Biel, Switzerland

it has two names because it is right on the language border - the Röstigraben - Biel/Bienne

Easy to get to from Bern by direct train, I took a day trip from Bern Westside.

Took a walk to the lake through the town.

I had a lunch on the train from the convenient either Migros or Coop, don't remember which.

I'm not into watches or I might have visited the Omega Museum.

I've just been the once.

I have been to the Omega/Swatch museum. I would say it is just okay, not amazing. I live pretty close to Biel, but much prefer going to nearby Neuchâtel (20 min by train). Is there any particular reason you are going to Biel? What kind of things do you enjoy doing?

Biel has a reasonably nice old town area, about 15 mins to walk there from the train station, worth a walk around.
For lunch, there is a nice restaurant with a garden terrace at Villa Lindenegg, in a historic mansion (now a hotel). A couple of other nicer places would be St Gervais (old town) or Ecluse (nice location by the river, close to the station). I think they all have good value lunch menus. For a coffee, OAK is good, but food-wise they only have baked goods and sandwiches. Lots of other nice little cafes and bistros around though if you want something lighter.
Don't know how long or why you are there - but the nicest area around Biel is the lakeside, especially the small wine villages. Twann, for example, is only about 10 minutes by public transport, and is a cute little town. You can visit the Viniterra wine center or take a boat trip to St Peter's Island, walk along the vineyards or lake. Here is some info https://www.j3l.ch/en/Z11167/the-lake-biel-winegrowing-area

Thank you so much, Nigel, Swiss Nomad, and Hopper. I appreciate all of you answering my question.
I didn't want to explain in my opening inquiry, but the only reason we will be going to Biel, from our hotel in Bern is because our grandson is an exchange student and attends the school (gymnasium) in Biel...looks like it is lakeside. Our plan is to have him show us around campus after school lets out.
And Hopper 18, thanks for the lunch suggestions. I think we'll just want to have an informal, light lunch, rather than something heavy because we'll be having dinner with our grandson and his host family that evening.
So, I didn't know how much time we should allow in Biel before seeing our grandson; whether there are interesting things to see or do in Biel. My favorite part of Switzerland is the scenery. Spending a lot of time in museums is not our favorite. I'd rather be outdoors, walking and taking in the natural beauty around me. Mountains are my favorite...even though I grew up surrounded by an ocean.

Another option is to go up the Magglingenbahn funicular from Biel. It only takes about 10 minutes to walk there from the train station and at the top you get a nice view over the lake (mountains in the background if clear skies). The National Sports Center is located there and has a self-service restaurant Bellavista among other options. You can also do walks of varying lengths.
Biel isn't really a touristy place, so doesn't have a lot of sights per se, unless you are interested in the Omega Museum (which didn't seem to be the case). As I mentioned, the nearby wine villages on the water are quaint and picturesque to walk around and you can do a lake cruise, so there are ways to fill a day, but if you just stick to Biel itself, you don't really need more than a couple of hours to wander the old town, poke around in a few shops and have a snack or coffee break.

We were at Biel yesterday as it was one of the few places in Switzerland where it was not raining much and as we have unlimited travel why not do a 9 train day.
The funicular is a bit meh compared to the more scenic areas. The low key cruise along the lake was excellent though and boating one way from Biel and taking the train back from La Nueveville
didn’t take much more than 90 minutes.

I've been to Biel quite a few times for work and frankly, it is not a highlight. The old town is cute, but tiny.
This said, the city's location is pleasant and convenient. As for food, I've enjoyed meals at La Péniche and Ristorante Italia, for example.

Reporting back on our time in Biel:
We had less time on our own than anticipated because our grandson was done with school at noon; earlier than I expected.
So from the train station, we walked to the lake. There was a stiff breeze so we didn’t spend much time lakeside. But on a sunny day, it would make for a pleasant outing.
Knowing our grandson, I knew he would be hungry, so we walked to Ecluse for lunch (Thanks, Hopper for the great suggestion.)
It was a wonderful choice both for the food and ambiance. We sat out on the terrace, which is adjacent to a small park.
Our hungry grandson ordered coq au vin, which he devoured, hubby had a salad, and I had white asparagus with hollandaise sauce. I’ve never been in Europe when it was in season so that was a real treat for me.
Since our grandson had already been up in the funicular, we passed on that.
And we also skipped old town mainly because I figured the two guys would be bored. So we headed back to Bern.
So, I have yet to explore Biel.