Bern
Bern
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| <map lat='46.95694118331635' lng='7.447013854980469' zoom='13' view='0' float='right'/> | |
| Check out hitchhiking spots on Hitchmap | |
| Information | |
Country:  |
Switzerland |
| Population: | 136'988 (31. Dezember 2023) |
| Licence plate: | BE |
| Major roads: | E 25, E 27, A1, A6, A12 |
| Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots | |
Bern is the a capital city of Switzerland.
Contents
Hitching out
North towards Basel E 25, Zürich, Biel, Luzern
Options follow in loose order of usefulness. Almost any lift can take you to the service area Grauholz which is some 5 kilometers past Bern, a sign Grauholz can usually get there as fast as the train in Option 3. Option 3 will tell you how to get to Grauholz directly. Grauholz is the best stop: a lot of traffic, easy for cars to stop and covered from rain.
Option 1 (best): Grauholz
Take a S-Train from Bern Hauptbahnhof to the end stop (Unterzollikofen), then walk over the fields eastwards to the rest area "Grauholz". It's all in fairly walkable distance and besides, probably a pretty lovely walk in the spring and summer months due to the sunflower fields. Take a picture from the map with your camera, it might come handy. Its Nr.1-Spot if you go north or east.
Option 2: Murtenstrasse (near Murtenstrasse 10, 3012 Bern)
This spot is a bit closer to the center and has reasonable traffic flow. You can take bus #101 to "Güterbahnhof". just before this bus stop, there are good spots where you can hitchhike. from here, you can also reach thun. whats near this spot: a forest for wildcamping. in around 30 minutes walking distance is a river (aare), where you can swim. 5 minutes from this spot, is the grave of the famous anarchist bakunin (mikhael).
Option 3: Ostring
From the train station, take tram #7 to Ostring (final station). go back to the street, where the tram came from and there are a few spots, where you can stand and cars stop. its not the best stop in general, since cars have to focus to get in the right lane. for this direction: do not hitchhike directly at the highway symbol at the entrance. if you are stuck here: for wildcamping head east towards ostermundigen (near the public swimming pool) or contact niels who lives just there.
Option 4: Wankdorf / Grosse Allmend
From the train station, take bus #20 to the station Wankdorf Center (ist a Mall and Stadion) or walk. Continue to Walk along the street, and just before the sign for Zurich etc. there is a good spot.
Option 5: Weissensteinstrasse 2B, 3008 Bern
Take tram 7 or 8 to Schlossmatte, for example from Hirschengraben near the train station. On this road, you can hitchhike pretty good and in all directions. There is a squat in the near called "tripity" (instagram) where you can ask to sleep.
South-West towards Lausanne, Genève via Fribourg or Yverdon-les-Bains
Option 1: Wankdorf / Grosse Allmend
From the train station, take tram number 9 to the station Guisanplatz Expo or walk. Walk along the street, that leads to the highway. there are multiple spots, where you can hitchhike, altough not ideal.
Option 2: Grauholz
Take a S-Train from Bern Hauptbahnhof to the end stop (Unterzollikofen), then walk over the fields eastwards to the rest area "Grauholz". It's all in fairly walkable distance and besides, probably a pretty lovely walk in the spring and summer months due to the sunflower fields. Take a picture from the map with your camera, it might come handy. This spot has two big rest-areas on opposite sides, connected by a bridge. make sure you stand in the right direction ;-)
Option 3: Murtenstrasse
See Option 2 above. Doable spot for hitchhiking towards Lausanne, too. Either stand before the Güterbahnhof bus stop with a sign or walk up the on-ramp where northbound and southbound traffic split and hitch right there. Technically illegal, but odds are small that you will wait long enough to run into any trouble.
Option 4: Weissensteinstrasse 2B, 3008 Bern
Take tram 7 or 8 to Schlossmatte, for example from Hirschengraben near the train station. On this road, you can hitchhike pretty good and in all directions. There is a squat in the near called "tripity" (instagram) where you can ask to sleep.
