Overview

Simply strolling around Bergen is lots of fun. It is the type of place to just take it easy, wandering around tight alleys and snacking at terrace cafés. There are also many intriguing sights such as the old medieval core, Bryggen, with all the allure of an ancient town, and loads of old architecture. Mount Fløien is good for a day's jaunt and for the best views of Bergen, while kids will love Bergen Aquarium.

Bryggen

Bryggen is the charming old medieval quarter of Bergen. It features row upon row of cobbled lanes lined with wooden houses and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Bryggen used to be one of the main centres when Bergen was the Norwegian capital, although today is given over completely to tourism with its many cafés and artsy shops. The Hanseatic Museum and Bryggens Museum are popular attractions in Bryggen, as is the fish market.

Mount FlØien

Mount Fløien is one of the many hills overlooking Bergen and it can be accessed direct from town via a funicular railway. The mountain is about 1,000 feet high and naturally provides fine views over the town and surroundings. Many walking trails are also in evidence and a popular activity is to take the train up and walk down.

St Mary's Church (Mariakirken)

Bergen's oldest building dates from the 1100s - a Romanesque-style church with a stunning altar and a Baroque pulpit. It has been added to over the centuries and features a fabulous interior adorned with frescoes. The fairly bland exterior, meanwhile, has two towers and a hefty wooden door while concerts are often held here during the summer months.

Bergen Aquarium

One of Europe's largest aquariums, Bergen Aquarium has a vast amount of marine life from the Norwegian coast, as well as many exotic varieties of fish, snakes and reptiles. The main highlights are the seals and penguins at feeding time, while the 3D SOS planet film teaches all about the environment. Bergen Aquarium can be found in a fine park in Nordnes.

Troldhaugen

Troldhaugen is the former home of Norwegian composer Edvard Greig and is a part of the stunning Greig Museum. He was famous for composing the music in Peer Gynt, as well as for many other plays, and you can visit his tomb near the house. While touring the grounds, be sure to take a look at Grieg's ‘composer's hut', which is where he penned many of his works.

Statsraad Lehmkuhl

Those into sailing should check out the Statsraad Lehmkuhl; a tri-masted vessel (barque) which was built in 1914. It is usually moored up at the Bergen harbour shed unless being taken for a spin. You can, of course, go for a cruise in the summer which lasts for around five hours, or indulge in a week-long trip around Europe as a deckhand.

Overview

There is some fantastic trekking, fishing and boating in and around Bergen owing to its dramatic land and seascape and the Norwegians' love for everything outdoors. The boating is particularly great and you can sail right from the harbour at Bergen and go on a cruise of the nearby fjords and resorts. The fishing here is of course also very good and the hilly landscape makes it perfect for walkers and hikers.

Boating

With many fjords within its midst, Bergen has great scope for boating. Sognefjord is Norway's longest and deepest and is nearby, as is the stunning Hardangerfjord, with its busy resorts of Ulvik or Lofthus. Boat trips go from Bergen out to these fjords regularly, while the antique Statsraad Lehmkuhl tri-masted vessel does cruises in the summer months.

Walking and hiking

If you're not content with the pleasant walking around town, then there is much opportunity for more strenuous tramping in the nearby hills. You could take the funicular up Mount Fløien and trek around up there, or perhaps go higher and take in Mount Ulriken, which links up with Mount Fløien by a network of fancy trails. The mountain village of Myrdal also has some great walking.

Fishing

As with elsewhere in Norway, Bergen has excellent fishing options and the good thing is that you don't need a license to fish in the sea. You will, however, need one to do river and stream fishing. Fish you can expect to hook in the nearby fjords include cod, haddock, and mackerel, and you can easily arrange a fishing trip in the city centre or at your hotel.

Golf

There are one or two decent golf courses near to Bergen, with the Meland Golf Club having the best one. It is an 18-hole, par-73 course just to the north of Bergen at Meland and comes with good facilities and a pro shop. The setting is typical rural Norway - dense woods, lakes, and mountains - and the fairways and greens are very well maintained. Rates are a lot more respectable during the week.

Sports centres

If you are having a particularly rainy time in Bergen and are looking to get active, but don't fancy the climb up Bergen's mountains, consider taking a look at the Paradise Sports Center just outside town. It lies on Highway R1 just south of Bergen and comes with five indoor tennis courts, and squash courts, badminton courts, and a health club.

Dining and shopping

Bergen is loaded with good eating options and although a little on the expensive side, the choice of places serving local specialties and international favourites is good. The seafood here is particularly special and among the best in Europe. You will also find good shopping in Bergen, especially for local handicrafts and souvenirs.

Most of the restaurants and cafés in town are located in the centre of Bergen, where there is a great range of international and traditional eateries, along with snacking and fast food joints. Be aware that most places in the city centre are very samey and you'll need to move away from this area a block or so to find the better food and easier prices. Most Bergen restaurants stop serving at around 23:00. You're not expected to tip in Norway.

