Bryggen is Bergen's symbol, the row of Hanseatic wooden warehouses that lean along the wharf that UNESCO lists and tourists photograph. The buildings that fire has destroyed and determination has rebuilt multiple times, the architecture that served commerce and now serves tourism - Bryggen is what Norwegian trading history looks like.

Bryggen provides the image that Bergen markets, the colored facades that appeared when commercial photography made destinations sellable. Bryggen is Bergen's identity; the identity has been carefully maintained.

Bergen's rain is legendary, the precipitation that falls on average 270 days per year, that locals accept and visitors curse. The rain that Atlantic weather systems deliver, that the mountains trap, that Bergen has learned to ignore - the rain is fact that tourism cannot change.

The rain shapes Bergen's character, the cafes where people shelter, the indoor attractions that weather requires. The rain is why Bergen is green; the green is the rain's compensation.

Bergen is gateway to the fjords that define Norwegian tourism, the starting point for journeys to Sognefjord and Hardangerfjord and the landscape that makes Norway distinctive. The city where cruises begin and tours originate, the logistics center for Norway's most famous natural features.

The fjords are why many visitors come to Bergen, the natural spectacle that the city provides access to. The fjords are Norway's tourism product; Bergen is the shopfront.

The Fish Market is where Bergen's maritime economy meets tourism, the waterfront stalls where fishermen once sold their catch and vendors now serve tourists. The market that has adapted to its audience, the seafood that remains excellent even if the prices reflect who's buying.

The market provides what tourism expects, the authentic-seeming experience that photograph and Instagram require. The market is performance of tradition; the tradition once was unperformed reality.

The funiculars that climb Bergen's surrounding mountains provide the views that the city's basin location otherwise obscures. The Floibanen that tourists take and the Ulriken cable car that the adventurous try - the elevated perspectives show how Bergen fits between mountains and sea.

The funiculars serve tourism's need for views, the panoramas that ground-level walking cannot provide. The funiculars are Bergen's vertical dimension; the dimension reveals the setting.