After the morning flight from Tromso, we landed in Bergen around 12:30PM. It was a cloudy day so not the most auspicious starts to our 2 days in Bergen Norway, but well we were aware of 1 thing – In all Scandinavian countries, the weather changes pretty quickly and the European weather forecast agencies do a pretty good job of getting the predictions right.
Ideally, 2 days in Bergen Norway is just the time perfect time to cover most of what the city has to offer. We did this in winter, but if you visit in the summer you will have the added advantage of the long European summer days.
2 days in Bergen Norway – Harley at the Airport.. 2 days in Bergen Norway – Sunny Day..
Getting from the Bergen Airport to the City Center
For backpackers, there are 2 main options – The Rail and the Bus. However, if you are travelling as a family then I would suggest booking a taxi.
- Bergen Light rail (Bybanen) – Cheapest option. Takes 45 mins and runs from right outside the Airport terminal in Flesland and ends in Bergen city center. Cost – NOK 38 (Free for Bergen Card Holders)
- Airport Bus (Flybussen) – Fastest option. Takes 30 mins and has several stops in the city center. Departs from just outside the Flesland arrival terminal. Costs – NOK 105 if booked in advance & Bergen card holders get 20% discount. If bought directly on the bus costs an extra NOK 30.
- By Taxi – Costs around NOK 400-500 based on the number of passengers, time of the day etc.
I would advise taking the Bergen card as its VFM even if you cover 3-4 main attractions.
P-Hotels Bergen
The location of the hotel is excellent. Located next to St. Jonh’s cathedral it gives excellent view of the city of Bergen. The picture below is the view from my window. If you see carefully you can see the Bergen Cathedral as well as Mt. Fløyen. We did have one not so pleasant experience with the receptionist (but I’ll put that in the complete hotel review).
2 days in Bergen Norway – Not a bad view out of the window, right?
Video of our 2 days in Bergen Norway
Day 1 of 2 days in Bergen Norway
After the now usual routine of getting to the hotel, getting fresh and ready; we headed for some local sightseeing. But before all that we decided to grab some lunch at an Italian restaurant close to the hotel. The food was yummy but expensive (To be frank everything here is expensive. To compare – a full size Chicken Shawarma costs roughly 800-900 INR).
After the heavy lunch, we climbed some stairs to St. John’s Church.
St. John’s Church
It’s the largest church in Bergen with capacity of 1250 seats. It was located right next to our hotel, barely and is also the highest point in the city. It has a beautiful bright-red gothic revival exterior and some amazing frescoes on the inside.
2 days in Bergen Norway – St. John’s Church 2 days in Bergen Norway – Church entrance from our hotel
City Center
We walked around the city center, which was some interesting monuments.
Bryggen
Bryggen, also known as Tyskebryggen, is a series of Hanseatic commercial buildings lining the
eastern side of the Vågen harbour in Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has since 1979 been on the
UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites
Bergenhus Fortress
The Bergenhus Fortress dates back to 1240. Its location is right on the harbour and next to the Bryggen. Today only a medieval hall and defensive tower remain, but it is still currently used by the Royal Norwegian Navy and around 150 military personnel stationed there. We visited Haakon’s Hall and the Rosenkrantz Tower, which is open to the public.
2 days in Bergen Norway – Bergenhus Fortress
The King Håkon’s Hall
Håkon’s Hall is 750 years old and was built by King Håkon Håkonsson as a royal residence and banqueting hall.
As a national cultural monument, Håkon’s Hall is still used both for royal dinners and other official occasions.
Bergen Cathedral
Bergen Cathedral is a cathedral in Vestland county.
It is the seat of the Diocese of Bjørgvin as well as the seat of the Bergen domkirke parish and the seat of the Bergen domprosti.
It is part of the Church of Norway. The first recorded historical reference to this church is dated 1181. It retains its ancient dedication to Saint Olaf. The cathedral seats about 900 people. Wikipedia
It was getting dark by the time we finished our sightseeing and headed back to the hotel. The rooms were comfy and after a tiring day we decided to unwind with some Whiskey and snacks (chakana) from back home. I also remember that Manchester United were playing today, so after the session I went to the pub downstairs and watched the match and made lots of new friends from the bar. Unfortunately though I think we lost that day.
As a result, I went out with the newly made friends and roamed along the streets of Bergen and got back to the hotel only around 2AM.
Day 2 of 2 days in Bergen Norway
Most of us had a hangover from our partying yesterday. So today was a late start. We had the breakfast provided by the hotel which was some Orange juice and sandwiches with some pastry. After that we got our lunch packed from the Kebab place downstairs. I also grabbed some coffee and pies to snack on from a 7-eleven store close to the hotel.
Fløibanen Funicular
Our first stop for the day was The Fløibanen funicular. It’s one of Norway’s best-known attractions. Fløibanen is around 150 m from Fisketorget (Fish Market) and Bryggen wharf and takes you to the top of Mt. Fløyen.
Ticket – 85 NOK for return tickets. Can be purchased online like we did.
Full Fløibanen Funicular Video
Mount Fløyen
Mt. Fløyen is located around 320 m above sea level & takes about 5–8 minutes to reach with the Fløibanen funicular. We did a half day trip to Mt. Fløyen as it has plenty to offer. You can go trail hiking and even spend a day here.
2 days in Bergen Norway – Lunch Spot overlooking Bergen
We arrived in the morning around 11AM with our packed lunches, went on a long hike to a beautiful lake on the mountain. Spent plenty of time walking around the beautiful place and then had our lunch along with some hot chocolate/coffee from the restaurant located next to the Funicular station.
2 days in Bergen Norway – Lake at Mt. Floyen
Hanseatic Museum Bergen
Excellent museum detailing the history of the Bryggen. Pretty informative.
The building is one of the oldest in the area and gives you a real sense of what it was like living and working here. Friendly staff and it spans 3 floors.
Entrance Fee – NOK 130. 20% discount for Bergen Card Holders.
Highly recommended.
Fish Market (Torget)
Bergen Fish Market has over 30 specialty shops and eateries selling small-scale Norwegian produce.
Enjoy a meal here of some fresh sea food. For vegetarians the market also has shops for ice-creams and drinks like hot chocolate. The food might be a little on the expensive side, but its the price you pay for some really fresh and yummy food. Also on top of the market is the Tourist Information Center.
Full tour of the Fish Market (Torget)
We roamed around some more, before it started raining and we ran to our hotel. Rest of the late evening was spent chatting with the group over some drinks. We also had to ask the hotel for a packed breakfast at 6AM in the morning next day to catch our flight to Reykjavik – The Icelandic capital city.
See ya guys in Iceland (3rd country of this trip after Finland & Norway)