Season guide · Bergen · Norway
Bergen in spring
March–May: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5
Quick answer
Lengthening days, fruit blossom in Hardanger and some of the drier weather of the year, with snow lingering on the mountain tops. Expect highs up to 14°C (57°F) and lows around 1°C (34°F), with about 47 rainy days across March–May. May is among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- March–May
- Temperatures
- 1°C (34°F) to 14°C (57°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 47
- Sea
- 6°C (43°F) to 10°C (50°F)
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in spring
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 6°C (43°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 18 | 11.6 h | 2/5 |
| April | 10°C (50°F) | 4°C (39°F) | 15 | 14.5 h | 2/5 |
| May | 14°C (57°F) | 7°C (45°F) | 14 | 17.2 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 10°C (50°F) against a yearly 11°C (52°F), and 47 of the year's roughly 207 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
What's on in spring
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- March: Borealis — experimental music festival (usually March)
- May: Constitution Day parades (17 May)
- May: Bergen International Festival — music, theatre and dance (usually late May to early June)
- May: Nattjazz festival (usually late May)
Good choices for spring
Museum · Bryggen
Bryggens Museum
Built over the excavated remains of Bergen's earliest buildings, the museum displays the foundations of 12th-century wharf houses and finds from the medieval city, including runic inscriptions carved on wooden sticks that record everyday messages, trade deals and love notes.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
Gallery · Sentrum
KODE art museums
One ticket covers all the lakeside buildings for the day, so pace yourself and break for coffee.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Museum · Paradis
Troldhaugen
Edvard Grieg's Victorian villa above Lake Nordås, about 8 km south of the centre, where the composer lived for 22 years.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Art
- Couples
- Outdoors
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Aquarium · Nordnes
Bergen Aquarium
Check the feeding times on arrival, then walk to Nordnesparken next door for sea views.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Museum · Sandviken
Old Bergen Museum
An open-air museum of about 50 wooden houses from the 18th to 20th centuries, moved here from central Bergen to form a reconstructed small town with a square, shops, a dentist's surgery and a bakery.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Outdoors
Day trips in spring
- Norway in a Nutshell: Flåm and the Nærøyfjord (A full day, about 10–12 hours round trip) — The classic fjord round trip combines the Bergen Railway to Myrdal, the steep Flåm Railway down to the village of Flåm, a boat through the narrow, UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen and a bus back to Voss and the train to Bergen.
- Hardangerfjord (About 1 hour 15–30 minutes by bus) — Norheimsund on the Hardangerfjord has the Steinsdalsfossen waterfall, which you can walk behind, and summer fjord cruises towards Eidfjord and the Vøringsfossen waterfall.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is spring a good time to visit Bergen?
Yes: May is among the best months. Lengthening days, fruit blossom in Hardanger and some of the drier weather of the year, with snow lingering on the mountain tops.
+What is the weather like in Bergen in spring?
Highs of up to 14°C (57°F) and lows around 1°C (34°F), with about 47 rainy days over the season.