Bergen attractions include Tyskebryggen, Mariakirken church, Lagunen Storsenter shopping center, Fløibanen funicular railway, and a fjord cruise.
Tyskebryggen is a series of Hanseatic League period commercial buildings in Bergen, which today, are part of UNESCO’s world heritage list.
The first German Hanseatic League merchants came to the city as early as 1270, with the strong confederation of merchants functioning in the area until 1784, when it was disbanded.
Until then, the Hanseatic League merchants operated out of the Bryggen district, with the buildings being remnants of that historic connection.
Today’s Bryggen contains a variety of services, including…
gift and souvenir shops,
restaurants,
pubs, and
museums, such as the Bryggen Museum (www.uib.no/bmu/).
Mariakirken Church (www.histos.no/bergen), meanwhile, is the only remaining church of the 12 churches and three monasteries that were built from the period of the establishment of the city during King Olav Kyrre’s reign (1067-1093), up to the end of 12th century.
Building work on the church began around 1130s, with construction workers from Scania participating in the effort…
…which is partly why this Romanesque and Gothic architecture style church is so reminiscent of the Cathedral of Lund in Scania.
Among the church highlights is its altarpiece, one of Norway’s finest, prepared, according to inherited knowledge, in Lübeck during late 15th century.
Bergen tourist attractions also include Lagunen Storsenter shopping center (www.lagunen.no), located within Fana in Bergen district.
Lagunen Storsenter is, in fact, the largest shopping mall in Norway, in terms of sales.
The shopping center, which has been open since 1985, offers over 135 shops and boutiques within 60,000 m² (14.8 acres), and it is visited annually by around 5.2 million visitors.
Of the Bergen attractions, Fløibanen (www.floibanen.com) funicular (cable-railway line), on the other hand, is one of the best way to explore Fløyen mountain, which rises above the city of Bergen.
Bergen, in fact, is often called a “city between seven mountains”, due to the mountains that surround it.
The tallest of these mountains, Ulriken, rising to the height 643 meters (2,109 ft), is also available for a visit, using the Ulriksbanen (www.ulriken643.no) aerial tramway.
Fløibanen funicular railway, which has been in use since 1918, is one of Bergen’s most popular attractions, with over million people using it every year.
Using the funicular, a journey up the mountain (about 850 meters, 2,788 ft), takes about seven minutes.
There are six stations along the way up. One of the popular stops is at Fjellveien station, from where several sightseeing walking trails start.
Finally, you can participate in a fjord cruise (www.fjord-tours.com/bergen/) from Bergen using several different routes.
One of the most popular day cruises goes both to the Hardangerfjord and Vøringsfossen waterfalls.
Of these, Vøringsfossen is actually the largest waterfall in Norway, a country known for its thousands of waterfalls.
Other, longer cruises often include tours to the nearby Sognefjord, which is often called, rightly so, the king of fjords.