Last updated on August 19th, 2025
Bryggen Wharf, © Can Stock / AlenMax
Visit Bergen – Bryggen
Bryggen is the Bergen wharf on the harbor when you visit Bergen. Bryggen is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is famous for its row of historic wooden buildings along the wharf. The 18th century Hanseatisk Museum building on the Bryggen wharf is typical of the historic buildings. The Bryggens Museum is a block from the wharf. St Mary’s Church is a 12th century Romanesque style church near the waterfront. At the inner end of the harbor are the Fish Market and the flower & vegetable market. The Ludvig Holberg statue faces the harbor. In summer, take a harbor cruise on the M/S White Lady sailing ship, which departs from the Fish Market.
Walk a couple blocks inland from the harbor and catch the Fløibanen Funicular for an 8 minute funicular ride up Mount Fløien. Consider a one way ticket and a pleasant 30 minute walk back down. Stroll among the historic wooden homes in the Skansen district behind the funicular on your way down.
Bergen Harbor, © Can Stock / lunfengzhe
Visit Bergen – Bergenhus Fortress
Bergenhus Fortress was built in the 13th century to guard the entrance to the harbor and Bryggen wharf. The fortress is right beside the cruise ship terminal. Bergenhus Fortres includes the Rosenkrantz Tower and the royal residence of Hakon’s Hall.
Hakon’s Hall, © Can Stock / Svein
Torgallmenningen Square
The pedestrian only area at Torgallmenningen Square starts right at the inner harbor and continues south through the Old Town. Other sights to see in the Old Town include the Bergen Cathedral, the Bergen Kunst Hall of contemporary art and St John’s Church. The Bergen Aquarium is at the tip of the southern peninsula that marks the harbor entrance. Stroll among the historic wooden houses in the Nordnes area near the aquarium too.
Bergen Harbor, © Can Stock / joyfull
Norway in a Nutshell
Norway in a Nutshell is a popular day trip from Bergen. You start in Bergen (or Oslo) on the Bergen Oslo Railway Line and ride to Myrdal. From Myrdal you ride the Flam Railway down to the town of Flam on the Aurlandsfjord, which is a bay on the larger Sognefjord.
The Flam Railway stops on the way down to let passengers out for a few minutes at the Kjosfossen Waterfall. In Flåm, the next part of Norway in a Nutshell involves a fjord cruise through Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord to the small town of Gudvangen.
After the fjord cruise, you take a bus up out of the fjord to the town of Voss. At Voss you finish off your Norway in a Nutshell tour by taking the Bergen Oslo Railway Line back to Bergen (or Oslo). For those who prefer a longer fjord cruise, take a 5.5 hour one way Sognefjord cruise directly between Bergen and Flåm. You can book Norway in a Nutshell or Sognefjord in a Nutshell with Fjord Tours.
Edvard Grieg Museum, Wikimedia / Svein-Magne Tunli
Things to See and Do in and around Bergen
In the Old Downtown: Bryggen, Bergen Fish Market, Bergenhus Fortress, Fløibanen Funicular, Hanseatisk Museum, Bryggens Museum, St Mary’s Church, 3 minute ferry across the harbor, picturesque alleyways on the hill behind Bryggen, Torgallmenningen Square & the Sailors Monument, Lake Lille Lungegårdsvannet and the Byparken, the Blue Stone, Kode Art Museum, alleyways around the Bergen Cathedral and the peninsula of Nordnes, Bergen Aquarium.
Outside of Downtown: Damsgård Manor, Edvard Grieg House, Gamlehaugen Royal Residence, Fantoft Stave Church, Ulriken Gonodola, Old Bergen Museum
Day Trips: Flåm (Norway in a Nutshell), Eidfjord (Vøringsfossen ), Odda for the Valley of Waterfalls (Tjørnadalsfoss, Strandfoss, Vidfoss, Espelandsfoss and Låtefoss) and the beginning of the hike to Trolltunga.
Try: Reindeer sausage hotdogs at 3 Kroneren; White Lady Cake at Baker Brun; Skillingsbolle (sweet buns) at Baker Brun, Bodt Brot or Det Lille Kaffekompaniet; Stockfish for lunch at Bryggen Tracteursted Restaurant; Brunost (Brown sweet cheese put in between waffles)
Buy: Bunad dolls, troll souvenirs, Rakfisk (fermented fish), woolen wear, Rosemaling floral patterns, Akvavit Liquor, wood carvings
Gamlehaugen Royal Castle, © Can Stock / tupungato
Visit Bergen – More Sights
Catch a bus to Ulriken from the Fish Market. Then ride the gondola to Mount Ulriken for the city views and a meal at the Sky:Skraperen Restaurant.
Enjoy an intimate concert at the Edvard Grieg House/Museum and the waterfront cottage where the famous Norwegian composed. Stop on the way there to see Gamlehaugen Royal Castle and the Fantoft Stave Church. You can reach the Fantoft Stave Church in about 30 minutes from Bergen by taking the #1 Light Rail from the main station to Paradis & walking 10 minutes. You can also take a number of Bus options from the Bryggen area that stop even closer to the church
Old Bergen Museum – a reconstruction of about 50 buildings in an open-air museum.
Damsgaard Country Manor
Fantoft Stave Church, © Can Stock / Stootsy
Day Trips from Bergen
Travel 3 hours to the Vøringsfossen Waterfall, possibly the most photographed waterfall in Norway.
Travel 3 hours to Skjeggedal near Odda and then make a strenuous 10 – 12 return hike to the Troll’s Tongue. The Troll’s Tongue is popular with adventure hikers who enjoy standing on the rock “tongue” that suspends over 2,000 feet above the lake below.
