Bergen, Norway is one of the main inspirations for the fictional town of Arendelle in Disney’s Frozen, but there’s so much more to do in this charming city than blast the Frozen soundtrack while running around pretending you’re Anna or Elsa (just me?)
I spent 4 days here and left wishing I had more time since there’s just so many fun things to do in Bergen, Norway! I’ll be back.
1. Catch Local Fish & Crab On A Boutique Fishing Tour
I flew to Norway with my friend Sophie (we’re both American, hello!) and since we both our outdoorsy, I booked us on a small fishing tour. This was hands-down our favorite activity we did in Bergen. I had no idea what to expect, but walked away wishing I could tell every single tourist about this fishing tour.
We went through Fjord Tours and they limit the guests to 6-7 max, so everyone has time to get to know each other and have space on the boat. They pick you up in downtown Bergen city center and then drive you out to the Øygarden islands (about 45 minutes).
Here, they give you a warm wet suit and supplies, and you board into a fishing boat for a couple hours of trying your luck! Our guide was fantastic, she knew all the best spots to fish and everyone ended up catching at least one fish. The views were incredible from the water, and I couldn’t help but think about how 99% of tourists to Norway never make it to these islands. Felt very special.
Then, we went back to the fish hut and the team cooked up our fish in a traditional fish stew. I live in San Francisco and I get fresh fish regularly, but truly nothing tastes better than fresh fish you caught yourself literally 20 minutes go.
You simply must do this tour! PS, the other gals in our group originally had booked a kayaking tour with the same company but the wind was too strong to safely go out. They switched to our fishing tour and were worried they wouldn’t like it, but loved it. You’ll love it, too!
2. Try Brown Cheese, The Best Cheese In The World
I don’t have a photo of brown cheese (aka Brunost) to include in this blog post since every time I encountered it while in Norway, I gobbled it right up.
Brown cheese is carmelized cheese, usually goat or cow, and it tastes like this delicious butterscotch caramel heaven in your mouth. It’s a very “Norwegian” type of cheese that I’ve never encountered anywhere else before.
You can find Brunost on cafe or restaurant menus since it’s delisous melted over waffles or into hot chocolate. It’s easiest to go to the grocery store and just buy a small block of it for cheap (there’s a large grocery store in Bergen city center that’s well stocked!)
3. Try A Local Norwegian Suana And Then Jump Into The Harbor
The best cure for jet lag is a sauna followed by a cold plunge. After living in Copenhagen for a summer a few years back, I became obsessed with cold pounding and saunas, and now seek them out when I travel, especially in Nordic countries like Norway.
I actually found this fun floating sauna in Oslo that you should check out if you’re heading to the city!
Thankfully, there’s some great sauna options in Bergen. Sophie and I landed from our 19+ hour travel day, checked into our hotel and immediately headed out to an evening session at Laugaren. You simply book online and it’s about 120 KR a person (about $10 USD).
Bring your own towel, water bottle and swimsuit and get ready to feel like a whole new person after an hour sitting in this thing with locals. We were so tired from traveling but walked away from the harbor feeling refreshed and alive.
4. Have A Nordic Manhtahn At The Secret Bar In Charmante Skostredet Hôtel
Sophie and I spent a few nights staying at the Charmante Skostredet Hôtel in city center, and took a couple of days to realize there’s a secret bar in this hotel on the 4th floor.
And not only is it a secret, but it’s decorated like a Moulin Rouge fever dream in all the best ways. And they make amazing cocktails. I insist you try a Nordic Manhattan with Aquavit, a distilled spirit that originated in Scandinavia.
When you arrive to the hotel lobby, ask to be seated in the bar. From what I can tell, there’s no way to book a reservation so come for happy hour if you are worried about getting a table. The front desk person will then escort you to the bar.
5. Soak In Epic Views On A Fjord Cruise To A Huge Waterfall
Doing the Bergen fjord cruise is a very touristy activity, but so worth it.
It was pouring rain the day we had our Mostraumen Fjord Cruise booked but it was still stunning. I’ve been all over the world and Norway is one of those countries where I don’t think you can visit at a bad time since the landscape is utterly beautiful no matter what weather, or season.
There’s indoor and outdoor seating, along with heat, bathrooms and a small bar, but there’s no food so bring snacks. The tour takes you by the Bergen harbor and up Osterfjord and the narrow Mostraumen strait.
