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Bergen Questions Answered 2018


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The short answer is yes, but you could end up cutting things a little fine doing it DIY.

 

It might be worth considering the round-trip package on the 'blue bus' - a slightly weird looking double decker that takes tourists from right by the fish market (where your Rødne tour will drop you) to Ulriken, up the cable car, and back, all in around 2hrs. This could buy you that extra 30mins/1hr to just make the whole thing more comfortable.

 

Another alternative (if you haven't done this before) is to instead take the funicular up Fløyen, which is located right in the city centre, and should leave you with no time pressure at all, plus you'd still get a fantastic view :)

 

Thanks for the input. Yes, I thought the blue bus which includes the ride to the cable car and the cable car itself seemed the way to go. I just wasn't sure how long it would take.

 

 

We have already done the funicular, and we may do that again and walk down. Just trying to have all my options in a row so we can decide on that day when we see what the weather is like. The last time we were there, it was cool and drizzly but we still enjoyed our day. Hoping for sunnier weather this time.

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We will be in Bergen at the end of June when the sun sets very late. I noticed the funicular is open until 2300 hours. Is it safe to walk around the Bryggen and go up the funicular late in the evening. Forgive me but where I live the safety question must be asked.

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We will be visiting your beautiful city for the first time on May 22 on the Celebrity Eclipse. Do you have a photo of her on your blog yet?

 

When we first thought about our plan for the day, we had decided to head to the funicular to Mt. Floyen first thing in the morning to try to beat the lines/queues start. We will visit the Fish Market and Bryggen and see if we can comfortably fit in a trip to the Fantoft church. I would also like buy a classic Norwegian sweater here, even though I have heard that it will not be cheaper than buying one in the US.

 

I was surprised / disappointed to see that our ship is not scheduled to arrive until 1:00 PM, although we don't have to be back on board until 7:30 PM. So I'm trying to figure out how this will impact our plans. I'm afraid that if we go straight away to the funicular, the entrance line will be at its peak. (I checked the port schedule and there will be two other cruise ships in port, but much smaller ones.) Do you think my fears are founded, especially this time of year? I'm also wondering how late the major tourist shops in Bryggen will be open. The shorter day also means more risk in trying to fit in a visit to the church - how much time to budget for this?

 

What are your thoughts on this, and thank you for the all great advice in this thread!

Sue

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SandG

If you stop in Geiranger check for a sweater there

It was a bit cheaper at the dock

Not sure what the prices are in the USA

 

A few years ago I got one for 600 NOK Made in Norway

a friend took the cheaper one for 200 NOK made in china

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We will be in Bergen at the end of June when the sun sets very late. I noticed the funicular is open until 2300 hours. Is it safe to walk around the Bryggen and go up the funicular late in the evening. Forgive me but where I live the safety question must be asked.

That assumes that the sun actually rises over Bergen. It is arguably the wettest City in Europe and while I have seen sunny days there, many days it is cloudy and wet. Be prepared. As to safety I would have no qualms as to walking the Bryggen at night. We were in town 3 days on our last visit and stayed out late to tour without issue.

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I would also like buy a classic Norwegian sweater here, even though I have heard that it will not be cheaper than buying one in the US.

Thanks. I should have said that it may actually be more money than in the US:eek: I guess the point is to get a cool souvenir from Norway, but if it turns out that I have to pay a crazy amount more just to buy it there, I may just buy one when we get home.

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We will be visiting your beautiful city for the first time on May 22 on the Celebrity Eclipse. Do you have a photo of her on your blog yet?

 

When we first thought about our plan for the day, we had decided to head to the funicular to Mt. Floyen first thing in the morning to try to beat the lines/queues start. We will visit the Fish Market and Bryggen and see if we can comfortably fit in a trip to the Fantoft church. I would also like buy a classic Norwegian sweater here, even though I have heard that it will not be cheaper than buying one in the US.

 

I was surprised / disappointed to see that our ship is not scheduled to arrive until 1:00 PM, although we don't have to be back on board until 7:30 PM. So I'm trying to figure out how this will impact our plans. I'm afraid that if we go straight away to the funicular, the entrance line will be at its peak. (I checked the port schedule and there will be two other cruise ships in port, but much smaller ones.) Do you think my fears are founded, especially this time of year? I'm also wondering how late the major tourist shops in Bryggen will be open. The shorter day also means more risk in trying to fit in a visit to the church - how much time to budget for this?

