Women's EURO 2025 venue guide: Bern
Friday, February 16, 2024
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Games in the city, venue details, things to do: All you need to know about Bern.
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Switzerland's federal capital has a late-Gothic cathedral, charming narrow streets and a museum dedicated to theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, who spent several years in the city working for the Swiss patent office as well as the University of Bern.
Matches in Bern
03/07: Group B fixture
06/07: Switzerland vs A3
11/07: Group B fixture
18/07: QF2 – Winner Group B vs Runner-up Group A
Stadion Wankdorf
Gross capacity: 32,997
Home team: Young Boys
Notably hosted: 1954 FIFA World Cup final, UEFA EURO 2008 group stage matches
First opened in 1925 and totally renovated in 2001, Stadion Wankdorf has a rich history in the fields of sport and entertainment. The venue is perhaps most famous (certainly in Germany) for the 'Miracle of Bern', when West Germany unexpectedly emerged victorious against an all-conquering Hungary side in the final of the 1954 FIFA World Cup, but locals may have similarly fond memories of the stadium hosting performances by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and the Foo Fighters.
Young Boys are the stadium's resident club and have got plenty of good use out of the venue in recent years, notably beating Luzern 2-1 here at the end of the 2017/18 Swiss Super League campaign to win their first title in 32 years. YB have won several more titles since and have become a familiar sight in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.
Things to do in Bern
• Bern's Old City (Altstadt) is a UNESCO World Heritage site. A marvel of medieval architecture with distinctive limestone buildings, narrow cobblestone streets and charming squares, its most-cherished sights include the Zytglogge clock tower, Bern Cathedral and its neighbouring terrace, the Bern Bear Pit (home to the Bernese bears) and the Parliament Building next to the Kleine Schanze hilltop park. Visit the relaxing Rose Garden for a great view of the Old Town skyline and the loop in the River Aare.
• Bern is a city of culture with plenty of interesting museums. The Museum of Communication, the Natural History Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Paul Klee Centre and the Einstein Museum give a taste of the city's grand cultural sweep, and offer something for everyone, plus entertaining days out for families. It is a shopper's paradise too, with six kilometres of arcades (many of them indoors), and also boasts cosy cafés, elegant restaurants and trendy bars.
• The River Aare ensures that nature is at the heart of Bern. There are plenty of riverside walks and relaxing destinations. Cool off in the pool (or in the river itself) at Marzilibad, have an ice cream at the Gelateria di Berna, or visit the Dählhölzli Zoo and take the opportunity to pet goats and see otters, ibex, chamois and alpaca, among other animals.