Trondheim city walk: wooden warehouses & the world's only bicycle lift

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/5

Duration2h

GroupUp to 25

LanguagesEN · DE

Mobile ticketAccepted

Small groups walk the wooden backstreets while tour buses queue at the gates

You walk through six distinct parts of Trondheim in two hours with a local guide: the modern cafés of Solsiden, the preserved wooden architecture of Bakklandet, the Portal of Happiness bridge, Nidaros Cathedral, the Market Square, and the royal residence. The guide handles the timing and adjusts for weather, so you show up at Pirbadet and return to the harbor without planning the route yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

City walk through Trondheim highlights

Start in front of Pirbadet
Visit Solsiden district cafés
Walk along river Nid and warehouses
Explore Bakklandet wooden architecture
See the world's only bicycle lift
Cross old town bridge "Portal of Happiness"
Visit Nidaros Cathedral
Stop at Market Square with Olav statue
Walk through Stiftsgården garden
Pass Britannia Hotel
Return to the harbour

The Experience

The walk starts at Pirbadet and moves straight into Solsiden, where locals actually sit outside the cafés instead of just passing through. You'll see the modern side first — restaurants, people, the river Nid opening up — and then the guide takes you along the water toward the old warehouses. The colors are real: reds, yellows, greens painted on timber that's been there for centuries. That's when you cross into Bakklandet, the working-class district that somehow kept its wooden buildings intact despite fires and demolition projects all around it. The bicycle lift sits beside the old town bridge, a small metal contraption that hauls bikes up the steep hill — it's the only one in the world, and yes, people still use it.

From there you walk across the famous red bridge, the one locals call the Portal of Happiness, and the view back toward the warehouses is the reason that name stuck. Then comes Nidaros Cathedral, which is not small and not easy to miss. It's built over the tomb of St. Olav, Norway's patron saint, and it's the best-preserved Gothic building in Northern Europe — that's not marketing language, that's what the architecture actually is. After the cathedral you hit the Market Square where the founder, Viking King Olav Tryggvason, stands as a statue looking over the whole thing. The royal residence, Stiftsgården, comes next, with its garden, and then the Britannia Hotel before you head back toward the harbor. Two hours moves fast through that much history.

The tour works for cruise passengers because the timing is built around ship arrivals and departures — the guide knows when you need to be back. If you're already in the city, they'll ask for your phone number and details upfront so they can confirm the meeting point and any weather changes. Moderate fitness is the baseline; you're walking the whole time, and Bakklandet has some steep sections, but nothing technical. Strollers work if you have small children, and the route is all on regular streets and bridges.

What’s included

A local, experienced guide leads the entire two-hour walk.
The route covers Solsiden, Bakklandet's wooden architecture, the Portal of Happiness bridge, Nidaros Cathedral, the Market Square, and Stiftsgården.
No entry fees or additional costs are mentioned as part of the package.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Trondheim City Tours

Is this one for you?Right for cruise passengers on a short stop in Trondheim, since the timing is built around ship schedules. The walk covers the main historical and modern quarters in two hours, which is what makes it fit between arrival and departure without rushing.