One Day In Bergen - Ultimate Guide To A Perfect Day

We spent a great few days in beautiful Bergen recently trying out some of the best things to do there. It’s the second largest city in Norway and has a lot of history, attractions and activities that you can try. Some of our favourites things to do were head to Bryggen wharf, visit the top of Mount Fløyen on the Fløibanen funicular and enjoy some delicious fish cakes at Bergen fish market. We’ve used our top picks to prepare a great one in day in Bergen itinerary that is perfect for your first visit.

The great thing about Bergen is that most of the top attractions are in the city centre so you don’t need to jump on and off public transportation to get around. You can easily spend a full day on foot in the city centre exploring everything that it has to offer. To help you plan your visit we’ve then also given some suggestions on some cool things to do if you’ve got a little longer there, such as taking a fjord cruise, heading over to Flåm, or visiting the Bergen Aquarium.

Quick Guide – One Day In Bergen

Morning – Enjoy breakfast and explore Bryggen. Then visit the Bergenhus Fortress

Lunchtime – Taste some delicious fresh fish at the famous fish market

Afternoon – Ride the Floibanen Funicular up to Mount Fløyen. Discover all that the mountain has to offer. On your way back stop off to see some street art.

Evening – Dinner out and then drinks in one of the many bars.

One Day In Bergen Itinerary – Tried and Tested!

We’ve selected our top picks of things to do in Bergen and put together a one day in Bergen itinerary.

Breakfast In Bryggen

There are several great options for breakfast in Bryggen making it the perfect place to start your day off! You’ll want to have a good breakfast as there’s a lot of walking to be done in Bergen so you’ll want to fuel up for the day.

A little boy in a tracksuit i smiling at the camera as he eats a cinnamon bun. He is spending one day in Bergen and this is his breakfast.

Our first recommendation is Baker Brun can be found in one of the historical buildings that line the waterfront at Bryggen wharf. They’ve been there since 1893. You can smell the bakery before you see it, and trust us, the freshly baked breakfast treats taste as good as they smell!

Another good place to go to for breakfast is Kaf Kafe Bryggen which can be found on the narrow streets inside of Bryggen. There aren’t many places to sit inside, so you’ll need to arrive early to grab yourself somewhere. They do fantastic waffles and great coffee to help kick-start your day!

If you don’t have time, then stop in at Backstube as they do great take away pastries as shown by our main pastry taster!

Explore Bryggen

If you ask anyone what the best things to do in Bergen are, then they’ll definitely list Bryggen at the top! Bryggen is at UNESCO World Heritage Site that is famous for it’s historical buildings and narrow streets that date back to the Middle Ages. As soon as you arrive you’ll see why it is one of the main attractions in Bergen.

A quick history of Bryggen

In the Middle Ages, around 1350, the Hanseatic League set up a trading centre in Bryggen. The Hanseatic League was a network of German merchants who traded in Northern Europe. They particularly came to Bryggen to trade in stockfish. The Bryggen area suffered many fires in its history and each time the wooden buildings were rebuilt in the same style. Today only 10 of the 16 main buildings date back to 1703, the remaining 6 are reconstructions built after the last fire in 1955.

A woman in sunglasses is smiling at the camera whilst wearing her baby in a carrier. She is stood outside the front of the colourful wooden buildings in Bryggen. Visiting Bryggen is a great start to one day in Bergen.

Top tip: The best way to get to know the Bryggen area is to book a guided tour. You’ll learn more about the historical buildings and the life of the Hanseatic League. They’ll also show you what they are doing today to preserve the wooden buildings.

One of the few oldest buildings to remain is Schøtstuene which is where you can find the original German merchant wooden houses. There you’ll see their living rooms as well as kitchens all kept the way that they would have been all those centuries ago. They offer English tours around the buildings and into Bryggen as part of the entrance fee.

Note: The Hanseatic Museum is the best place to head for more information on the Hanseatic League and Bryggen during medieval times. However, it’s currently shut for refurbishment and is due to reopen in 2025.

Walk past by St. Mary’s Church

St. Mary’s Church is the oldest remaining building in Bergen and a part of the Bryggen area. It’s a simple yet attractive building that you walk past on the way to the Bergenhus Fortress. You can pay to go in if you’d like to see the interiors. We just stopped by to enjoy it from the outside for a few minutes.

This is the stone and plaster front of the St Mary's Church in Bergen. Surrounding the church are trees and bushes.
You can easily visit this as part of one day in Bergen.

Top tip: If you plan to use public transportation to get around Bergen and to also visit a few museums then the Bergen Card might save money for you. You’ll get free entry or discounted admission to museums and attractions, events or sightseeing tours. Plus free travel, including the bus to and from Bergen airport.