 

What are your thoughts on this, and thank you for the all great advice in this thread!

Sue

 

Hi Sue,

 

Strolling around the fish market and Bryggen can be done at a gentle pace in around 15mins each, plus any browsing and photo-op time

 

Tourist stores should be open at that time, no problem. There are plenty of options for buying a nice Norwegian sweater around here. but as others have mentioned, the prices can seem high.

 

Heading out to Fantoft Stavkirke takes around 30 mins each way (15-20mins on the light rail, plus 10-15min walk at the other end), so just add 1 hour total travel time to how long you think you'd like to take it all in, and there's your answer.

 

Re: avoiding queues for the funicular - these can get long, but during mid/late afternoon I don't think you'll experience major delays. One nice option (if you are mobile) is to walk up instead. This takes around 45 mins and you start by walking up the steps either side of the funicular station. Then just follow the signs and the steady stream of people through the woods to the top. It's a really lovely walk. Then at the top you can buy a single ticket from the (usually queue-free) machines, and enjoy the funicular ride down again.

 

So, in short, I think you'll be fine to see & do all the things you've asked about, so long as you're keeping one eye on the time! I hope that all helps :)

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We will be in Bergen at the end of June when the sun sets very late. I noticed the funicular is open until 2300 hours. Is it safe to walk around the Bryggen and go up the funicular late in the evening. Forgive me but where I live the safety question must be asked.

 

It's always best to ask :) Just to put any concerns to rest, this will be completely fine. Bergen is a very safe city, and the funicular up Fløyen is always lovely (in fact the walk up to the top is also fully lit through the night, if you're feeling that way inclined)!

 

Walking around town in the late summer evenings is a real pleasure. I hope you enjoy it :)

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I posted my questions on Hurtigruten boards and then found your awesome board. So, here goes my questions.

We are disembarking The Midnastol in Bergen (14:30?) and have no idea how long that takes. I read that they disembark by deck but we do not have an assigned cabin at this time. We then hope to take the 16:15 bus to Stavanger. We would like to get a snack to eat on the bus (if eating on bus is allowed). My question is if the walk from Hurtigruten terminal to the bus station with a small rolling bag is doable or would we be better off taking a taxi? Are there places to grab a to go snack for the bus?

Thank you for any thoughts/tips/advice.

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We have a very early (6:30am) morning flight out of Bergen in late August. It's on a Saturday. We are on the Viking Star. Should we have the ship arrange for a taxi to come or have our TA set up a private transfer? How early should we leave the ship?

Thanks!

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We have a very early (6:30am) morning flight out of Bergen in late August. It's on a Saturday. We are on the Viking Star. Should we have the ship arrange for a taxi to come or have our TA set up a private transfer? How early should we leave the ship?

Thanks!

Is the ship overnighting or does it arrive very early ?

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It is overnighting there. We get into Bergen the prior morning.

Maybe you can make arrangements to leave earlier in the day then you will have time to stop for food

 

JMO

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I don't understand the reply???

We will have all day to explore Bergen on Friday. Then we will need to get to the airport on Saturday for a 6:30am flight. Just wondering if we should arrange for a taxi or private car to take us to the airport and what time we should plan to leave the ship.

Thanks

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I posted my questions on Hurtigruten boards and then found your awesome board. So, here goes my questions.

We are disembarking The Midnastol in Bergen (14:30?) and have no idea how long that takes. I read that they disembark by deck but we do not have an assigned cabin at this time. We then hope to take the 16:15 bus to Stavanger. We would like to get a snack to eat on the bus (if eating on bus is allowed). My question is if the walk from Hurtigruten terminal to the bus station with a small rolling bag is doable or would we be better off taking a taxi? Are there places to grab a to go snack for the bus?

Thank you for any thoughts/tips/advice.

 

Good morning from sunny Bergen :D

 

Having visited the ships in the Hurtigruten fleet many times, it seems that disembarkation is fast and efficient, so you should have no problems for time.

 

I'd allow 15/20 mins for an easy stroll to the bus station (unless the rain is falling, where it might be better to bite the bullet and pay for a taxi). It is on the other side of the city centre from Hurtigruteterminalen, but this is a pleasant walk around the lake in town. You'll pass by several cafes/bakeries as you go, but also there's a kiosk at the bus station selling sandwiches/hotdogs/drinks, etc.