Seafood can be had all over the place and although you'll find excellent quality all over town, the fish market and harbour area is a good option with its fresh shrimps and fish sandwiches. The Fiskekrogen Restaurant in this area is particularly renowned for its monkfish.

One popular Bergen specialty everyone should try while in Bergen is laks, which is grilled or smoked salmon. Another good Bergen eat is fish soup, which you will find in many of the more traditional restaurants. Geitost is a popular goat's cheese and Norwegian fish cakes (fiskekake) are ubiquitous.

On the shopping front, everything from souvenir shops to specialist boutiques and large department stores can be found in Bergen. Most tourists tend to head for the Bryggen area for the best of it and for the ambience. Small cobbled streets go off in all directions in Bryggen and there are loads of cosy cafés to snack in.

The Bryggen Brukskunst area near the wharf is the best place to head to for handicrafts, where old houses have been converted into workshops-cum-stores. Anything from sheepskin boots to woollen dresses and all manner of ancient Norwegian crafts can be had here. For handicrafts shopping farther afield, head for Hardanger and Song, both of which are not too far from Bergen. The fish market (Fisketorget) is also good for local handicrafts.

For shopping centres in Bergen, the covered street known as Torgallmenningen houses the ever popular Galleriet. The Bergen Storsenter by the train station and Kløverhuset in Strandgaten are also good shopping mall options.

Tourists from outside Scandinavia can also get VAT back after spending in excess of 310 Norwegian kroner. Be sure to do your shopping in a tax-free tourist shop and ask for the Global Refund form that will allow you to claim back 18.5 per cent on leaving Norway.

Bergen has a great range of top-end restaurants. They are located all over town, from the charming Bryggen area and out at the wharf, and even on the top of Mount Fløien. You can dine on the freshest of seafood and veal and take in Norwegian and Bergen specialities in beautifully decorated eateries, although expect to pay handsomely.

Overview

Bergen has its own airport and flights arrive all day from major European cities, including London and Amsterdam, and there are also flights from Oslo. Transfer options are public buses and taxis to town and major hotels. Trains and buses also arrive in Bergen from Oslo and beyond throughout the day, while ferries come in from the UK. You can easily get about town on foot although a bus service and taxis are on-hand.

Airports

Bergen's airport, Bergen Lufthavn Flesland, is one of the gateways to Bergen and receives flights direct from European cities. It is a few miles southwest of town on a major highway and is mainly served by the Norwegian flag carrier SAS Braathens, as well as KLM, Ryan Air, Lufthansa, and Finnair. Flights come in daily from the likes of London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Frankfurt with these big airlines, while Norwegian Air Shuttle also serves from within Norway.

Bergen Airport has just the one terminal building and is located in the small village of Flesland. Facilities at the terminal are good enough for its size and stature, with a bank, ATM and currency exchange, along with wireless internet, several cafés, snack shops and bars, and plenty of shops. There is also a left luggage service, baby changing facilities, a travel agency and facilities for business travellers.

There is an airport bus which transfers passengers to and from the airport and main hotels, terminating at the bus station in the centre of Bergen. The bus takes about 45 minutes to reach town and departs Arrivals every 15 minutes between 08:00 and 20:00. There is also a minibus service available from the airport to Flesland Pier where you can take boats to various destinations, including Austevoll, Stavanger, Sunnhordaland, Stord, and Haugesund. Taxis provide the most convenience yet are quite expensive in Bergen. Bergen Taxi, Taxi 1, and Norgestaxi are the main ones.

Public transportation

If you are already in Norway or Sweden, or indeed prefer travelling by train, Bergen is well served by rail and the leg from Oslo into Bergen is beautiful, passing as it does snow-capped mountains, deep valleys and stunning fjords. This section from Oslo to Bergen in itself takes about eight hours, however, and you will also need to go via Copenhagen (Denmark) if coming through from Germany. When you arrive in Bergen, free shuttle bus 100 runs onto the city centre via the bus station.

If you need to save your pennies there is also the option of bussing it to Bergen, with five NOR-WAY Bussekspress coaches per day from Oslo, a 10-hour journey. Connections with Eurolines go through Copenhagen from Hamburg where you can change to Oslo and then to Bergen. Bergen bus station is near the train station in Strømgaten 8.

Bergen is also a major port and car/passenger ferries come in frequently from the UK as well as from numerous other coastal cities in Norway. Car ferries come in from Lerwick in the Shetlands as well as from Newcastle in northern England. You can also get in from the Faroe Islands (Denmark) and from Iceland. Ferry companies operating to Bergen include Smyril Line, DFDS Seaways, Fjord Line, and Color Line. Services land at Skoltegrunn pier, not far from Bryggen.

Bergen is compact enough to get about on foot although there is a bus service known as the downtown bus (Sentrumsbussen) which serves most touristy areas. Buses also run farther afield. Trains run between Bergen city centre and the suburb of Arna if you feel the need to head out east. Taxis run day and night in Bergen, are metered and have a light on the roof when available. The main taxi ranks in town are in Bryggen, Strandkaien and Vågsallmenningen.