Best things to do in Bergen
Norway’s second city is an eminently appealing place with its lovely old port, fine timber architecture, great restaurants and top-notch art galleries.
Viewpoints and panoramas
Fløibanen, Bergen: There are wonderful city views at the top of what must be Europe’s quaintest funicular railway.
Mount Ulriken: Providing panoramic views over Bergen and its surroundings, the Ulriksbanen cable car whisks passengers up to the top of Mount Ulriken, which at 643m is the highest of the seven hills around town.
The best districts
Bryggen: Accommodating an attractive ensemble of stone and timber 18th- and 19th-century merchants’ trading houses, this is Bergen’s most atmospheric quarter.
Nordnes Peninsula: Fine timber houses pepper the bumpy terrain and the old USF sardine factory now contains a lively and very fashionable arts complex and café - not to be missed.
Lille Øvregaten: Lined by an appealing mix of expansive 19th-century villas and dinky timber houses, mostly bright-white clapboard, but some deep red, ochre and light blue too, this area is simply delightful.
Museums
Troldhaugen: The delightful fjordside home and studio of Edvard Grieg, Norway’s foremost composer.
Lepramuseet: Telling the intriguing tale of Norway’s fight against leprosy, the Leprosy Museum is housed in a hospital which has been left untouched since 1946, the small rooms off the central gallery revealing the patients’ humble living quarters.
KODE 3: Rasmus Meyers Samlinger: Boasting a superb survey of Norwegian art from 1815 to 1945, gifted to the city by one of its old merchant families – the Meyers – and now displayed broadly chronologically on two easily absorbed and well-organised floors.
Parks and gardens
Historical monuments
Bryggen Wharf: Beyond its photogenic appeal, Bryggen holds centuries of history as a Hanseatic trading post.
Rosenkrantztårnet: The forbidding Rosenkrantz Tower’s spiral staircases, medieval rooms and low rough corridors make for an enjoyable gambol.
Mariakirken: The perky twin towers of St Mary’s Church are the most distinctive feature of what is Bergen’s oldest extant building, a Romanesque-Gothic church dating from the 12th century, but still in use as a place of worship.
Day trips in the area
The Sognesfjellsveg: View the sharp, ice-tipped peaks of the Jotunheimen, Norway’s most imposing mountain range, from the Sognefjellsveg mountain road.
The Hardangervidda plateau: Accessed via the Oslo-Bergen train line, Europe’s largest mountain plateau is characterised by rolling fells and wide stretches of level ground, its rocky surfaces strewn with pools, ponds and rivers.
Western Fjords: From Bergen, it’s a hop, skip and jump over the mountains to this spectacular region. The most popular initial target is the Hardangerfjord, a delightful and comparatively gentle introduction to the wilder terrain that lies beyond.
Activities for families in Bergen
Bergen is packed with family-friendly attractions that are perfect for all ages, offering fun and learning in equal measure.
Railway rides: The exhilarating Flåm railway careers down the mountainside with the fjords waiting down below.
Funicular: Dating back to the 1910s, the distinctly Ruritanian lower terminus of the Fløibanen funicular railway is a delightful introduction to one of Bergen’s major attractions, whose trains shuttle passengers up to the top of Mount Fløyen – ‘The Vane’ – at 320m above sea level.
Aquariums and zoos: The excellent Akvariet has all the marine gubbins you might expect, any and everything from penguin and seal hidey-holes to numerous indoor and outdoor tanks packed with North Sea fish of every conceivable species.
Free things to do in Bergen
Holidays to Bergen offer plenty of opportunities to explore its natural beauty and culture without spending a penny.
Festivals and events: Look out for free concerts and open-air performances during the summer months. The Bergen International Festival is the big one and has a large free outdoor programme.
Markets: Whether you buy or not, a wander around Torget’s open-air fish market is quite an experience (though smelly)! The displays of prawns and crab-claws, dried cod, herring and other varieties of marine life on slabs, in tanks, under the knife and in packets is quite something.
Free museums: Bergen has a terrific stock of museums, many free, such as the Bergenhus Fortress Museum (one of the city’s better museums) and the Buekorps Museum, which explores the rich history of Bergen’s Boys Brigade.
Nature and outdoor activities in Bergen
Bergen’s position amidst surrounding fjords, mountains and forests lends itself to all kinds of exciting possibilities where outdoor pursuits are concerned.
Hiking trails: Bergen is famous for its Seven Mountains, with accessible routes for all levels of fitness. Mount Fløyen offers family-friendly paths, while the climb to Mount Ulriken is more challenging, but rewards hikers with awesome views.
Cross-country skiing: Not much beats a day on the Hardangervidda plateaus doing some cross-country, hut-to-hut skiing.
Fishing: Anglers come from all over to fish in Bergen, and you don’t need to go that far either. Bontelabo pier is located only a few minutes from Bryggen and is especially good for fishing ratfish, while Steinestø Fergekai is an old ferry quay with deeper waters.
Fjord kayaking: In summer you can rent a canoe on Fløyen (free of charge), and at the Ado Arena in the city centre you can rent kayaks (and paddleboards) on an hourly basis.
