Biel Old Town

Biel/Bienne is the largest officially bilingual city in Switzerland, and the bilingualism here is unusually thorough - roughly a German-speaking majority and a large French-speaking minority, with public business run in both and conversations that switch language mid-exchange without comment, which visitors notice quickly. The old town above the modern centre is a compact gothic quarter: arcaded lanes, the Ring with its fountain, the town hall of 1534 and the collegiate church. The city's economy is watches - Omega, Swatch and Rolex all have operations here, and the Omega Museum and Swatch's Nicolas Grimshaw headquarters, the Cite du Temps, sit together at the edge of the centre.

What you actually see

• Two languages in one sentence - the most thoroughly bilingual city in the country.
• A gothic upper town - arcaded lanes around the Ring and its fountain.
• A watchmaking capital - Omega, Swatch and Rolex operations in the city.
• The Cite du Temps - Grimshaw's Swatch building with the Omega Museum.

When to go

All year. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The modern city around the old town is industrial and plain. The old quarter is small - an hour covers it. Factory museums keep set hours and some need booking. Lake access is separate from the centre.

Nearby

The Taubenloch gorge is at the city edge; St Peter's Island is on the lake.