PANORAMIC TOUR IN BERGEN AND EDVARD GRIEG’S HOUSE

In a nutshell

An exceptional tour through Bergen, to admire the old quarter Hanseatic Bryggen, where you can still feel the atmosphere of the past of trade and seafaring traditions, and the house of the famous composer Edvard Grieg, another famous attraction of this beautiful city.

Main stops

• King Haakon's Hall, Rosenkrantz Tower, Bryggen Quarter
• Suburbs  of Bergen
• Troldhaugen ( E. Grieg  house) and “Troldsalen” Concert Hall with the opportunity to listen to  some tracks.

The programme

• We will leave the port and we will start our tour passing in front of the King Haakon's Hall (Håkonshallen), the imperial residence with adjoining banquet hall  built by King Håkon Håkonsson between 1247 and 1261 for the wedding and the coronation of his son Magnus Lagabøter . The Håkonshallen is considered the largest medieval secular building existing in Norway today.
• Next to Håkonshallen, we will find the Rosenkrantz Tower (Rosenkrantztårnet), built around 1560 by the governor of Bergen Erik Rosenkrantz, with the function of a residence and that of a fortification. Today it also incorporates part of King Magnus Male (1273) the Legislature and the fortress of 1520 of Jørgen Hansson. Several spiral staircases, corridors and the guard posts, lead to the top, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the harbor.
• In the vicinity we can also admire the buildings of the old Bryggen (whose name means 'shore'), built around 1350 by the Hanseatic League. It is the most picturesque district of Bergen and it stretches on the east bank of the port of Vågen, with long parallel rows of colorful buildings (often pendants) from the sloping roof, built with rough wooden planks and wooden foundations or piled stones.
• Once these buildings served as commercial offices, homes and warehouses and housed the German merchants of the Hanseatic League that had the monopoly of trade with Norway. Today, Bryggen is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to shops, restaurants, cafes and artisan shops.
•  We will then we move to the suburbs of Bergen, surrounded by mountains and where the old houses with gardens are still in excellent condition.
• After a short walk in the open air, we will arrive to Troldhaugen (whose name means 'hill of the trolls'), located on the shores of Lake Nordås ,it is  famous because it is the house, now a museum,  of the famous Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, who he lived here for 22 years and where he composed many of his most famous works.
• In  Troldhaugen we will  visit the 'Troldsalen', a hall for chamber music concerts inaugurated in 1985 ,that can accommodate up to 200 people, here  we will have the opportunity to listen to some songs of Edvard Grieg played by a Norwegian pianist.
• Immediately after the concert, we will visit the famous artist’s house, before returning back to the ship. 

Good to know

• Places are limited therefore we  recommend to book early.