Bergen is Norway's rainiest city and, in defiance of that fact, one of its most cheerful, the Bryggen wharf's tilting wooden buildings, painted in ochre and red, have survived fires and centuries of trade to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's also the traditional gateway to the western fjords, the departure point for some of the most scenic rail and boat journeys anywhere.
Bryggen and the Fish Market
Bryggen's wooden merchant houses, dating to the Hanseatic League era, lean at odd angles from centuries of settling, duck into the narrow passageways between buildings, now home to craft workshops and small museums, for the most atmospheric part of the old wharf. The Hanseatic Museum next door explains the trading history in one of the original merchant houses.
The fish market on the harbourfront is touristy but genuinely good for a lunch of fresh salmon or whale meat if you're curious, go for the market stalls rather than the sit-down restaurants for better value.
Mountains and Fjords
Bergen is ringed by seven mountains, and the Fløibanen funicular climbs Mount Fløyen in under ten minutes for a panoramic view over the city, harbour, and surrounding islands, go at sunset if the weather cooperates, which in Bergen is never guaranteed.
The 'Norway in a Nutshell' route, combining train, ferry, and bus through the Sognefjord and Flåm valley, starts from Bergen and can be done as a long day trip or an overnight, the ferry through Nærøyfjord, a narrow UNESCO-listed arm of the Sognefjord, is the highlight.
Recommended Stay · Bergen · Bryggen
Det Hanseatiske Hotel
A boutique hotel inside one of Bryggen's original 18th-century merchant houses, with creaking wooden floors and rooms tucked into the historic wharf's narrow passages.
