Moving to Bern: Costs Process & Districts

Bern is divided into six districts. The Innere Stadt with its arcades and the Zytglogge clock tower is the historic heart, and housing there is scarce. Länggasse-Felsenau is the university quarter, with many shared flats close to the university and the university of applied sciences. Mattenhof-Weissenbühl in the south is a densely built, mixed residential area.

Kirchenfeld-Schosshalde across the Aare is quiet and green, with museums and many embassies. Breitenrain-Lorraine in the north is a lively, urban neighbourhood. In the west lies Bümpliz-Oberbottigen with Bethlehem, where there are many housing estates and new builds. Incidentally, Wabern at the foot of the Gurten is not part of the city but belongs to the neighbouring municipality of Köniz.

Bern's housing market is considered tight, especially in the Innere Stadt and Länggasse. The outer districts in the west offer more choice. Starting your flat search early and submitting a quick, complete application therefore pays off; we schedule the moving date to match the flat handover.

As the federal city, Bern offers many jobs in the federal administration; other employers include Swiss Post, the Insel Group with the university hospital, the University of Bern and, in the region, Swisscom and CSL Behring. Short distances, swimming in the Aare in summer and the local mountain, the Gurten, shape everyday life – reasons why many people move to Bern.

Every move is different – which is why our prices depend on the size of the flat: 1 room from €359, 2 rooms from €599, 3 rooms from €915 and 4 rooms from €1,269. For houses and villas we prepare an individual quote. If you are moving to another city, we charge long-distance moves from €3.90/km. Arrange your free survey today.

To understand the costs, look at volume, distance (from €3.90/km), floor and lift. A parking restriction zone also plays a part. With a shared load you can share costs.

We take the burden of moving off your shoulders so you can focus on what matters.

• Company relocation: We organise your office move efficiently. Company relocation
• Furniture transport: Professional transport for your furnishings. Furniture transport
• House clearance: Fast and clean household clearance. House clearance
• Private move: Your flat move to Bern, planned after a survey. Private move
• Move with assembly: Complete service including furniture assembly. Move with assembly
• Shared load: The budget-friendly transport solution. Shared load

We plan moves from Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21). In the locations overview you will find places with their own pages; for longer distances read more under Long-distance moves.

Bern is in Switzerland, so your belongings go through customs clearance. According to the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG), the key condition for duty-free import is moving your place of residence to Switzerland, and you must have personally used the items for at least 6 months. On entry you present form 18.44. No advance notification is needed: you report directly to a competent customs office during office hours (Monday to Friday). Our article Moving to Switzerland: customs formalities also explains the process.

For the moving day, the City of Bern states in its moving tips that you may need "a permit if necessary" to park the removal van near your home. It may also be necessary to mark a space with the appropriate signs. The application for the access and parking permit is available there as a PDF download. Residents' parking cards are issued by the permits department of the police inspectorate, separately for the districts and the city centre.

The city's tradesperson parking card is aimed at businesses with workshop vehicles; the page does not mention moves, so it is no substitute for the permit. The city's moving tips page gives no details on deadlines or fees for the moving permit. So clarify this early via the city switchboard (+41 31 321 61 11), especially if you are moving to the Old Town or Länggasse. The route from Berlin is described in the long-distance moving guide for Bern.

If you move to Bern from within Switzerland, the city says you register within 14 days via the eUmzugCH portal, provided your previous municipality is connected. If you move from abroad, eUmzugCH is not available: contact the residents' services at Predigergasse 5 (tel. +41 31 321 53 00). Register for electricity and water via the customer centre of Energie Wasser Bern. In addition, according to the moving tips, the move must be reported to the road traffic and navigation office within 14 days.

Special rules apply in the city centre. The city lists Bundesplatz, Bärenplatz, Waisenhausplatz, Rathausgasse, Brunngasse, Kramgasse, Münstergasse and Herrengasse, among others, as currently car-free areas, and different rules apply to visitors, residents and businesses. For the Lower Old Town it refers to the document "Fussgängerfreundliche Untere Altstadt" (pedestrian-friendly Lower Old Town); read it before moving into the arcades.

For furniture you have cleared out, the city offers the bulky waste collection service: a flat fee of CHF 70.27 incl. VAT, with up to five minutes of loading included and each additional five-minute unit costing CHF 54.05. Orders are placed online, no later than 11.30 a.m. on the working day before the preferred date (for a Monday: by Friday, 11.30 a.m.). Items must be put out by 9.00 a.m. in the city centre (no more than three hours beforehand) and by 7.00 a.m. in the districts (no more than twelve hours beforehand). Everything else about daily life is in the guide to living in Bern.