Zytglogge Clock Tower Guided Visit, Bern

The Zytglogge, Bern's first western gate

When Bern was founded at the end of the 12th century on a loop of the Aare river, its western edge was guarded by a gate tower, built in the early 13th century. As the city grew westwards, the tower lost its role as a gate and was used for a time as a prison. After a great fire swept through Bern in 1405, it was rebuilt and given a clock and a bell, and its name, Zytglogge, means simply time bell in the local dialect.

For centuries the tower set the official time of the city: distances in the canton were even measured from here, and travellers set their watches by its bell. Today it stands in the middle of Kramgasse and Marktgasse, and nearly every visitor to Bern stops in front of it. Seeing it from inside gives a completely different view of a landmark most people only photograph.

The astronomical clock and the figure show

The east face of the tower carries a large astronomical dial installed in the 16th century. Besides the hours, it shows the position of the sun in the zodiac, the phase of the moon and the day of the week, all driven by the same mechanism. Above it, a few minutes before each full hour, a small mechanical play begins: a rooster crows and flaps its wings, a jester rings his bells, and a procession of bears circles beneath.

Then a golden knight high on the tower strikes the hour on the great bell, while a seated figure of Father Time turns his hourglass and counts the strokes. Crowds gather in the street to watch, and on this guided visit you see the same show from the inside, understanding which wheel, lever and cam sets each figure in motion.

Inside the tower: the 1530 clockwork

The heart of the visit is the clock chamber, where the iron mechanism built in 1530 still drives the dials, the bells and the figures. Your guide explains how the heavy weights, the pendulum and the gear trains work together, and how the clock has been wound and maintained by hand for almost five centuries. Standing beside the moving parts as the hour approaches is the moment most guests remember.

The route inside climbs steep, narrow wooden stairs through small rooms with thick stone walls, so it is not a visit for anyone who struggles with steps. From the upper windows you look out over the red-tiled roofs, the arcades and the green copper domes of the old town. The visit lasts about one hour and runs in English at the time shown when booking.

Bern old town around the Zytglogge

The Zytglogge stands in the centre of Bern's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, famous for its long stone arcades, colourful fountains and cellar shops opening onto the street. Within a few minutes you reach the Federal Palace with its terrace above the Aare, the late-Gothic Bern Minster with the tallest church spire in Switzerland, and further down the hill the Bear Park and the Rose Garden viewpoint.

How to get to the Zytglogge: from Bern railway station it is about ten minutes on foot along Spitalgasse and Marktgasse, or one stop by tram or bus to the Zytglogge stop. Bern is about an hour by train from Zurich and Basel. Halal restaurants are easy to find in the city, and our team can arrange a private car and driver to combine Bern with Thun, Gruyères or the Emmental on the same day.