WHAT: Floating down the river Aare - because, why not?! WHERE: Around the cute and little capital of Switzerland, Bern HOW LONG: The floating itself will take some 20 minutes, that is when you make half a bow around the city HOW MUCH: It's totally free! Who would have thought, zero Swiss francs for the best activity in Bern
The first time I floated down the river Aare was with my dad. I can’t remember my age, but it must have been something like 15 or 16. We’d never heard of it being possible at all. We bumped into the activity just being tourists visiting Switzerland’s capital, right in the middle of summer.
Suddenly, when we walked the bridge towards the ‘Bärengraben’ (The Bear Pit), we saw some people drifting down beneath us. That for sure seemed like fun on a warm summer day! Afterwards we followed the locals and jumped with them into the river. My mom took our clothes and ran from one side to the other. As far as I can remember the rest of the day went by floating 🙂
For the Bern locals it’s a very regular activity; whenever the sun comes out, dozens of them head to the river for a swim or river rafting. As a visitor you’re welcome to join them. Cool enough, the floating offers an interesting perspective on the cute center of this UNESCO World Heritage Site old town, once you look at it from below.
The most difficult thing is probably to decide where to jump in the river; we chose to descend from the Frickstrasse, but you can also start a bit more upstream – at the public baths of Marzili. There are lockers and wardrobes over there too in case you don’t have someone with you who doesn’t want to carry your stuff. Also there you’ll find many signs of where to get in.
Many people wear sandals which they leave on for the swim, easy for whenever you get out. But walking on bare feet is possible too, I mean it’s Switzerland, you won’t find dirt on the streets. Just gold.
Exiting the river is on the left side. Since currents can be strong, make sure you stay on that side once you’re almost at the end. Shortly after that point the river gets more dangerous, so do get out in time.
Some tips before you go: only get in when you’re a good swimmer, check the end point first before you jump in (it’s a small walk, check the map below) and also ask one of the locals first if it’s a good day for a jump. They know it best!
