The colourful Hanseatic wharf and rainy fjord gateway between seven mountains.
Bergen works best as a 2-day city break. Bergen is Norway's second city and the gateway to the western fjords, a rainy port strung along a sheltered harbour between seven green mountains. Its heart is the UNESCO-listed Bryggen wharf, a row of crooked coloured wooden Hanseatic houses laced with creaking alleys, with the open-air Fish Market on the water just across the harbour. From the centre the Floibanen funicular hauls you up Mount Floyen for the classic view over the rooftops, the fjords and the peaks. This is a mild but famously wet place, the birthplace of composer Edvard Grieg and the departure point for Naeroyfjord cruises and the scenic Bergen Railway down from Oslo. This guide splits two or three days so you get Bryggen and the harbour, Floyen and the museums, and, with a third day, a fjord trip.
Ideal stay
2 days
Best months
Jun · Jul · Aug
Mid budget
150 EUR/day
Airport
Bergen airport at Flesland sits about 12km south of the centre
Four picks that cover the realistic range, from splurge to budget. Prices are low-season starting points; check live rates for your dates.
Special occasions€€€Grieg-family design hotel · Sentrum and Bryggen
A design five-star in a historic former bank building in the centre, run by descendants of composer Edvard Grieg's family. It is a short walk from Bryggen and the funicular, with a quiet, refined feel.
from ~280 EUR/night
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Couples€€Antique-filled townhouse hotel · Mohlenpris and Nygard
A charming family-run hotel spread across 19th-century wooden townhouses near the university, full of antiques and old paintings. It is a 15-minute walk to Bryggen and one of the more characterful mid-range picks in a pricey city.
from ~170 EUR/night
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First visit€€Harbourside by Bryggen · Sentrum and Bryggen
A comfortable, well-located hotel right by the Bryggen wharf and the harbour, walkable to the Fish Market, the funicular and the museums. Rooms are practical rather than plush, but the position is hard to beat for a first trip.
from ~150 EUR/night
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Budget€Smart budget hotel · Sentrum and Bryggen
A self-service smart budget hotel in the centre, with bright simple rooms and self check-in that keeps the price down. It is cheap only by Norwegian standards, but it is a reliable, central base for a costly city.
from ~70 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
A little history
Bergen was founded around 1070 by King Olav Kyrre and served as Norway's capital and biggest town for much of the Middle Ages. From the 14th century it was a key trading post of the German Hanseatic League, whose merchants ran the Bryggen wharf and grew rich on the stockfish shipped down from the north. Fire repeatedly gutted the tightly packed wooden town, so Bryggen was rebuilt time and again on its old lines and finally UNESCO-listed in 1979. A rainy fishing and shipping port and the birthplace of composer Edvard Grieg, Bergen is today the cruise-and-fjord gateway of western Norway.
Bergen is known for
Pick the itinerary that matches your trip. Each one is a full day-by-day plan, not a list of 30 things to squeeze in.
2
days
Two full days covers the core of Bergen comfortably. The centre is compact and flat, so the Bryggen wharf and its museums, the Fish Market, the Floibanen funicular up Mount Floyen, the KODE galleries by the lake and the aquarium out on Nordnes all fit without a rush.
See the itinerary →
3
days
Three days is the relaxed amount for Bergen: the same walkable centre as the two-day trip, plus a full day for a fjord cruise or the mountains. The first two days take Bryggen and its museums, the Fish Market, the Floibanen up Mount Floyen, the KODE galleries and Nordnes with its aquarium, all on foot from a central base around Bryggen.
See the itinerary →
Bergen has a walkable center, so the neighborhood you pick sets the tone of the whole trip.
Sentrum and Bryggen
First visit
The centre gathers around the Bryggen wharf, the harbour known as Vagen and the Fish Market, with the Floibanen station, the museums and the shops all a short flat walk apart.
Nordnes
Local life
Nordnes is the leafy peninsula that reaches out west of the centre, a quiet grid of old white wooden houses ending at the sea baths and the aquarium at its tip.
Sandviken
Local life
Sandviken is the old wooden harbourside district just north of Bryggen, a string of white timber warehouses and homes above little boat-lined coves, with the open-air Gamle Bergen museum at its far end.
Colored months are the sweet spot. Struck-through months come with a warning. Each page covers weather, crowds, prices and what to pack.
Tight budget?
Bergen on a budget: same trip, around 80 EUR a day
Read the budget guide →
Pairs well with
2 days is the sweet spot for Bergen. The centre is compact and flat, so the Bryggen wharf and its museums, the Fish Market, the Floibanen funicular up Mount Floyen, the KODE galleries by the lake and the aquarium out on Nordnes all fit without a rush
The best months are June, July, August. Think twice about January / November: Deep winter with highs near 4C, though the Gulf Stream keeps it mild and wet rather than truly cold, so expect rain as much as snow. Daylight is short, many fjord tours pause for the season, and rooms are at their cheapest; pack proper waterproofs, as the local saying goes that there is no bad weather, only bad clothing.
Bergen sits above the European average. Plan roughly 80 EUR per day on a tight budget, 150 EUR for a comfortable mid-range trip, and 280 EUR and up if you want top hotels and restaurants.
Sentrum and Bryggen is the safest first-visit base. The centre gathers around the Bryggen wharf, the harbour known as Vagen and the Fish Market, with the Floibanen station, the museums and the shops all a short flat walk apart. It is the obvious base on a first, short trip, atmospheric by the water and lively when the cruise ships are in. Stay here to have everything on your doorstep and the funicular minutes away.
Yes. Bergen has a walkable center, so most of a short trip is done on foot. Bergen airport at Flesland sits about 12km south of the centre, and there are three sensible ways in. The Bybanen light rail, Line 1, runs from a stop right outside the terminal to Byparken in the centre in about 45 minutes for around 40 NOK, bought from the machine or the app before you board. The Flybussen airport coach is a touch quicker at roughly 30 minutes and drops at the bus station and a few central hotels. A taxi is the pricey option at around 400 to 500 NOK, so it only makes sense if you are in a group or arriving very late.
Bergen airport at Flesland sits about 12km south of the centre, and there are three sensible ways in. The Bybanen light rail, Line 1, runs from a stop right outside the terminal to Byparken in the centre in about 45 minutes for around 40 NOK, bought from the machine or the app before you board. The Flybussen airport coach is a touch quicker at roughly 30 minutes and drops at the bus station and a few central hotels. A taxi is the pricey option at around 400 to 500 NOK, so it only makes sense if you are in a group or arriving very late. It is the cheapest and usually the fastest option.
Bergen is best known for Bryggen wharf, The fjords, Floibanen funicular, Fish Market, Rain, Edvard Grieg. Bergen was founded around 1070 by King Olav Kyrre and served as Norway's capital and biggest town for much of the Middle Ages.