11 essentials: what to see and do in Bergen (Norway Fjords) in 1 day

When you consider a trip to the Norwegian Fjords, surely the city of Bergen It's on your route.

In fact, the image of the colorful houses of his Bryggen neighborhood It is one of the icons of this region of a beautiful Scandinavian country, very visited by tourists in summer, and where it is well worth travel out of seasonEven in winter.

I tell you that the image of Bergen postcard I am sure that after your trip it will remain in your retina forever.

Curiosities history of Bergen and the Hanseatic League

That image is the best current reflection of the Bergen history, a city that until the 13th century was the capital of Norway,

But above all, this history has been linked to the Hanseatic League, That association of northern European cities which was established in the 14th century for commercial purposes.

While Bergen It never belonged to said association, but it became an enclave of great importance for German trade in northern Europe.

Nowadays Bergen has been declared Heritage awarded by the Unesco, and it is a preferred city to visit for those of us who travel to Norway.

How to get to Bergen from Spain

For get to Bergen from Spain, in the summer season you have direct flights from Barcelona, ​​and from its airport, which is 17 kilometers from the city center, you will arrive in about 30-40 minutes.

The rest of the year you must opt ​​for a flight with a stopover, specifically, in Oslo.

How to visit Bergen by cruise

Of course, currently the city of Bergen It is also one of the fixed stages on the route of the Norwegian fjord cruises.

In fact, in addition to oil and fishing, one of its main sources of income is , making, yes, Bergen In summer it is full of cruise passengers.

Furthermore, it is a city where the cruise ship It reaches the port, so that tourists can walk to the center, since it is small and very easy to visit.

From Bergen cruise passengers also do excursions in the surrounding areaas sail a boat through the fjord, climb on the Flam Train or make one Hardangerfjord excursion.

If you are going to go to this Norwegian city on a cruise ship, here you can sign up for a Bergen tour for cruise passengers in which with a guide in spanish and lasting four hours, you will quickly visit the main corners of the city.

If, on the other hand, you want to avoid mass tourism that is concentrated in Bergen during almost the entire summer, I can confirm that if you travel outside of the summer season, even in winter, you will know the most native Bergen, that is, a very picturesque and small fishing town with great charm.

What to see and do when visiting Bergen for tourism

Bergen It is a city that is surrounded by seven hills, at the entrance to a fjord 15 kilometers long.

As a curiosity, I will also tell you that it is classified as smart city by the garbage recycling system with 470 containers in the city, so that thanks to a system of turbines, the garbage travels at 70 km/hour to the outskirts of the city, where it is recycled.

In order to plan your Bergen visit, here I suggest the best places to see during it, and what are the most interesting corners of what is perhaps the most beautiful city in Norway.

On the other hand, you also have the option of signing up for a private tour of Bergen with guide in spanish, or to know the surroundings of Bergen with seaplane tour of the fjords with a flight duration of 30 or 50 minutes.

Bryggen neighborhood in Bergen

Without a doubt the most outstanding corner that you will see in Bergen is the one mentioned above Bryggen neighborhood, where you will find the most charming buildings in the hanseatic city.

Located next to the Bergen port, it is a small group of 62 wooden houses with very colorful facades, all of them built after a great fire that occurred in 1702.

This neighborhood, which was in the process of degradation in the middle of the last century, has recently been booming and is now inhabited by a community of artists.

During your walk through Bryggen You will see craft shops, fashion and restaurants.

Hanseatic Museum in Bergen

Next to Bryggen you can visit the hanseatic museum dedicated to the history of Bergen's connection with the aforementioned trade association.

You can also see some curious buildings such as the old Meat Market, now converted into a shopping center with cafe Starbucks included.

St. Mary's Church in Bergen

Also in this area of ​​the port is the church of Santa Maria, which was built in 1140, and is the oldest building preserved in the city.

De romantic style, was bombed during the Second World War, and of its four covers, the most notable is the south one for preserving its Romanesque decoration with plant elements and lions on the capitals.

Fish market in the port of Bergen

Another place very visited by tourists is the Fish market which is next to the port.

It is actually an open-air market that you can see in summer with several stalls where you can buy fish and seafood, as well as taste Norwegian fish specialties.

Or even curious sausages made with reindeer or whale meat.

Near this market, next to the headquarters of the Bergen tourist office, there is a glass building with various restaurants, the Fish Me Fishmarket, a very visited place where you can also eat fish dishes.

Walk along the Nordnes Peninsula in Bergen

In the south shore of Bergen harbor, opposite to the aforementioned Bryggen neighborhood, it is worth walking through Strandsiden neighborhood, where there are beautiful corners with wooden houses.

You can also see the Nykirken church from the mid-1621th century, whose origin is one built in XNUMX on the foundations of the old archiepiscopal palace.

Walk through the center of Bergen

Beyond exploring the surroundings of the port, you can also stroll through the streets of the city ​​center, which will not take you much time since all its main corners and monuments are very concentrated.

La Blue Stone square It is the nerve center of it, and from it you can see the church of san juan, the largest and tallest in Bergen.

Built in 1893, it is an architectural copy of Oslo Cathedral.

There you also find a curious monument dedicated to fishermen in which you discover that the Vikings never had horns on their helmets.

Statue of Edvard Grieg in Bergen

On that walk you will see some gardens, like the one at the Festplasen square, which you will recognize by its music kiosk, and because it is located next to a small pond, and where the statue dedicated Edvard Grieg, famous Norwegian composer.

St. Olaf's Cathedral in Bergen

In this area you can also see the St. Olaf's Cathedral in Bergen, whose origins date back to a church built by the Franciscans around the year 1150, which was seriously damaged in two fires that occurred in the mid-XNUMXth century.

With the arrival in Norway of the Lutheran Reformation In 1527, the church that was in ruins was restored by the first Lutheran bishop, and had to be rebuilt again due to other fires in the XNUMXth century.

In the 19th century it was restored again, the rococo decoration disappearing from its interior, leaving it with the current, more austere style in line with that of the original Franciscan church.

Kode Museum in Bergen

In your trip to Bergen You can also spend some time visiting an interesting art collection, which is located in the Kode museum.

Distributed in four different buildings, in this museum you can see, among others, works by Pablo Picasso y Paul Klee, although it is worth highlighting in the Code 3 the collection of the famous Norwegian artist Edvard Munch.

Take the funicular to the Floyen viewpoint in Bergen

Although the most iconic images of a Norwegian fjord city are those of Alesund from the viewpoint of Mount AkslaI will tell you that it is also very worth it go up to a viewpoint in Bergen.

Specifically, to Mount Floyen viewpoint you will arrive through the Floibanen funicular (round trip price, 9,50 euros) whose station is very close to the port.

With hours from 8 in the morning to 11 at night, in just five minutes you will go up to a viewpoint from which you have excellent panoramic views of Bergen with its famous port and the Bryggen neighborhood in the foreground.

Boat trip on the Bergen Fjord

If in your Bergen visit you have time to enjoy Adventure activities, you have the possibility of signing up for one of the fjord excursions, which are done by speedboat with different durations.

On these excursions you will sail through the fjord and have a very different vision from the more typical visit to Bergen.