At some points, it feels like you can reach out and touch the fjord stone walls. I lost count of the number of waterfalls we spotted before we even visited “Mo” (Mostraumen), the massive waterfall at the end. I got soaked to the bone since I insisted on standing outside the whole time, and it was so worth it.
6. Try A Norweigan Taco (Yes, That’s A Thing!)
Did you know that Norway eats the most tacos per capita in the entire WORLD?! The first time I went to Olso a few years ago, I didn’t try a taco but I made sure to fix that on my Bergen trip.
A Norweigan Taco is very different from a Mexican one. The tortilla is flour based, but thicker almost like a Korean Pancake. They use chicken or fish more than beef (I once saw reindeer on a menu) along with Jarlsberg cheese. It’s savory and utterly delicious. You must try one!
7. Ride The Cable Card Up Mount Ulriken For Insane Views Followed By Lunch
Speaking of tacos, I had my first taco on the Ulriken643, aka the Ulriken Cable car. Bergen is famous for having 7 mountains and this cable car takes you to the top of the highest mountain. It has amazing 360 views of the mountains, city and ocean below.
And, there’s a restaurant on top! Sophie and I headed here for lunch on our last day. The morning was clear, but by the time we arrived a rain cloud moved over the mountain so we didn’t get the epic views but still had a blast. It felt like we were in a different world up there.
We grabbed a taco and fish soup lunch at the Ulriken Cafe, though I plan on coming back in the summer one year and having a sunset dinner at Skyskraperen restaurant overlooking the city. It’s best to grab tickets online in advance but you can buy a ticket there, too.
8. Catch The Fløibanen Funicular For A Stunning Sunset Over Bergen City
The Funicular overlook may be touristy, but dang it’s one of the best memories I have from my trip to Bergen. This little car connects downtown Bergen Sentrum to the houses on the mountain.
It’s equal part tourist train, but also actually used by locals (though they’ll get off at their train stops to reach their homes vs heading to the overlook.)
Head to the cream Floibanen station downtown, a couple blocks off the harbor (Google may point you to a random barber shop called the Funicular, don’t go there!)
You can buy tickets via the machines when you get there, or use your Bergen Card which includes a free ticket down. Then, just wait for the next car to come pick you up! I recommend standing in the very front, so go and wait at the very first train platform.
It takes just a few minutes to go up to the overlook, and it’s so fun popping out of the tunnel to see the view of the city, and just climbing higher and higher.
Sophie and I went for sunset, which is utterly beautiful (though I would love to come back one day at nighttime!) It was wild for us, we watched a huge rainstorm from afar get closer and closer to the city. Then, it was over us! It hailed and rained so hard for about 3 minutes, then it passed.
We were treated to the most breathtaking post-storm light on the overlook. This isn’t a thing to skip.
9. Have A Seafood Dinner Along Bergen Havn
On our very last night, we headed to the market building along the Bergen Havn (havn means harbor!). There’s a large market hall/fishmarket here filled with so many goodies like fresh seafood, fresh caviar, cheeses, etc.
There’s a few different restaurants here, so pick the one that looks best to you, or doesn’t have a line. All of them have little fish market stalls out front and will let you order off menu if you saw something you really liked in their market selection or you can stick with menu dishes.
You’ll get a front-row view of the harbor and city, which is especially beautiful as it twinkles at night.
10. Buy Caviar From The Local Fish Market
While you’re at that fish market, I highly recommend you take home a jar or two of Norwegian roe or caviar. Buying (and eating) caviar while in Scandaniva is my favorite thing to do simply because it’s so cheap. Plus, so dang fresh.
While living in Copenhagen, I lost my mind when I saw that you can get whole tins of caviar for under 4-6 Euros at the grocery store, unlike in America where it’s easily $40 for the same thing.
These jars, as long as they are unopened, don’t have to be refrigerated so you can fly home with them!! Pick some up at the grocery store or the fish market.
11. Snap Photos At The Bryggen World Heritage Site
Bergen is one of North Europe’s oldest port cities and Bryggen is the historic harbor (all those colorful houses in a row you’ve probably seen tons of photos of online!) I’m a photographer at heart and love snapping photos at iconic places when I travel.
Head to the harbor at golden hour to snap photos from Shetlands-Larsen (the little pier that places the famous houses directly behind you), or go stand along Bryggen proper for a closer view.
After, make sure to pop into the stores and shop a little!
12. Go Thrifting At UFF For Norweigan Sweaters
I adore a good Norweigan knit sweater, but they easily run $300-$400 if you buy them here in America. So, Sophie and I headed to UFF, an amazing thrift store in Bergen Sentrum a few blocks from our hotel.
