Let us show you some of the top things to do in Bergen, Norway! We spent 3 days in the beautiful city of Bergen during our trip to Norway. Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and is apparently Europe's rainiest city, so make sure to come prepared with your umbrella and rain jacket.

In this post we will cover where to stay in Bergen, what to wear to prepare for that infamous rain, and some of the many fun things to do in Bergen – from exploring the historic wharf to riding a cable car up a mountain (or two).

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Where to stay in Bergen

Where we stayed

This is primarily why we chose the Augustin Hotel – for its history and location. We enjoyed our stay there and would definitely stay there again.

Book your stay: Augustin Hotel on Booking.com

Other places to stay in Bergen

There are many amazing options of where to stay during your time in Bergen. If it is your first time visiting Bergen, as it was for us, it is recommended to stay within walking distance to the Bryggen or Sentrum (city center) as this is the area with most of the top things to do for visitors.

Here are just a few of the top-rated options in these areas of Bergen for every budget:

Hostel ($): City Hostel Bergen
Budget Hotels ($$): Klosterhagen Hotel, Zander K Hotel
Mid-range Hotels ($$$): Clarion Hotel, Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz
High-end Hotel ($$$$): Hotel Norge by Scandic, Opus 16

Explore more Bergen hotels on Booking.com

What to Pack: Be prepared for rain!

Bergen is actually the rainiest city in Europe, with 88.6 inches of precipitation per year. So come prepared for rain! I’m sure you’ve heard the iconic Norwegian saying by now:

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”

As we outlined at the beginning of our Things To Do in Bergen video, it’s all about layering up with a waterproof shell on the outside. Not shown in the video: The waterproof rain pants that we actually ended up buying while in Bergen because it rained so much and our pants were soaked!

What to Wear

Base layers to keep you warm. On top, I had on a long-sleeve thermal and a thick knit sweater as my base layers. On the bottom, I wore leggings and a pair of jeans. Instead of the leggings, I should have worn my merino wool pants to stay warmer!
Waterproof shoes or boots. This is a must so you don’t have to deal with soggy socks all day. We have these Oboz Bridger boots and they worked like a charm.
Thick socks that will keep your feet warm! I would recommend ones with wool like these.
Warm coat, such as a down jacket. We have down jackets like these from Amazon.
Waterproof coat for your outer layer. We both have waterproof shell jackets from The North Face (Mens and Womens).
Waterproof pants. We have waterproof rain pants from Helly Hansen. Like I mentioned above, we actually bought them while in Bergen because of how rainy it was!
Gloves, preferably waterproof. I have the these Sealskinz waterproof gloves.

What to Bring

Umbrella. This is kind of an easy one. Not 100% needed if you have head-to-toe waterproof gear on, but it is nice not being rained on. You can also buy an umbrella in Bergen if you don’t remember to bring yours from home.
Rain protection for your camera. For this trip, we used these plastic rainsleeves for our camera that are very affordable (as shown in the video). Since then, we have invested in the higher-quality Peak Design Camera shell to protect our camera.
Waterproof backpack cover. We have the Osprey Ultralight Raincover that fits over our travel backpacks, the Osprey Farpoint 40.

That pretty much covers the basics on what you should pack for your trip to Bergen to keep yourself warm and dry from the notorious rain. For an in-depth guide of what you should pack for your entire trip to Norway, make sure to check out our Norway Packing List guide.

This detailed Norway Packing List guide explains what to bring for a trip to Norway, covering clothing, hiking gear, camera gear, and more items that you won’t want to forget.

Now that you are ready for the weather, let’s get to the fun stuff – the list of things to do in Bergen!

Explore the iconic Bryggen

The first and most popular “thing to do in Bergen” has got to be the Bryggen. The Bryggen is a historic harbor known for its line of colorful commercial buildings lining the street. The Bryggen is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

During your stay in Bergen, walk down to the Bryggen take some pictures of these beautiful buildings and do some shopping. There are many great souvenir shops and restaurants in the area. At one shop, I was able to buy myself a Dale of Norway knit sweater on sale!

Many of the buildings had interesting ornaments, such as this stag’s head. There was also one building with a leaping unicorn. We spent quite some time here just looking at these interesting buildings.

After admiring the facade of the Bryggen, dive in deeper and walk along the tight alleyways. It felt like a scene out of Harry Potter! Especially with the drizzling rain, the streets felt mystical and beautiful.

Take the funicular up Mount Fløyen

A short 4-minute walk from the Bryggen you will find another one of Bergen’s top attractions: the Mount Fløyen funicular.

If you aren’t familiar, a funicular is basically a cable railway up the side of a mountain. You can take the Floibanen funicular up to the top of Mount Fløyen for breathtaking views over the city of Bergen.

Roundtrip tickets are Kr. 150 for adults and Kr. 75 for children. You can buy tickets in advance online or at the Floibanen building pictured above.

More details: Mount Floyen website

Hike around the Troll Forest at the top of Mt. Fløyen

Besides the incredible panoramic views of Bergen, you can also enjoy exploring the top of Mount Fløyen were there is a park and walking trails through the “Troll Forest”. You can also get a picture with this handsome troll! (The troll statue I mean, not Peter).

