Sandviken, just north of Bryggen along the harbour shore, was Bergen's second mercantile quarter after Bryggen was fully dominated by the Hanse. Merchants and sea captains built their homes here in the 18th and 19th centuries, and many of the wooden houses survive — painted in faded pastels along lanes that run between the main road and the waterfront.
The area is peaceful and slightly run-down in a charming way — gentrification has barely arrived here. Sandvigen Sjøbad, the old sea bath at the northern end, is a local institution. The walk from Bryggen north along the harbour takes twenty minutes and feels like a different Bergen entirely.