Bergen, Norway

Day 1

• Bryggen (the Hanseatic wharf)

  The row of colourful, crooked wooden houses along the harbour, the historic heart of Hanseatic Bergen and a UNESCO site. Behind the facades hide wooden alleys and courtyards, today artisan shops and galleries.

• Bergenhus Fortress and the Rosenkrantz Tower

  One of the oldest and best-preserved stone fortresses in Norway, at the mouth of the harbour: Håkon's Hall (13th century) and the Rosenkrantz Tower are a stone's throw from the Bryggen, and in summer the fortress grounds host concerts.

• KODE museums and the Hanseatic Museum

  The KODE hold one of the largest art collections in Scandinavia (Munch included); the Hanseatic Museum tells the life of the Bryggen's German merchants in the original wooden rooms.

Day 2

• Fløibanen funicular and Mount Fløyen

  Six minutes from the centre to the top of Fløyen: a panoramic view over the city, harbour and islands, woodland trails and, often, grazing goats. The classic trip in any weather.

• Fisketorget (fish market)

  The fish market on the harbour, the city's historic commercial soul: salmon, king crab, shrimp and Nordic specialties, to taste on the spot. Touristy but iconic.

• Fjord cruise (Nærøyfjord, Mostraumen)

  Boat trips to the fjords leave from Bergen: the Nærøyfjord (UNESCO) via Gudvangen, or the shorter Mostraumen cruise among waterfalls and sheer cliffs, in a day.

Day 1

• Ulriken cable car and Mount Ulriken✦ hidden gem

  The highest of Bergen's seven mountains: the cable car climbs to 643 m for an even wider view of the fjords. From here starts the 'Vidden' hiking traverse to Fløyen.

• Troldhaugen, Edvard Grieg's house✦ hidden gem

  The villa-museum of Norway's most famous composer, born in Bergen, overlooking a lake just outside the city: summer concerts in the music hall and the composing hut on the fjord.

• Fantoft Stave Church✦ hidden gem

  A stave church originally from 1170, moved here in the 19th century, destroyed by arson in 1992 and rebuilt using medieval techniques: black timber, dragons on the roof and a Norse-saga atmosphere. Thirty minutes from the centre by Bybanen, and few tourists make it out here.

Day 2

• Gamle Bergen (Old Bergen Museum)✦ hidden gem

  An open-air museum of some fifty 18th- and 19th-century wooden houses dismantled and rebuilt in a bay north of the centre: costumed actors bring period shops and kitchens to life. Ten minutes by bus, and practically only local families.

• Sandviken and the sea warehouses✦ hidden gem

  The district of white wooden houses just north of the Bryggen, with the old fish warehouses on the water: the residential, photogenic Bergen that tour groups never reach, perfect to walk through on the way to Gamle Bergen.

Day 1

• Fisketorget (fish market)

  The fish market on the harbour, the city's historic commercial soul: salmon, king crab, shrimp and Nordic specialties, to taste on the spot. Touristy but iconic.

• Skillingsboller

  Bergen's cinnamon bun, soft and buttery, dusted with sugar: you'll find it in every bakery in town and it's the local afternoon ritual with coffee — Bergen's answer to the cornetto.

Day 2

• Bergensk fiskesuppe (Bergen fish soup)

  The creamy soup of fish, shrimp and vegetables is the city's signature dish: every harbour restaurant has its own version, from the quick bowl at the fish market to refined New Nordic interpretations.

• Raspeballer✦ hidden gem

  Large grated-potato dumplings, often filled with or served alongside klippfisk (salted cod), with bacon, butter and swede: western Norway's peasant dish that many traditional eateries still serve on Thursdays, as custom dictates.