Swissotel Kursaal Bern

Swissôtel Kursaal Bern is a modern hotel with an attached casino, set directly across the bridge from Bern's UNESCO-listed old town. The 163 rooms include several categories with spectacular views back over the old town and out toward the Swiss Alps — a particularly photogenic angle on the city. The wellness side here is led by the fitness studio rather than a spa floor: a 150-square-metre modern gym kitted out with everything from rowing machines to cross-trainers to treadmills. The calm position and the alpine view make it an unusually pleasant place to train, and the room rate works well for travelers who want quiet rather than spa-resort scale. Two restaurants cover Mediterranean and Asian cooking, and a congress centre on the property handles the business side. The old town with the Zytglogge clock tower, the Bundeshaus, and the Bärengraben sits only five minutes' walk across the bridge — easy access to Bern's main sights from a hotel that keeps a step back from the heritage architecture.