Don't leave Bergen without seeing...

[SanDiegoSue]

Could you fill in the blanks?

 

We'll have four days in Bergen.

 

Sue

[dsrdsrdsr]

Grieg's home.

 

Ole Bull's home.

 

The Fish Market on a busy day.

 

The Bryggen.

 

The funicular and the wooded walks at the top.

 

The cable car ride, though I wouldn't bother with the walks at the top of there because they're so stony that you need to watch your feet all the way.

 

The harbour.

[Farrisen]

I think 4 days is a long time to spend in a small city like Bergen. When do you arrive and what is the cruise iterinary?

[Ine]

In case your ship doesnot come to Flamm, make a day(train) trip from Bergen.

[tetleytea]

Agreed, 4 days is long. Anything along the Fish Market/harbor is a given--it's hard to miss any of that. The fjords are an absolute don't-miss. If that is not already elsewhere in your itinerary, find a Sognefjord cruise to Flam, and train ride back (or vice-versa). Absolute highlight of our entire Scandinavian vacation. Agree with hiking the woods up on top of Mt. Floyen--if you have 4 days and are physically well. There is a troll forest up there (for lack of a better word). It's cute. The Stave church is good, too, because you also get to leave the tourist district and see some of the day-to-day Bergen.

 

If your plans are not firm, I would actually suggest you overnight in Ballestrand one night. Rick Steve did that, and he's right. We actually regret not spending more time in the rural hamlets out in the fjords, because we thought there would be nothing to do. We did 3 nights in Bergen +1 in Aurland, but wish we had done 2 nights +2.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I spent 6 days in Bergen once, and was fine with it. We never ran out of things to do. (Mind you, it helped that the sun shone continuously. As it does in Bergen, in my experience. Bergen is the place where my mother's fabled luck with the weather is taken to ridiculous extremes.)

 

(We didn't have an option of moving on, because my father was in hospital having fallen down some steps and shattered his wrist. You're better off not hurting yourself on holiday, but if you must do it, Bergen's a good place.)

[SanDiegoSue]

thanks everyone.

 

One of the days we plan to do Norway in a Nutshell. After our 4 days in Bergen, we're going to Ballestrand for 2 nights.

After Ballestrand, we return to Bergen and fly to Copenhagen to start our 11-day Baltics cruise.

 

I'm still looking for more Bergen ideas if anyone else.wants to chime in.

 

Sue

[Farrisen]

I was going to suggest the Norway in a nutshell tour. I think that's a good one.

 

Other than what has been mentioned already..

 

If you are looking for outdoor activities such as kayaking, fishing, climbing.., you can contact Gone Paddling to see what they can offer. It's situated one hour outside of Bergen, at a place called Herdla - http://gonepaddling.no/

 

 

If you like to eat seafood

http://corneliusrestaurant.no/english/

 

Bergen Science Center

http://www.vilvite.no/english

 

You can also see the list of tourist attractions here:

http://www.visitbergen.com/en/attractions/All-attractions/

[wombat57]

We were in Bergen in May and took an afternoon excursion to the Fantoft stave church and then onto Troldhaugen which was the home of composer Edvard Grieg (it is now a museum).

 

Troldhaugen is in a beautiful position by a lake on the outskirts of Bergen and it was a lovely drive through the suburbs to get there from the city centre.

 

Daily music recitals are held there at 1pm during the summer months and the museum runs a bus out to Troldhaugen from the tourist information office in the city between 1 June and 30 September.

 

http://www.griegmuseum.no

 

http://www.fantoftstavekirke.com

[SanDiegoSue]

We were in Bergen in May and took an afternoon excursion to the Fantoft stave church and then onto Troldhaugen which was the home of composer Edvard Grieg (it is now a museum).

 

Troldhaugen is in a beautiful position by a lake on the outskirts of Bergen and it was a lovely drive through the suburbs to get there from the city centre.

 

Daily music recitals are held there at 1pm during the summer months and the museum runs a bus out to Troldhaugen from the tourist information office in the city between 1 June and 30 September.

