Bergen
Bergen is a city and municipality in the Vestland county on the west coast of Norway.
Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital, Oslo.
Getting to Bergen
- 01Bergen Airport Flesland
The main international airports with flights to Bergen are Copenhagen, London, and Amsterdam.
- 02Bergen
Worth seeing
There's a number of attractions in Bergen and the surrounding areas. Surveys do, however, show that most tourists in Bergen find the atmosphere, cultural landscape and architecture more compelling than the typical sights, so pick a few things to see and spend the rest of your time in Bergen sitting down in a park or café, strolling around the city, enjoying a concert or hiking the mountains.
- 01Fjellveien
Runs for several kilometers between Sandviken and Bellevue, largely horizontal and pedestrian.
- 02Skansen
- 03Tippetue
- 04Nordnes
Lovely place on the highest point of Nordnes peninsula, towards the aquarium.
- 05Nordnes
- 06St Johns
John's Church (Johanneskirken) dominates the top of Nygårdshøyden, the hill that hosts the University of Bergen.
Things to do
- 01Bergen Jazzforum
Georgernes verft 12, fax: +47 55 30 72 60, jazz@bergenjazzforum.no.
- 02Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
- 03Det Akademiske Kvarter
Olav Kyrresgate 49, kontakt@kvarteret.no.
- 04BIT Teatergarasjen
Nøstegaten 54, info@bit-teatergarasjen.no.
- 05Den Nationale Scene
In a beautifully restored building, the theater presents a variety of plays on three different stages, from traditional Ibsen to contemporary plays.
- 06Bergen International Film Festival
Where to eat
There is a great variety of restaurants and cafes in Bergen, but you should expect to spend some time looking for the best places. In the most central parts of the city, many of the restaurants are all the same. Move a block away from the most central parts of downtown to find lower prices and better food. Kitchens usually close at 23:00 at the latest. Waiters and other restaurant staff have good wages.
- 01Pasta Sentral
Cheap and decent pasta and pizza for students and budget travellers alike.
- 02Kafe Spesial
Situated on the slope towards the university area so clientele is largely students.
- 03Bergen Kebab
Though selling the cheapest kebabs in town, Bergen Kebab manages to maintain a decent level of service and quality.
- 04Hot Wok City
Good-quality Chinese food freshly cooked in the open kitchen.
- 05Brød & Vin
Dimly lit restaurant and Asian inspired food.
Getting around Bergen the local way
- Get inThe southern approach (E39) comes from the Halhjem ferry dock at Os and arrives downtown just before the long tunnel.
- Get inIncludes ferry crossing at Gjermundshamn-Årsnes.
- Get inTake road 13 to Odda, then 555 to Utne and the ferry to Kvanndal.
- Get inVisit the Barony at Rosendal or try summer skiing at the glacier, then take the ferry from Løfallstrand to Gjermundhavn.
- Get inDrive to Eikelandsosen and take the short Venjaneset-Hatvik ferry crossing, or drive to Tysse and over Gullbotn to Bergen.
- Get inAs for the Numedal route this is a good alternative if you’re starting from the districts south of Oslo - or if you arrive on a ferry (Horten, Sandefjord, Langesund, Larvik, etc.) |} If you plan to cross the mountains (for instance by driving from Oslo to Bergen) in the winter season, it is imperative that you are prepared for the journey.
- Get inThe trip takes approximately 5 hours and includes 2 ferries.
- Get inFrom Ålesund or any of the other cities, towns and villages north of Bergen The shortest road is E39, preferably using route 60 past Stryn which saves one ferry crossing.
From Wikivoyage: Bergen, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.