Switzerland » Shopping in Bern

Bern is well-known for its shopping, and has one of the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe. The shopping district is located in the historic section of the city, offering shoppers a chance to sightsee while pursuing great buys.

In Bern store opening and closing hours are strictly regulated but were somewhat relaxed on 1st January 2007. All stores, including grocers must close by 8:00 pm from Monday to Friday. Once a week they are allowed to stay open until 10:00 pm, but on Saturdays everything must close by 5:00 pm. The stores are closed on Sundays. Stores inside the railway station are allowed longer opening times. Both major supermarket chains Migros and Coop have a store inside the station.

The main shopping streets in Bern, Spital- and Marktgasse, are right in the centre of the Old Town of Bern. Thanks to 6 km of arcades, Bern has one of the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe.