Hotel City Am Bahnhof

This hotel was well placed opposite the main train station and close the the Bahnhofplatz bus and tram stops. The rooms were small and were not as they were depicted on the website. Breakfast was not included and the breakfast offered was extremely expensive for what you got. We went elsewhere for breakfast. Overall the rooms were comfortable and clean and the staff friendly enough but we were a little disappointed in this hotel.

We chose this hotel because of its generally favorable reviews on this forum and proximity to the Bern train station. If you are traveling by train and are looking for a reasonably priced hotel, then we highly recommend it. Switzerland is an expensive country, so we feel that the quality of the hotel was an excellent deal at the price we paid. The rooms were clean and comfortable, and the location can't be beat if you're traveling by train. The breakfast was fine but nothing special. Standard continental fare.

We spent one day in Bern, and we're glad we did. The city center (where all the tourists are) is a modern city, built on medieval foundations. That's reflected in the architecture, cobblestone streets, and interesting water fountain sculptures positioned all along the main street. We recommend seeing the clock tower (the demonstration is at 4 minutes before each hour) and the multimedia show about Bern's history, in the visitors center adjacent to the bear pits. The Einstein exhibit will be at the Natural History museum until October (2006), and that was interesting too. We were disappointed not to see Parliament, as it was shrouded due to renovations (and closed on Sunday, the day we were there). We traveled to Bern from Interlaken, so we stopped in Thun along the way and visited the Castle there, which was also interesting.

The restaurant "Tidbits" in the train station was a good value. They have a buffet (no meat) that we enjoyed and at a reasonable price. Excellent sald bar.

In the context of the price category of the hotel and proximity to the train station, I rank City Am Bahnhof very highly.

the CityAm is literally across the street from the train station - just look straight ahead. Our room was modern with a double bed and a very nice bathroom. The window overlooked some rooftop gardens and was quite nice. The room is spartan to be sure without a lot of decoration, but it is good sized and everything was clean. My boyfriend and I arrived in Bern on the first night of our 17 day trip. We were travelling on Eurail passes so this hotel was a nice place to start - not too hard to find after coming off the train! Bern is a lovely city - you must check the views of the clock tower and city from the rooftop of the Bern Cathedral (the stairs are not too bad!) and also the farmer's markets are amazing - I believe it was on Saturday.The Bern movie at the Bear Pits visitor center is also worth a watch. Bern is a very lovely city without being too overwhelmingingly large. Note - check on Expedia for nice rates on the CityAm.

Hotel City Bern is very very near the main Train Station. Good for people who is travelling by rail and with heavy baggages. Just walk across the station and the rates are reasonable, 3 of us and no extra charge with a pull out bed. The rooms are huge too. Very good.

Florence Fok

Singapore

Just came back to Singapore on 23-6-04

Stayed for a week as a base for using the Swiss Pass and found it excellent for this purpose. All the works outside and in the Bahnhof square finished in May. The hotel was easy to find. We asked for a room with a bath and were given a nice large one on the third floor facing front. This was great as we could see the Station and the trams,buses and trolley-buses from our window. Beds were comfortable,with puffy duvets and good pillows. Bathroom super.Breakfast was included in our deal and was somewhat varied in quality. Mostly O K but several things not available. i.e no yoghurt on Sunday,so we thought there'd be some on Monday,but no,nor on Tuesday. Lady there mostly on her own with too much to do,especially when a large group all breakfasted at the same time.

Altogether,a nice stay at a good price.

My wife and I stayed here in July of 2005 - it was clean and quiet if a bit spartan, but had all the essentials. It was a one minute walk from the train station. If you are looking for a good base from which to travel by train to surrounding areas, it is just fine. The breakfast was included for us - bread, jams, yogurt, cereal, fruit. Nothing spectacular but since it was included we ate it. The front desk staff were exceedingly pleasant and helped us with questions about taking the tram etc.... This is not a resort hotel and you wouldn't stay there for that. But if you want a great central location for travel around Switzerland by train, you can't beat Berne, and City Am a good spot for couples or singles.

This hotel has a good location as it is just opposite the bern railway station. we had a very comfortable stay here in this hotel.

The rooms are spacious and neat and the bathroom was clean. We stayed here on a "bed and breakfast" basis and i have to mention that the breakfast was not as expected. It was too meagre for the price. There is no space in the lobby area and no WC there too. That was a little uncomfortable.

