I am glad to find such an active community. I have few questions about moving to Bern:
1. I am wondering if there is a possibility to rent an apartment / WG without visiting it ? I am currently in Germany and can't come to visit rooms every now and then. What would be the ideal approach ?
2. I have got a job in Bern hospital and was looking for accommodation and as it seems challenging, I wonder what would be the places nearby which are under ~30 commute time ? I read about Fribourg and Ittingen, are there more where one can find accommodation relatively easy ?
Concur with Medea, organize viewings in succession and rent something even via Abnb for a period of time. Would be a shame to lock yourself into something and then have remorse once you move in for a host of reasons
Berne, for me, is wonderful - depending on your situation (kids, married etc), the city is a great place to live and commutes are very easy. More importantly, IMHO, is that there is so much going on in the city should that interest you. Else, surrounding areas are sure to be cheaper - would you rely on public transport or driving?
You will definitely want to view apartments in person - it is very competitive in Bern and you most likely won't get accepted just by sending in applications. Most of the viewings we had attended had many people looking and applying on the spot. (We applied to several places before we were accepted and we tick all the boxes perfectly when it comes to applicants.)
We love living here, it is a wonderful city! Best wishes with your move.
Ittigen is significantly cheaper and has more availability than the city. It's also just a tiny village as opposed to Bern which is a slightly larger village.
In addition to the excellent advice the other posters have given you, a reason for never renting without first seeing the place is that scams are not uncommon.
Typically these are obvious, of the 'landlord out of the country, send money to Western Union and I'll mail you the keys' variety, and so easily avoided. But some are more sophisticated, and you could find yourself in a pickle when the place you have paid for turns out not to exist.
Because of the paucity of places available, judgement can become clouded as you get desperate - which is what scammers count on.
So basic rule: Never pay money until you have seen the place with your own eyes.
If you cannot come personally, perhaps consider enaging a relocation agent to do the leg work for you.
You can easily get under a 30-minute commute in the Bern area. No need to go to Fribourg unless you want to.
There are S-train lines, trams and buses going all directions. Ittigen has buses and trains and I think is max 10-15 minutes either way. Köniz and Bümpliz are pretty big. There's a brand new, massive apartment building going up at Europaplatz (one stop from Bern main station).
If you go with a big agency the odds of a scam are minimal.
Not knowing your budget, I did a random quick search on Immoscout24. There 89 flats within 5 km of Bern that have at least two bedrooms and cost 1,500 CHF or less per month.
Thanks all for friendly comments and suggestions. I can totally understand why a visit is a "must". Unfortunately I can't do it now and I think my best bet would be either Airbnb or a hotel / hostel stay for initial days.