Taking the Kids: To the City in Norway That Inspired Frozen

With its colorful buildings, wharf, and surrounding mountains, Bergen was a major inspiration for the fictional kingdom of Arendelle in Disney’s “Frozen.”

Bergen is a hub for marine industries, marine science research and a major landing point for North Sea oil and gas, as well as tourism as it is the gateway to the fjords for travelers. Olena Tur/Shutterstock

There are houses of all styles, train stations, castles, farms, cable cars, and soccer fields.

Welcome to Bergen, Norway—in miniature, except there is an Eiffel Tower and the London Tower Bridge, too.

Welcome to Pepperkakebyen,(translated as Gingerbread City) the world’s largest gingerbread town—some 2,000, all made by locals—adults and kids, school groups, and friends. There is room for every creation with profits donated to organizations that help children.

It has been a popular holiday destination here for more than 30 years. It is just last year, however, that Gingerbread Town has found a permanent home at Kong Oscars gate in the city center. (Until Jan. 11)

Bergen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located on the west coast of Norway in the heart of the famous fjords. At the end of the Hurtigruten cruise to see the Northern Lights, we were glad to have time to explore this charming city in gingerbread and reality. And as tourists seek cooler climates, Bergen has been enjoying a spike in tourism.

Locals want visitors to see all that Bergen—and Norway—have to offer in the winter, as well as summer—skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing, history dating back to before the Vikings, the heroic tales of the Norwegian WWII resistance, and, of course, the Northern Lights.

We braved subzero temperatures the previous two weeks last December on a Hurtigruten cruise that took us above the Arctic Circle, where we not only saw the amazing light show in the sky, but went dog sledding, snow shoeing in the moonlight, visited an igloo hotel made of snow and ice and experienced the arctic winter where the sun never goes above the horizon.

Bergen, Norway’s second largest city, isn’t nearly as cold. Its history dates back to the 14th century when it was a trading hub. Today, Bergen is a hub for marine industries, marine science research and a major landing point for North Sea oil and gas, as well as tourism as it is the gateway to the fjords for travelers.

Fun Fact: With its colorful buildings, wharf, and surrounding mountains, Bergen was a major inspiration for the fictional kingdom of Arendelle in Disney’s “Frozen”, the 2013 award-winning megahit now beloved by a new generation of young fans, “Frozen 2” and the Broadway musical.

Heavily influenced by Norwegians’ spectacular scenery, culture, and traditions and the characters, including Elsa, her sister Anna with her unique powers, ice harvester Kristoff and his reindeer Sven, Olaf the snowman, and a bunch of trolls. With fjord tours you can sign up for the Norway Frozen Experience.

There are “Frozen” experiences at Walt Disney World, meet and greets with Anna and Elsa at Disney California Adventure and a “World of Frozen” expected to open next spring at Disneyland Paris.

However, the city of Bergen doesn’t promote its fictional counterpart and, of course, nothing can compare to the real thing, especially when the city is decked out for the holidays.

There is the Church of the Cross, City Hall, the famous Wharf Houses dating back to the 1700s that are now a UNESCO Heritage Site, the Stave Church, the popular Christmas Market, the cable car station that takes you to the top of Mount Ulriken, the highest of Bergen’s seven mountains and the station for the Floibanen Funicular, which takes you to the top of Mount Floyen, where there’s a restaurant. There’s also a forest where you will find trolls (not real ones), a playground, historic restaurant and more. (For a good workout, hike up and back down.)

With the Bergen Card, we could travel free on the Bergen Light Rail and buses and get free or discounted admission to many museums and attractions, sightseeing tours and more. The Norway in a Nutshell popular tour takes you on the famous Flam Railroad, a fjord cruise, the Bergen Railway, and a bus ride through the Naeroy Valley—all in one day from Oslo or Bergen. (For more info, visit www.fjordtours.com.)

We stayed nearby at Gingerbread City at the Hotel Charmante, a boutique hotel on the tiny cobblestoned Skostredet with a popular restaurant scene. Every one of the 41 rooms are different. This is a place for a romantic getaway or to enjoy with grown or nearly grown kids who will enjoy the kitsch (and comfy beds), as well as Brasserie Cherie designed to make you feel as if you are in Paris during the early 1900s.

The hotel has been built in 14 wooden houses with an early 20th-century Paris vibe complete with fringed lamps, flowered wallpaper and decorations sourced from antique and vintage stores. “We go all in.” joked one of the staff.

As does the city for the holidays. We enjoyed a traditional holiday lunch at the historic Bryggestuen-Bryggeloftet, popular with locals as well as tourists that has always been run by the same family, and dates back to 1910 with wharf views. They come on Thursdays for the Raspeballer, potato balls boiled in lamb stock and served with traditional salt meat, we learned.

Reindeer filets are the most popular meat dish—more than 7,000 sold in the year. There is also Pinnekjott, lamb ribs traditionally served at Christmas in Western Norway or Svineribbe, a pork belly dish often served with red cabbage and a staple of Norwegian Christmas celebrations.

Then there is Lutefisk, a dried whitefish—usually cod—that is typically made with dried and salted cod and then rehydrated for several days and served warm with bacon, peas, bread, and mustard. Traditionally, friends gather for a Lutefisk dinner and the restaurant steams 13 tons during the season, between the end of September to the end of March.

But I’ll admit, for visitors, it is an acquired taste.

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