My Bergen guide with the best sights

Do you sometimes feel like you’ve visited a place and in retrospect think “what did I actually do there all day?” When I look at our pictures of mountains, it’s the same case. We didn’t seem to do much more than photograph the sunset, drive up Fløyberg and then hike down adventurously, drink coffee and eat meatballs.

Bergen was a one-day stopover for us between the stage through the fjord landscapes and the two-day trip with the Hurtigruten ferry to Trondheim. Amazingly, the sun was shining in full splendour, which is almost record-breaking for Bergen.

While we drifted comfortably from alley to alley, we still discovered some very nice corners and of course I don’t want to withhold them from you.

Bryggen – Classic sights par excellence

Strolling along the old harbour front is undoubtedly a must when visiting Norway’s second largest city. The historic buildings from the Hanseatic era are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and really are the perfect postcard motif. Since our hotel – the Clarion Collection Hotel Havnekontoret – was located right next to the old harbour front, we had the ideal starting point for this. The hotel itself is good average. The room price includes both breakfast and a “light” dinner (although the word “light” should be taken literally – the dinner was very poor).

City centre

The city centre of Bergen is small and you can easily get everywhere on foot. A nice place for a short rest is the green lung Lille Lungegardsvann. On the other hand, we were disappointed by the much-praised fish market, which hardly has anything left of an authentic fish market, but is rather a series of food stalls.

Panoramic Mountain and Evil Witches – Floyenbahn

The queue of people in front of the Fløibanen was daunting at first glance. Everyone wanted to take advantage of the sunny hours for a trip to the local mountain. If we hadn’t been equipped with a Bergen Card that guaranteed us free travel, we would probably have marched up. But as it was, we lined up and took the train up. Then we went down on foot. A worthwhile walk through residential areas with pretty wooden houses.

Coffee art and pretty alleys

Thanks to the walk back to the city, we also discovered the small café called Det Lille Kaffekompaniet. The café is located in an idyllic residential street just around the corner from the city centre and serves great coffee creations. Anyway, the many pretty alleys have done it to me much more than the postcard motif of the harbour front. My recommendation for Bergen: just let yourself drift through the side streets. It’s wonderfully adorable!

Local enjoyment

If you want to eat well and inexpensively in Bergen, it is best to orientate yourself on the locals. One of these places where you can find locals at lunchtime is Pingvinen (Vaskerelven 14). Cosy atmosphere, small menu, seasonal dishes – what more could you want?

Evening at the harbour

We were incredibly lucky with the weather. As soon as we arrived, we grabbed our camera and walked around the harbour to escape the sunset.

Note: My stay was supported by Visit Bergen. Thank you very much for this! As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm.