Beach in Bern
Swimming in the Aare River is the quintessential free Bern summer experience. The clean, turquoise river loops around the old town and locals float downstream from the Eichholz area to the Marzili pool in the current. Free. Changing facilities and free entry points are marked along the river. Budget travelers join the locals, float through the center of the Swiss capital, and get the most Swiss free experience imaginable.
Nearby
Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
Bern's UNESCO-listed old town is a peninsula of covered arcades (the longest weather-protected shopping promenade in Europe), medieval fountains, and the Zytglogge (astronomical clock tower that performs a mechanical show 4 minutes before every hour). Free to walk.
The Rosengarten (Rose Garden) is a park on the hill above the Bear Park with 220 varieties of roses, an iris garden, and the best panoramic view of Bern's old town peninsula and the Aare River loop. Free.
Working out what Bern costs?
The whole of Bern