Bergen was the second city we visited on our road trip to Norway, and we are so happy we had one full day to savour it! Second largest city in Norway by population and density, Bergen turned out to be not only a beautiful place to visit but most certainly my favourite so far!
Read on to discover what you can see and do if you only have one whole day in Bergen (if you can stick around for more, we do recommend it). Sure, I may be biased, but here goes!
What to see and do in Bergen in one day
Bryggen – the UNESCO protected wharf
If you ever venture to Pinterest, Bryggen, also known as the old wharf of Bergen, will be on virtually every must-see list. What makes this site special is that it has been mostly untouched and preserved for hundreds of years (since the 1700s). Bryggen has been crucial for medieval traders from Europe and Norway — Bergen’s location and proximity to the ocean played a major part in this, and it’s still the case today as you can see a number of cruise ships passing through.
We recommend venturing deeper into Bryggen and its smaller streets. These didn’t just provide a cool shade in the heat but had the capacity to transport us to a different time, especially when there were no other people around. Bryggen is definitely worth a visit and it’s really hard to miss, but do avoid the tourist traps (more on that below).
Mount Floyen – a short hike with magnificent views
While sitting in the park, we saw a little train going up and down a mountain in the far distance. After a few minutes of pure wonder (it did go pretty fast) we found out that it was the Fløibanen, a funicular, originally built in 1918 to make climbing mount Floyen more accessible (it only takes five to eight minutes one-way).
If you decide to walk up by foot, note that, although relatively short, the road up Mount Floyen is quite a steep one. There is a path at the northern part of the city centre that takes you through the pretty residential streets up to the top. It was a joy to explore this side of Bergen — traversing the narrow streets and seeing how fellow Scandinavians lived at the elevation of 100-300 metres.
The path is full of sky-high pine trees, fresh air and the sound of the sea. It was one of the most beautiful short hikes we have taken!
“Do you see those stacked pebbles and stones, too?”
On the way to Mount Floyen, we saw plenty of stacked stones in the forest. These little pebbles, carefully laying on top of each other make for a pretty photo but at the time of our visit, we had no idea what they meant! 😅
We had noticed them in the green areas of Oslo, and also during our hikes in Trolltunga and Priekestolen. It appears that the name for these is “cairn” —originating from Scottish, it literally means a human-made pile (or stack) of stones.
Some refer to it as the stone yoga, known for its spiritual meaning to express gratitude while some authorities advice against it. For example, it’s discouraged to stack stones in Aruba as it disturbs the peace and natural habitat of many species! As for us, well, we found them pretty useful, especially on hiking trails where cairns are much larger and are used as guiding points.
Parks are perfect for short breaks
Similar to our experience in Oslo, Bergen too, is a very green city with plenty of places to rest after a long walk. The park next to Lille Lungegårdsvannet was where we started and finished our walk around the city. This place is so centrally located, it’s convenient to get to it from multiple locations in Bergen.
We also enjoyed our stroll along the “coastline” of Bergen. Though, we were a little disappointed to see that there were no beaches per say, only guarded areas where swimmers could jump off to dip into the fjord. Most of the sunbathers were sunbathing on towels on the concrete ground which seemed quite uncomfortable!
We captured most of the pretty moments in our travel video for Bergen, so feel free to give it a watch!
Take an hour to venture around the city
We were especially lucky with the weather. It was sunny and hot in Bergen on the day — up to +27 C which was the hottest day in recorded history! So, we had to time our exploring time to avoid sunstroke. Luckily, Bergen has plenty of opportunities where you can recharge.
While it may not seem so, drinking coffee in the heat can actually help — that much we learnt on our road trip to Italy! So, we had a random coffee shortly after breakfast and found it quite odd that most places were closed even at 10 am, but hey — we would prefer to lead “slower” lives too.
You could feel that even with all the multicultural presence in the city, the rhythm of life was quite calm.
Some of the street art was absolutely beautiful! It’s refreshing to see such a clean city, embracing the creativity of street artists. Eating out in Norway was quite challenging — we mostly shopped for food at supermarkets and had breakfasts at hotels. However, we visited Bare Vestland in Bergen, which is a Norwegian tapas restaurant. Yes! Tapas. It was on the expensive side but totally worth the experience.
Avoiding tourist traps in Bryggen, Bergen
On the downside, we did find quite a few tourist traps around the city. Thanks to its great links (by air and sea), millions of people visit Bergen each year. And as exciting it would be to buy trinkets, odd sausages and fresh seafood meals, most of the products are available in regular shops and are terribly overpriced at said markets!
The most touristy area by far is Bryggen and the fish market right next to it. Sure, you can have a meal there and enjoy the views, but we felt a little overwhelmed by the number of people here and settled for a short look around and quickly left the area.
Wrapping up
All in all, we had a wonderful time in Bergen and couldn’t recommend it more if you are looking for places to visit in Norway. We’d encourage you to avoid the most touristy areas and explore the city on foot as much as possible. The views from Floyen are outstanding and are a perfect way how to round up a day of exploration!
Hope you enjoyed this blog and the photos! Until next time. 😉