The Port of Bergen

The port of Bergen, in Bergen

The port of Bergen, nestled at the bottom of the bay of the Vågen, is the historic and lively heart of the Norwegian town. The Bergen audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this thousand-year-old port, cradle of the town, lined with the famous district of Bryggen and the fish market.

The cradle of the town

You are here on a part of the port of Bergen, nestled at the bottom of a natural bay called the Vågen. This port is the cradle and the historic heart of the town: it is around it that Bergen was born and developed, nearly a thousand years ago, to become one of the most important ports of Norway and a great centre of the maritime trade of Northern Europe. On the left, you glimpse the famous fish market, and all around the bay deploy the high places of the town, including the famous district of Bryggen and its colourful wooden houses, listed as world heritage. For centuries, the port saw transit the merchant ships, the cargoes of dried fish, exported throughout Europe, and the merchants of the Hanseatic League, that made the prosperity of Bergen. Still today, the port remains a lively and animated place, where fishing, leisure and cruise boats moor, and from where the excursions towards the fjords set out. With its quays, its waters and its façades, it offers one of the finest panoramas of the town. A historic port and a heart of the town, the port of Bergen is a must-see stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

Here you enjoy the port nestled at the bottom of the bay of the Vågen, cradle and historic heart of Bergen, born around it nearly a thousand years ago to become a great centre of the maritime trade; lined with the fish market and the famous district of Bryggen with colourful wooden houses, it remains a lively place where the boats moor and from where the excursions towards the fjords set out. The port of Bergen is the heart of the town. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The port of Bergen lies at the bottom of the bay of the Vågen, in the heart of the town, reachable on foot. It is a port in activity, lined with quays and public promenades freely accessible. It is the starting point of numerous excursions towards the fjords, that follow their own hours according to the season.

Why is the port of Bergen important?

Because it is the cradle and the historic heart of the town: nestled at the bottom of the bay of the Vågen, it is around it that Bergen was born nearly a thousand years ago to become a great centre of the maritime trade of Northern Europe; lined with the fish market and the district of Bryggen, it remains a lively place and the starting point of the excursions towards the fjords.

Where is the port of Bergen?

At the bottom of the bay of the Vågen, in the heart of Bergen, in Norway.