But otherwise the stay was pleasant and the location was great too.

hotel is in the main tourist area, and so location is great. It is close to shoping, etc. The train station is across the street and construction was occuring when I was there. The hotel was hard for me to find by car, and parking was not available for this particular location. The parking at the station could mount to 80 or so USD a day. The hotel has a sister property in which one can park for free, and was short tram ride away. Hotel deocr is bland. Room size was spacious. Hotel does have adjoining rooms which is uncommon in europe. I had europeans trying to explore this secret passage every night. sometimes with a knock, or to see where the door lead. amenites were basic. I did not explore internet services. Hotel did have a breaksfast of which I did not participate. I believe it was 11 euros, and I did not see it a good value. It was basic yogurt, cheap lunch meats, and some basic fruits.I think it was a good bargain, and simply a decent, clean place to stay close to attractions without the bells and wistles. My favorite thing was the oversized bathtub.

Stayed here for a night. The rooms are basic but clean. The staff are neither unhelpful nor overkind. Do watch out for the lady at the breakfast counter. She will watch over you like a hawk does, ensuring that you take your ration of just 1 bread roll, 1 croissant, 1 breakfast juice and a choice of coffee or tea. If you attempt to take more than what you have been allocated too, then be prepared for a string of bellows.

The location's great for travellers by train as it's located just across the train station.

I chose this hotel because of the rate of 125 CHF for a double, breakfast included (booked via hrs.de) and the vicinity to the railway station. The reception staff was neither rude nor unpolite nor unhelpful but certainly not overkind.

My problem was the smell in the first room. The cigarette smoke was overperfumed with odorizing room spray but the smell was bad. Aditionally, this room was not big and dark due to its one small window at the end.

I was told that the hotel undergoes renovation and in future time non-smoking rooms will be offered. I was promised a room on top floor, where the renovation began but still waits furnishing. - Having returned to the hotel after 19.00 hrs, the brand-new renovated room proved to be a single.

The receptionist gave me an alternative room on 4th floor, which was big and bright and the smell less strong.

Breakfast was unimpressing and the breakfast room might be rebuilt as well as it looked like. Right now it is small and darkish.

I might give the hotel a second try after renovation.

Stayed here for two nights Oct 2004. It has a great location to the train station and all parts of old town Bern. The rooms are actually of pretty good size, particularly for Europe. All was very clean. Did not eat the breakfast as thought the price was to high. The downside is that this hotel has no lobby, common area or bar area to wait for someone or have a conversation with someone prior to returning to your room. I'd stay here again if coming to Bern for personal travel and if the price was under $130 US, but I would not stay here if doing business travel. It just does not have the ammenities a business traveler would need.

This hotel was well placed opposite the main train station and close the the Bahnhofplatz bus and tram stops. The rooms were small and were not as they were depicted on the website. Breakfast was not included and the breakfast offered was extremely expensive for what you got. We went elsewhere for breakfast. Overall the rooms were comfortable and clean and the staff friendly enough but we were a little disappointed in this hotel.

Nous avons passé 4 nuits à l'hotel City à Berne. Sa situation est idéale puiqu'il est pile en face la gare et seulement à 5mn de la place centrale de Berne. A signaler qu'il n'y a pas à Berne de désagréments la nuit à être dans le quartier de la gare, comme ça peut être le cas dans d'autres villes. De nuit comme de jour la zone est animée car commerciale mais absolument sûre et bien fréquentée.

Concernant l'hôtel, la chambre était très propre, mais à la décoration impersonnelle. La douche est équipée d'un rideau de douche et non d'une cabine. Rien à dire sur la propréte, le fonctionnement des équipements, l'accueil du personnel. Le City est en ce sens un bon choix pour passer quelques nuits. Peut-être que ses prix sont un peu élevés au regard des prestations, surtout si on paye le plein tarif (220/240/270 CHF pour s/d/t) ; mieux vaut trouver un tarif plus intéressant sur internet.

Pour le petit-déjeuner, attention lors de la réservation : l'hôtel en propose 2 types. Il y a le "continental breakfast" (8 euros) qui comporte boisson chaude, jus de fruit, croissant, pain et confiture. Il y a ensuite le "breakfast buffet" (12 euros) qui équivaut aux petits-déjeuners allemands avec fromage, charcuterie, cérales...etc. Nous ignorions cette subtilité lors de notre réservation, nous avons donc réservé par défaut un "continal breakfast", qui s'est avéré un peu pauvre ; je conseillerai donc plutôt de choisir le buffet.

There is so much construction going on around this hotel. The jack hammers start at 7 a.m. and end at around 5. Several in our group had rooms facing the street and it was difficult to stay in the rooms. My husband and I were fortunate to be in a room facing the back of the hotel, but we had the fire escape outside our window. Any one could have gotten into our room if we left the window open at night. We thought the hotel had air-conditioning, but it did not.

The room and bathroom was very spacious. The breakfast which was included with the price was restricted to a continental breakfast. The ladies working there make sure you aren't taking anything extra. The hotel was very near the railroad station, but with the construction, it took a lot longer to get to the hotel. Berne is a great city but our stay for 2 nights at this hotel made everyone grumpy.

