Despite being an avid Oslo citizen, Bergen is one of my favorite places in Norway. I visit as often as I can, staying with friends or spending a weekend in one of the hotels in the city near the famous Bryggen Wharf and Bergen Fish Market.
This is a great area for solo travelers to stay, as it is within walking distance of almost everything in Bergen, and the vibrant “downtown” life is right outside your door.
I will share a few of my best travel tips for Bergen at the end of the article, but first, here is an overview of six top-rated hotels in Bergen!
Quick Facts Bergen
- Bergen is situated about five hours from Oslo by train or car
- It is the “western capital of Norway”
- Population of about 270.000
- Language: Bergensk (a particular Norwegian dialect)
- Bergen was founded in 1070 by Olav Kyrre, and in 1217 the town became capital of Norway for about 100 years
Best Hotels In Bergen Norway
When I travel, I tend to vary my accommodation according to budget and priorities. Sometimes, I want luxury; other times, I go on a budget.
So, in this article, I will give you three options for both variations for your Bergen itinerary planning!
Top-Rated Luxury Hotels In Bergen
1. Opus Hotel Bergen
Opus Hotel in Bergen has everything you can wish for. This incredible 5-star hotel is situated only a few minutes walk from Bryggen in Bergen, the famous wharf, and everything Bergen Center can offer within walking distance.
Bryggen i Bergen, or the Bergen Wharf, is one of my favorite parts of the city. This hotel is situated super close, and while you stay, they will also give you “celebrity treatment” and amazing service, which multiple former guests have agreed with in their reviews.
All the rooms at Opus have a seating area, a flat-screen TV, and an in-room tablet for personal use. They also have a mini bar, a safe, and a spacious wardrobe.
The bathrooms have rainfall showers and under-floor heating—a super treat in chilly Norway, especially in winter.
If you, for some reason, don’t want to go out on the town to eat, you can have an amazing lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea in the hotel restaurant. The hotel kitchen offers lots of local seafood as well as vegetarian and vegan options.
📍 EpicNomadLife Tip: Get an e-SIM for Norway with unlimited data to control your data costs while in Norway!
2. Bergen Børs Hotel
Bergen Børs Hotel (which means Bergen stock market) is a spectacular historic place to stay on the Torgalmenningen Square in the center of Bergen.
Located in the old stock exchange building from 1862, you will be staying in an incredibly beautiful interior.
The rooms are stunning, with elaborate decorations and beautiful details in everything from the wooden floors and beautifully crafted ceilings to tiles in the bathroom and the decor and interior details.
All rooms have a mini bar, coffee machine, and a flat-screen TV.
Have a cocktail or locally crafted beer in the hotel bar and enjoy Scandinavian cuisine based on short-traveled local produce in the top-rated hotel restaurant.
The restaurant at Bergen Børs is exquisite and resembles a medieval dance hall with impressive columns, high ceilings, and exquisite artwork.
Although everything is modern with top amenities, the ambiance is incredibly elegant with incredible details and calming colors, creating an experience you will not forget any time soon!
📍 EpicNomadLife Tip: Consider taking the world’s most beautiful cruise, the Hurtigruten Coastal Ferry, for a few stops (or the entire Norwegian Coast) starting from Bergen!
3. Skostredet Hotel
Skostredet Hotel in Bergen is also a 5-star hotel with excellent reviews that offers a little extra only 300 yards from the city center.
You will enter Skostredet Hotel from Skostredet, which is the name of a charming, narrow, cobblestoned street in Old Bergen.
While you stay here, you will have room service at your fingertips, private parking, a garden, a restaurant with high reviews, and a bar.
Every room at Skostredet Hotel has a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom with toiletries, a shower, and a hairdryer.
The breakfast includes a buffet, continental, and vegetarian options. Among the things to visit within walking distance from Skostredet Hotel are Haakons Hall, Bergen University, and the University Museum of Bergen.
Top-Rated Budget Hotels In Bergen
4. Citybox Bergen
Citybox Bergen is a great budget option for staying in the city center. It is a stylish hotel with modern rooms and in-house amenities.
All Citybox rooms have a desk, armchair, and private bathroom.
