Bergen is Norway's second largest city and the most popular gateway to the fjords of West Norway. The city is renowned for its great location amidst mountains, fjords, and the ocean. Steep mountains and highlands within the city offer excellent hiking opportunities. The city center is compact and can easily be covered on foot, while the city as a whole is spacious and sprawling.
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The character of Bergen is defined by its location, surrounded by steep mountains and sea (straits and fjords). The city has many lakes. It is a typical Norwegian wooden town, even downtown there are notable neighbourhoods of small wooden houses in various styles. Few towns if any have so many wooden houses in the centre. In some areas wooden houses have been replaced by taller masonry structures, giving the city a fascinating mix of old and new. Bergen is a sprawling city stretching some 40-50 km in either direction where the 286,000 inhabitants (2021) are separated by mountains, fjords and lakes. Only the central parts are visible from the panorama points at Mount Fløyen.
Downtown Bergen is compact and easy to walk for most visitors. Most sights and hotels are located within few minutes walk within downtown. While the very centre is located on a relatively flat piece of land, there are hills in virtually every direction out of the centre so heading downhill usually leads to centre. The main square is the east/west Torgallmenningen, a pedestrian zone. The Nordnes peninsula points north from the very centre, on the eastern side is Vågen, a small bay and once Bergens main harbour, lined on the eastern side by Bryggen and the Fortress.
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.
1 Bergen Jazzforum, Georgernes verft 12, ☏ +47 55 30 72 50, fax: +47 55 30 72 60, jazz@bergenjazzforum.no. Concerts every Friday except in the summer and during the Christmas holidays. Jazz club with focus on modern jazz. Norwegian Jazz Club Of The Year 2008. Bergen Live. Producing most of the larger pop, rock and hiphop concerts in Bergen. 2 Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (Harmonien), Grieghallen, Edvard Griegs plass 1. Classical concerts every Thursday evening at 19:30. The Bergen philharmonic is one of two national orchestras and was established in 1765. It is regarded as one of the oldest orchestras in the world.The program is varied, but the repertoire is usually quite easy listening.
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. You are not required to leave any money to cover the service, but many people choose to tip the waiter if he or she has been helpful and nice, and if the food was good. If you choose to leave a tip, rounding up or adding about five to ten percent will be appreciated.
There is a great variety of bars, night clubs, concert venues etc. in Bergen. Night clubs are usually open from 23:00, but life never starts before 01:00. Bars opens at different hours, some can be open all day. No places are allowed to serve alcohol after 03:00, and the consumption of alcoholic beverages must cease at 03:30 at the latest. Many places are required to close earlier. The establishments are only allowed to let people bring their drinks outside if they have been granted a special permit. A requirement to get this permit is that they have a confined space outdoors for their guests. All drinks must be indoors by 01:00.
Bergen has, as the rest of Norway, a generally low crime rate. The most likely crimes for tourists to experience is car break-ins and bicycle theft. Pickpockets is also becoming an increasing problem in the summer season, but it's still nothing like in larger cities in Europe. It is always a good idea to look after your belongings, this includes never leaving valuable objects visible in your car and locking your bike safely. There are no particularly unsafe areas in Bergen. The upper part of Nygårdsparken used to be the hang-out place for drug addicts. The lower part of Nygårdsparken is a beautiful place popular among the locals.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Bergen typically sees ~21°C daytime highs and 14 rainy days.
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