With the dire state of the world, with wars erupting left, proper, and heart and crime charges surging throughout all the most well-liked vacationer locations––Paris and London, we’re taking a look at 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 completely 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 Battle and the migrant disaster plaguing many city facilities.
Because of 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 are feeling like you could possibly do with one other 12 months at school, 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-about the executive heart because it concentrates a number of of them.
In the event you’ve by no means heard of Bern earlier than, which is the case for a lot of, it’s 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 more likely to discover an ornate fountain and a laid-back cafe or two, or an imposing cathedral.
Talking of, should you’re approaching Bern with one of those scenic trains, the cathedral is more likely 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 every of 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 youngsters.
Cheery.
Bern’s notorious fountain could also be a quite uncommon addition to a quite romantic, idyllic townscape, however it’s in all probability the one unsettling sight you may 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 widespread low-risk locations like Reykjavik in Iceland, Kyoto, Japan, and even the considerably sleepy micro-nation of Luxembourg.
How Is Bern So Protected?
In response to the Risk Map 2025, which categorizes locations considering their security ranges, vacationers going to Bern face the bottom attainable dangers.
The town is joined within the prime 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 price of solely 15.65––in Paris, Europe’s prime 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 international locations now positioned within the U.S. State Division’s Degree 2 itemizing, similar to France, Spain, Sweden, and the UK, although Switzerland stays at Degree 1.
They attribute the worsening security scenario in Europe to ongoing political unrest, rising public demonstrations, and even environmental dangers: just lately, a complete metropolis in southern Spain confronted its deadliest flood in many years.
Bern, alternatively, has had no latest pure disasters, it is not often agitated by protesting, and as it’s a smaller city heart, residence to round 134,000 individuals, it doesn’t endure from the identical speedy 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…?
Nicely, 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 may’t fly instantly there from the US.
You’ll be able to, nevertheless, fly into Zurich from as many as 14 U.S. airports or Geneva from 3 departure factors: amongst them, you might have a number of the States’ best-connected hubs, with JFK, Newark, Chicago, Washington-Dulles and Boston, to call a number of.
From Zurich, it is a brief 1h11 prepare trip to Bern, and you may need to be sure you e-book a window seat for the journey, as you may be gliding by way of some mesmerizing alpine surroundings.
Trains from Geneva take longer, with the shortest trip taking 1h45, however the best way there’s simply as lovely, with tracks operating alongside the serene Lake Geneva, one in every of Europe’s prettiest lake destinations.
Zurich is, after all, probably the most handy choice, and you could possibly all the time couple a visit to Bern with a stopover in Switzerland’s monetary coronary heart––simply be sure you hold your wits about you and a watchful eye in your belongings.
Zurich remains to be very protected, but it surely’s definitely not as peaceable as Bern.
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Opinions expressed listed here 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, accepted or in any other case endorsed by any of the entities included inside the put up.