South towards Thun and Interlaken
Option 1: Ostring
From the train station, take tram #7 to Ostring (final station). here (and only if you go direction north), you can stand under the bridge and cars can stop. another option, is to stand on the road that leads to this place. if you are stuck here: for wildcamping head east towards ostermundigen (near the public swimming pool) or contact niels who lives just there.
Option 2: Weissensteinstrasse 2B, 3008 Bern
Take tram 7 or 8 to Schlossmatte, for example from Hirschengraben near the train station. On this road, you can hitchhike pretty good and in all directions. There is a squat in the near called "tripity" (instagram) where you can ask to sleep.
Option 3: Grauholz
Take a S-Train from Bern Hauptbahnhof to the end stop (Unterzollikofen), then walk over the fields eastwards to the rest area "Grauholz". It's all in fairly walkable distance and besides, probably a pretty lovely walk in the spring and summer months due to the sunflower fields. Take a picture from the map with your camera, it might come handy. This spot has two big rest-areas on opposite sides, connected by a bridge. make sure you stand in the right direction ;-)
Option 2: Murtenstrasse (near Murtenstrasse 10, 3012 Bern)
This spot is a bit closer to the center and has reasonable traffic flow. You can take bus #101 to "Güterbahnhof". just before this bus stop, there are good spots where you can hitchhike. whats near this spot: a forest for wildcamping. in around 30 minutes walking distance is a river (aare), where you can swim. 5 minutes from this spot, is the grave of the famous anarchist bakunin (mikhael).
Sleeping
There are many hidden spots along the river where somebody could camp out for a night or a couple if the weather is nice.
There is a Wagenplatz by the E25 north of Bern, outside Bethlehem. You can get there taking a bus to Bethlehem b. Kirche or by tram 8. The nearest train station is Bümpliz Nord, one station away from Bern Hauptbahnhof. Walk up Eymattstrasse, past the bridge that goes over the motorway, across into a nice woodland. Take the first footpath on the right and keep to the right at the following forks. Eventually you´ll see lots of beautiful vans and trailers. People are very friendly and welcoming. There are two guest spaces. The coordinates are 46.960324,7.392554
If you go straight down from the Hirschengraben (close to the train station) following the tram-tracks, you will find a small park on the right side after a few blocks. It's a good place for sleeping out, but by the river is much better.
There is an emergency sleeping place called Sleeper, where you can get a bed for 5.-, breakfast included. But they only accept people in an emergency, not people who actually could afford a hostel bed. Check-in times are from 10pm-1am and you can stay till 10am. Be there soon enough, especially in winter time. You can't make reservations.
People you can contact for hosting: Chagai - (in Zollikofen): Public Trustroots profile. He listed some local groups here (on WhatsApp/Telegram/Matrix)
Food
General Info:
- search https://foodsharing.de/karte for free food options.
- "madame frigo": this is a open/shared/free community fridge system, where locals put their leftovers in and everyone can take it: https://www.madamefrigo.ch/en/towns/
Breakfast:
Monday-Friday at Aufenthaltsraum, Postgasse 35. Opening times 8.30-11.30am with free breakfast, and 2.30-5.30pm with free coffee, tea,... Postgasse is located in the lower old town, close to the (bus #12 stop) Rathaus. Note: Bus numbers may change
There is also a Bakery (with attached vegetable-shop) which sells Sandwiches, Bread etc. from yesterday (they collect it from Bakerys in the City) and because its from yesterday they sell it for the Half of the Price. Its located in the Celler at Marktgasse 19 and the Name of the Shop is "Ässbar", open Mo-Fr. 9-19 and Sat 9-17.
Lunch:
Tuesday-Friday and Sunday at 12.30pm at La Prairie, Sulgeneckstrasse 7. It costs 5 CHF, if you can't afford that you can work for it in the kitchen. From the main trainstation go to the park "Kleine Schanze", on the right side of the park there is the street Sulgeneckstrasse and La Prairie just 50m from there.
