Wish You Were Here In Bergen

OVERVIEW

Wish you were here in medieval Bergen, when stone walls and royal power framed the entrance to the city. On this route you move through those centuries in sequence, seeing how each era reshaped the streets you’re standing on today. Bergenhus, parts of which date to the mid-1200s, is one of Norway’s oldest and best-preserved stone fortresses. A former royal residence, it boasts a medieval banquet hall that King Haakon IV built. You will gain a broader historical understanding of Bergen in Bryggen, the city’s Hanseatic-era wharf. On the brink of destruction after a 1955 fire, it has been rebuilt so convincingly that UNESCO deemed it worthy of a World Heritage site designation. Free time lets you wander its narrow lanes and wooden warehouses, imagining the life and trade that once animated the waterfront. For a glimpse of Bergen in the 19th century, you will pause at the expansive square Festplassen and at the National Stage, where famed Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen was the stage director. The final chapter unfolds around the VilVite Science Center, where sleek lines and large glass panels reveal Bergen’s 21st-century vision. By the end, it feels like time travel for the soul—from the Bergen you wish you could have seen in the past to the one unfolding in front of you today.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Step into the Bergen you wish you could have seen, moving from medieval stone walls to contemporary glass façades in one chronological route.
• Independently explore the Hanseatic-era wharf district, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Visit the surroundings of the 19th-century National Stage and the 21st-century science center.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.