 

I have a feeling that you can't eat on the bus (it's a few years since I took that bus myself), but the route includes stopping for a couple of ferry crossings, where you get off the bus and can eat your snacks on deck. They often have kiosks on the ferries too, but I think you're wise to pick something up ahead of time to save a couple of kroner :)

 

Have a great trip!

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We have a very early (6:30am) morning flight out of Bergen in late August. It's on a Saturday. We are on the Viking Star. Should we have the ship arrange for a taxi to come or have our TA set up a private transfer? How early should we leave the ship?

Thanks!

 

Hei Manceor!

 

At that time of day a taxi ride to the airport should take around 25 mins (cost approx. 600nok), so I'd suggest getting the ship to arrange this if they will.

 

Flesland is a very easy-to-navigate airport, so I ususally arrive just an hour before the flight, but that's totally down to your personal preferences. Maybe if you need to catch an international connection it's wise to give yourself a little extra time :)

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Good morning from sunny Bergen :D

 

Having visited the ships in the Hurtigruten fleet many times, it seems that disembarkation is fast and efficient, so you should have no problems for time.

 

I'd allow 15/20 mins for an easy stroll to the bus station (unless the rain is falling, where it might be better to bite the bullet and pay for a taxi). It is on the other side of the city centre from Hurtigruteterminalen, but this is a pleasant walk around the lake in town. You'll pass by several cafes/bakeries as you go, but also there's a kiosk at the bus station selling sandwiches/hotdogs/drinks, etc.

 

I have a feeling that you can't eat on the bus (it's a few years since I took that bus myself), but the route includes stopping for a couple of ferry crossings, where you get off the bus and can eat your snacks on deck. They often have kiosks on the ferries too, but I think you're wise to pick something up ahead of time to save a couple of kroner :)

 

Have a great trip!

 

Thank you for your response. Surely we can figure out the route to the bus station. For sure if it’s raining we’d take a taxi but thought that walking would be helpful before our five hour bus ride. It’s great to know that we’ll be able to get out and stretch on the ferry crossings too. We had initially wanted to fly to Stavanger but the timeframe just was a bit too tight for our liking. A direct flight at 16:45 just seemed to be pushing it a bit and a later flight meant having to fly with a connection in Oslo and we’d be getting to Stavanger later than we would taking the bus.

 

This should be an awesome trip and we appreciate your help.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Thank you for your response. Surely we can figure out the route to the bus station. For sure if it’s raining we’d take a taxi but thought that walking would be helpful before our five hour bus ride. It’s great to know that we’ll be able to get out and stretch on the ferry crossings too. We had initially wanted to fly to Stavanger but the timeframe just was a bit too tight for our liking. A direct flight at 16:45 just seemed to be pushing it a bit and a later flight meant having to fly with a connection in Oslo and we’d be getting to Stavanger later than we would taking the bus.

 

This should be an awesome trip and we appreciate your help.

 

Thanks for the reply ShipsinBergen!

We are looking forward to our trip-just not the early morning departure!!

 

Happy to help! Enjoy your trips :)

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Hi ShipsInBergen,

 

I may have missed a reply to this question but can you comment on the Magic Ice Bar? Is it worth getting an organised tour from the cruise or can we navigate to it ourselves?

 

Thank you

 

Hi :)

 

I'ts easy to get there DIY - I certainly wouldn't pay for an organised excursion.

 

The ice bar is just an easy 10min stroll from the tourist info/fish market area in the city centre.

 

I haven't visited it myself (it's plenty cold enough here already for most of the year ;p) but have heard some mixed reviews. You should have fun, but the bar itself has popped up in a very non-descript 1950s block just outside the centre. Just to manage your expectations in case you were imagining a magical mountain grotto somewhere ;)

 

Have a great trip ether way!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello ShipsinBergen and thank you for the excellent first hand information you provide.

I would never have considered walking up Mt. Fløyen had you not suggested it, but having hiked up to 1500ft in the English Lake District last weekend I am sure this is something we will enjoy!

 

Now to a question for when you have a moment:

I have just noticed that our departure from Bergen on the Viking Sun in 2019 is on Sunday 23rd June which happens to be Midsummers eve. We sale away at 6.00pm. What do you think is the chance of us seeing some of the traditional bonfire activity in the distance along the shore as we head to Geiranger?

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