 

http://www.griegmuseum.no

 

http://www.fantoftstavekirke.com

 

Thank you. I like this for a Sunday, when the stores will be closed. Also, we could see the Stave church on a Sunday.

 

Many thanks to all who have shared tips. We leave in a week!!!

 

Sue

[TLCOhio]

Many thanks to all who have shared tips. We leave in a week!!! Sue

 

It is great that you will have so much time to see and explore Bergen. We had a wonderful, sunny day there. Our ship did not do it sail-away till 11 pm, allowing more time to see and enjoy this charming city with so much history and character. Below are my notes on Bergen, plus a few of my photo highlights/samples. Enjoy your time there!!

 

As the seat of Norway’s medieval kingdom of Norway for six centuries, Bergen is a former Viking stronghold encircled by deep fjords, towering mountains, and sweeping glaciers. Today's Bergen has much of the medieval flavor remaining around Bergen's harbor. We explored the cobblestone streets, saw its pastel-color wooden houses, bargained in some of the many artisans' workshops and visited the famous and always-entertaining Fish Market. You can watch the locals haggling over today's catch and enjoy a quayside lunch of freshly caught salmon or fish and chips.

 

Rated by Frommers as more scenic than Oslo, Bergen was the base of the medieval Hanseatic merchants. Those historic timbered houses are set around Bryggen or The Wharf, a center for crafts and workshops. Its prime row is mostly reconstructed 14th-century structures, some of which were originally destroyed by fire. Det Hansseatiske Museum depicts commercial life on the wharf in the early 18th century and is highly rates with well-preserved wooden structure. Its art museums are highly-rated with religious icons, local art, etc.

 

In the afternoon, after some of the big crowds had lessened, we took the Floibanen funicular railway to the top of a 1050-foot high peak for scenic views. This cable car has been operating for over 80 years and was refurbished in 2002. The Funicular Lower Station is situated 150 meters from the Fish Market. At the top of the Mount Floyen, there are hiking trails and places for lunch or dinner. The trip takes seven minutes and both cars are on the same cable going up and down. Mariakirken or St. Mary’s Church is the most outstanding Romanesque church in Norway. Bergen is Norway’s largest port and has a population of 252,000. Scenic Bergen completed our voyage with its dramatic backdrop of seven rounded mountains and cobble-stoned streets. It entices you to take memories and photos cherishing the land of the Norsemen. Here is the link to this rail option:

http://www.floibanen.com

 

Their good and helpful Tourism Office can be accessed on the web at: http://www.visitbergen.com/en

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 183,016 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

This picture shows the Bergen Floibanen funicular railway coming up the steep hill with the harbor, fish market, etc. in the background. On the top, somewhat right, the Silver Cloud and Costa ships can be seen in the harbor, plus nearby scenic areas, etc.

 

 

 

Here’s a close look at these historic Bergen Hanseatic merchant warehouse building fronts, people taking pictures, etc. :

 

 

 

Right near the Hanseatic merchant warehouse area is the Bergen Fish Market with lots of options to buy food to eat on site or just watch, enjoying the “show” as people ask questions and buy the various fresh fish items.:

 

 

 

Bergenhus Festning Castle is located in the entrance to Bergen’s harbor and is one of the oldest, best-preserved castles in Norway. Shown is Rosenkrantz Tower, built in the mid 1500’s with dungeons on the ground floor, cannons on the top floor, etc. :

 

 

 

Where do you shop in Norway? Here is an example in Bergen in looking for woolen items in the charming area right near the Fish Market. As you can tell by the friendly smile, our friend, Sharon, was enjoying herself. :

 

 

 

This view from the Bergen hilltop shows the central downtown shopping area (Torgalmenningen, the major square) and many various building rooftops. The red brick church at the top is Johanneskirken (St. John's church), built of red brick in a neo-gothic style in 1894. The church tower at the left is Korskirken, dating back to the latter half of the 12th century and whose name means “True Cross”. Lots of interesting and historic architecture in Bergen.: