Bergen Travel: Museums, Art Galleries, Bryggen and Restaurants

The buildings surrounding me are from the 18th century, built upon the foundations of the original buildings from the 12th century. This harbour front strip has seen seafaring activity that has developed the city of Bergen, Norway. The bundle of wooden houses along the city’s downtown Hanseatic wharf are here to stay. Called Bryggen, they’re a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most popular attractions of Bergen.

Bryggen Bergen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Norway.

I do some strolling in and out of the buildings, checking out the cute jewellery shops, clothing boutiques and eateries; I walk along the rest of the waterfront to the busy fish market, where you can taste smoked whale.

As with most seaside cities, there’s a lift that takes you up to where the best views are. In Bergen, there’s a funicular that reaches 320 metres above sea level to a viewing platform. There’s also a restaurant, gift shop and a giant troll, perfect for a touristy photo (we got one!). You can also skip the funicular and take the stairs up and down, the Norwegian version of Vancouver’s Grouse Grind.

Bergen Art Galleries and Museums
Bergen is a fantastic city, smaller than the capital of Oslo and nicer all ‘round. Surrounding the Lille Lungegårdsvann (a giant water fountain spanning several blocks) are the main art galleries – Bergen Art Museum, Contemporary Art Centre, Rasmus Meyer Collection, and West Norway Museum of Decorative Arts – where you could spend a few hours in a select few or a couple of days.

The Bryggen Bergen Hanseatic Harbour in Norway.

Bergen Restaurants
The central pedestrian-only street, Torgallmenningen, is a wide boulevard with shops lining each side. Hidden above the strip of stores on the second floor is a gorgeously preserved building with an equally lovely interior. Although it seems out of place, just ignore the strip mall-like atmosphere and go upstairs. Holbergstuen serves a delightful fish-heavy menu.

Not my favourite, but popular, is the Floien Folkerestaurant at the top of the funicular. It’s got an overview of Bergen, which is stunning on a clear day, and the food is pretty good. Nothing more, nothing less.

View of Bergen from the Funicular, Norway.

To finish off our visit to Bergen, our time in Norway and the last night of our trip, we went to Enhjørningen Fiske Restaurant (The Unicorn Fish Restaurant), in one of the Bryggen buildings. I hadn’t noticed it earlier, but it seemed all those who knew about it kept it busy, as the place stayed full all night.

There were many skåls (like “cheers”), wine drinking and much consumption of fish. This historical restaurant was the perfect way to end an unforgettable trip.

Read more articles about Norway here.

(I travelled as a guest of the Eurail Group, Visit Norway and Visit Bergen.)

Tags: Art Galleries, Asian restaurants, Bergen Art Museum, Bergen Travel, Bryggen Bergen, Contemporary Art Centre, funicular, Hanseatic wharf, Museums, Norway, Rasmus Meyer Collection, Restaurants, skal, smoked whale, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Unicorn Fish Restaurant, West Norway Museum of Decorative Arts