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.

Highlights

• 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.

Practical notes

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.

Key facts