Bergen, the second largest city of Norway, is located on the west coast of Norway. Its old harbour of Bryggen is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Getting in:
By plane: Bergen Airport (BGO) is an international airport located at Flesland in Bergen.
You can either take the Flybussen bus (30 - 40 minutes) or light rail (about 45 minutes) or taxi to the downtown. The bus costs NOK 105 if you buy in advance online and NOK 30 extra if you buy on the bus.
I would recommend to take the light rail as it is cheaper and the service is frequent too. It costs only NOK 38 for adult and NOK 19 for child.
By train: If you're doing the Norway In A Nutshell tour from Oslo like me, you'll be arriving in Bergen by train.
The Bergen train station is located east of the downtown.
Luggage lockers are available inside the train station.
Exterior of the train station.
Alternatively, you can take a bus (the bus station is nearby the train station), drive a car and stop by Bergen on your road trip or even take a cruise along Norway coast.
Getting around:
It is best to get around the city on foot as most attractions are within walking distance in downtown area.
Regular bus services operate throughout the day. I would say it's quite confusing which line stopping where and going at which direction.
A light rail line also runs between the city center and southwards. You need to buy your ticket at the ticket machine at the station before you board.
Accommodation
Accommodation is slightly cheaper than the capital city, Oslo. I chose to stay at Bergen Budget Hotel which is nearby the train station. A night stay costed me about NOK 525, check the hotel price at Agoda, Trip.com, Hotels.com or Booking.com. Take note that the hotel has 3 locations in Bergen, make sure that you go to the right one.
The check in process is self service, you need to check your email to see your room number and the code given to access the room key.
The room has a simple kitchen pantry and has enough room to move about. The blurry figure is my son in the picture in case you're wondering, hehe.
Food
Seafood, seafood and more seafood (cod, salmon, shrimps, scallops, etc).
They also have whale meat.
Recommended restaurant: Bryggeloftet & Stuene at Bryggen (read more on "How I spent my time in Bergen" section below). Their signature dish which is fried wolfish with broccoli, carrots and shrimps in white wine sauce.
Souvenir to get:
1) Norwegian sweater and knitted hat
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2) Troll figures
3) Bergen colourful wooden houses miniatures
4) Traditional crafts by local designers
Keep in mind that most shops are closed on Sunday and holidays in Bergen.
Tip:
This free toilet is available at Bryggen waterfront near the wharf. Just look for this green building. This is possibly the only place where you can get free toilet. Even those in Mc Donald's are locked and reserved for customers only.
How I spent my time in Bergen
I arrived in Bergen in the evening as the last stop of my Norway In A Nutshell tour.
After checked in to the hotel, I passed by a shop selling this T-shirt which made me laugh, though not everyone would appreciate this brand of sense of humour.
Buildings in Bergen have some nice wall murals if you care to take notice.
The street food stalls were already closed by the time I reached Bryggen area.
There is a big glass building with several seafood stalls inside just beside the harbour.
It was nice to walk around inside and check the prices of the seafood. It was full house and we couldn't find a seat.
So we decided to leave and try another restaurant which scores 4.5 stars in Tripadvisor: Bryggeloftet & Stuene. It was warm and cosy inside.
I ordered a fish soup and smoked whale meat as appetizer.
For main course, I ordered their signature dish which is fried wolfish with broccoli, carrots and shrimps in white wine sauce. The other dish is Bacalao - Norwegian dried cod with onion, garlic, tomatoes, chili and potatoes. I enjoyed the meal very much, it was the best meal I had in Norway.
If you're in Bergen, definitely recommended to pay this restaurant a visit.
After dinner, we called it a night and walked back to the hotel.
In the next morning, the weather was better. It stopped raining for a while.
As we had a late flight, we stored our luggage at the train station first.
A family photo taken by a kind stranger on the way to the funicular rail station, Floibanen.
There was already a long queue outside the station.
Opening hours: Mon - Fri (7.30am - 11pm), Sat & Sun (8am - 11pm)
Price at ticket office:
A one-way ticket for adult is NOK 50 and NOK 25 for child (4 - 15). A round trip ticket for adult is NOK 100 and NOK 50 for child (4 - 15).
* Be smart and book your tickets online with your smartphone to skip the queue. I did so after seeing the queue and it saved some time as I could enter right away, just needed to scan the bar code on my phone to enter. It is also cheaper by NOK 5 to buy the tickets online.
Website: https://www.floyen.no/en/floibanen/buy-tickets/
The funicular railway connects the city with the mountain of Fløyen.
It departs from the station every 10 minutes.
The view of the city from the mountain is really worth it.
The weather in Bergen changes without warning from sun to rain and vice versa. Suggest to head to the funicular station immediately once you see the rain stops and the sun peeking out.
There is a shop and restaurant on top of the mountain.
View from inside the funicular car while getting back to the city.
I felt like a VIP with people lining up to greet us and some even snap some photos, haha.
Passed by Mc Donald's which is inside a white wooden house, blending in to the surroundings perfectly.
Next, I walked towards the Bergen havn (harbour).
The view of Bryggen from here is quite nice.
Bryggen is a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings which is listed as UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. Lots of tourist taking photo in front of the wooden houses of Bryggen.
Be sure to enter the alleyways between the storefronts and wander around the wooden houses.
Many shops are hidden in the alleyways. Bonus is there is less tourist here and you can take as many photos as you like.
<Bergen Visitor Center.
Another side of the wooden houses of Bryggen. This side has less tourist.
Bryggens Museum display findings of the archaeological excavations of Bryggen from 1955 and contains the foundations of the oldest buildings in Bergen.
Admission fee: NOK 100 for adult, NOK 50 for student, free for children under 16
St. Mary's Church. Unfortunately it was closed from 16 to 20 September due to a CD recording during my visit.
Nice houses in the neighbourhood.
Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene. Schøtstuene were assembly rooms for the Hanseatic, who were the German merchants at Bryggen (1360 - 1761). The museum comprised of original, reconstructed, and replica buildings.
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Next, I headed to the fish market for lunch.
Tried the whale burger at one of the stalls.
I also ordered some seafood and ate in one of the stalls. Fish and chips, salmon and shrimps and grilled scallop. To be honest, the meal was not up to my expectations and it's not that much cheaper as compared to restaurant. I had better seafood in similar settings in Helsinki.
After lunch, continued to explore the city.
Torgallmenningen is a main square in the city which is lined with shops and shopping mall.
Sailor's Monument in the square. The monument was placed in honour of Norwegian sailors from Viking times to the 20th century.
St. John's Church.
Festplassen, a square where you can unwind in front of a pool and fountain with views over the mountains.
KODE Art Museums of Bergen exhibits one of the largest collection of Munch paintings in the world.
Bergen is my last stop in Norway. After which, I headed to the Bergen Airport and flew to Copenhagen.
Norwegian city of Bergen is located on the southwest coast of the nation. Encircled by mountains and fjords, the longest and deepest in the nation is the Sognefjord. Get booked bergen airport transport through Limowide.
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