Bergen Hire Car Tips, Experiences & Comparison

Discover Bergen by Hire Car

Like a splash of colour, Bergen in Norway lies between the sea and the highlands. Trade has been conducted here for centuries.

The old warehouse district (Bryggen), lovingly restored Unesco World Heritage Site, bears eloquent witness to this.

Tightly packed with warehouses and counting houses, many of them now home to small fine shops selling souvenirs and handicrafts.

Sights in Bergen

In the past, ships docked directly in front of these rows of wooden houses, but today the harbour basin is slightly offset. The Bryggen Museum contains, among other things, archaeological finds relating to the city’s history and the Bryggen Ship, an old merchant vessel.

Interesting for enthusiasts: the largest collection of runic inscriptions in wood in the world is stored here – unique documents of earlier life. For many years Bergen was dominated by the Hanseatic League. The clearest evidence is St. Mary’s Church, where numerous German-language commemorative plaques hang.

As late as 1868, the sermon here was still held in German. The fish market lives up to its name, with plenty of freshly caught delicacies on offer, though many stalls also sell Norwegian sweaters and bric-a-brac.

The authenticity of these products is debatable, but the thick, fluffy knitted sweaters with the typical Norwegian patterns are always beautiful.

Leisure activities in Bergen

For music lovers, a trip to Troldhaugen, the home of Edvard Grieg, about 2 km from Bergen, is worthwhile.

Various museums, a large aquarium, shopping, Rosenkrantzturm (16th century) and Håkonshalle (13th century, rebuilt 1961) complete the picture of Bergen.

The city definitely has flair. A side trip to the offshore archipelago or by hire car inland, along a fjord or on one of the plateaus (Fjell) makes the holiday perfect.