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Best Mountain Hikes near Bern

We track 12 routes that match this search near Bern. They average 68.8 km and 1,558 m (5,112 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 424 km.

That is 8 percent of the 145 routes we map near Bern. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 68.8 km against 15.8 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 1,558 m (5,112 ft) on average versus 417 m (1,368 ft) across the wider area.

Mountain routes trade effort for scale. Expect sustained climbing, quick weather changes and views that make the numbers worth it. These lean toward the demanding end, so plan for a full day and check the forecast before you commit.

Trails

Vista de los alrededores de la comuna de Romoos, en el Cantón de Lucerna (Suiza).
Hard

Alpine Panorama Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
16.9 km
/ 10.5 mi
Elevation gain
256 m
Typical duration
3 hr 58 min
  • Mountain
  • Alpine meadow
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Cheese fondue served in bread, a mixture of Grosser Chaux d'Abel a hard cheese and Chaux d'Abel a semi-hard cheese is used, both tangy local cheeses – a speciality in the mountain house «La Bragarde» in Les Près d'Orvin; Berne, Switzerland.
Moderate

Jura Crest Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
16.8 km
/ 10.5 mi
Elevation gain
138 m
Typical duration
3 hr 46 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Grenchenberg - Margriet
Hard

Jura Crest Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
24.0 km
/ 14.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,288 m
Typical duration
7 hr 12 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Naturpark Thal - near Matzendorf
Hard

Jura Crest Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
20.4 km
/ 12.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,228 m
Typical duration
6 hr 15 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
borNE.DOMB-LEPA.o
Hard

Jura Crest Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
19.8 km
/ 12.3 mi
Elevation gain
922 m
Typical duration
5 hr 39 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Lake Brienz , Brienz , Switzerland
Expert

ViaJacobi

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
29.6 km
/ 18.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,136 m
Typical duration
8 hr 19 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
500px provided description: Today's yield was three like that, and one bucket of raspberries. Two poplar trees here far off the horizon stay at the entrance to the farm. [#Switzerland ,#Bern ,#K?niz ,#Raspberries ,#Blackberries ,#Liebewil ,
Hard

Trans Swiss Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
21.7 km
/ 13.5 mi
Elevation gain
348 m
Typical duration
5 hr 14 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Gnomes and Homes
Expert

Grenzpfad Napfbergland

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
115 km
/ 71.5 mi
Elevation gain
3,219 m
Typical duration
31 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Primeval forest
Expert

Freiburger Voralpenweg

Fribourg · Switzerland

Distance
71.9 km
/ 44.7 mi
Elevation gain
2,730 m
Typical duration
20 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Abbey Altenryf in Hauterive; Fribourg, Switzerland.
Expert

Fribourg en diagonale

Fribourg · Switzerland

Distance
68.0 km
/ 42.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,574 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Eisee unterhalb des Brienzer Rothorns
Moderate

Emmenuferweg - Etappe 1

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
9.9 km
/ 6.1 mi
Elevation gain
102 m
Typical duration
2 hr 13 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Château de Grandcour
Expert

Chemin des Trois-Lacs

Fribourg · Switzerland

Distance
62.4 km
/ 38.8 mi
Elevation gain
564 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Panorama Rundweg Thunersee

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
60.1 km
/ 37.4 mi
Elevation gain
2,200 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • Mountain
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Moron/Sommet- fixme

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
3.9 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
86 m
Typical duration
56 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Easy

Les Cugnets -Mont Dar

Neuchâtel · Switzerland

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
48 m
Typical duration
31 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Berg - Buechenchäppeli

Fribourg · Switzerland

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
23 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Berg-Rütschelen

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
25 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Blanche Herbe - Mont d'Amin

Neuchâtel · Switzerland

Distance
4.1 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
90 m
Typical duration
59 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Chemin de Mont-Soleil

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
12.9 km
/ 8.0 mi
Elevation gain
284 m
Typical duration
3 hr 7 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Gros-Mont-Flendruz

Fribourg · Switzerland

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
50 m
Typical duration
33 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Gros-Mont-Oussanne

Fribourg · Switzerland

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
20 m
Typical duration
13 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Lotzwil-Berg

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mont d'Amin - fixme

Neuchâtel · Switzerland

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
53 m
Typical duration
35 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mont d'Amin - Vue des Alpes

Neuchâtel · Switzerland

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
66 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mont Dar - fixme

Neuchâtel · Switzerland

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
53 m
Typical duration
35 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mont Dar - fixme

Neuchâtel · Switzerland

Distance
3.5 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
78 m
Typical duration
51 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mont Dar - Le Reymond

Neuchâtel · Switzerland

Distance
5.7 km
/ 3.6 mi
Elevation gain
126 m
Typical duration
1 hr 23 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mont Dar - Vue des Alpes

Neuchâtel · Switzerland

Distance
4.4 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
96 m
Typical duration
1 hr 3 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Montagne de Romont-Plagne

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
101 m
Typical duration
1 hr 6 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Montagne de Saules - fixme

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
0.4 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
6 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
European long distance path E4 - part SwitzerlandAargau424 km6,393 m110 hrExpertApril to October
Alpine Panorama TrailBern16.9 km256 m3 hr 58 minHardApril to October
Jura Crest TrailBern16.8 km138 m3 hr 46 minModerateApril to October
Jura Crest TrailBern24.0 km1,288 m7 hr 12 minHardApril to October
Jura Crest TrailBern20.4 km1,228 m6 hr 15 minHardApril to October
Jura Crest TrailBern19.8 km922 m5 hr 39 minHardApril to October
ViaJacobiBern29.6 km1,136 m8 hr 19 minExpertApril to October
Trans Swiss TrailBern21.7 km348 m5 hr 14 minHardApril to October
Grenzpfad NapfberglandBern115 km3,219 m31 hrExpertJune to October
Freiburger VoralpenwegFribourg71.9 km2,730 m20 hrExpertJune to October

If you only have time for one, start with European long distance path E4 - part Switzerland, Alpine Panorama Trail, Jura Crest Trail. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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