Bergen - "gateway to the fjords"

Rome is known as the City on Seven Hills. Bergen is the City of Seven Mountains. Bergen is also an important harbour. For ages and ages ships big and small have kept up the contact between Bergen, the trade centre, and communities along our coast.

The smaller vessels brought products from farming and fisheries to the markets in Bergen. Bigger ships brought stockfish (dried cod) from the fishing banks of Lofoten in the far north. The Hansa and other tradesmen in Bergen exported the fish to the continent. There always was, and still is a great demand for fish especially in Catholic countries where meat could not be eaten during Lent and certain days defined by the Church.

Vågen, the central bay with the Fish Market and World Heritage Bryggen alongside used to be swarming with small steamers, all of them heading for local coast villages around 3pm. Today swift catamaran vessels have their routes from Bergen to towns and villages along the coast and bring busy people to and fro several times a day.

What do tourists want to see and experience in Bergen?

The Fish Market is a must for most visitors. Although older people may say the Market isn't what it used to be, and the goods offered for sale are everything but fish - some will say, you still find fish products there, and there is always a throbbing life at the Fish Market.

Near the Fish Market you find the lower station of the funicular railway "Fløibanen" which takes you up to Mount Fløyen, from where you'll have a good view of Bergen city centre. On the far side of Vågen you see a headland pointing north. That is Nordnes where our famous Aquarium is located.

The Tourist Information Centre is located at Vågsallmenning, close to the Fish Market. The staff there can give you every information you may want about Bergen and the Fjord Country. You're lucky to be in Bergen; The Gateway to the Fjords.

The Internet can also help you: visitbergen.com offers a lot of good information about our city.

Words like breathtaking and overwhelming are often heard among people who have visited the Fjords and try to describe what they have seen and experienced. Words are at loss. You should come yourself, and see what it's all about! FjordNorway.com may give you some ideas.

Experiences and Attractions in Bergen

In this overview you find some of the attractions, sights and experiences Bergen has to offer. For a complete overview visit: www.visitbergen.com.

Have a good time!

Attractions in Bergen

Bryggen

- A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Bryggen has been the nerve centre of the city for centuries and the silhouette of its ancient gables is perhaps the most familiar image from the Middle Ages in Norway. Bryggen is not a museum, but part of the cultural heritage that is still in use in a living historical area of the city.

Fish Market

The fishmarket is one of the most known attractions in Bergen and Norway. With more then 40 permanent traders is the fishmarket in Bergen one of the biggest open-air markets in Norway. The market does not only trade fish, its although trading fruits, vegetables, flowers, knitwears, handicrafts, artware and souvenirs.
www.torgetibergen.no

Haakon's Hall and Rosekrantz Tower

The medieval castle Haakon's Hall was built during the reign of King Haakon Haakonsson between 1247 and 1261, the largest and most imposing building of the royal residency in the 13th century when Bergen was the political centre of Norway. The Rosenkrantz Tower was built in the 1560's by the governor of Bergen Castle, Erik Rosenkrantz, and served as a combined residence and fortified tower for Bergen.
www.bymuseet.no

Fløibanen Funicular / Mount Fløyen

A 7 minutes ride to the top of Mount Fløyen (320 m.a.s.l.) At the top of Mount Fløyen you have a magnificent view of Bergen and the suburbs. Ideal for mountain walks.
www.floibanen.no

Bergen Cable Car Ulriken

The Ulriksbanen cable car brings you to the top of Mount Ulriken (642 m.a.s.l.), which has Bergen's most magnificent view of the fjords, islands and coast. Well-marked hiking trails.
www.ulriken.com

Old Bergen Museum

Open-air museum with more than 40 wooden houses, representative of Bergen architecture and interior in the 18th and 19th century. The houses give picture of life in a small town with its dwellings, various shops, bakers, barbers, goldsmiths, dentists, photographers etc. Museum area with an idyllic park from early 1800 open all year.
www.bymuseet.no

Bergen Aquarium

One of the finest and most extensive collections of marine fauna in Europe. There are more than 70 tanks altogether. 3 outdoor pools with seals, penguins and carp. The Aquarium extension contains a 3D cinema, open plan aquariums, new exhibitions and a supervideograph. www.akvariet.no

Troldhaugen – Edvard Grieg Museum

Home of the composer Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) and his wife Nina from 1885. Grieg lived at Troldhaugen for 22 years and composed many of his best-known works in the little garden. Edvard and Nina Grieg are buried in a cliff-hewn tomb in the grounds. The house is now a museum. Public concerts in summer and autumn.
www.troldhaugen.com

Lysøen Island and Ole Bull's Villa

The extraordinary villa on Lysøen (the Island of Light) was built as a summer residence for the violin virtuoso Ole Bull in 1873. Ole Bull transformed his 175 acre island into a fairy-tale kingdom by having romantic paths (approx. 13 km.), ponds and gazebos made by planting exotic trees and bushes in the native pine forest.
www.lysoen.no

Hanseatic Museum

One of the best-preserved wooden buildings in Bergen, furnished in the style of the 1700's to give an intimate picture of the life of a Hanseatic merchant. A Hanseatic trading office was set up on Bryggen in Bergen in the 14th century, as in Novgorod, Bruges and London.                 hanseatic museum  

