Begin with a brief photo stop at UNESCO-listed Bryggen, where the historic wooden trading rows face Bergen's harbour. Your local Norwegian guide introduces the Hanseatic merchants, who exchanged grain for stockfish from Northern Norway and helped make Bergen one of Northern Europe's leading trading ports.

Enter Norway's largest surviving secular building from the Middle Ages, built by King Haakon Haakonsson between 1247 and 1261 as a royal residence and ceremonial hall. Picture the wedding of Magnus the Lawmender and the Danish princess Ingeborg in 1261, celebrated by 2,000 guests while Bergen stood at the centre of the Norwegian kingdom. Follow the hall through centuries of royal power, decline and survival. In 1944, an ammunition ship exploded in the harbour only metres away, destroying the roof and interior while the medieval stone walls remained standing. With no more than eight guests, and usually fewer, there is time to look closely, ask questions and explore the stories behind the building.

Stand above the remains of Bergen's earliest secular buildings, preserved where archaeologists uncovered them beneath Bryggen. Discover how fire repeatedly destroyed and preserved the wooden city: at least ten fires affected Bryggen between 1170 and 1702, and the major fire of 1955 led to thirteen years of archaeological excavations. Among the thousands of objects recovered is the world's largest collection of medieval rune sticks. These carved messages range from receipts and business correspondence to prayers, love notes, gossip, poetry and magical formulas, bringing the voices of ordinary medieval people remarkably close. Together, the buildings and objects trace Bergen's development from its earliest settlement through trade, fire and rebuilding to the city outside today.

Pause outside St. Mary's Church, Bergen's oldest surviving building, constructed during the 12th century. It later became the main church of the Hanseatic merchants, who used it from 1408 until 1766. Here, your guide tells the story of Anne Pedersdotter, a Bergen pastor's wife who was acquitted of witchcraft in 1575 but accused again and burned in 1590. Her case became one of Scandinavia's best-known witch trials and reveals a darker side of life in early modern Bergen.

Enter Bergenhus Fortress, one of Norway's oldest fortified sites and the former centre of royal and political power in medieval Norway. On the short walk through the fortress, your guide places the surroundings within the wider story of Bergen when kings governed the country from here. Continue to King Haakon's Hall, the great medieval building at the heart of the fortress.