Bergen, Norway with Teens

The historic port of Bergen is Norway’s second-largest city, but its compact core and neighborhoods make it easy to explore. Everything centers on its harbor, lined on one side by colorful Medieval buildings once headquarters of the powerful Hanseatic League. Small boats come and go constantly, and the daily market fills the area with activity.

Bergenhus Fortress

Overlooking the harbor, built to protect, is the imposing Bergenhus Fortress, built in the 1200s when Bergen was Norway’s capital. Along with exploring the large fortress, our teens were fascinated by the exhibits on how the Norwegian Resistance thwarted the Nazis during their occupation of Norway in World War II.

The Bryggen

The whole family will be intrigued by the tall buildings and narrow passageways of the Bryggen, once the home of a Medieval trade monopoly called the Hanseatic League. After touring the offices, warehouses and cramped living spaces, learn about the sea trade of their day in the well-interpreted Bryggens Museum, reopening this month after a complete renewal to give visitors the experience of life in Bergen in the Middle Ages. Then step outside to explore the intriguing narrow passageways and alleys that lead deep into the ancient complex. Former workshops are now studios of craftspeople and artists, and house cafés, bakeries and restaurants. A good lunch stop is the Bryggen Tracteursted restaurant, in a former 16th-century kitchen.

The Fløyen

Leave the harbor on the cute Fløiebanen, a funicular that carries you to the top of the Fløyen, a large hilltop park with sweeping views of Bergen and its surrounding fjords, islands and hills. You can walk on the trails, have a picnic or lunch in the café, or ride back down to the Proms Gate stop, halfway down the hill. Get off there and follow the winding little streets back into the harbor area. Kids will be delighted at the lanes of tiny old wooden houses descending in layers down the steep hillside.

Norway in a Nutshell Photo: Stillman Rogers

Open-Air Museum of Old Bergen

To see more of life as it used to be here, go to the old Sandviken neighborhood to find the open-air Museum of Old Bergen, a living history museum set in the early 19th century. The 55 original wooden houses once stood in the center of town, and you can watch interpreters carry on everyday tasks; they welcome kids’ questions and speak English well. Several daily performances add color to the village.

VilVite Bergen Science Center

Hordaland, Floyen, Fløyen in Bergen, Norway. Photo: Stillman Rogers

Teens can try their hand at navigating an oil tanker or immerse themselves in the deep-sea world of offshore drilling in the virtual reality experiences at the hands-on VilVite Bergen Science Center. Interactive exhibits encourage visitors of all ages to explore physics, energy and weather through experiments with hydropower, forecasting the weather on screen and other hands-on activities.

Norway in a Nutshell

With all the water and scenic fjords around Bergen, it would be a shame to miss exploring these on at least one fjord cruise. There are lots of choices leaving from the harbor, but by far the most popular combines a variety of transport and experiences into an all-day trip kids of all ages will enjoy. Norway in a Nutshell is more than a fjord cruise, beginning with a train ride from downtown Bergen, which leads to the Nærøyfjord, which you’ll cruise by boat. At the landing, board the charming Flåm Railway to climb steeply above the fjord, crossing a long waterfall before reaching a high mountain ridge. There you’ll board another train for the return to Bergen.