{"id":26999,"date":"2023-12-02T07:41:15","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T07:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cahootie.com\/?p=26999"},"modified":"2023-12-02T07:41:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-02T07:41:15","slug":"the-beautiful-european-capital-snubbed-by-tourists-for-other-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cahootie.com\/world-news\/the-beautiful-european-capital-snubbed-by-tourists-for-other-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"The beautiful European capital snubbed by tourists for other cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A European city has long served as a thoroughfare for tourists looking to travel onwards to some of one country’s more famous metropolitan centres.<\/p>\n

Bern is a stunning medieval city in Switzerland founded more than 800 years ago that is so celebrated, its old quarter is now a UNESCO heritage site.<\/p>\n

Approximately 400,000 people visited every year before the COVID-19 pandemic, with Bern – which became the Swiss capital in 1848 – becoming increasingly popular with tourists thanks to its glittering reputation.<\/p>\n

But, shockingly, it is often skirted by people on the way to Switzerland’s other notable cities like Zurich and Geneva.<\/p>\n

The two cities take on the vast majority of Swiss tourism, with Bern seen as less accessible than its larger neighbours.<\/p>\n

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Writing for the Daily Telegraph, travel writer William Cook said that when he went to visit “magical” Bern in 2022, it was a “picturesque metropolis”.<\/p>\n

He praised local landmark the Zytglogge and other works of local architecture, museums, and the walkability of nearby hiking trails.<\/p>\n

But he discovered the city only had a “manageable trickle of tourists”, adding that larger tour groups appeared to “stay away”.<\/p>\n

He explained the Swiss capital is tricky to access for foreigners, especially Britons, despite connections to nearby airports.<\/p>\n

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He wrote: “Bern\u2019s airport is tiny, with only a handful of connections \u2013 none to Britain.”<\/p>\n

People wishing to travel to Bern must arrive via Zurich Airport, from where they can catch an 80-minute train, but this “extra time and trouble” keeps tourists away.<\/p>\n

The city would “probably be swamped with sightseers” if it was any easier to access, the writer added.<\/p>\n

He added: “As it is, most folk in the bars and cafes are locals rather than visitors, so you still feel like a traveller here, rather than just another tourist passing through.”<\/p>\n