Bergen

The gateway to the fjords, with the Hanseatic wharf of Bryggen. Bergen was Norway's capital in the 13th century and remained the country's main Hanseatic trading port until the 18th. The Bryggen wharf, a row of gabled wooden warehouses on the harbour front, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the medieval Bergenhus fortress and the 12th-century St Mary's Church stand behind it. The city is enclosed by seven mountains, with the Fløibanen funicular climbing Mount Fløyen and the Ulriken cable car reaching the highest summit of the ridge.