A Few Hours in Bern: Einstein's Overpriced Flat & a Capital That Feels Like Prague

Bern wasn't really planned. We were on the train from Zurich to Interlaken, eating our final box of chole chawal on board, when we decided to get down at Bern just for the Einstein Museum and Apartment. A few hours, a quick walk, back on a later train to Interlaken. That's all it was meant to be — and that's basically what it was.

Short as it was, Bern left a strong impression — partly because of the streets and the fountains, and partly because of one quiet, slightly grumpy realisation: the place we'd come specifically to see was the part we enjoyed least.

Morning Arrival & the Einstein Apartment

We were a bit late as usual but caught our train, ate our last chole chawal on board, and got down at Bern because of Einstein. The plan was the museum, but on the way we hit the Einstein Apartment first — Kramgasse, the room above a café where he lived during his miracle years.

Honest verdict: it's okay, and it's highly overpriced. There's some nostalgia to it — standing in a small room with his desk and his window — and the view out from the apartment is genuinely nice. But it was not worth the money we paid. If you've come for a quick wave at history, fine; if you've come expecting a real museum experience, manage expectations.

Old Town: Police on Horses, Fountains & Läderach Chocolate

It turned into a strangely hungry day. On the way to Einstein's place, we ate a burger. On the way back to the station, we ate a different croissant (not the Paris kind — flakier, lighter, somehow more buttery) and stocked up on the famous Läderach chocolates. The shopkeeper told us they were planning to open a store in India — note for any 2022 readers reaching this from the future: that's now actually happened.

The stroll through the old town was the actual highlight. Police patrolling on horseback, painted fountains at every other corner, a small park, the museum building, the long sandstone arcades that let you walk most of the centre without looking up. We didn't climb the Zytglogge or queue for the Bear Park properly — we just walked, ate, photographed, and made our train.

Bern Feels Like Prague (with Fewer People)

That's the line I wrote in my diary on the train out, and I still stand by it. The colours of the buildings, the cobbled lanes, the slightly medieval weight of it — it all rhymes with Prague, but emptied out. Where Prague was loud and crowded and full of bachelor parties, Bern was almost sedate. Capital city, sure, but capital city the Swiss way: quiet, well-organised, expensive, and not particularly interested in showing off. We boarded the train onward to Interlaken with the sun out and the Läderach in the bag, and that was Bern done.