Bergen is Norway’s second-largest city and the classic base for exploring Fjord Norway, with a compact center that’s easy for tourists to cover on foot. It’s best known for the UNESCO-listed Bryggen wharf, Bergen’s former Hanseatic trading quarter, where the tight alleyways and wooden buildings make the city’s history feel close-up rather than museum-distant. Many visitors use Bergen as a launch point for fjord cruises and guided day trips, then come back to a city that’s strong on seafood and culture.
Ride the Fløibanen funicular up to Mount Fløyen for a sweeping viewpoint over the city and surrounding mountains. Back at street level, the Fish Market is an easy browse for local flavors, while Kode is a major stop for art, design, and music in the Nordic region.
Bergen is Norway’s second-largest city and the classic base for exploring Fjord Norway, with a compact center that’s easy to cover on foot. Best known for the UNESCO-listed Bryggen wharf.
Bergen Harbour (Vågen)
Bergen's living waterfront
Bryggen
Bergen's Hanseatic waterfront
Mount Fløyen
Bergen's best city viewpoint
Opus 16 Hotel Bergen
Quiet luxury in a former bank
Skostredet Hotel & Spa
Japandi design in Bergen
Bergen Børs Hotel
Grand history, grand design
Fløibanen Upper Station (Mount Fløyen)
Bergen's rooftop viewpoint
Fløibanen
Bergen's six-minute summit
Mount Fløyen Hiking Trails
Bergen's backyard mountain
Home Hotel Havnekontoret
A 1920s port office with free food
Charmante Skostredet Hôtel
Bergen's moody Parisian fantasy
Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz Bergen
Sleep central, eat free
Ulriksbanen
Bergen's highest summit view
2 Døtre Apartments by Hotel Park
Your own apartment in a restored 1882 building
Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene
Bergen's merchant history
Hotel Park Bergen
A 19th-century townhouse
Zander K Hotel
Concrete cool near Bergen station
Bryggens Museum
Medieval Bergen underfoot
Grand Hotel Terminus
Bergen's 1928 railway grande dame
Home Hotel Bryggen
Free dinner saves your budget
Hotel No13
Dead centre of Bergen
Klosterhagen Hotel
A real home in Bergen's quietest neighborhood
Thon Hotel Orion
Right on Bryggen without the chaos
Clarion Hotel Admiral
Wake up facing Bryggen
Det Hanseatiske Hotel
16th-century atmosphere
Thon Hotel Bristol, Bergen
Right on the main square
Forenom Bergen Apartments
City center self-catering
Travel guides
The Norway in a Nutshell route connects Oslo and Bergen through some of the most dramatic scenery in northern Europe. Trains, mountains, fjords, all in 2 days.
Top things to do
A quick funicular ride from central Bergen to a summit with views over the city, fjords, and islands, plus forest trails that leave the crowds behind within minutes.
Bergen's harbour is a compact, walkable waterfront where centuries-old Hanseatic timber buildings meet an active working port. Get there early in the morning before the cruise crowds arrive.
A preserved Hanseatic trading wharf where narrow wooden alleyways behind the facade hold artisan studios, small galleries, and centuries of layered architecture.
Full panorama of Bergen's peninsula, harbour, and surrounding fjords. Hiking trails start right at the top.
A free, one-hour hike from Bergen's city centre to a 320-meter summit with fjord views and a trail network stretching well beyond the tourist zone.
A six-minute funicular ride from Bergen's center to a 320-meter summit with panoramic views over the city, fjords, and islands, plus direct access to a network of hiking trails.
Best hotels
A family-owned boutique hotel with real heritage, exceptional beds, and one of Norway's best hotel breakfasts, right in the centre of Bergen.
A brand-new design hotel with a Michelin-starred sushi restaurant on a great Bergen street.
A beautifully converted 1862 stock exchange at the absolute dead center of Bergen, with one of Norway's best hotel breakfast rooms.
A 41-room boutique hotel with genuine personality, an outstanding à la carte breakfast, and one of Bergen's best locations.
A genuinely atmospheric heritage building right on the Bryggen wharf, with included breakfast, afternoon waffles, and evening meal.
Free evening meals (Mon-Thu, outside summer) and an exceptional breakfast make this the best food-value hotel in Bergen.