Discover The Bergenhus Fortress

Just a short walk from Bryggen is the Bergenhus Fortress. It is one of the oldest and perhaps best-preserved fortifications in Norway which was built and upgraded from the 1500’s through to the 1700’s when it was at its largest. It went a bit quiet for a while and then it was once again used during World War Two, when it became the western headquarters of the German occupying forces.

We love visiting fortresses as they’re great for kids, ours love to imagine they’re fighting an imaginary pirate or two! This fortress is particularly good because there are QR codes outside various parts and buildings that you can scan to learn more about the fortress. They tie in the historical building of the fortress with stories from World War Two, including the building of the massive bunker in the middle. You can easily spend an hour or so wandering around the outside elements of the fortress.

A woman is stood smiling at the camera holding her 1 year old and her 3 year old sons in her arms. Behind her is the fortress in Bergen which is made of stones from 1500s.

Visiting the fortress grounds is free. However, if you want to visit the Rosenkrantz Tower, which dates back to 1560s, then you’ll need to pay a small entrance fee. We didn’t go inside as we were short on time, however, this would make a great stop on a rainy day.

Lunch At Bergen Fish Market

No visit to Bergen would be complete without at least a visit to Bergen fish market. It was, after all, the fish in Bergen that drew the Hanseatic League there to set up a trading post there. If you love fresh seafood, then this is the place for you. There’s lot to choose from whatever your budget, you can pick up some locally made fish cakes, all the way through to tasty local seafood such as crab and lobster.

Fun fact: The original Bergen fish market started in the place it is today in the 1200s. It was then moved and spent a few hundred years in Bryggen before the locals moved it back to its original place in 1556 where it’s been ever since!

We just headed there for a snacky lunch of fish cakes because our kids aren’t particularly keen on seafood so we knew there wouldn’t be something on menu for them to enjoy. If you aren’t into fish, then another cool place to head for lunch is called Trekroneren. It is a hot dog stand just a few minutes walk from the fish market. We took there kids a few times as they love hot dogs – they serve them up with various sauces and toppings to make them super tasty!

This is a tray of a seafood that is from the Bergen fish market. There are lobster, shrimps amongst other things.

Ride the Fløibanen Funicular up to Mount Fløyen

No trip to Bergen would be complete without heading up to the top of Mount Fløyen. From the top of the mountain, you’ll get great panoramic views of the city which even on a bit of a grey rainy day are still pretty cool.

There’s quite a bit to do at the top of Mount Fløyen to keep you busy for at least a few hours. At the top of the funicular, there is a large open area with several play parks for kids of all ages as well as a few restaurants and cafes. Plus it has an outdoor space that had some live music performances happening when we were up there. A short walk away and you’ll meet some local goats that live there and are friendly enough to pet. You can also pay to rent bikes up there if you fancy a blast around the woodlands.

A woman in blue cardigan, jeans and sunglasses has her arm around her boyfriend who has a raincoat on and baseball cap. They're both smiling at the camera and behind there is the view out over Bergen. This is the view from the top of Mount Floyen which is one thing that everyone visits if they're in Bergen for one day.

There’s also a lovely small lake at the top, and when we were there they had free canoe rental so you could head out for a quick paddle. We did this in the rain, and it was still good fun! There’s also a fun cafe there if you want to watch everyone else canoe.

Riding the Fløibanen Funicular

The most popular way to get up there is by taking a funicular ride up on the Fløibanen Funicular which takes about 5 minutes. It’s especially great if you’re travelling with kids who will love the excitement of trying something new. If you don’t fancy the funicular, then you walk up, this takes between 45-60 minutes depending on your fitness and your speed. We took the funicular up and then walked back down because we decided to stretch our legs a bit. It’s a nice walk down and only takes about 20-30 minutes.

Top tip: There can sometimes be a long queue to buy tickets for the funicular at the manned ticket counter. If that’s the case, head directly inside the middle of the entrance way and about 10m in on the right you’ll find several self-service machines usually without a queue!

Spot some street art

As a family, we love looking for street art wherever we go. Our boys both have a great time pointing pieces out and we then chat about what we can see. It’s a great way to keep kids entertained as you explore a city.

A very large piece of street art in Bergen that is the image of a troll surrounded by woodland animals such as a deer and fox.

Bergen is no exception to this, and you’ll see why when you explore it because it has lots of incredible pieces of street art. The one that particularly stood out for us is called Norwegian Troll by a local artist called M.u.M. It’s a massive mural on the side of a building just a short walk from the base of the Fløibanen Funicular.

Fun fact: Did you know that in 2000, before Banksy was as famous as he is today, he spent some time in Bergen? Sadly, the pieces he did are not longer there, as they’ve been sold, however his legacy can still be seen there today in the works by local artists.

