LHR FLYER

I've got from Friday evening to Sunday evening in Norway - Any recommendations on things to do? I've heard walking up the mountain is a must.
Anything else? 24 yr old single traveler staying in the Radison Blu in central Bergen.

liamvad

Take the steep train up or down the mountain,if weather is good,great views over Bergen,Bergen is very small,and expensive,but very nice.Scruffy Murphys is a good place for a drink,on the harbour front.The Flybus from the airport will drop you outside your hotel!!

LHR FLYER

Great thanks Liamvad - Quick question - Why take the train and not walk? is it too far to walk or just not worth it?

helosc

Because funikulars are fun and because some people are older than others......
It is possible to walk up - wikitravel says a 40 minutes walk.

You could also visit the fish market:
http://www.bergen-guide.com/40.htm

liamvad

Yep,the cable train up is fun.......and I am 67,so the walk is a bit much for me!!!try and sit right at the back of the train going up!!hope you have a head for heights!!I did it and enjoyed every minute of it....
Another fine view of Bergen by Dave McDermott, on Flickr

Floibanen Railway by Dave McDermott, on Flickr

br2k

Does anyone know if the tram service been extended to the airport yet?

lkar

Are you exploring other parts of Norway? Do you expect to be back? If not, I would consider doing a Norway in a Nutshell roundtrip on the Saturday.

https://www.norwaynutshell.com/origi...tshell/bergen/

DocWatson

I'm late-20s and walked up last month, it was excellent. Took around 45 minutes from the bottom funicular station. Climb the steps to the white church, walk up the hill past the park to the junction at the Funicular mid-station, then walk along Fjellvein. Take the footpath up, signed Tippetue, and keep following it. After 25 minutes or so you'll reach a small house building, keep going and you'll come in behind the buildings at the top station. Personally, if you're of decent fitness I don't see why you'd take the train up - there's a ticket machine to get a ticket back down again.

As of last month it hasn't been completed. The bus service is excellent from the city, though.

For a couple of days I wouldn't do Norway in a Nutshell, it seems over-complicated. There's a high-speed 3 hour fjord cruise leaving from the fish market that is excellent - for UK visitors the £50 fare was somewhat steep but we thoroughly enjoyed it even in the cold and wet.

flatlander

The Hanseatic Museum is interesting - a well-preserved Hanseatic-era warehouse and offices from the time when Bergen was important in the stockfish (dried whole fish) trade. It has the significant benefit of being inside, allowing one to avoid the Bergen weather.

I have eaten dinner at Cafe Opera, it was reasonable. The cafe at the top of the funicular (or hike) is also OK - most of the menu is not a budget option even by Norwegian standards, but the soups are substantial and tasty so the all-you-can-eat soup option is a good one.

Bergen has awesomely bad weather, in my opinion. It's windy and rainy almost all the time; for example in one day when I was there, there were 4 distinct occasions of heavy rain. Serious wet-weather gear is a must, any backpack or bag must be fully waterproof to go outside all day.

br2k

We have an early flight from Bergen and need to drop off the car in the evening at the airport, then stay nearby.

All hotels seem to have a shuttle *to* the airport but not from. Relatively cheaper options (Scandic Bergen airport) seem to require taking a bus/train - trying to figure out if the hassle is worth the difference in price (vs. staying at the Comfort hotel closer to the airport)

ksu

It has. It opened on April 22 (pace DocWatson).

The timetable is here: https://www.skyss.no/globalassets/by...ybanen-bgo.pdf

Do note that the first morning service does not arrive at the airport until 06.29 in the morning, a source for complaint for locals, even though it runs late into night, especially on weekends. The travel time from downtown is considerable, though. 45 minutes end to end.

MSPeconomist

Bergen has a fascinating museum (open only seasonally) devoted to leprosy. It's located in what appears to be an old church or convent that was used historically as a hospital or hospice. It's unique.

ksu

Open daily from mid-May until the end of August. Very close to the railway station.

http://www.bymuseet.no/en/museums/th...rgen-hospital/

ksandness

When I was in Bergen, we took the funicular up the mountain and walked down--the best of both worlds.

If you are into classical music (and its sounds as if you aren't, but one never knows), the tourist information center has a list of concerts held in the small theater on the grounds of Edvard Grieg's home. Buy a ticket at the tourist information office, and it includes bus transportation there and back (it's out in the suburbs, so too far to walk).

PsiFighter37

When I was in Bergen last June, we did the opposite - we walked up (actually hiked up through the foliage in some spots to make it shorter) and took the funicular down The only irritating thing was the massive rush from Chinese tourists to get a 'good' spot on the train down...

Either way, the view at the top was fantastic, especially on a clear day.