Dinner/Supper:
Every day from 6pm-8pm at the Sleeper. It costs 5 CHF. The place is located at Neubrückstrasse 19. From the main train station, walk towards Bollwerk/Reitschule. Go behind the Reitschule building, cross two streets and you will see it. Bus 11 or 21 stop there, the stop is called Henkerbrünnli (which means Hangman's spring).
Internet
free hotspots at the trainstation, in every yellow public bus (postauto) and in the supermarkets 'migros' and 'coop'.
mobile data is widely available in switzerland and very cheap plus unlimited. therefore, its not common anymore to have wifi-spots in restaurants. since almost everyone has unlimited internet, you can always ask someone for a hot-spot.
If you need to use a Computer for a shorter time for free: its best to visit a library. there are multiple ones: a central one is "kornhausbibliothek", another one is e.g. nationalbibliothek. sometimes you have to ask for a code. kornhausbibliothek also has notebooks, that you can use (computers are better).
Alternatively, there also is a free, publicly useable computer with internet at the Autonomous School at Lagerweg 12. From the train station, go downhill towards and past the well-known alternative culture center Reitschule, cross the bridge, turn left and turn right. Open most days around 6-8pm, and at other times.
Public Transportation
Bern's system of buses and trams is very good and very dependable. Inspectors can often be spotted as they wear check-machines in the belt and have black pants, a white shirt and a black jacket with a little red company logo (as of Jule 2025). outside they are in groups of 2-5, inside they are spread out across the tram.
If you don't have an address in Switzerland (and don't plan to have one in the near future), you don't need to worry about being caught because there is no way you can be made to pay a fine. This even goes for EU citizens! (Info is from around 2015.) If you do happen to have an address in the country, lie, flirt and bargain your way out but don't show ID. Often the inspectors can be appeased by buying a Ticket from them or at the Ticket machine.
Other
Map of Bern with Places of Interest.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1PN6l8WEZ1vXnwtqdexWtvdsotJNbC9FM&usp=sharing
If you need to fix some Gear.
"Flickerei" Store - they fix all kind of Stuff for a very low Price. The Opening Times vary and can be checked on https://www.flickerei.ch. The Store is located at Stauffacherstrasse 39, 3011 Bern. You can take Bus Nr 20 - or you walk 20 min (from train main station).
If you need to buy cheap-stuff to fix things: visit coop "bau&hobby" or "migros do it +garden".
If you need to replace some Gear.
As in every swiss City there are a lot of thrift stores. In Switzerland, these are called "Brockenstube" or short version is "Brocki". You can find there all kind of stuff.
Theres is also a huge second-hand marked at reithalle, every 1st sunday in the month.
A Decathlon is located a bit outside of the city at "Riedbachstrasse 100, 3027 Bern" and a smaller one is in the city center. For the bigger one, take Tram Number 8 in Direction "Westside". Decathlon is directly at "Westside". You can get there from Trainstration also with a S-Train (Larger Local Tram)
Hang out in Bern
In Summer its nice to hang&chill on the river, which goes all around the city and its easy reachable even from main trainstation. you can go e.g. to "marzilli" or "lorraine". all swimming open-swim baths are free in bern.
If it's hot just ask people for a "Freibad" (free swimming bath) or look out for people which are swimming in the river and join them (it's a local sport to swim in the river). Just watch out and ask people where its ok! Dont jump simply "somewhere" in the river, there are some really dangerous spots!
in the weekend and in summer, there are often big partys in front the reithalle. this is the free alternative, culture center. despeite its a wonderfull and divers space, sometimes it gets wild there - so its better stay away from trouble(makers).
> 100.000: Zürich • Geneve • Basel • Bern • Lausanne
30.000–100.000: Biel/Bienne • Chur • Fribourg • Köniz • La Chaux-de-Fonds • Lugano • Luzern • Neuchâtel • Schaffhausen • St. Gallen • Thun • Uster • Vernier • Winterthur