Snacks and drinks are available from in-house vending machines, and the hotel is just a five-minute walk from popular sights like Bergen Art Museum and Byparken Park.
Festplassen Square is a short walk away, and you have all the services of the city center within walking distance.
5. Hotel Oleana
Top-rated budget Hotel Oleana is also centrally situated in Bergen and welcomes you with a cozy fireplace in the lobby. There is an on-site restaurant here, the Acido, serving Peruvian cuisine, and an in-house bar.
Guests typically highlight the wonderful breakfast here, as well as the friendly service from the multilingual staff.
All rooms have free Wi-Fi, safes, minibars, flat-screen TVs, rainfall showers, and sound-insulated walls.
From the Oleana, you will also have access to a nearby health club, coffee, and tea in the lobby, which also has a 24-hour front desk.
6. Magic Hotel Solheimsviken
Magic Hotel Solheimsviken is not situated directly in the city center, it is a ten-minute drive or 20 minutes on the tram away.
The Magic Hotel is a budget hotel near the Hanseatic Museum and the Floibanen Funicular, which takes you to the top of the mountain surrounding Bergen (you should definitely do that).
This hotel has a coffee shop, a rooftop terrace, a game room (!), and there is free in-room wifi. Rooms also have flat-screen TVs, bathrooms with heated floors, and insulated walls.
In the lobby, you find coffee and tea, the staff provides tour and ticket assistance, and there is a 24-hour front desk. Guests of the Magic Hotel Solheimsviken also have access to a nearby health club.
What Is Special About Bergen Norway?
Bergen is a quite unique place in Norway, and it is not just the Bergensers who think that.
There is one downside to Bergen, and that is that it holds the record for number of annual rainy days in Norway (200, to be exact).
Despite this, people from Bergen will stress that “I’m not from Norway; I am from Bergen,” and have simply created a fashion statement, colorful rainwear selection, to counter that.
The reason for the rainy days is also one of the best things about Bergen: The 7 Sisters mountain range that surrounds the town.
These mountains are responsible for all the clouds dumping the rain before they move further over the mountains and into the fjords, mountains, and plains.
Bryggen in Bergen, or the Bergen Jetty, and the fish market is probably the most famous feature in the city.
There is also the charming old town, the aquarium, the cobblestoned streets, the philharmonic orchestra, the great restaurants and vibrant nightlife, the Vidden mountain plains, the funicular and the cable car, the sea bath, and a lot more.
I often take the stunning five-hour train journey from Oslo over the beautiful Hardangervidda mountain plains and watch the iconic scenery pass by. If you can, I recommend you do that, too, instead of flying in!
You will not regret it, I promise.
Best Things To Do In Bergen
The capital of the Norwegian “Vestlandet” is a small city nestled below the Seven Sisters Mountain range (which the locals make the most of; people from Bergen hike a lot) on the west coast of Norway.
You can fly directly to Bergen, although I recommend you take the beautiful train journey here over the beautiful mountains from Oslo. Who knows, maybe you will be inspired to head out on your own hikes in the Bergen mountains as well.
Regardless of how you get here, here are the top things you want to do in Bergen!
Things To Do In Bergen In The Summer
- Take the gondola or cable car up to the Ulriken or the Floyen for stunning views
- Hike the Vidden Trail between Ulriken and Floyen
- Sample fresh fish at the Fisketorget Fish Market in the Inner Harbor
- Take the Hurtigruten Cruise Line (formerly the ferry and lifeline between the south and north of Norway) a few stops north and back!
- Visit the Edvard Grieg Museum on Troldhaugen
- Walk up the 900-step steep Stoltzekleiven stone stairs.
- Visit Fantoft Stave Church
- Go swimming at Nordnes Seabath, Sandviken Seabath, or Helleneset (but remember, the Norwegian fjord temperature is fresh, even in summer!)
- Visit the Old Bergen Museum and the Old Town
- Visit the Vannkanten Waterworld
- Experience penguin feeding in Bergen Aquarium.
- Explore the incredibly charming streets of central Bergen
Things To Do In Bergen In The Winter
- You can get up to Floyen and Ulriken in the winter as well; just remember to put on enough warm clothes.
