Stand at the top of the Fløibanen funicular on a clear afternoon and the whole city opens below you: the harbour, the peninsula of Nordnes, the wooden rooftops climbing the slopes behind Bryggen. Bergen rewards travellers who treat the city itself as the attraction rather than a checklist of sights.
This guide suits anyone with a day or two to spend on foot, in any weather. Bergen sees a great deal of rain, so plan around short walks, museums and cafés rather than long outdoor stretches. On sunny summer days, stay downtown until late to enjoy the sunset in the north.
Top things to do in Bergen
1. Fløibanen
Fløibanen is a funicular that climbs from the city centre to Fløyen, a plateau in the mountain massif north-east of the city. From the top you get a great view of the city, and the funicular and plateau are both accessible with a wheelchair. Expect queues, but they move fast.
Combine the ride up with the Tippetue footpath if you want to walk part of the way down, or with the traditional streets of the Fjellsiden neighbourhood around the track.
2. Bryggen
What remains of Bergen's old quays, Bryggen is a World Heritage Site and was the centre of Hanseatic trade in the city. It is the natural starting point for a walk along the harbour.
Pair it with St. Mary's Church, which sits behind Bryggen, and with the Skuteviken neighbourhood just east of the fortress.
3. The fish market (Fisketorget)
Bergen's outdoor fish market at Torget has a long history as the historical centre for fish trade. It is now dominated by makeshift souvenir shops and seafood stalls, and the seafood is generally of only OK quality, but you can still get a good idea of what locals eat and try some of the stranger fish. Free samples are usually available of the more common items such as whale, salmon and salmon caviar.
Go in the morning if you want to see it at its liveliest, and continue on foot to Bryggen or the Fløibanen lower station.
4. KODE Art museums
KODE is one of the largest art museums in the Nordic countries, with art from the renaissance as well as contemporary work, and it houses several of Edvard Munch's works. It sits by Lille Lungegårdsvann, an easy walk from the fish market.
Allow a couple of hours, and check the seasonal opening times before you go, as hours differ between summer and winter.
5. Nordnes park
A pleasant park at the very tip of the Nordnes peninsula, beyond the aquarium, and a good place to sit towards the sunset on late summer evenings. The highest point of the peninsula, at Nordnes panorama, is also easily reached.
Walk out through the traditional wooden houses on the slopes of Nordnes on your way there.
6. Bergen Aquarium (Akvariet i Bergen)
The aquarium has a nice selection of aquatic life, especially penguins and seals. Typical Norwegian aquatic life is well documented, and there is also a collection of tropical fish and animals and a shark tank with an underwater glass tunnel. It is fun for kids.
It is a walk of about 20 minutes from the city centre, or you can use bus line 11. Indoor parking is available but usually full in the summer season.
7. St. Mary's Church (Mariakirken)
The oldest remaining building in Bergen, St. Mary's Church was built in the 12th century, presumably around 1150. It is the best preserved of the city's three medieval churches and one of the few basilica-shaped churches in Norway.
It sits behind Bryggen, so it fits naturally into a walk along the old harbour.
8. St. Jørgen's Hospital (The Leprosy Museum)
One of very few preserved leprosy hospitals from the 18th century in Northern Europe, and the place where Armauer Hansen discovered the bacteria that causes leprosy in 1873. The museum tells the story of the disease and its history in Norway, and the complex also includes a wooden church. A visit is a unique but disturbing experience.
Note that it is only open for part of the year, so check before planning your day around it.
9. Fjellveien panorama road
Fjellveien runs for several kilometres between Sandviken and Bellevue, largely horizontal and pedestrian, uphill from the city centre. It gives a bird's eye view over the traditional wooden architecture below.
Walk it in combination with the Sandviken neighbourhood, where there is a nice collection of traditional white wooden houses near the small market square.
10. Skansen panorama point
An excellent and easily available panorama point just above the funicular's lowest station, uphill from the city centre. It sits right in front of the old fire outlook, a small white wooden tower now used by one of the city's buekorps.
It is a short climb from the Fløibanen station, so it works well as a stop before or after the funicular.
11. Tippetue panorama point
A panorama point on the Tippetue footpath to Mt. Fløyen, reached by hiking uphill from the city or downhill from Fløyen. It is free and accessible at any hour.
Use it as a halfway rest if you are walking down from the Fløyen plateau instead of taking the funicular.
12. St Johns (Johanneskirken)
St. John's Church dominates the top of Nygårdshøyden, the hill that hosts the University of Bergen, and gives a nice view of the very centre.
It is close to the KODE museums and the Lille Lungegårdsvann area, so it fits into a downtown afternoon.
13. The West Norway Museum of Decorative Art (Permanenten)
A museum of design and decorative art by the music pavilion, holding Norway's largest collection of Chinese art.
Opening hours vary by season, with longer daily hours in the summer months.
14. Statsraad Lehmkuhl
A three-masted barque sail training vessel built in 1914, one of the best kept in its kind, usually moored at Bergen harbour shed 7 at the end of Bryggen, across the street from Bergenhus fort. Mini cruises of about five and a half hours run a few times a year, and longer week-long cruises to Europe are available for the more adventurous, where you live and work as a sailor.
Tickets for the mini cruises should be bought well in advance.
15. Traditional wooden neighbourhoods
Bergen is one of the few major towns where the traditional style of small wooden houses around narrow streets and passages still dominates several neighbourhoods downtown. The Fjellsiden neighbourhood, Marken, Ladegården and upper Sandviken, Skuteviken and Sandviken are all worth a relaxed stroll, and the view from Fjellveien gives a bird's eye view of them.
Show respect for those living there while you walk by, and keep to daytime hours in Skuteviken.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the fish market (Fisketorget) at Torget, then walk along Bryggen and behind it to St. Mary's Church. Continue east to the Skuteviken neighbourhood for a short look at the traditional wooden houses around the small bay.
Afternoon: Take the Fløibanen up to Fløyen for the view over the city, and stop at Skansen panorama point just above the funicular's lowest station on your way back down. If you prefer to stay at sea level, walk the Fjellveien panorama road instead and finish in the Sandviken neighbourhood.
Evening: Walk out through Nordnes to Nordnes park at the tip of the peninsula, and stay for the sunset if it is a late summer evening. If the weather turns, the KODE Art museums or the West Norway Museum of Decorative Art are both close to the centre.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do in Bergen if it rains?
Bergen has a mild winter climate with significant precipitation, so build indoor stops into your plan. The KODE Art museums, the West Norway Museum of Decorative Art, the Leprosy Museum and the Bergen Aquarium are all indoor options, and the Fløibanen still gives you the view from Fløyen.
Is the Fløibanen accessible for wheelchair users?
Yes. Accessing Fløibanen and the plateau on Fløyen with a wheelchair is described as a piece of cake, with no steps where lifts are not available without assistance and doors that are wide.
When is the best time to see the sunset in Bergen?
On sunny summer days, stay downtown until late to enjoy the sunset in the north. Nordnes park at the tip of the peninsula faces the sunset on late summer evenings.
Do I need to book the Statsraad Lehmkuhl mini cruise in advance?
Yes. Mini cruises of approximately five and a half hours run a few times a year, and tickets should be bought well in advance.
Pick a few of these, leave room for a café and a slow walk along the harbour, and start planning your days in Bergen around the weather rather than against it.