Hotel National in Bern

Just minutes from Bern’s Hauptbahnhof, Hotel National (Hirschengraben 24, 3011 Bern, SWITZERLAND; phone +41 [3] 381 19 88 or visit www.nationalbern.ch) offers just about everything: a restaurant, a theater, a movie cinema, a disco and the hotel. Once out the door of the National, Bern’s famous Clock Tower is a quick three minutes away.

The little red trams ran right under our window at the Hotel National in Bern, Switzerland. Photo: Eisenlau

You’ll see every sort of traveler at this property: Japanese backpackers, French businessmen, Italian honeymooners and Canadian families. On our first night, a Swiss Christian youth group was having a singalong.

While not glamorous, the old European charms of the National are apparent. It’s quirky and a bit shabby but in a genteel sort of way.

Being there reminded me of the book “The Hotel New Hampshire” by John Irving. For example, when I asked for an iron, Bridgette (a very friendly front desk clerk) said, “Okay!” and led me into the kitchen, where she set up the ironing board. I pressed my dress as the cooks ran around me with their pots and pans.

At the front desk, there was a refrigerator with beer and wine (CHF5, or $3.80) available for purchase. Also, there was a free Internet terminal on all day and night — perfect if you can’t sleep and have nothing else to do at 2 a.m.

Our room was large, quiet and comfortable and overlooked the park platz and the red trams. The room’s radiators had controls; the windows opened; there were 12 channels on the TV, and the bathroom held a big shower and a wall heater (great for drying socks overnight). There was also a desk, an easy chair, a little snack table and two Swiss-style beds — pushed together to form one bed but with separate duvet covers.

Our one-bedroom room with shower cost CHF150 ($116) per night in November ’05. The price included breakfast: bread, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, juice, yogurts, tea and coffee.

Now, if you’ve only stayed at Best Westerns with their conventional layouts, you may find the Hotel National a bit odd, but if you trust Rick Steves (he said the National was “a fine hotel”), then definitely book your stay. Rooms range from studios with bath to full apartments.

JENNIFER EISENLAU

Boulder, CO