- Be brave and go swimming outdoors in Bergen in the winter, at the Nordnes Seabath (run into the sauna afterward)
- Go ice bathing at Skomakerdiket Lake on Mount Fløyen (yes, you will dip in the lake through the ice)
- Embark on a sauna cruise with City Saunas on the fjord
- Go cross-country skiing on Vidden, the mountain plains above the city
- Visit Bryggen Museum (the Museum of the Docks)
- Explore Bergen Maritime Museum.
- Go for a refreshing drink at Bergen Magic Ice Bar
- Take a boat fjord tour
- Dine at Lysverket (the Light Works), a Bergen Michelin-star restaurant.
FAQs Stays In Bergen Norway
What Is The Nicest Part Of Bergen?
I assume it will depend on who you ask, but personally, I find the Bergen Wharf and the old part of the city super charming.
If you travel here in July, you will not be alone exactly, as this is the peak tourist month in the city (and in Norway), so it might be a bit crowded during this period, but it is charming nevertheless.
Is Bergen Worth Staying?
Yes, Bergen is worth visiting, and Bergen is worth staying for at least a few days! You can “do” the center of Bergen in a couple of days, but if you really want to explore what the town and the area have to offer, you can easily spend more time here.
How Many Days Should I Stay In Bergen?
At least two, that is a minimum to explore the most important and popular sights of Bergen. Like I mentioned above, to really get to know the town and the area, you can easily stay busy and happy in Bergen for a week.
If you also want to explore the mountains and the fjords surrounding Bergen, a week will keep you on a tight schedule, but you can do it. This whole part of Norway has so much to offer, so it is almost impossible to recommend a “what is enough”-time frame.
Wrap-Up
Well, I hope you have enough information to plan your stay in Bergen now, both where you want to rest, and maybe a little about what you want to do, too.
The six hotels I have presented here have great reviews from travelers visiting before you, and I can testify they all have great locations where you will be close to everything.
For an extra special experience, the luxury hotels presented here also have a lot of history in the walls, beautiful surroundings, and amazing interiors, which will make your stay super memorable.
Happy travel planning, and welcome to Bergen!
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What a beautiful city! I can see why you visit as often as you can. Love that you split your hotel recommendations into luxury and budget.
I am glad you found it helpful! It is a beautiful little town, especially if you love nature and don’t mind a bit of rain! 🙂
I almost made it to Norway when I was visiting other Scandinavian countries but my dad died and i returned home to Australia without getting to set foot in Norway. One day I will get there and will definitely include a visit to Bergen.
Oh, I am so sorry to hear that happened! I do hope you will be able to return some day, there are so many beautiful destinations to visit in Norway, including Bergen! 🙂
What is the availability of single rooms versus dorm rooms in Bergen hotels, and how does this affect the cost for solo travelers?
Hi Trisha, most hotel offers single rooms, with a single/small bed, and the prices are slightly lower but not significantly lower than a double room. These are not dorms per se, but there are actually a few hostels in Bergen, slightly outside the town center. You can check out HI Bergen Hostel Montana or City Hostel Bergen, both have great reviews and nicer prices (at least for dorm room beds) than the single rooms in the center of town! 🙂
Bergen looks beautiful! I agree that the historic parts of town and spots on the water tend to be the nicest places to stay. Always looking for a view too! Thanks for the recommendations.
Hi Meghan, I am glad you liked it! 🙂
Bergen sounds like a great place to visit, hopefully, I can plan my trip around the rain. Ice bathing sounds interesting and like something I need to try out.
Hi Stephanie, avoiding the rain might be tricky, but you could invest in some bright-colored rainwear! The ice bathing is pretty frisky, but if you combine it with a sauna stay, which makes it a bit more achievable (it is supposed to be super for your health too) 🙂 Try the floating saunas combo!
It looks amazing. I would love to visit. I would definitely take your advice and take the train journey over the mountains. When you say “200 rainy days”, does it usually rain all day or off and on?
Hi Kelly, well, it can be both. You can be unlucky and arrive in a period when it rains for days, while other times it is just a short shower that clears out quickly. But the statistics counts every day that has had rain, regardless of how long it was raining for!