Troll’s Tongue , © Can Stock / kamchatka
Get to Downtown Bergen
Bergen Airport – Flesland (BGO) is the way to get to Bergen by air. The airport is in Flesland, which is about 20 minutes from the center of downtown by cab or 45 minutes on the #1 Bergen Light Rail . Bergen Rail Station, in the downtown, has regular connections on Norwegian State Railways to Oslo, which takes over 7 hours. From Bergen Station it’s about a 10 minute walk to the inner harbor.
Get Around Bergen
Skyss operates an excellent selection of buses and trams in Bergen in addition to the two Light Rail lines. You can buy one way tickets at vending machines and tap your credit card to pay. When you tap, your credit card becomes your ticket. You only show your credit card if you are asked to do so by a ticket inspector. Skyss also offers the Skyss Billett app for ticket purchases, including day passes.
The Skyss Billet app doesn’t have timetables or routes, so you will also need the Skyss Reise app or Google maps for route planning. Consider buying a Bergen Card as it covers the entire Bergen transit system in addition to a large number of attractions.
Bryggen Wharf, © Can Stock / scanrail
Cruise Ship Visits to Bergen
Until recently, cruise ships ships always docked at the terminal at Skolten, but with the ever increasing size of cruise ships, many ships now dock at Jekteviksterminalen instead. The terminal at Skolten is a bit more friendly for passengers walking off into the old town because Hakon’s Hall, Bryggen and the Mount Floyen funicular are easier to reach.
Ferries from Bergen
Norwegian passenger ferries run from the Jekteviksterminalen south to Hirtshals, Denmark on the Fjord Line and north to Sognefjord and Nordfjord on Norled. You can visit Flam or Stavanger by ferry from Bergen. Bergen is also serviced by Hurtigurten and by Havila on the Coastal Express route all the way to the most northerly point in Europe and to Kirkenes near the Russian border. See below for more information.
Bergen Weather
Bergen is famous for its rainy weather. The North Atlantic current brings moisture to the coast of Norway where it turns to rain as it reaches land. Bergen gets almost 250 cm or 100 inches of rain annually. Rainfall is the lowest in May. The record for consecutive days of rain in Bergen is 85 days.
The height of summer is July and August, when average highs of 65 F (19 C) can be expected, while average lows are 52 F (11 C). From December – February, average high temperatures are 40 F (5 C) and average lows are around the freezing point. The summer months are the most popular for tourism, but as the world climate changes, more visitors are coming in May, September and December.
Norwegian Coastal Express from Bergen
The Coastal Express from Bergen has become popular with tourists recently, although Hurtigruten has been running the service for more than 100 years. The route is a combination of ocean cruising and a ferry service with 34 brief stops between Bergen and Kirknes, around the northern tip of Norway. Havila Voyages began servicing the same route in 2021 with the introduction of its first new ship. Havila now has a brand new fleet of 4 ships.
The Coastal Express route is quite unique, as port stops usually last only a few minutes for loading or unloading freight and passengers. Locals often ride one or two stops and can book a seat to sleep in if they stay overnight. Meanwhile tourists can book cabins with all meals included. The Coastal Express offers shore excursions and the solution is ingenious – you leave the ship at one port and reboard at another. For example, you can disembark at Kristiansund, drive over the Atlantic Ocean Road and join the ship again at Molde. Using this method, both Hurtigruten and Havila can offer full day excursions such as an drive over the Troll Road or access to popular spots on Lofoten Island.
The most popular reasons for tourists to take the Coastal Express are to cross the Arctic Circle, to visit the North Cape and to see the northern lights in winter.
Havila Voyages – Castor
Hurtigruten – Nordnorge
Hurtigruten vs Havila
While Hurtigruten was once the gold standard for Norwegian coastal cruising, since 2021 they have relinquished their #1 rating to Havila on the Coastal Express route. The reasons passengers prefer Havila Voyages are: modern well designed ships, larger cabin sizes, slightly lower prices, a more understandable online booking experience and equally great meals. Passengers like the innovative meal system on Havila, where you order as many smaller sized items as you’d like from a menu instead of visiting a buffet. The one thing passengers don’t like about Havila is the confusing situation at the onboard cafe, where cruise passengers pay for some but not all items and local short trip passengers must pay for everything.
HX Hurtigruten Expeditions
Hurtigruten has been moving to change its profile by pledging to create a new fleet of electric ships. They have also expanded their range of services by offering regular summer service on the Svalbard Line from Bergen to Svalbard and winter cruises on a more direct route to the North Cape. Some of these cruises offer options to connect to Oslo and Helsinki by train as part of the booking. Hurtigruten has expanded globally with HX Hurtigruten Expeditions itineraries around Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, Baffin Island, the Galapagos and even a Northwest Passage transit between Iceland and Alaska. Their smaller expedition vessels offer retractable decks for launching rib boats and kayaks.
Visit Bergen – Background
Bergen is the Gateway to the Fjords of Norway. The city of Bergen in in Western Norway on Vagen Bay. Bergen is the second largest city in Norway. About 400,000 people live there. The city is set among 7 mountains, with the highest being Mount Ulriken. Bergen was incorporated in 1070 and was a member of the Hanseatic League in the 1200s. At that time, haddock fishing drove its economy. The harbor area, called Bryggen, is a World Heritage site. Bergen suffered from many fires over the years, typical of many cities in Europe without access to stone building materials. The locals speak a dialect of Norwegian called Bergensk.
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