We home based in Bern for two days during a trip a few years back. It's a nice city. We did a nice walk through it, fed the Bern bears, etc. I'm glad we stayed in Bern for a few days.

We daytripped to Gimmelwald (another Rick Steves destination). If we had more time on that trip, a stay in Gimmelwald or a small village would have been nice. We also did a enjoyable cruise on a lake (I forget which one) which was free as part of our Eurail pass.