Bern has something of a reputation among the Swiss for being on the sleepy side, and the Bernese for being slow in both speech and motion, but I think this is a bit of an exaggeration, because the cobblestone streets - mostly pedestrian except for electric trams - of the flag-adorned Altstadt (as well as other parts of the central city) are generally bustling. They're also quite distinctive because of more a bevy of mid-16th-century fountains with colourful statues (check out the astonishing "Child Eater"!) and some six kilometres (nearly four miles) of doughty stone arcades (though these days a bit marred with ads and shop signs), especially along the Altstadt's main high street, Marktgasse, which at one point becomes Kramgasse.  

Read more in my post Feeling the Bern in Switzerland.

Roman Babakin