Things to see in Bergen

Considered by UNESCO to be one of the world's foremost showcases of the Middle Ages, Bryggen consists of a series of gabled buildings situated on the old wharf of Bergen. It stands as a reminder of Bergen's prominent role in the days of the Hanseatic League, an organisation founded by a group of northern German towns to protect their mutual trading interests in the 13th to 15th centuries. The buildings were mainly used as warehouses for the dried fish trade, but also contained offices and simple living quarters for merchants, journeymen and apprentices.

Today, Bryggen is alive with restaurants, cafés and artists' workshops, and a colourful attraction at the eastern end is Torget, a weekday market selling fruit and vegetables, handicrafts and souvenirs. and Saturday 0700-1500. Slightly reduced hours operate outside the peak season.

The Hanseatic Museum is housed in one of the oldest wooden buildings in Bryggen. It was razed to the ground in 1702 but subsequently rebuilt and features two trading houses - one sea-facing and the other in the back of the tenement. Furnished in 18th-century style and the only one to have retained its original interiors, it provides an insight in to life at that time as lived by wealthy Hanseatic merchants. For 400 years, they traded fish and grain.

Fløibanen has been carrying people 320m (1,050ft) up the Fløyfjell Mountain for more than 80 years - a one-way trip takes about eight minutes. The views over the city and offshore islands from the summit are spectacular. There is a restaurant (summer only) and shops at the top, as well as mountain walkways.

Built in the 1560s by Erik Rosenkrantz, governor of Bergenhus, Bergen Castle once served as a fortified residence. It incorporates earlier structures including a 13th-century keep and is adjacent to the equally significant Håkon's Hall, named for King Håkon Håkonsson, who ruled Norway from Bergen in the mid 1200s. The tower itself is considered to be one of the most important renaissance monuments in the country. Visitors can climb narrow, dark stairs for impressive views at the top.

This lovely 1770s manor house is in Laksevåg, 3km (2 miles) west of Bergen city centre and is considered Europe's best-preserved wooden building from this period. The gardens of 200 years ago have been recreated - both in terms of the plants and the overall design. It is an example of the lavish countryside retreats favoured by the aristocracy during the 18th century when Bergen prospered. Its castle-like facade is an important example of rococo architecture in Norway.