The BärenPark in Bern is such a special place to visit, especially because it combines history, nature, and animal welfare in a thoughtful way. The park is spacious, beautifully designed, and set right along the Aare River, which makes the whole experience feel peaceful and scenic. We watched the bears roam in freezing rain. It was truly fascinating and heartwarming. I wasn't able to get a good picture due to the weather and all the excitement whenever we get a glimpse of them walking back and forth the pathway along the river. There are plenty of viewing points, walking paths, and informational signs that explain the bears' behavior and the park's role in conservation, quite educational. It's free to enter and easy to visit while exploring the Old Town--just a short walk away. The surrounding area is perfect for a stroll, photos, or even a picnic with amazing views of the river and city. Going there is easy using buses and trains. read more

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This was my favorite part of Bern. There are four bears in total, but I didn't see all of them. The 5,000 square meter park is located at the end of the old town. The land slopes down toward the bank of the River Aare. If you don't want to take the stairs, there is an inclined lift that connects the upper viewing platform with the Aare promenade. Many people were dipping their feet into the river and relaxing. FYI- The bear is a symbol of the city and is featured in their coat of arms. read more

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You can bears right from the middle of the city of Bern from these exhibits near a bridge. Although it's probably not much different than an exhibit in a zoo, it's far more convenient since you can find them right there without having to enter a zoo and maybe pay an admission fee (it's free after all). read more

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My fave place in Bern. We visited here last month. Just a few minutes from the Rose Garden is the Bear Park. Bern has been a home to bears since 1513, and the city has gone to great lengths to showcase these wonderful animals. From what I learned in 2015 the city opened a renovated BearPark which now includes an area for bears to swim, fish and relax. There are 3 bears and I saw them eating, playing and swimming. The area is well- maintained and clean. Lots of trees and bushes and a small waterfall to make the place very liveable for the bears. It's located just outside Old Town and you can take their new inclined lift to get a unique view. If you are hungry, restaurant are close by. There is also a small visitors center located next to the BearPark. This is a must visit. There is a tour you can take as well. read more

BärenPark - Zoos Near Me - Bern, BE

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This was one of our highlights of Bern. A bear park near the river. Much history about the park with the original pen still intact. It has become an attraction and as that goes, there is a restaurant and brewery attached. After we watched the bears, then they went to go eat because they disappeared past this one gate, we went to the restaurant to sample their beer. Great sampler of their three beers. I liked the third one the best. It had a slight caramel finish. We didn't try the food, though it did look good. Some tables stared at us cause we were speaking English...LOL! Definitely a great place to stop at. read more

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The Bears!!! If winter they hibernate of other times of the year you can find them roaming. Just look for a hoards of people looking over the railing and you're bound to spot them. Saw all three of them. Such a sight. They are usually near the river. Also go down into the pit and read a little history... Ots very interesting. Happy bear sightings!! read more

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Love the free-ranged bear in a nature zoo. It is located on the other bank of the river, there are bars, restaurants and snack vendors near by, so you can enjoy the city view and have a nice meal. There are 3 bears, we only saw two (it was mid day, so the third one is on lunch break). It was really fun seeing a "wild" bear roaming around. After you are done, you can sit by the river and relax. read more

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What a wonderful concept, a brewpub-restaurant and visitors centre just behind the Bern bears tourist attraction! For the restaurant you walk by the old bear enclosure. My impression was due to anti-zoo activists they probably expanded the bear enclosure to give them more space on the side of the hill to roam up and down and have a nice swim in the water next to the river! It's much more space for these bears to have fun and play in. On the day we went they were sleeping at first, then wrestling with each other and playing on the water. I kept shouting "come on come on pin him"! To one of the bears but many of the Swiss did not understand me! We caught a lunch here at the restaurant-brewpub. My local relatives mentioned that Rösti is the local dish to try. It's a potato based hash brown dish with cheese and apple sauce. So I ordered a speck (bacon) Rösti! It came out on a generous serving and we enjoyed one of their seasonal beers to wash it down. The Rösti was the real deal good. Creamy, cheesy and filling! The beer was light, cereal tasting and refreshing on a humid day! A great restaurant to come pit stop for lunch, dinner or a few beers! It was a tad expensive but hey, this is Switzerland so it was par for the course! read more

