Zytglogge: Your Guide to Bern’s Clock Tower

Zytglogge is Bern, Switzerland's medieval clock tower and the city's most recognisable landmark, standing since around 1218 in the heart of the Old Town. It's famous for one thing above all: a mechanical puppet show that plays out on its face four minutes before every hour, complete with a crowing rooster, dancing bears, and a jester ringing his bells.

The tower sits on Kramgasse, right in the middle of Bern's UNESCO-listed Old Town, one of the best places to visit in Switzerland. The Bundeshaus and Bear Pits are both a short walk away, making it an easy anchor point for a longer walk rather than a quick photo stop. 

It was first built as the western gate of Bern's fortifications and, after a fire in 1405, rebuilt and given a new purpose: keeping time. Its astronomical clock was added in 1530, and remarkably, that same 500-year-old mechanism still runs today, tracking the zodiac, moon phase, date, and sunrise and sunset alongside the regular time.

Bern often gets folded into wider Europe tour packages as a stop between bigger cities, and Zytglogge is usually the first landmark that makes the detour worth it. This guide covers Zytglogge Clock Tower full history, the astronomical clock, the hourly show, tickets and tours, and the best time to visit.

Quick Facts About Zytglogge Clock Tower, Bern

• Location: Kramgasse 1, Bern Old Town (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• Built: Around 1218–1220, as the western gate of Bern's fortifications
• Astronomical clock added: 1530
• Height: Roughly 54.5 metres
• Opening hours (exterior/show): Visible anytime; free to view from the street
• Guided tour hours: Daily at 2:30 PM (April–October); on request November–March
• Tickets: Around CHF 15 for the guided interior tour (discounted with a Swiss Travel Pass)
• How to Reach: 5–10 minute walk from Bern Hauptbahnhof (main station)

The Zytglogge Show: What Happens Every Hour?

The Zytglogge show is the reason most people time their visit to the Old Town around the clock rather than just walking past it. Four minutes before each hour, a small mechanical performance runs on the tower's eastern face:

• A golden rooster crows first, kicking off the sequence
• A jester figure rings his bells
• A procession of bears circles slowly, a nod to Bern's civic symbol
• Chronos, the Roman god of time, turns his hourglass
• At the top of the hour, the figure "Hans von Thann" strikes the bell

The whole sequence lasts only a few minutes, but it draws a genuine crowd, especially at midday. If you want a clear view, arrive 10–15 minutes early and stand back rather than directly underneath the tower; the figures are easier to see from a slight distance.

Bern Zytglogge Tour: Going Inside the Clock Tower

Watching the Zytglogge show from the street is free, but seeing the mechanism that drives it requires a guided tour. This is currently the only way inside the tower.

What the tour covers:

• The clockwork mechanism behind both the standard dial and the astronomical clock
• The gears that physically move the bears, jester, and rooster during the show
• A climb of roughly 130 steps up through thick medieval stone walls and timber beams
• A viewing platform at the top with rooftop views over Bern's Old Town, and the Bernese Alps on a clear day

Good to know:

• Tours run for about an hour, in small groups (capped around 19–20 people)
• Available daily at 2:30 PM from April to October; by request the rest of the year
• Conducted in English, German, French, and Italian depending on demand
• Private group tours can also be arranged separately

Check out our popular Switzerland tour packages with Bern included in the itinerary to witness this exciting show on your trip.

How Much Do Zytglogge Tickets Cost?

• Standard guided tour: Roughly CHF 15 per adult
• With a Swiss Travel Pass or Bern discount card: Often around half price
• Private tours: Available on request, priced separately for small groups
• Booking: Advance booking is strongly recommended; tours are limited to a small group size and regularly sell out in peak season

Tickets can be booked through Bern's official tourism site or the city's Tourist Information Centre at the train station. Watching the exterior show and viewing the astronomical clock from the street costs nothing.

