A place of enchantment, Bergen’s epithets include “Trebyen” (Wooden City; it has many wooden houses), “Regnbyen” (Rainy City, due to its 200 days of rain a year), and “Fjordbyen” (Gateway to the fjords). As for the rainy weather, most visitors quickly learn the necessity of rain jackets and umbrellas.
Bergen is even the site of the world’s first umbrella vending machine. Norway’s second-largest city was founded in 1070 by Olav Kyrre as a commercial center. The surviving Hanseatic wooden buildings on Bryggen (the quay) are topped with triangular cookie-cutter roofs and painted in red, blue, yellow, and green. Monuments in themselves (they are on the UNESCO World Heritage List), the buildings tempt travelers and locals to the shops, restaurants, and museums inside.
Evenings, when the Bryggen is illuminated, these modest buildings, together with the stocky Rosenkrantz Tower, the Floyen, and the yachts lining the pier, are reflected in the waters of the harbor—and provide one of the loveliest cityscapes in northern Europe.
The city of Bergen was founded on an old Viking settlement in the year 1070. Bergen – the Gateway to the Fjords of Norway – is worth a visit no matter what time of year, and is a beautiful international town with charm and atmosphere. Bergen is a very popular cruise destination, with more than 250 cruise calls bringing more than 230,000 passengers.
The city, with its 250,000 inhabitants, is surrounded by seven mountains overlooking the sea. The museums and galleries of the historic old parts of town keep both art and it’s ancestral heritage alive. The port is within walking distance of the city centre and it is easy to experience the living history of this modern city.
Along the harbour is the Bryggen – the most intact example of a group of wooden houses representative of an architectural tradition, which dates back almost nine hundred years, and is listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List – as are the fjords, which are the most recent addition to the list.
More highlights are:
- Fløibanen – the Funicular – a five-minute ride to the top of Mount Fløyen gives a magnificent view over the city of Bergen.
- Ulriksbanen – Cable Car Ulriken – takes you to the top of Mount Ulriken, highest of “the 7 mountains” giving a magnificent panorama – the highest viewpoint.
- Bergen Aquarium – one of the finest and most extensive collections of marine fauna in Europe. You can watch the tropical centre and a crocodile exhibition.
- VilVite (Norwegian for want to know) – a science centre and discovery centre for the promotion of science and technology among children and young people of all ages.
- Wooden houses - painted in bright colours area a very special feature of Bergen.
- Art galleries – display international impressive art collections, paintings and art treasurers.
- Shopping – tourists will find lots of tempting shops – from the small and specialised, to large department stores.
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