By plane
There are several international airports from which Bern can be reached quickly. These include
By train
Switzerland sports a dense and well-connected railway network. Bern is connected to destinations in Italy via Brig and Milan, to destinations in Germany via Basel and to France via Geneve or Basel.
By car
If you come by car, it is best to leave the motorway at the exit 'Bern Neufeld' or 'Bern Forsthaus'. The routes from the motorway exits to the Institute are described in detail below.
Coming by plane.
There are several international airports from which Bern can be reached quickly. These include
Intercontinental flights into Switzerland will almost certainly arrive in either of the major hubs in Zürich and Geneva. Both airports are serviced by direct flights to Asia and the Americas that tend to be quite reasonably priced if booked in time. When arriving from within Europe, there are some additional options. Bern-Belp is obviously closest to the city of Bern, but provides only a few affordable connections. However, the low-cost operator SkyWork uses the airport as its base and provides flights to a few major cities, including Barcelona, Berlin, Hamburg, London, Budapest and Amsterdam. For flights from and to other cities, Geneva and Zurich are probably again your best bets. Both airports are serviced by EasyJet and most of the traditional airlines. Basel is a destination for EasyJet as well, but has no direct train connection and may therefore be a less convenient choice.
- Bern-Belp has a direct shuttle connection to Bern Hbf (CHF 5.80, 25 minutes).
- Shuttle busses connect Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg to Basel SBB (CHF 4, 20 minutes), from where trains can take you to Bern Hbf in little under an hour (CHF 39 each way).
- From Geneva Airport, a direct train will take you to Bern Hbf in two hours (CHF 53 each way).
- From Zürich Airport, trains go directly to Bern Hbf in about 80 minutes (CHF 53 each way).
Train tickets can be purchased from vending machines and paid for using Swiss francs, euro banknotes, debit cards with the Maestro logo and all major credit cards.
Coming by train.
Switzerland sports a dense and well-connected railway network. Bern is connected to destinations in Italy via Brig and Milan, to destinations in Germany via Basel and to France via Geneve or Basel. High speed or night connections to Berlin and Paris may make for an attractive alternative to flying. Special offers on tickets will often get you a significant discount, but you will probably need to book early. Check with your national or favorite train company for availability and prices. Keep in mind that the same tickets may be offered at different prices by different companies.
Coming by car.
If you come by car, it is best to leave the motorway at the exit 'Bern Neufeld' or 'Bern Forsthaus'. The routes from the motorway exits to the Institute are described in detail below. Be sure to have a parking disk with you, though. You will need it in order to park in the so called 'blue zones', which include pretty much all of the city. However, parking in blue zones is usually limited to one and a half hours. Longer lasting parking permits (4 hours / 24 hours) within these areas are available from any Bernmobil ticket machines at for CHF 8/15. Using a public multi-storey car park is possible and quite convenient, but expect to be paying for the privilege!
- From exit Bern Neufeld, drive in the direction Zentrum on the Neubrückstrasse until you reach a roundabout. Take the first exit off this roundabout onto the Mittelstrasse. After three blocks, turn left onto the Gesellschaftsstrasse. The building straight ahead is the Exakte Wissenschaften building. Please note that a multi-storey car park exists right at the exit 'Bern Neufeld': Park + Ride Neufeld.
- From exit Bern Forsthaus, drive in the direction Tierspital on the Bremgartenstrasse until you reach a roundabout. Take the third exit off this roundabout onto the Länggassstrasse. After about 800 meters — you will have just passed the building Uni Tobler on your right — turn left on a traffic light onto the Mittelstrasse. After one block, turn right onto the Gesellschaftsstrasse. The building straight ahead is the Exakte Wissenschaften building.
Local information. Once you are in Bern.
Regardless of the way you arrive in the city, you will end up at the hub that is Bern Hauptbahnhof. Fortunately, it seems to have been constructed for the convenience of visiting physicists!
When arriving by bus, go down into the central area of the station and turn left into the underpass towards the platforms.
If you arrive by train, walk along the platform you find yourself on to the same underpass.
Signs will point you in the direction of 'Universität Länggasse' and you will arrive at the end of the underpass where any of the three elevators will take you up to a park called Grosse Schanze.
Turn right around the elevator exit and you will face the main university building.
On the far right hand side, there is a modern building with various contraptions on the roof. This is the building of Exakte Wissenschaften, that houses our institute. (Note also the turquoise guideposts: Our building is number 5 'Exakte Wissenschaften').
Conference venue.
Talks will take place in Lecture hall B5 of the ExWi building (floor -2).
It can be reached via the main entrance to the ExWi by stairs or elevators (follow the signs to B) or directly via the Einstein Terrace.
For discussions, rooms B1 and 116 are reserved for the duration of the workshop.
