately and almost self-contained “village.” See more information here.

Tour available: Year-round
Start time: By individual arrangement
Meeting point: Cathedral (Münster)
Duration: 90 minutes
Price: 230,00 CHF per group
Express surcharge: 50,00 CHF when booked less than 48 hours in advance
Languages: German / English / French
Note: Max. 20 persons per group
Sales and assistance at +41 (0)31 328 12 12

or citytours@bern.com.

The Einstein House (Einsteinhaus)
Address: Kramgasse 49

The Einstein House (Einsteinhaus) is a museum and a former residence of Albert Einstein.

Opening hours 2014

Monday–Sunday 10.00–17.00

January 2015
closed

Entrance Fees
Individuals: 6,00 CHF
Students, children, senior citizens: 4,50 CHF
Groups : 4,50 CHF each person

€ accepted

Guided tours

1 guided tour up to 20 persons: 150,00 CHF
in addition, reduced entry fee per person 3,00 CHF
Groups exceeding 20 persons: 10,00 CHF per person
(without extra fee for guide)
Students: 100,00 CHF, no extra fee
Students under 16: 80,00 CHF, no extra fee
€ accepted

Guided tours in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Korean can be arranged on request almost any time, even off the opening hours.

Important: Requests for guided tours must to be made a minimum of 15 working days prior to the tour date.

See more information here

Ghost House (Gespensterhaus) in Junkerngasse
Address: Junkerngasse 54

This place was a filming location for the film "Das Gespensterhaus" (1942).

Legend says that on the top floor there is the ghost. At nights windows open and a headless woman appears and laughs horribly. Nobody wants to live in this house.

Nearby on Junkerngasse No. 38 earlier lived the legendary Swiss-American Bond Girl Ursula Andress, who was born in Ostermundigen, Canton of Bern.

See more information about Junkerngasse here

It was nice to take the walking tour. After that back to the hotel and explored Hotel Schweizerhof's surrounding. Right next to the hotel is Church of the Holy Ghost (Heiliggeistkirche), which is located at Spitalgasse 44. You can see the church clearly in the Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969). Bond and his ally Shaun Campbell (Bernard Horsfall) watch the clock of the church in order to schedule copying the secret documents of Ernst Stavro Blofeld before attorney Gebrüder Gumbold comes back to his office.

Church of the Holy Ghost (Heiliggeistkirche) under renovation (July 2014)

Even though Gumbold's office is in the premises of Hotel Schweizerhof Bern, the actual entrance
is approx. 100 meters to the left from the hotel in address Bollwerk 15, next to Bar Brésil.

The actual signboard

We like walking around the city of Bern. It is also easy to travel around Bern on public transport, and it is free in zones 100/101 with Bern Ticket, which you will receive in the hotel. The ticket is valid for your whole stay. It also includes the famous Gurten funicular, the funicular Marzilibahn, and the elevator to the Cathedral Platform, as well as travel to and from Bern Airport.

See more information about arrival and transfer here. Later we went to shopping and Pirita bought a nice bag.

We also had dinner at Pizzeria Ristorante Pasteria Da Vinci. The made a cute pizza for our little Agent Traveler.

On Wednesday morning 16 July 2014 we woke up and had a wonderful Continental breakfast at Jack´s Brasserie. Bread rolls, croissant, toast and sweet pastry, butter, jam and honey, freshly squeezed fruit juice at your choice, yogurt or cereals at your choice, little selection of cheese and meat specialties, portion of coffee, tea and/or milk. See the breakfast menu here.