We stayed 2 days on the Bergen harbor in July to enjoy the nearby sights, activities and to take a boat trip on the Osterfjord. Bergen is surrounded by seven mountains and is Norway’s second largest city. One day each summer locals race to see who can climb them the fastest in rapid succession. I’m feeling out of breath just thinking about that challenge!

One of the most popular activities is to ride the funicular (incline railway) to the top of Mount Floyen for spectacular views of the city and the harbor as well as hiking. We followed the crowd and were not disappointed with the shots from the summit.

Along the harbor is a row of old wooden buildings called Bryggen dating back about 900 years when it was thriving center of international trade. Today it’s full of shops and restaurants and lots of outdoor seating. The local beer is called 7 fjells (7 Mountains) which tastes pretty darn good when hanging out just watching the world turn.

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The harbor is home to the famous Bergen Fish Market which attracts lots of folks and has some interesting items on a few short order sandwich menus. Cod fishing was a huge economic driver in days gone by so fittingly an old, large wooden craving stands in a square on the back of the Bryggen to mark that time as well as it’s continued importance. The carving definitely caught our attention!

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Just a block off the waterfront is St. Mary church which is the oldest building in Bergen dating back to the 12th century. As the age of Vikings was drawing to a close, Christianity as taking a hold.

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We took a 3 hour round fjord cruise from Bergen into the Osterfjord. Although not as interesting as other fjord trips we’d experienced so far it had it’s own charm.

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