Bergen: Urban Mountain Hiking and History Tour

This semi-private tour (maximum of 8 participants) is designed to combine everything we love about Bergen: historic areas, charming neighbourhoods, close proximity to nature.

Important – this 6km (4 mile) tour is done at a reasonable pace, so a good level of fitness is required.

This tour begins at Bryggen, where you will have a guided tour between the narrow alleys of this 1,000 year old trading pier. You'll learn about the city's founding, the Hanseatic League, and how it has been preserved over the centuries. We will also pass by St. Mary's Church, the oldest building in Bergen.

Now it's time to leave the city behind us: we'll make our way out of Bergen city centre, passing by the neighbourhood of Skuteviken (regarded as the oldest neighbourhood in Bergen) with views out to the 12th century Sverresborg fortress. We'll enter the fishing neighbourhood of Sandviken, which was only incorporated into Bergen 150 years ago. Before then, it was a separate fishing village from the city. Here we'll see homes that are over 300 years old and discuss various aspects of everyday life, from house prices to schooling and healthcare. As we ensure small groups, you can ask lots of questions and gain a true insight into Bergen.

After visiting Sandviken, we head up onto the mountain Sandviksfjellet and follow a popular hiking trail back to Bergen city centre. This is the most used trail in Bergen amongst locals (but not tourists!) and here we'll see how the locals use nature to their benefit. This historic trail also has some important sites along the way, which we'll stop at. The views of the city as we get back are spectacular.

This tour ends at the Floibanen station, close to where we started.