Booked a twin room for two nights because we registered late for a conference and most hotels were booked. The hotel is across the street from the train station, however there is huge construction going on all around the hotel for Euro 2008, so expect to be waken up at 7 am during the week (tip: bring earplugs if you will stay here).

The staff were friendly and the hotel was clean, however the rooms were a little shabby and the shower was very small. It is a very basic hotel, so if you need to wake up early anyway and just need a place to sleep, then this is OK. The beds were fine, white linens with comforter, the pillow could have been better.

We had the breakfast included in our price from a hotel website, however it is very plain (bread, cereal, yogurts, cheese, deli meats, eggs, sausage) and the breakfast ladies sit there next to the food, eating, and watching, which was weird. Besides the bread and yogurts, nothing else looked very appetizing and they say the breakfast is not normally included in the room rate and is definitely not worth paying extra for it, there is a nice bakery near the hotel.

I was so embarrassed to have booked this place for my boss and another colleague. The rooms were such a strange combination of modern minimalist beds and furniture with walls and windows shouting to be repaired and maintained. Overall the rooms were cold and bare. I had thought that breakfast was included but we were told that this was not the case and my boss was asked to pay for it. Very embarrassing. Will never return.

The location is OK and windows are double-glazed so there was very little street noise. The rooms are clean but quite spartan. One of the beds was broken and very wobbly, the pillows were very thin. It was impossible to turn on the light in the bathroom without drenching the sleeping area in light too. Breakfast was not included in the rate but looked pretty grim as we passed through.

I stayed at this hotel with friends earlier this year. The accommodation was of acceptable standard. The convenient location opposite the train station makes it easy to find. Just don't confuse it with the 5-star hotel that is only a few feet from it.

The hotel looks decent from the outside. Check-in staff are professional, some better than others. The rooms are all at the upper levels, and they're just basic.

The breakfast is the biggest let-down. You're told exactly how many slices of bread, jars of jam and cups of coffee you can get. The woman that guards the breakfast stuff will watch you like a policeman, and if you even dare to take an extra piece of bread, expect to face the consequences. And all this for the equivalent of €8-10, although it is included with some bookings. It's not worth even half of that, and you'll most likely have to get a proper breakfast elsewhere later on in the day.

Note that there's no parking lots at the hotel. There's also no free parking anywhere in town except at nighttime, but there's a clinic for drug addicts adjacent to the biggest public parking lot so it's not a good idea to leave it there overnight.

Overall, it's a decent budget accommodation. 5 out of 10.

First, it's impossible to find because it is not called Fassbind Hotel City am Bahnhof - the entrance just says City Hotel, and is one small doorway inbetween big shops.

We have a habit of checking rooms for bugs, and lo, the first thing we see - huge bug nests in wooden frame of bed. Cleaning staff came to inspect, we were given another room. This room was small with a window that opened onto next rooms balcony = unsafe. There was no fan, and it was very hot, we had to cover ourselves in wet towels all night.

Not a good night's sleep at all.

The breakfast was SHOCKING! Do not order it - cold meats, stale breads and warm juice. Perhaps the only positive aspect is location to train station.

My husband and I arrived at Bern train station after a 6 hour journey - it took us 45mins to locate the hotel because of the immense amount of construction taking place right outside and in the surrounding streets of the station. What normally would have been a 3min walk turned into another journey of dragging heavy luggage around a construction site.

The hotel is in desparate need of a facelift - the walls, furniture and bathroom are outdated and the TV is about 20x20cm. The elevator is tiny and the reception area is not welcoming (although there appeared to be free internet there).

If breakfast is not included in the room rate, then don't eat here - you could easily find something more tasty and more value for money in the surrounding patisseries.

The staff were incredibly nonplussed when serving their guests - the receptionist was sullen, quiet and didn't offer assistance with baggage, sights or restaurants. But the real surprise was the breakfast lady - we were advised from many sources that breakfast was served from 7-10am and we arrived at 9am. The dining area was in disarray with cluttered tables everywhere and no new tables set up. The lady made noises to the effect that she was disgruntled by having more guests to breakfast and proceeded to bang and crash around the kitchen with the crockery so that having a conversation was extremely difficult. You just didn't want to be there. I'm surprised that she still has a job.

The one good point about this hotel is the location - it's in the centre of town and everything is in walking distance. Minus the construction - it is right next to the train station.

I would only stay here for one night and only if there were no other options!

No Charm, the mentioned renovations are VERY limited.

At the moment VERY noisy due to heavy works on the Bahnhof Platz.

On the other side, they were renovating the roof: -> also noisy !

Expensive for Swiss standarts. For 180 CHF with no breakfast incl.

Partly dirty: stains on carpets, WC