We really enjoyed the short hike we did at the top of Mount Fløyen. It was so cool to see how everything was covered in moss and lichen. The forest was eerily beautiful and magical.

Get a drink at the Magic Ice Bar

Make sure to visit Bergen’s Magic Ice Bar during your visit, especially if you haven’t been to an ice bar before. Sure, it’s a bit cheesy but its a lot of fun! This was my second time visiting an ice bar (the first time was in Sweden) and I really enjoyed it.

Everything is carved from ice, including the walls, furniture, and even the cups that your drinks are served in. How cool is that? And this ice bar featured impressive works of art in the ice such as a replica of the famous painting “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. And a Game of Thrones style throne for that perfect Instagram picture.

More details: Magic Ice Bar website

Get a drink at the oldest tavern in Bergen, The Altona

If you fancy yourself another drink, make sure to check out The Altona during your time in Bergen. The Altona is Bergen’s oldest known tavern, dating back to approx. the 17th century (according to VisitNorway).

The Altona is a winebar with over 1000 labels to choose from. Inside, there are six different “caves” with seating connecting by low-ceiling passages which make for a fun experience. So grab yourself a glass of wine, sit back, and enjoy the historic surroundings.

Website: The Altona Vinbar

Go to the top of Mount Ulriken

Another day in Bergen, another mountain to scale! There are actually seven mountains that surround Bergen, and after Mount Fløyen, the second most popular mountain to visit is Mount Ulriken. And like Mount Fløyen, there is a cable car that you can take to the top of Mount Ulriken.

Mount Ulriken is the tallest of the seven mountains that surround Bergen. Tickets for the Ulriken643 cable car cost Kr. 345 for adults roundtrip and Kr. 145 for children roundtrip.

More details: Ulriken Cable Car

On the day that we visited Mount Ulriken there was a cloud covering the peak of the mountain. So we literally went up “into the clouds”! It was crazy how below this cloud line it was a bright and sunny day in the city of Bergen, but on the top of Mount Ulriken is was very floggy and snowing heavily.

There is apparently terrific views of the city of Bergen on a clear day and great hiking at the top of the mountain. Due to the thick fog, we didn’t do much hiking but we had fun playing in the snow.

Get lunch at the cafe on the peak

At the top of Mount Ulriken there is a cafe and restaurant called Skyskraperen.

After spending time in the cold mountain air, we enjoyed a hot coffee and sandwich at the cafe before heading back down the mountain.

Walk around the city and admire the street art and architecture

Bergen is full of beautiful murals, street art, and interesting architecture to admire. You could spend hours just walking the streets of this magnificent city and taking it all in.

Apparently, Bergen is the street art capital of Scandinavia and home to many of Norway’s most famous street artists (source: VisitNorway).

After descending Mount Ulriken by cable car, we decided to walk back to the city center rather than taking a taxi or Uber. It was about a 2-hour walk, but it went by quickly as we leisurely walked through Bergen and observed the city’s buildings and its people going about their days.

Eat dinner at Bryggen Tracteursted

During your stay in Bergen, you should make sure to try some traditional Norwegian food.

Bryggen Tracteursted serves traditional Norwegian food in the form of tapas, or small shared plates, with a wide selection of local beers and Aquavit. This was perfect for us as the tapas allowed us to try more dishes than if we had ordered two regular-sized dinner plates.

Besides the delicious food, Bryggen Tracteursted is located right on the Bryggen, and is a protected site since 1708. This authentic, historic environment is the perfect setting to enjoy the foods of Bergen’s heritage.

More details: Bryggen Tracteursted on VisitNorway

We ordered a cheese board, mussels, cod tongue, and mink whale. Everything was delicious! My favorite had to be the mussels which had a distinct apple flavor.

We also ordered a flight of Aquavit, which we had never tried before. Aquavit is a Norwegian spirit distilled from potatoes or grains, similar to vodka or gin. It’s definitely a must try while in Norway! It was a tasty and fun experience.

Visit the Bergen Fortress

While you are exploring Bergen, make sure to check out the Bergen Fortress. Not only is it an impressive historical landmark of Bergen, but it is actually free to visit! What’s not to love?

The Bergen Fortress overlooks Bergen’s harbor and is only a 6-minute walk from the Bryggen. This stone fortress is one of the oldest and best preserved in Norway. The building of the fortress began in the early 1500s and reached its most complete state around 1700 (source: VisitNorway).

More details: Bergen Fortress on the VisitNorway website

We walked around the fortress grounds for about an hour admiring its impressive stone buildings.

On the grounds there is also a museum, the Bergen Fortress Museum, which is also free to visit. We did not get a chance to visit the museum because it was closed when we went, so make sure to check the hours before your visit! It is open Monday–Sunday from 11:00–17:00.

Are you planning a trip to Bergen, Norway?

Are you planning to visit Bergen? We hope that this blog post has been helpful to you! Or have you been to Bergen, Norway before? If so, please share some other things to do in Bergen in the comments below! We would love to read your suggestions.

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