2 Best Sights in Bergen, Norway

Focusing on fish found in the North Sea, the Bergen Aquarium is one of the largest in Europe. It has 60 tanks filled with dozens of species from massive salmon to sinewy eels (which tend to wrap around each other), and two outdoor pools that are the home of playful seals, otters, and penguins. There is also a section displaying alligators from different parts of the world. Kids can hold starfish and other creatures in the touch tanks, or watch as trainers feed their charges.

One of the best-preserved buildings in Bergen, the Hanseatic Museum was the 16th-century office and home of an affluent German merchant. The apprentices lived upstairs, in boxed-in beds with windows cut into the wall. Although claustrophobic, the snug rooms had the benefit of being relatively warm—a blessing in the unheated building. In summer, there are daily guided tours in Norwegian, German, French, and English.