What Are The Zytglogge Opening Hours?

• Exterior and hourly show: Visible year-round, no fixed hours; it's a public street-facing landmark
• Interior guided tour: Daily at 2:30 PM, April to October
• Off-season (November–March): Interior tours run on request only, so check availability in advance

Best Time to Visit Zytglogge, Bern

Zytglogge Clock Tower is worth seeing at any time of year since the hourly show runs regardless of season, but a few things shift the experience:

• April–October: Daily fixed tour schedule, and the busiest stretch for Europe tourism Overall, so expect a livelier Old Town alongside it
• November–March: Quieter, but interior tours need advance booking
• Early morning/late afternoon: Best for photos without crowds
• Midday: Busiest for the show, but also the most atmospheric time to watch it

If Zytglogge is one stop on a wider trip, it's worth checking the best time to visit Switzerland as a whole, since weather across the Alps and other cities can shift your itinerary more than Bern alone would.

How to Reach Zytglogge?

Zytglogge sits right in the middle of Bern's pedestrian Old Town, so getting there is straightforward regardless of how you arrive in the city.

• From Bern Hauptbahnhof (main station): A 5–10 minute walk, or a 3-minute tram/bus ride (lines such as 9 or 12) if you'd rather not walk

• By tram or bus: Multiple city routes stop within a couple of minutes' walk of the tower, look for the "Zytglogge" stop

• On foot from the Old Town: Zytglogge sits on Kramgasse, Bern's main historic street, so it's easy to reach on foot from almost anywhere inside the UNESCO-listed core

• By car: Not recommended, the surrounding Old Town streets are largely pedestrianised, and parking is limited near the tower itself

What’s Around The Zytglogge Astronomical Clock?

Below the main clock face sits the astrolabe, added in 1530 by Swiss clockmaker Kaspar Brunner. It tracks far more than time:

• Current zodiac sign
• Moon phase
• Date and day of the week
• Sunrise and sunset times

A fresco of five Roman planetary gods, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, and Mercury, frames the clock above. Look closely: only the female figures in the fresco have detailed faces, a small detail most visitors miss.

A Brief History of Zytglogge

• ~1218–1220: Built as the western gate of Bern's city fortifications
• 1405: Gutted by fire, briefly used as a women's prison during rebuilding
• 1467–1530: Rebuilt and converted into the city's official clock tower
• 1530: Astronomical clock added, designed by Kaspar Brunner
• 16th–19th century: Every clock in Bern was set against Zytglogge's time
• Early 1900s: Albert Einstein, working nearby at the Patent Office, is said to have discussed the relativity of time with his wife Mileva partly inspired by watching this clock

Expert Tips for Visiting Zytglogge For First-Time Travelers

1. Time your visit around the hour if you want to catch the Zytglogge show; arrive at least 10 minutes before the hour and take up a viewing spot slightly back from the tower.

2. Book the interior tour in advance, especially April through October; group sizes are capped and popular time slots fill up.

3. Combine it with a wider Old Town walk, Zytglogge sits on Kramgasse, close to the Bundeshaus (Parliament building), the Bear Pits, and Bern's other UNESCO-listed streets, so it pairs naturally with a longer stroll rather than a standalone stop.

4. Wear comfortable shoes for the climb, as the 130 steps inside are original medieval stonework, narrow, and a little steep in places.

5. Check the season before booking; off-season visitors need to request the tour ahead of time rather than turning up at 2:30 PM.

Zytglogge is more than a photo stop; it's a working piece of 13th-century Bern that still tells time, still runs its centuries-old puppet show, and still anchors the entire Old Town around it. Catch the hourly show from the street, or book the tour and climb up through the clockwork yourself; either way, it's the one landmark in Bern worth building your day around.

If historic old towns are your thing, Switzerland has more than one worth exploring. Old Town Zurich is an hour away by train and has its version of this atmosphere, with medieval churches and cobbled lanes.