Yelp Review 2026 #136:…read more I liked zoos, aquariums, and SeaWorld when I was little for the cute and amazement factor. As an adult, I feel weird about visiting places that hold animals in captivity knowing how they got there in the first place. My sister wanted to go to Bärenpark and by agreeing to go, I'm going the path of least resistance. There are no bears native to Switzerland. They've been extinct since 1904. The founder of the city of Bern said he was going to name the city after the animal he hunts first which was the bear. Now, the only bears in Switzerland are in the Swiss Alps that are temporarily migrating from Italy and they leave when the cubs become older. For the longest time (1857-2009), brown bears only stayed at a small bear pit which was pretty cruel. They've expanded the space so bears can move around more at the bottom of the hill with lots of trees and a water feature the bears can swim in. The bear out also has a small pool. Now, the bear pit is just part of the 5,000-6,000 square meter park along River Aare. At the top of the slope, the old bear pit still exists. You'll see brown bears Finn, Björke, and Ursina. Take the BäreBähnli to go up/ down the hill. Their diet is based on the season and what bears would normally during each season: fruits vs fish/ meat. Living conditions have improved so, that's a good thing but would it be better if they were in the wild? Absolutely! The park is free.

This was my favorite part of Bern. There are four bears in total, but I didn't see all of them. The…read more5,000 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.