With the dire state of the world, with wars erupting left, proper, and heart and crime charges surging throughout all the preferred vacationer locations––Paris and London, we’re you––we do not actually blame you for feeling anxious about leaving your little nook of America.
Flying overseas has by no means come with out dangers, but it surely appears as if it is a very totally different period for worldwide journey.
Naturally, some locations are more neutral than others, and never solely have they not seen battle just lately, however their security ranges stay very excessive.
That’s the case with Bern, a lesser-known metropolis within the coronary heart of Europe that also exists in its personal microcosm of peace, shielded from the Russo-Ukrainian Struggle and the migrant disaster plaguing many city facilities.
Due to the newly launched Risk Map 2025 from Safeture and Riskline, we all know now that Bern has been named the most secure metropolis vacation spot on the earth for 2025.
However Wait… I Thought Zurich Was The Capital Of Switzerland?
We hate to interrupt it to you and make you’re feeling like you might do with one other 12 months in class, however Zurich is not Switzerland’s capital.
That title is claimed––kind of––by the smaller, much more charming Bern, nestled within the Alps.
We are saying ‘kind of’ as Switzerland, as a federation of cantons, doesn’t have an official capital, with a lot of its establishments scattered across the nationwide territory, however Bern has historically been thought of the executive heart because it concentrates a number of of them.
Should you’ve by no means heard of Bern earlier than, which is the case for a lot of, it is best to know it’s amongst Europe’s most culture-charged, and well-preserved medieval settlements:
Bern Is A Storybook City Come To Life
The Altstadt (Previous City) is criss-crossed by cobblestone-covered alleys, resulting in both a picturesque Platz (German for sq.), the place you are prone to discover an ornate fountain and a laid-back cafe or two, or an imposing cathedral.
Talking of, for those who’re approaching Bern with one of those scenic trains, the cathedral is prone to be the primary landmark you notice from a distance:
Its hovering tower makes it one of many largest in Switzerland, and the expansive stained glass assortment inside is to not be missed.
It’s one in all many historic websites dotting the UNESCO-protected heart, with different noteworthy examples together with the Twelfth-century Zytglogge, a clock tower that is in all probability Bern’s best-known attraction, and the eerie Ogre Fountain, which depicts the foul creature devouring kids.
Cheery.
Bern’s notorious fountain could also be a somewhat uncommon addition to a somewhat romantic, idyllic townscape, however it’s in all probability the one unsettling sight you will come throughout:
That’s as a result of Bern was just lately named the most secure metropolis not solely in Europe however in the entire world, charting forward of standard low-risk locations like Reykjavik in Iceland, Kyoto, Japan, and even the considerably sleepy micro-nation of Luxembourg.
How Is Bern So Protected?
Based on the Risk Map 2025, which categorizes locations making an allowance for their security ranges, vacationers going to Bern face the bottom potential dangers.
The town is joined within the high 3 by Doha in Qatar and Melbourne in Australia.
Corroborating these findings, estimates offered by Numbeo present that the extent of crime within the Swiss de facto capital is ‘very low’, with a charge of solely 15.65––in Paris, Europe’s high vacationer vacation spot, it is a staggering 62.03.
The analysis notes that Europe has been dealing with ‘elevated’ dangers just lately, with a number of nations now positioned within the U.S. State Division’s Stage 2 itemizing, reminiscent of France, Spain, Sweden, and the UK, although Switzerland stays at Stage 1.
They attribute the worsening security state of affairs in Europe to ongoing political unrest, rising public demonstrations, and even environmental dangers: just lately, a whole metropolis in southern Spain confronted its deadliest flood in a long time.
Bern, however, has had no current pure disasters, it is not often agitated by protesting, and as it’s a smaller city heart, dwelling to round 134,000 folks, it doesn’t endure from the identical fast urbanization points, unregulated migration, and ghettoization seen in bigger European capitals.
In other words, it’s the city where you’re least likely to get pickpocketed or robbed at knifepoint across the pond.
How To Get To Idyllic, Peaceful Bern From America
Bern is gorgeous and protected, and the breathtaking Swiss Alps backs it, however how do you get there within the first place?
For a metropolis that performs such a key function within the Swiss Federation, internet hosting the Federal Palace of Switzerland, the World Commerce Institute, and extra, you’d count on it to be served by a big worldwide airport, proper? Proper…?
Effectively, whereas it is true Bern has an aerodrome, it is a very small one, providing flights primarily to sunny locations in Europe throughout summer season.
Evidently, you’ll be able to’t fly straight there from america.
You may, nevertheless, fly into Zurich from as many as 14 U.S. airports or Geneva from 3 departure factors: amongst them, you have got a few of the States’ best-connected hubs, with JFK, Newark, Chicago, Washington-Dulles and Boston, to call a couple of.
From Zurich, it is a brief 1h11 prepare journey to Bern, and you may need to ensure you ebook a window seat for the journey, as you will be gliding by way of some mesmerizing alpine surroundings.
Trains from Geneva take longer, with the shortest journey taking 1h45, however the way in which there’s simply as stunning, with tracks operating alongside the serene Lake Geneva, one in all Europe’s prettiest lake destinations.
Zurich is, after all, probably the most handy choice, and you might all the time couple a visit to Bern with a stopover in Switzerland’s monetary coronary heart––simply ensure you maintain your wits about you and a watchful eye in your belongings.
Zurich remains to be very protected, but it surely’s actually not as peaceable as Bern.
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Opinions expressed listed below are the creator’s alone, not these of any financial institution, bank card issuer, resort, airline, or different entity. This content material has not been reviewed, authorised or in any other case endorsed by any of the entities included inside the publish.