General information
Biel/Bienne is in the canton of Berne of Switzerland, lies at the eastern end of Lake Biel, at the foot of the Jura in the delightful Lake Region. The Lake Biel surrounded by the greatest vegetable-farms of Switzerland, vineyards and wine growing villages, wild rivers, shady woods. Biel is 32 kilometers away from Murten, exactly halfway between Geneva and Zurich. German-speakers call the town Biel, but French-speakers call it Binne. Biel is the only town in Switzerland in which German and French are spoken side by side in equal measure. Rolex have since the beginning established and run their movement & technical parts production centres in Biel. In 2002, Biel was one of the four exhibition locations for EXPO. It had received the Wakker Prize by the Swiss Heritage Society in 2004.
Population 49’343
Language German (the first language), French (the second language)
Position 47°08’ north latitude, 7°15’ east longitude
Tourist attractions
Biel is a tradition-imbued watch metropolis in which this Swiss craft is still fostered. Swatch, Rolex, Omega, Tissot, Movado and Mikron are all located in the new city of Biel. The Swatch Group has its wordwide headquarters in the tree lined "Seevorstadt", in the previous building of ASUAG. It is also the nation’s largest bilingual city, there are many cultural attractions and stages international events.
The old town of Biel is an intact old town with a beautiful town hall. Its gothic church is dating from 15th century. Impressive guild halls and fountains decorated with flowers, entice one to stroll. Many prominent poets, artists and their contemporaries also lived in the old town, including Goethe, Pestalozzi and Rousseau - to name but a few.
Because of the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the St. Peter’s Island became a stop on educational tours through Switzerland since 18th century , and then it turned into a popular destination for excursions, offering peace and a chance to enjoy nature.
Wine growing villages lined by marvelous vineyards the northern shore of Lake Biel. These place offer the delicious wines , fish , and wine growers in an idyllic athmosphere. The experience is at its best during the autumn harvest . The villages Tuscherz-Alfermee is very close to Biel. Twann village is located half way between La Neuveville. Ligerz village is a lovely village, lies at the southern foot of the Jura, it has become the symbol of wine growing at Lake Biel. Schafis village is known for its famous wine.
Museum Neuhaus located in an old textile factory, offer different exhibition for art, history.
It is an ideal place to learning the local history.
The museum Omega was built in December 1983, more than 4000 famous watches, movements, clocks, instruments, photos, engravings, signs and certificates were included the collections of the museum.
Shopping
Coffee-shops along the streets or jeweller's shop with the world famous watches, it is an ideal place for shopping. Switzerland’s people often go to Bienne to buy cannabis in its several discreet coffee shops.
Activities
Cycling: to cycle along the Lake Biel is one of the most exciting highlights on wheels. There are plenty of unknown spota to discover on the cycle tour from Bern to Biel.
Inline skating: through the beautiful vegetable garden, between Chinese leaves and cabbages, enjoy the peace experience of inline skating.
Map of Biel/ Bienne
