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Bergen Norway – the Fjord Capital

Bergen Bryggen area by Sonia Arrepia, Visit Bergen

Bergen: a picturesque “must-see” city in Norway!

The town is beautifully located by the Bergen fjord, surrounded by 7 mountains with picturesque hillsides.

In Bergen:
• You can see the UNESCO Bryggen wharf
as well as walk in charming, narrow streets with authentic wooden houses.
• You can take the Funicular to Mount Floyen, offering a marvellous view.

Bergen – the Fjord capital, is an ideal starting point for visiting the amazing Fjords.

Read about:
Fjord cruises from Bergen
More scenic cities in Norway


Read more about Bergen:


Dried cod at Bergen fish market. Photo by Rita de Lange, Fjord Travel Norway

Dried cod - "tørrfisk"

Bergen’s location in Fjord Norway

Due to the unique geography of Norway, with fjords carving their way from the coast far into the countryside, Bergen was in the older days quite isolated from the rest of Norway.
On the other hand, the city was open to Europe, with a large fleet of wooden sail ships carrying dried cod (tørrfisk in Norwegian) to the European markets, mainly in Italy, Spain & Portugal, for their bacalao and stoccafisso dishes.

Bergen Bryggen by Pixabay

The Hanseatic wharf

Bergen’s history  – The Hanseatic era

Bergen used to be one of the Hanseatic towns, and the picturesque, UNESCO Bryggen wharf dates back to this Hanseatic era. The tiny Hanseatic Museum at Bryggen waterfront is well worth a visit!
During the Hanseatic era, Bergen was the largest and most important town in Norway.

Eventually Bergen was connected to the rest of the country with roads, bridges & ferries crossing the fjords, and the amazing Bergen rail line crossing the mountains from Oslo.
But the inhabitants of Bergen somehow still feel disconnected from the rest of Norway; a popular saying in Bergen is “I don’t come from Norway, I come from Bergen”, being very proud of their beautiful city. Somehow

The heart of Bergen - the colorful fish market by Robin Strand, Visit Bergen

The Fish Market - the heart of Bergen

The heart of Bergen

Bergen is still open to the world, attracting tourists from around the globe, and fish is still an important part of Bergen’s identity. The open air Fish Market has for centuries been the “heart” of Bergen.

In 2012 a new indoor fish market opened next to the open air market, where you can still by fresh fish, seafood & smoked salmon from Norway. You will also find open air cafés serving salmon sandwiches and seafood dishes.

The Funicular in Bergen. Photo by Terje Rakke, Nordic Life/Innovation Norway

The Funicular to Mount Floyen

Experience spectacular views:

Mount Floyen:
Take the Funicular to Mount Floyen, offering a marvellous view of the city and the surrounding islands and fjords.
The city station is located a short walk from the Fish Market. Close to the top station you find the historic Floyen Restaurant & Café, with a beautiful view.

Easy hiking trails:
You will find several scenic & easy hiking trails from the top station of the Funicular

Medium Panorama Tour Ulriken Cable Car Benjamin Bargard Ulriken643

On the way to Mount Ulriken

Mount Ulriken:
You can also take a cable car to the top of Mount Ulriken, the highest mountain surrounding Bergen, with an altitude of 700 m above sea level.
From the top there is a breathtaking view of Bergen, surrounding islands & mountains as well as the open sea.
There is a restaurant on top of the cable car.
A scheduled bus service takes you from the city centre to the cable car station.

Wooden houses in Bergen by Gjertrud Coutinho, Visit Bergen

Wooden houses in Bergen

Bergen’s tiny wooden houses & narrow streets

Bergen has several authentic areas with tiny wooden houses and narrow streets, a “must see” during your visit!

You find these picturesque areas on the Nordnes peninsula, at the hillside around the Funicular city station, at the Marken area close to the train station, as well as in the Sandviken & Skuteviken areas.

The charming Old Bergen Museum offers a large selection of authentic wooden houses, located a 10-min bus drive from the city centre.

Wooden houses in the Bryggen area by Pixabay

The back yard of Bryggen wharf

More to see in Bergen:

The Aquarium on the Nordnes peninsula – during the summer season you can take the really tiny ferry departing directly from the Fish Market, it takes a few minutes. It is a good idea to stroll at least one way, to see the picturesque areas of tiny, wooden houses and narrow streets on Nordnes and Klosteret area.

