I added country number 28 to my travel list and it was none other than the beautiful and breathtaking Norway. Norway is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, but also one of the most expensive countries in the world. I visited Bergen for a 4 day weekend and it was such an amazing trip. I am lucky enough to have family in Bergen and did not have to pay for accommodation but when I was out and about I realized very quickly that Bergen makes London look cheap. even with family in Norway I never had the opportunity to visit, but I noticed that Norwegian Air had some seriously budget-friendly flights and one day I decided to just book a ticket. My return ticket from London to Bergen was about $125 (not including luggage). Which is super cheap, because if I was still California I wouldn’t be able to fly from LA to SF under a few hundred dollars. A four-day trip to Bergen was a perfect little getaway for me and gave me the perfect taste of what Norway had to offer.
Now four days does not seem like a lot of time to discover someplace new, but in my opinion, 4 days was just the right amount of time to visit the beautiful city of Bergen. Being a small city, you can cover the main attractions on foots and still have time left over, so any longer than 4 days I might have felt like exploring another Norwegian city. I spent my first few days sightseeing and then my third-day climbing/walking up one of Bergen’s many mountains. Bergen is a beautiful waterfront city but also built on the edge of 7 surrounding mountains. In my opinion, the juxtaposition of the city being between the waterfront and the mountains makes it breathtakingly beautiful.
The Fish Market is located right by the picture perfect Bryggen. When you visit you have to get a snap of the colorful houses, window shop and grab a bite to eat at the Fish Market. I love sushi and I have to say Bergen has some of the freshest fish I have ever had. It was so good and very expensive, but definitely worth a taste. Also if you are not a fish fan the Fish Market also sells more than fish, but just a warning, the Fish Market is one of Bergen’s biggest attractions and it is packed with locals as well as tourists and can be extremely overpriced, even by Norwegian standards. If you really want to see all of Bergen without having to walk up a mountain then you should definitely take the Fløibanen funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen. The trip starts at
the city center, just 150 meters from the Fish Market and Bryggen. The exciting trip up to the mountain is a magnificent experience in itself.
If you are adventurous and a bit fit then I would suggest trying to climb one of the mountains surrounding Bergen. even if you are fit, I have to say climbing these mountains was no easy task. It is absolutely worth it for the view and the photo op, but it was tough. I am glad I did do it.
I found Norway to be the most expensive place I’ve been in Europe so far, even more, expensive than Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark or Iceland. That said, I found it to be completely worth it – for a short weekend trip anyway. Bergen is one of my new favorite cities in Europe and if Norwegian Air continues to offer such great prices on a ticket then I totally see myself spending another weekend there in the future. Four days was the perfect amount of time to explore and fully appreciate the culture and beauty of Bergen.
If you are in Europe and you don’t mind spending a bit more on a weekend getaway then I highly recommend you consider Bergen for a long weekend trip. If you do go, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Have you ever been to Bergen?