Bergen Museums and Art Galleries

(Bergen, Hordaland, Norway)

The museums in Bergen cover so many different subject matters that there is likely to be something of interest for all the family. Children will always have fun with the interactive machines at Bergen's Vilvite Science Centre, while for adults, the art galleries are a definite favourite.

In particular, the Bergen Art Museum is also home to an exceptional collection of international contemporary works, where the most prominent artists include Edvard Munch, Joan Miró, Johan Christian Dahl, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. Also popular is the West Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts, and both the Bryggens and Hanseatic museums.

Bergen Art Museum (Kunstmuseum)

Address: Rasmus Meyers Allé 3, Bergen, Norway, NO
Tel: +47 55 56 8000
Comprising no less than three individual buildings, the Bergen Art Museum is amongst the biggest of its kind, not only in Norway, but throughout the Nordic countries. This spacious gallery enjoys an especially scenic setting, next to the lake of Lille Lungegardsvann and exhibits Norwegian paintings from the 18th century onwards.
Open hours: mid-May to mid-September, daily - 11:00 to 17:00; mid-September to mid-May, Tuesday to Sunday - 11:00 to 17:00
Admission: charge, discounts for students, children under 16 years old are free

Bryggens Museum

Address: Dreggsalmenningen 3, Bergen, Norway, NO
Tel: +47 55 58 8010
One of the city's most popular of all its museums, the archaeological Bryggens Museum stands on the very site where the city was first settled. Here you can get close up to building foundations from around 800 years ago, which have been incorporated into the displays themselves. There are also many medieval artefacts and tools on exhibit, together with pottery and even some skulls. Between June and August, live folk music concerts are staged here at 21:00 and usually draw a good crowd of spectators and dancers.
Open hours: May to August, daily - 10:00 to 17:00; September to April, Monday to Friday - 11:00 to 15:00, Saturday - 12:00 to 15:00, Sunday - 12:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge, discounts for students, children are free

Hanseatic Museum

Address: Finnegardsgaten 1a, Bergen, Norway, NO
Tel: +47 55 54 4690
The Hanseatic Museum is just a short stroll from the fish market and housed within a characterful timber building, which dates back more than 300 years. Offering a true glimpse into the lives of local Hanseatic merchant sailors and their working conditions at the Hansa dock, particular highlights include the quarters of the management and apprentices, and the fish storage room, where at one stage more than one million pounds of fish was actually processed.
Open hours: May to September, daily - 09:00 to 17:00; October to April, Monday to Saturday - 10:00 to 17:00, Sunday - 11:00 to 14:00
Admission: charge, discounts for children

Vilvite / Vitensenter AS (Science Centre)

Address: Thormohlensgate 51, Bergen, Norway, NO
Tel: +47 55 59 4500
The Bergen Science Centre is state run and one attraction highly suitable for all the family, being known locally as the Vilvite or the Vitensenter. Here you can expect to join in the fun and get rather hands-on with many of the exhibits and machines, and enjoy an array of experiments. Often of interest are the sections devoted to weather, energy and also the ocean.
Open hours: Tuesday to Friday - 09:00 to 16:00, Saturday and Sunday - 11:00 to 18:00
Admission: charge, discounts for students, children and families, children three years old and under are free

West Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts (Vestlandske Kunstindustrimuseum)

Address: Nordahl Bruns, Bergen, Norway, NO
Tel: +47 55 33 6633
The West Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts regularly attracts a series of visiting arts and crafts exhibitions. Also located onsite is an extensive collection of handicrafts from all over Europe, along with some valuable sculptures from Buddhist temples and symbolic paintings from China. The museum itself is located within the Permanenten building and close to the music pavilion.
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday, mid-May to mid-September - 11:00 to 16:00; mid-September to mid-May, 12:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge, children under 16 years old are free

Further museums of note within the city and as follows:

Leprosy Museum (Lepramuseet)

Address: St. George's Hospital, Kong Oscars Gate 59, Bergen, Norway, NO
Tel: +47 55 32 5780

Maritime Museum (Sjofartsmuseet)

Address: Haakon Sheteligs Plass 15, Bergen, Norway, NO
Tel: +47 55 54 9600

Gamle Bergen (Open-Air Museum)

Address: Elesro, Sandviken, Bergen, Norway, NO
Tel: +47 55 39 4304

Siljustol Museum

Address: Siljustolveien 50, Bergen, Norway, NO
Tel: +47 55 92 2992

Theta Museum (Resistance Museum - former headquarters)

Address: Bredsgarden 1d, Bergen, Norway, NO
Tel: +47 55 31 5393