St Mary’s Church – a beautiful, two-towered stone church, located just behind the Bryggen waterfront and the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel.
Read more about St Mary’s church on Wikipedia

Troldhaugen by Dag Fosse, Visit Bergen

Troldhaugen Museum

The composer Edvard Grieg’s home Troldhaugen – a tiny, wooden villa with a beautiful garden by the Nordas Lake. Take the city tram “Bybanen” to Hop station (20 mins), then follow the signs to Troldhaugen for a walk of approx. 20 mins, or a taxi.
Read more about Troldhaugen on Wikipedia

The Fantoft Stave Church – an authentic, wooden church. Take the city tram to Paradis station, then walk up a hill for approx. 10 mins.

Lungegaard Lake Bergen. Photo By Rita De Lange, Fjord Travel Norway

Lungegaard lake

The idyllic Lungegard Lake – a quiet part of the city, with views of the hillsides and the mountains.

Art in Bergen:
KODE is one of the largest art museums in the Nordic countries, consisting of art museums & composer’s homes. Some of the art museums are located by the Lungegaard lake, where you can see the famous Norwegian painter Edvard Munch’s artworks.
Read more on the KODE web site

Sognefjord im Sommer, Robin Strand, Visit Bergen

Enjoy a fjord cruise on beautiful Sognefjord!

Tour suggestions

Bergen & the Fjords
A short break
with 3 nights in Bergen, exciting Fjord day cruises & the famous Flam Railway
Winter option

Sognefjord cruise & Balestrand village
A 4 nights
trip from Bergen to Oslo, with 2 nights in beautifully located Balestrand fjord village, fjord cruises on Sognefjord, Flam Railway & Bergen line

Rauma Line By Leif Johnny Olestad, Visit Norway

The spectacular Rauma line

Bergen, Sognefjord, Geilo & Oslo
Relaxing trip 
with 2 nights in picturesque Bergen, 2 nights at Geilo mountain village & 2 nights in Oslo, a scenic Sognefjord cruise, the Flam Railway & Bergen Line

Geirangerfjord Highlights
Fjord cruise
package with 2 nights in Bergen, a full day cruise to the UNESCO Geirangerfjord, 2 nights in the Art Nouveau town of Alesund, the scenic Rauma Line, the Dovre Line & Oslo


 

Questions about our tours?

Contact us:
• Use our contact form,
• By e-mail to [email protected], or
• Call us on +47 (55) 131-310
(Mon-Fri 09:00 to 15:30 local time)

 

What our customers say:

  • On behalf of the group I would like to thank you and your colleagues for organizing our wonderful tour of Norway. Everything went very well including the weather, which was spectacular. We enjoyed all the hotels, the central locations you chose and the amenities, especially the lavish breakfasts. Three extra days in Oslo allowed us to tour the city at our leisure and to enjoy more of the important sights including the newly opened National Museum. The Norway in a Nutshell tour was amazing and made much easier by using your recommended porterage service between hotels in Oslo and Bergen. Both the train journeys and the boat trip were spectacular, and combined with a night in the beautiful Kviknes Hotel made for an unforgettable two days. We were very impressed by the Hurtigruten cruise, particularly the way they combined a working ship with a cruise ship, the comfortable accommodations, the food and service. It was fascinating to visit all the various ports, islands and fjords and the two included tours were excellent and informative. In the end we were glad to have the extra night in Kirkenes, to visit their lovely museum and take a trip to the Russian border. It was a good way to end the tour. Again, thank for staying with us through 2 years of pandemic postponements and changes. We certainly will recommend Fjord Travel in the future.

    Marilyn, United States

  • I wanted to thank everybody. We had a wonderful trip. Everything went well and fortunately we had the chance to see the lights while on the cruise. All my friends in Turkey would like to go on a similar trip. So I will be in touch with you. Thanks again and best wishes to all of you.

    Candan, Turkey

  • Thank you for assisting us with our trip to Norway. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Kirkenes and the Snow Hotel. The arrangements you made for us were perfect. The lodging was comfortable and the excursions were fun. Tom and I rarely use the services of a travel company when we travel; you enriched our trip and made the planning easy.

    Alison, United States