One Day In Bergen – Dinner and Drinks

If you’ve already eaten fish at the Bergen fish market then you might want to head out for something different for dinner. We highly recommend Olivia Ole Bulls Plass, it’s an Italian restaurant opposite Bryggen. It’s got some great outside tables which means you can look over at Bryggen whilst you eat your dinner. We had a great meal there and really loved that it had a good selection of meals on its kids’ menu. Afterwards, you can enjoy time on the wharf – our boys even joined a local family fishing at the end of the pier!

You might perhaps not fancy a full on meal, so this might be the time to head to Trekroneren for a hot dog. Because like we said, this was a popular choice for us. We followed our hot dogs on evening by grabbing some luxury waffles from the stand next to the Bergen fish market.

This is the outside of a hot dog stand in Bergen. There are lots of people queuing up outside of it.

After dinner, there are some great bars in and around Bergen to try. If you’re into board games and people watching then we found this cool bar called Vagal Bergen that we enjoyed. There were quite a few local artists in there going about their evening drawing and being creative.

If You Have More Than One Day In Bergen

If you have more than a day in Bergen, then there are some other really cool things to see and do.

Take a fjord cruise

There are lots of companies in Bergen that offer fjord tours, both from Bergen itself and also ones that head out further afield to places such as Flåm. Some of our family joined us in Bergen that hadn’t been to Norway before or been to see a fjord. So on our second day, we headed out on a fjord cruise into the Osterfjord and along to the Mostraumen Channel. Whilst the scenery on this boat tour isn’t as dramatic as places such as Geirangerfjord it’s still just as beautiful and a great way to spend half a day.

A woman has her black raincoat on with her hood up as it's slightly rainy. In her arms is her son in a dinosaur raincoat. They're both looking at the camera and behind them is a fjord in Bergen in Norway.

Explore the Bergen Aquarium

If you’re visiting on a rainy day, and Bergen has quite a few of them, then you might want to head somewhere fun and dry for a few ours. The Bergen Aquarium is just the place to go. Whilst it’s not the largest aquarium, it’s still got loads offer with a particular focus on fish and sea creatures from Norway. They also have feeding times that you can enjoy as well as.

Discover Ulriken the highest mountain in Bergen

At 643m high Ulriken is the highest mountain in Bergen, and at the top you have amazing views over Bergen, the seas, mountains and the fjords. You also have some great restaurants to relax in as well as some spectacular hikes to enjoy.

To get to the top you can either hike, or take the Ulriken643 which is the new cable car that heads up there. A popular option is to take the cable car up to Ulriken and hike the Vidden ridge over to Mount Fløyen and then drop down from there back into Berge. This takes about 5 hours.

Top tip: To get to the base of Ulriken from Bergen you can buy a shuttle bus at the same time as you buy your Ulriken643 cable car ticket.

Enjoy a day trip to Flåm

One of the best things that we did on our road trip through Norway was to visit Flåm. If you have the time then we highly recommend spending a few days there because there’s lots to do. However, if you in Bergen, don’t have much time and only have a day to spare then you can take a guided tour day trip over to Flåm to explore it and the surrounding area. Tours there tend to be between 11-13 hours long, however, you’ll have plenty of time to relax on the journey to and from Flåm so hopefully shouldn’t get too tired.

A mum, dad and their two young sons are sat on the Flam Railway train looking at the camera and smiling.

Another alternative option is that people take the Norway In A Nutshell Tour. It starts in Bergen and then passes through Flåm and onto Oslo. You can then leave Norway by flying out of Oslo. There’s lots to do in Oslo, you can get most of the main Olso attractions done in one day. If you’re travelling to Oslo with kids, then there are loads of fun things to do there with them. We’d highly recommend visiting Oslo!

Where To Stay In Bergen

If you are in Bergen for the night then there are lots of great places to stay.

However, the two that particularly caught our attention were the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel and the Clarion Collection Hotel. That’s because they were both on the Bryggen Wharf which is a perfect base if you want to explore Bergen city centre in one day.

Final Thoughts On One Day In Bergen Itinerary

We had such a great few days in Bergen exploring the city centre and surrounding area. Although it’s the second largest city in Norway, it’s actually not too large, so you can easily spend one day in Bergen and see all of the main attractions. Which is particularly great if, for example, you have arrived on a cruise ship and are visiting for a limited time. We’ve also included some other fun things to do that you could add onto your visit if you have the extra time. And whilst Flåm is a possible day trip away from Bergen, we’d really recommend heading there for a few days so that you can explore it in more depth.

We hope that you have a fantastic one day in Bergen!