Bern Minster

Switzerland's tallest cathedral with panoramic tower views

Address Münsterplatz 1, 3011 Bern

The Bern Minster is the tallest cathedral in Switzerland, built in Gothic style between the 15th and 19th centuries. The main portal has a remarkable carved tympanum of the Last Judgement with over 200 figures. The 100-metre tower — completed only in 1893 — can be climbed for panoramic views over the Old Town, the Aare River bends below, and on clear days the Alps. The cathedral stands in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Old Town.

Inside, the choir stalls date from the 15th century and the stained glass windows are among the finest Gothic glazing in Switzerland. The Münsterplatz terrace behind the cathedral is one of the best vantage points in the city, with the Aare making a horseshoe bend 50 metres below. Allow time to visit even if you do not climb the tower.

things to do sight
A story
Construction of the Minster began in 1421 but the tower was not finished until 1893 — a 472-year building project. For most of that time, the tower stood incomplete, its top open to the sky. It was the people of Bern, via a public fundraising campaign, who finally paid to close it off in the Victorian era. The cathedral is Reformed Protestant; its elaborate Catholic carvings of saints and the Last Judgement survived the Reformation intact, unusual for Switzerland.