As a curvy size 14 woman, I’m used to thrift store finds not fitting me back home but it was the opposite here. Nordics are tall and we both easily found plenty of traditional sweaters to choose from (some had no labels and the clerks told us they were clearly handmade which felt more special!)
I bought 2 sweaters plus a vest, and spent a grand total of (drumroll) $35 USD. I’ll be beelining here next time I’m in Bergen for more shopping.
13. Step Back In Time At The Fantoft Stave Church
A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church, but they are often referred to as “Viking Churches” since “stave” comes from the Old Norse word “staff”. Plus, these were built primarily during the Viking Age and Medieval era.
There’s only 28 stave churches left in Norway, and the Fantoft Stave Church in Bergen is located in the prettiest forest. Sophie and pulled up on a crisp fall day to a forest filled with orange leaves, and hiked the short trail up to Fantoft Stave Church.
The church is available to look at 24/7 but you can only go inside a few hours a day, but we timed our visit right. Check hours before you go, as they vary by season. It’s NOK85 to enter, but is also included in your Bergen card for free.
This is a reconstructed stave church as the original burnt down in 1992. It’s still incredibly beautiful, with tall ceilings on the inside and amazing woodwork. The church is a short drive from the Ulriken Mountain Cable Car, so it’s best to do these on the same day.
14. Indulge In Truffle Pasta Nights
I’m a sucker for anything truffle, and we happened to be visiting Bergen on a Tuesday which meant we had to make reservations at Boccone Ristorante for their truffle pasta night!!
They roll out a giant parmesan wheel and whip up a truffle parm sauce right in front of you before tossing with noodles and letting you enjoy. It’s some of the best best pasta I’ve had outside Italy, and North Beach.
15. If You’re Lucky, You Can Spot Northern Lights
Emphasis on the luck, but it is possible if you’re visiting during the late fall – winter season! I already had the Aurora app downloaded on my phone to monitor the northern lights since 2024 was the year when they were spotted as far south as San Francisco where I live (crazy, right?!)
I realized that on our first night, the aurora borealis could have been spotted in Bergen, but we were too tired from jetlag to notice. So, when you visit, keep an eye out on the aurora borealis forecast and if you’re lucky, you can spot the northern lights!
16. Try Whale But Only If You’re Brave
While gathering snacks at the grocery store for our fjord cruise day, I noticed a bunch of packaged snack meats including reindeer and whale. I picked up a couple of packets to try and was surprised by how much I liked it!
It’s savory, smokey and has a unique flavor, but ultimately is a lot like pepperoni or another meat you would pair on a cheeseboard.
You can find whale meat all over Norway, from upscale restaurants to casual grocery stores. If this is something that interests you in trying, it’s not hard to find!
17. Step Inside The Historic Bergen Cathedral
This historic church is over 900 years old!! It’s located right downtown and had a very unique interior blue wall color that I haven’t seen on a cathedral before. If you like peeking into old churches around Europe, you can’t miss this gem.
18. Sip Brown Cheese Hot Chocolate At The Fjåk chocolate shop & café
Located a few doors down from Hotel Charmante is Fjåk chocolate shop & café, an adorable hot chocolate cafe that we just had to pop into. And holy cow, this place is amazing, and I’m not convinced every visitor needs to come here.
Especially since Bergen is such a rainy city (it’s basically the PNW of Europe) and nothing hits better on a rainy day than a cup of homemade hot chocolate.
You can order all sorts of chocolates here, including ones made with nondairy milk. I do recommend you try it with brown cheese melted into it, though. Makes the hot chocolate extra creamy and carmely, and feels so very local.
I was worried that there weren’t be enough unique things to do in Bergen in winter or fall, the shoulder season we were visiting on, but holy cow, I’m convinced it’s the best time to go to Norway. Less crowds, the moody weather against the fjords covered in orange fall foliage was stunning.
Just make just to bring a really good raincoat like this one and rain boots since you WILL get wet! Remember, it rains something like 280 days a year here so you have to prepare for rain.
I had such a fun time visiting Bergen in October and I can’t wait to come back. I’m always finding myself in Denmark, Sweden and Norway so I’m sure I’ll get to visit again soon. And eat like, all the brown cheese.
If you have questions, drop a comment below and I’ll try to help you out! You can also find me on Instagram @thewhimsysoul.
