Bern is about 160 km and 1 h 50 by road from Geneva Airport, and the Emmental's green hills begin just east of the city, so a two- or three-day trip can pair the Swiss capital with a slow day among dairies and farmhouses. AirportsTransfers.ch can drive you from the GVA terminal to Bern, around the valley lanes and back again, with no trains or connections to manage.
- Distance from GVA: Bern about 160 km, 1 h 50 by road
- Route: motorway via Lausanne and Fribourg, entirely within Switzerland
- Ideal length: two to three days, one or two nights in Bern or a country inn
- Highlights: Bern old town, Zytglogge, bear park, Emmental show dairy, covered bridges, Kambly country
- Best for: families, older travellers, food lovers and anyone seeking a quiet break
Bern: a capital that feels like a market town
Bern's old town sits on a tight loop of the Aare river and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its long sandstone streets are lined with arcades, known locally as Lauben, which shelter shops and cafés and stretch for several kilometres in total. Colourful fountains topped with painted figures punctuate the main axis, and the Zytglogge clock tower puts on a small mechanical show just before the hour. Down by the river, the bear park continues a centuries-old association between the city and its heraldic animal. The Federal Palace, seat of the Swiss parliament, overlooks the Aare, and the rose garden on the opposite slope gives a fine view across the rooftops.
In summer, locals swim and drift down the Aare from upstream of the city, a tradition visitors often watch from the riverside paths. Bern is also home to the Zentrum Paul Klee, devoted to the painter, set in a building with wave-shaped roofs on the edge of the city.
Into the Emmental: hills, farms and roofs
The Emmental is the valley of the river Emme, east of Bern, and its landscape is the image many people have of rural Switzerland: steep green hills, scattered farmsteads and woods on the ridges. The farmhouses are the star. Their enormous hipped roofs sweep down almost to the ground and shelter the living quarters, the barn and the hay loft under one structure, with flower boxes and stacked firewood beneath the eaves. Wooden covered bridges cross the Emme in several places and are worth a short stop, especially around Hasle-Rüegsau.
The roads are narrow and winding, with tractors and cyclists sharing them, which makes this an area to explore slowly. A chauffeur can follow small lanes through the hills, wait at viewpoints and let you choose stops spontaneously.
Cheese, biscuits and farm life
The valley gave its name to Emmentaler, the large wheel cheese with holes that the world often simply calls Swiss cheese. At the Emmentaler show dairy in Affoltern im Emmental, you can watch traditional cheese-making over an open fire, see the maturing cellars and eat at the attached restaurant. Trubschachen is known as the home of Kambly biscuits, with a shop and tasting area. Many farms sell their own produce, from cheese and meringues to honey, and Emmental meringues served with thick double cream are a regional speciality. Burgdorf, the gateway town to the valley, has a castle and an old town on a hill above the river.
A suggested plan
Day one: transfer from Geneva Airport to Bern, afternoon walk through the arcades, Zytglogge and the rose garden at sunset. Day two: morning drive into the Emmental via Burgdorf, the show dairy and covered bridges, lunch at a country inn, and either a night in the valley or a return to Bern. Day three: the Zentrum Paul Klee or the Federal Palace in the morning, then back to Geneva. If you have a fourth day, Murten, a walled medieval town on its own lake, lies on the way back and adds a lakeside stop.
- Many country inns close one or two days a week, so check before planning lunch.
- Bring cash for small farm stalls, which sometimes work on an honesty-box basis.
- The hills are lovely in autumn, when cattle return from the high pastures.
Booking your Bern and Emmental transfer
Book online with AirportsTransfers.ch and the full price per vehicle appears before you pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay; nothing is added per passenger. Your chauffeur meets you at Geneva Airport arrivals holding a name sign and follows your flight, so a late landing simply moves the pickup, with waiting included. Travel in a Mercedes E-Class for up to three people, an S-Class for extra space, or a V-Class van for families of up to seven with luggage. Child seats can be requested at booking, and a chauffeur by the hour (minimum two hours) is ideal for the Emmental day. Reach the team on +41 78 346 56 77 by phone or WhatsApp.