Leprosy Museum

St. George's Hospital was used for lepers from 1411 to 1946. The buildings are from the 18th century. The Leprosy Museum shows how leprosy was a serious health problem in some Norwegian areas during the 19th century.
Leprosy Luseum

West Norway Museum of Decorative Art

Permanent exhibitions: "People and Possessions". 500 years of arts, crafts and design. www.vk.museum.no

Bryggens Museum

A cultural history museum based on the findings of the archaeological excavations of Bryggen, between 1955 and 1972, showing the foundations of the city's oldest buildings on their original site from the 12th century. Unearthed ceramics, runic inscriptions, artefacts etc. www.bymuseet.no

Bergen Museum (University of Bergen)

Covering cultural background, art history, archaeology and anthropology. The rural history of buildings, furniture and textiles.
www.bergenmuseum.uib.no

Bergen Maritime Museum

The museum is situated at Nygårdshøyden, in the middle of the campus of the University of Bergen. The museum presents the history of shipping, its development and importance to Bergen and Norway in the past and today. The exhibitions offer a vast collection of ship models, including Viking ships, paintings, marine archaeological findings and various items related to seamanship and life on board.
www.bsj.uib.no

Fantoft Stave Church

The old stave church at Fantoft, originally built in Fortun in Sogn in 1150 and moved to Fantoft in 1883, burnt down on the 6th of June 1992. Fantoft Stave Church has been rebuilt just as it was before the fire. Available for weddings.

Gamlehaugen

King Harald's official residence in Bergen. Built at the turn of the century. This impressive house was the home of former Prime Minister Christian Michelsen.

Bergen Art Museum

The museum presents, in three separate buildings, masterpieces ranging from the 15th century to present day: "Lysverket", "The Rasmus Meyer Collection" and "The Stenersen Collection". www.bergenartmuseum.no

Festivals in Bergen

Among others:

• Bergen International Festival
• Nattjazz (Nightjazz) is a major jazz festival in Northern Europe and is arranged annually in late May / early June in Bergen, Norway.
• Bergen Art festival
• Bergen International Film Festival
• Tour Suggestions in Bergen

Day trips in Bergen

We have made some suggestions for day trips in Bergen.

Bryggen and Composer Edvard Grieg

Morning: Bryggen by foot - sightseeing. A historical stroll through the medieval wooden buildings of Bryggen. Admission to Bryggens Museum, Schøtstuene and Hanseatic Museum. Afternoon tour to Troldhaugen, the home of composer Edvard Grieg. Evening concert.

Sightseeing and Art

Morning: 3 hour city sightseeing, an introduction to the city. Extensive tour of the central parts of Bergen. Admission to the Old Bergen Museum and the Bergen Aquarium. Afternoon guided tour of the famous Art Collections in Bergen; Rasmus Meyer's Collection, Stenersen's Collection, Bergen Kunsthall and West Norway Museum of Decorative Art. Evening entertainment.

Culture and Nature

Morning: Bryggen by foot - sightseeing. A historical stroll through the medieval wooden buildings of Bryggen. Admission to Bryggens Museum, Schøtstuene and Hanseatic Museum. Open salmon sandwich at the Fish Market included. Afternoon: 4 hour boat trip to the Osterfjord, with steep mountains, towering cliffs and narrow fjords.

Bergen in the Middle Ages and Mount Fløyen

Morning tour of Norway's largest city during the Middle Ages. Admission to the Bergen Museum, Haakon's Hall, Rosenkrantz Tower and St. Mary's Church. Lunch picnic at Mount Fløyen. Afternoon stroll along one of many paths.

The Wooden City

A morning tour including the Old Bergen Museum, an open-air museum with over 40 characteristic wooden houses from the 19th century, then a bus tour with the emphasis on the old wooden house areas of Bergen, including Damsgård Manor, built in rococo style in 1780.

Fish and Marine Mammals in Bergen

Morning tour starting with the Bergen Aquarium, one of Europe's largest, with seals and penquins; the tour continues to the Bergen Museum and the "Whale Hall", with mighty skeletons of whales and other marine mammals. Afternoon free to explore Bergen on your own with the Bergen Card.

Tour Suggestions outside Bergen City

We have made some suggestions for day trips in the surrounding areas of Bergen.

Norway in a Nutshell ( tickets can be bought at the reception)

Norway in a nutshell takes you through some of the most beautiful scenery in Norway's fjords. You can experience the scenic Bergen Railway, the breath-taking Flam Railway, the Aurlandsfjord, the narrow Naeroyfjord (now included on UNESCOs World Heritage List) and the steep Stalheimskleiva.

Fjord Cruise (sundays)

Day cruise with the vessel Ms Bruvik – around the island Osterøy. A magnificent cruise with a great vessel!

Sognefjord and Nærøyfjord

The trip with the express boat from Bergen, northbound through the beautiful skerries and on up the Sognefjord – Norway’s longest (204 km) and deepest (1309m) fjord – is a unique nature experience. Change boats mid-fjord from the express boat to the ferry for a fjord cruise into the wild and beautiful fjord landscape along the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen, where you will have time to admire the towering mountain formations and see the mountain farms that cling to the steep slopes.