Bern

Despite its administrative importance as the federal capital and the many diplomatic representations it is hosting, Berne remains sternly set in the spirit of unpretentious laid back legerté that has always been characteristic of it. While the emblematic bears are no doubt a highlight for the countless tourists it welcomes every year, the more initiated see its appeal in the ubiquitous archways and vaulted pantry cellars underneath the imposing sandstone structures, which harbor all kinds of expressions of the city's cultural life.