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Bärengraben was a must-see on my day trip to Berne. After all, the bears are founders of the city...right? Just at the edge of town sits a large, stone, walled-off pit which is home to the brown bears of Berne. I must admit, I had mixed feelings about Bärengraben. The giant bears are confined to a relatively small pit and put on display for tourists like me. I guess Bärengraben isn't really any different than a zoo, but still, I felt sorry for the bear. Bärengraben is open year round and can be visited any time of the day, however the bears are only out at certain times. I watched one of the bears lumber around, climb the rocks, then head over towards the wall of tourists who fed him pieces of fruit (which are available for purchase at a kiosk.) It was awfully adorable watching the bear sit on his bum and catch food in his mouth. The bear was very tame and would approach the people feeding him. Of course, he was no where close enough to actually touch the tourists. If you're visiting Berne, definitely plan a stop at Bärengraben. It's one of the highlights of the city, and the brown bears are just so darn cute! Cost: Free read more

BärenPark - Zoos Near Me - Bern, BE

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Bears hibernate in the winter so note in colder months there will be no bears there! This is probably common sense but I just didn't think about it at all and no reviews advise you...so, I thought I do my part for fellow yelpers. I'm going out on a limb to give this place 5 stars because it looks like an awesome attraction. It's along the river and along the bridge. There are places for them to play in trees, in pools and other grassy areas. There is a nice little brewery along side of the gift shop. The views of the city from the beige are also top notch. read more

I thought this was a great place. The bears were nice to see running around in their big habitat. The baby loved seeing and watching them. The bus 12 goes right to the stop so it is easy to get to. The main building behind that has a loo and a baby changing area. read more

BärenPark - Zoos Near Me - Bern, BE

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Bern is one of my favorite places to hang out. One reason, is the Bear park. From the train station, you walk through town, across the bridge, and the best part is waiting for you at the end, the bears! When I first moved to Switzerland in 2010, the 2 youngest bears were just cubs. They were tiny bundles of fur rolling in the grass, and playing with each other. I went back to visit in summer 2011, and the cubs, no longer looked like something I wanted to pick up and hug. They were grown bears, but their play-fullness still remained. The park is free. You can walk in and down the stairs to the viewing platform on the river. You can see the bears close up and personal. The mom is with the 2 younger bears, and the male bear is sectioned off in his own space. Poor guy looks really lonely over there. The tourists are all watching the fun young bears, and he is at the end of the platform, and really doesn't get much love. If you go, be sure to walk all the way to the end, and say hi to the lonely fellow. In reading the signs, I could ascertain that recently the park was renovated, and that the bears originally were in these small horrible stone pits. I couldn't even imagine how they could have kept the bears in those confined places! They have moved up in the world now, and have front row seats to a wonderful view of the river and Bern. The Bear park also surprisingly has a nice restaurant. We eat their once, and were not expecting anything wonderful, and the food was surprisingly good. We saw people buying and ordering a special beer, and it appeared that they had some type of special brewery, and you could buy kegs of it there. They also have a cafe section, were you can order food at a counter, and take it away with you to a table and eat. read more

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The times of the old Bärengraben as described before are definately over. It has been replaced by a top modern, state of the art bear park, where the bears are free running, have plenty of space and can even go for a swim in the river! read more

The Bärengraben is a MUST SEE place for all the visitors from a foreign country. at this moment they fitment the place, so it's not really a great place. but in one year (2010) the Bärengraben, new called Bärenpark will be a really great place. At the moment just 4 stars. read more

The formerly small Bärengraben has now been transformed into a big park. I guess the bears feel much better in there than in the hold they used to be. A nice place to visit in Berne, especially with kids. read more