Trondheim: the ancient capital of the Viking kings

Founded by Viking king Olav Tryggvason in 997, Trondheim was for centuries the religious capital of Norway and coronation site of its sovereigns.

The center, ancient capital of Viking kings, is comfortably explored on foot around Nidaros Cathedral.

The Nidaros Cathedral, the greatest medieval construction of Scandinavia, houses the tomb of Saint Olav and remains the site of symbolic coronations of Norwegian sovereigns.

A short walk away, the colorful wooden houses along the Nidelva River, once merchant port warehouses, remain among the most photographed views of the city.

Continuing on, you cross the Gamle Bybro, a red wooden pedestrian bridge from the seventeenth century that connects the center to the Bakklandet district.

Toward evening, the Bakklandet district, with its restored wooden houses, animates cafes and venues in a gathered atmosphere along the river.

Nidaros Cathedral was built at the very spot where St. Olav, king and Norwegian martyr, was buried in the eleventh century, transforming Trondheim into a pilgrimage destination throughout Scandinavian medieval times.

Gamle Bybro offers one of the city's most celebrated vantage points: from the bridge, one observes the colored facades of port warehouses reflected in the waters of the Nidelva River.