2.5 Unforgettable Days in Bergen – The Best Short Holiday You Can Have in Europe!

Bergen is Norway’s 2nd-largest city, it still appears pretty small for someone from a huge metropolis (someone like me!)

In many ways, Bergen is the gateway to the Fjords of Norway. This 900 year old city overlooks the Norwegian Sea but lies clambering up the 7 mountains surrounding the tiny city centre.

So if you’re planning your next trip to visit the fjords, do stop in at Bergen as well. You won’t regret it!

If you ever find yourself in Bergen and are a history geek like me, do check out the Bryggen aka Hanseatic Wharf. This wharf is a remnant from the time when trade between Norway and the rest of Europe flourished for hundreds of years. Other sights and events add to the social, cultural and historical vibrancy of this gorgeous little city – from museums and art galleries to restaurants, cafés and the annual Bergen International Festival (which I missed because it’s held in May and June) ☹.

So, we spent about 2.5 days in Bergen. I highly recommend that you follow the below itinerary so you can make the most of your trip!

Day 1

We arrived in Bergen from Stavanger by ferry, the MS Stavangerfjord. You can read more about the journey from Stavanger to Bergen here

I advise you to travel by ferry and experience the final approach to Bergen from the deck. You will never forget the experience!

The Stavanger-Bergen journey took about 5.5 hours. We disembarked at Bergen’s ferry terminal and made our way to the Ole Bull Hotel & Apartments in the city centre. Read the review here.

We decided to take advantage of the daylight so we dumped our luggage in our apartment and quickly headed out again.

We collected the tourist map from I centre and then headed to the Fløibanen funicular railway that took us to the top of Mount Fløyen, about 320 metres above sea level.  The trip starts from the city centre and offers spectacular views of Bergen including its the beautiful cityscape, the seaward approaches and the surrounding fjords.

When we reached the top, we walked around for a bit, exploring Mount Fløyen and its many fabulous viewpoints that offer views of the fjord, mountains and the city below. We had a hot chocolate (yep, in April!!) and came down a few hours later.

Later in the evening, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the Torgallmenningen, one of Bergen’s main city squares located between Strandgaten and Ole Bulls Plass.

By 9 PM, both my sister and I were so tired after our lovely day that we had a light dinner of bread and cheese in our hotel apartment and went to sleep.

Day 2

On Day 2, we did a full-day trip from Bergen to Myrdal and Flåm. We decided to go one way via the world-famous Flåm Railway and do the return journey by boat via Sognefjord. You can read a detailed trip report  on a separate blog that I wrote on the Flåm trip. 

We checked out of our hotel at 10.00 am. The concierge allowed us to keep our bags in the luggage room.(I told you the Ole Bull staff is great!) which we did. We then went for the city walking tour on our own.

We walked to St John’s Church. The elevated position of St John’s Church at Nygårdshøyden makes it easily visible.

After visiting St Johns church we walked towards Strandgaten street in the city centre. A portion of this street is pedestrian area with nice cafes and boutique shops.Then we walked towards Bryggen (Hanseatic Wharf), a UNESCO World Heritage site. The wharf’s characteristic wooden houses  closely huddled together are straight out of a fairy tale! 

Bergen is full of small, narrow, idyllic streets. These houses have small streets between them with cute shops.

We visited St Mary’s Church and walked around Øvregaten Street and explored its many antique shops.

We got lost among all the tiny lanes and charming side-streets but managed to find our way back to Bryggen and then towards Lake Lille Lungegårdsvannet.

The lake is beautiful with nice walking path around it. I particularly liked its octagonal shape. There were locals feeding pigeons and we got an opportunity to feed Indian chana to Norwegian pigeons by the lake. ( Not to mention that the chana was actually my snack..LOL)

If you need help designing your own walking route from your hotel, drop me a line. I can help!

After we finished our walking tour, we made our way to Hurtigruten Terminal where we boarded the MS Finnmarken Hurtigruten overnight cruise to Ålesund.

You may be familiar with Art Deco architecture but have you ever seen an Art Deco ship? I hadn’t either, until I saw the MS Finnmarken Hurtigruten! With its bold geometric shapes, rich colours and lavish ornamentation, the MS Finnmarken is beautifully appointed and combines relaxed style with a bit of luxury. Don’t miss it! [ADD PICS]

The MS Finnmarken cruise sets off from Bergen at 10.30 PM. However, passengers who arrive early can check in their bags starting at 11 AM. You can then take in all the sights of Bergen at your leisure and come back to the cruise at 4 PM. Boarding and cabin assignments start at 6 PM. Dinner is served between 6 & 9 PM. The timings worked out really well for us and we were able to see everything we wanted in Bergen without having to rush. Great planning, Norwegian style 😉

It does seem like I covered a lot in 2.5 days, didn’t I? The trip was one of the most memorable ones of my life