22 Best Sights in Bergen, Norway

A trip to this merchant city is incomplete without visiting the historic Hanseatic harborside, Bryggen. A row of mostly reconstructed 14th-century wooden buildings that face the harbor makes this one of the most charming walkways in Europe, especially on a sunny day. Several fires, the latest in 1955, destroyed some of the original structures, but you'd never know it now. Today the old houses hold boutiques and restaurants, and wandering through the wooden alleys here will be a highlight of your trip. Bryggen has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979.

Built in 1885, Troldhaugen was the home of Norway's most famous composer, Edvard Grieg. He composed many of his best-known works in a garden cottage by the lakeshore. In 1867, he married his cousin Nina, a Danish soprano, and they lived in the white clapboard house with green gingerbread trim for 22 years. A salon and gathering place for many Scandinavian artists then, it now houses mementos—a piano, paintings, prints—of the composer's life. The interior has been kept as it was during Grieg's time here. Concerts are held both at Troldhaugen and at the very modern Troldsalen next door.

In a strikingly modern building on the waterfront, and on the open market square by the harbor, the busy fish market is one of Bergen's most popular attractions. Turn-of-the-20th-century photographs of this pungent square show fishermen in Wellington boots and raincoats and women in long aprons. Now the fishmongers wear bright-orange rubber overalls as they look over the day's catch. You'll want to come at lunchtime, when you can enjoy the catch of the day while watching the boats in the harbor. Try a classic Bergen lunch of shrimp or salmon on a baguette with mayonnaise and cucumber. Fruits, vegetables, and flowers are also on offer, as are handicrafts.

A magnificent view of Bergen and its suburbs can be taken in from the top of Mt. Fløyen, the most accessible of the city's seven mountains. The eight-minute ride on the funicular takes you to the top, 320 meters (1,050 feet) above the sea. A car departs at least every half-hour. On the top is a restaurant and café, a shop, and a playground, not to mention friendly mountain goats. Several hiking trails on top of the mountain allow you to explore the scenery. After you visit, you can stroll along the path that goes back to downtown (keep in mind it's a long walk, albeit downhill), or explore the mountains that lead to Ulriken, the highest of the mountains surrounding Bergen.

This open-air museum transports you to the 19th century, when Bergen consisted mostly of wooden houses. Streets and narrow alleys are lined with more than 50 buildings, including a baker, dentist, photographer, and jeweler. Local artists often hold exhibitions here. The grounds and park are open free of charge year-round.

An important Bergen institution and one of the largest museums for art, crafts, design, and music in Scandinavia, KODE is housed in several buildings along Lake Lille Lungeårdsvann. The collection includes the work of such Norwegian artists as Edvard Munch, J. C. Dahl, and Nicolai Astrup.

Focusing on fish found in the North Sea, the Bergen Aquarium is one of the largest in Europe. It has 60 tanks filled with dozens of species from massive salmon to sinewy eels (which tend to wrap around each other), and two outdoor pools that are the home of playful seals, otters, and penguins. There is also a section displaying alligators from different parts of the world. Kids can hold starfish and other creatures in the touch tanks, or watch as trainers feed their charges.

The major buildings at the medieval Bergenhus are Håkonshallen (Håkon's Hall) and Rosenkrantztårnet (Rosenkrantz Tower). Both are open to visitors. Håkonshallen is a royal ceremonial hall erected during the reign of Håkon Håkonsson in the mid-1200s; it sometimes closes for public holidays or special events. It was badly damaged by the explosion of a German ammunition ship in 1944, but was restored by 1961. Erected in the 1560s by the governor of Bergenhus, Erik Rosenkrantz, Rosenkrantztårnet served as a combined residence and fortified tower.

This museum contains archaeological finds from the Middle Ages. An exhibit on Bergen circa 1300 shows the town at the zenith of its importance, and has reconstructed living quarters as well as artifacts such as old tools and shoes. Back then, Bergen was the largest town in Norway, a cosmopolitan trading center and the national capital.

One of the best-preserved buildings in Bergen, the Hanseatic Museum was the 16th-century office and home of an affluent German merchant. The apprentices lived upstairs, in boxed-in beds with windows cut into the wall. Although claustrophobic, the snug rooms had the benefit of being relatively warm—a blessing in the unheated building. In summer, there are daily guided tours in Norwegian, German, French, and English.

During the Middle Ages, when European cathedrals were built in stone, Norway used wood to create unique stave churches. These cultural symbols stand out for their dragon heads, carved doorways, and walls of staves (vertical planks). Though as many as 750 stave churches may have once existed, only 30 remain standing. The original stave church here, built in Fortun in Sogn in 1150 and moved to Fantoft in 1883, burned down in 1992. Since then, the church has been reconstructed to resemble the original structure. Take the light rail to the town of Paradis and walk up Birkelundsbakken to the parking lot on the left-hand side and follow the trail to get to the church

Home of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and stage for the Bergen International Festival, this music hall is a conspicuous slab of glass and concrete that's used throughout the year for cultural events. The acoustics are marvelous. Built in 1978, the hall was named for the city's famous son, composer Edvard Grieg (1843–1907).

Looking out over the pretty Byparken, this Neoclassical edifice was called the Permanenten when it first opened its doors in 1896. The centerpiece of the collection is the Sølvskatten---the Silver Treasure--a glittering display of items of gold, silver, and other precious metals created in Bergen. It also holds an eclectic collection of antiques and artworks from Europe and Asia. The Italian eatery Bien Centro is located on-site.

In a building strongly resembling a huge battery---it was originally the headquarters for an electrical power company---KODE 4 lets you travel through art history with a collection ranging from the 13th century to the 20th, including works by international luminaries like Pablo Picasso and Norwegian favorites like Nikolai Astrup. KunstLab, an art museum geared toward children, is on the ground floor. Foodies will find themselves drawn to Lysverket, a Michelin-starred restaurant specializing in seafood.

St. George's Hospital tended to people with leprosy for more than 500 years, and this unusual museum is now a memorial to the thousands who suffered from the disease as well as a testament to Norway's contribution to leprosy research. The building is surprisingly beautiful, especially the main ward with its tiny examining rooms and the hand-carved wood of the chapel. Many Norwegian doctors have been recognized for their efforts against leprosy, particularly Armauer Hansen, who discovered the leprosy bacteria, and after whom Hansen's disease is named.

From 1873 onward, Lysøen ("Island of Light") was the home of the Norwegian violin virtuoso Ole Bull (1810–80). His over-the-top mansion has an onion dome, gingerbread gables, curved staircases, and cutwork trim, and it's surrounded by 13 km (8 miles) of pathways created by Bull; it's great for picnics, rowing, and swimming in secluded spots. During Bull's long career, he performed frequently throughout Europe and the United States, and even started a short-lived utopian colony—Oleana—in Pennsylvania. After founding the first national theater in Norway, he chose the young playwright Henrik Ibsen to write full-time for the theater, and later encouraged and promoted another neophyte—Edvard Grieg, then 15 years old. If you drive or take a bus here, the last part of the journey is on a ferry from Buena quay at Lysekloster. In the summer there are guided tours sponsored by the KODE museum in Bergen.