Centrally located in Switzerland, the Canton of Bern is home to French and German speakers alike. Its position makes it a unique cultural cross-section in Europe, with all the splendid scenery Switzerland has become world-famous for.
The city of Bern is Switzerland’s capital, making the region a political hub for the nation. The neo-Renaissance Federal Palace, home to the Swiss Parliament, is among its top attractions, along with a few medieval points of interest, such as the 13th century French Church and the Zytglogge tower. Outside the capital, the Canton of Bern is home to the beautiful Three Lakes Region, the skiing and hiking resorts of the Bernese Oberland, and the homeland of Emmentaler cheese, the forested Bernese Mittelland.
The Canton of Bern neighbours the cantons of Jura and Solothurn. Bern has a small international airport, with routes to other European cities such as London and Paris. The capital is well connected by train to other major Swiss cities like Lucerne, Interlaken and Zurich.
Bern has been part of the Swiss Confederation since the 14th century, but its earliest settlements were prehistoric. The Canton of Bern plays hosts to several sites that fall under the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Prehistoric Pile dwellings.