Bergen Questions Answered

I've seen a couple of similar threads to this for other ports and thought I would start one for Bergen. If anyone has any questions about the city then I will do my best to help. Hopefully this can become a useful thread for those visiting Bergen by ship :)

Thank you so much for doing this.

Do you have any recommendations for a coffee shop/cafe in the tourist areas? Thanks.

Thank you so much for doing this.

Do you have any recommendations for a coffee shop/cafe in the tourist areas? Thanks.

If you're just in town for the day then anywhere along Bryggen (the historic waterfront) is a safe bet for soaking up the atmosphere of the city. If the rain sets in then a personal favourite is the Krog og Krinkel Bokcafe on Lille Øvregaten. It's a great little cafe tucked away near the central tourist areas. I hope this helps :)

If you're just in town for the day then anywhere along Bryggen (the historic waterfront) is a safe bet for soaking up the atmosphere of the city. If the rain sets in then a personal favourite is the Krog og Krinkel Bokcafe on Lille Øvregaten. It's a great little cafe tucked away near the central tourist areas. I hope this helps :)

Thanks so much.

I'll be in Bergen in a few week with my 6 year old and 9 year old. We didn't book any excursions because the town looks pretty easy to do ourselves. Are there any sights/activities that you would suggest?

Thanks!

I'll be in Bergen in a few week with my 6 year old and 9 year old. We didn't book any excursions because the town looks pretty easy to do ourselves. Are there any sights/activities that you would suggest?

 

Thanks!

I think it's a great idea to do Bergen by yourselves. Most of the cruise terminals are located very close to the town centre and the walk is easy and clearly signed. A couple of larger cruise terminals are a little further from the centre, and I think most lines put on a shuttle bus when docked here (it's still walkable, maybe allow 20 mins). If you let me know which ship you're on and which date I can tell you where you'll be docking.

Once in the centre the key attractions are the historic waterfront along Bryggen, the fish market, and a trip up Mount Fløyen. All of these are located close to one another and tourist maps are readily available.

When going up Fløyen there is a funicular railway which runs regularly from town and is a nice trip. My personal preference though is to walk up, which can be done at a gentle pace in around 45 mins/1 hour. You get a real feel of leaving the city and some great views along the way which offer different perspectives to those at the top. Also when walking up you will see a great adventure playground area in the forest near the top which people often miss when taking the funicular, and other areas to play for the kids.

At the top there are toilets, a kiosk, a restaurant and a spectacular viewing platform over the city and surrounding mountains. There are also ticket machines at the fernicular station here (which take cash or card), so there's no need to make up your mind on the best way down until you get there.

Back in the city it's definitely worth taking a walk along Torgallmenningen, the main pedestrian shopping street in the centre. There are often street performers and live music here, and this leads to a lovely lake with a fountain (worth a stroll around if you have time) and the national theatre.

Basically you can't go wrong on foot in Bergen. Everything is close together and it's easy to find your way around. Hope you enjoy your trip!

Thank you for starting this thread! Bergen was one of my must-do ports when I was researching our cruise for next summer. We are really looking forward to it.

You mentioned walking UP the mountain and having the option to take the funicular back down. Is there any reason that would be preferable to taking the funicular up and walking back down?

Thanks for the tip about the playground! We will definitely have to find that!

Can you provide a link for people to check where their ship will be docking? That might save you from having to look up everyone's ship for them. :)

Thank you for starting this thread! Bergen was one of my must-do ports when I was researching our cruise for next summer. We are really looking forward to it.

 

You mentioned walking UP the mountain and having the option to take the funicular back down. Is there any reason that would be preferable to taking the funicular up and walking back down?

 

Thanks for the tip about the playground! We will definitely have to find that!

 

Can you provide a link for people to check where their ship will be docking? That might save you from having to look up everyone's ship for them. :)

That's a good idea about the link to the schedule, which can be found here:

http://www.bergenhavn.no/forventede-cruiseanlop

For those interested in terminal locations, Bontlabo, Skotlen Nord, Skolten Syd & Festningskai are all very close to the historic waterfront and city centre (max. 5/10 mins stroll from these).

Dokkeskjærskaien Vest & Jekteviksterminalen are both situated a little further from town in a working commercial dock area, and for these I think a shuttle bus to the centre is the best option, usually provided by the cruise line.

With the walk up Fløyen, the reason I prefer to do it this way round is for the slight sense of achievement of making it to the top by foot, though it really isn't a very strenuous climb! Also on the busier days I know the queue for funicular tickets at the bottom can get long, whereas I have never had to queue at all for the ticket machines at the top.

I hope you have a great trip, and let me know if you have any other questions!

Thank you for this great information on Bergen. We will be visiting Bergen in a couple of weeks so have found this thread really useful.

Could you please tell me how far it is to the funicular from the port. I am assuming it is within walking distance.

Also, do you have any information on the cable car at Ulriken and would it be possible to do the funicular at Floyen and the cable car at Ulriken in the same day.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you for your info. According to the port website and this guide linked bellow, there are free shuttle buses offered by the port from the Jekteviken / Dokken area:

http://www.cruise-norway.no/viewfile.aspx?id=3118

http://www.bergenhavn.no/event/dolink/famid/356141

I have looked at google maps, and it's just a 20 minutes walk to the city centre, plus the streets you have to go trough look quite nice.

May I ask, why do you recommend taking the shuttle, to be in the town centre faster or is there any other reason? for example, you don't like to walk in that part of the city?

Thank you for all the info!

We're looking forward to see the town on foot, and then to climb with the funicular and maybe go back walking too. We don't mind walking a lot, plus we'll have a sea day before Bergen, so we'll be fresh.

Thank you for this great information on Bergen. We will be visiting Bergen in a couple of weeks so have found this thread really useful.

 

Could you please tell me how far it is to the funicular from the port. I am assuming it is within walking distance.

 

Also, do you have any information on the cable car at Ulriken and would it be possible to do the funicular at Floyen and the cable car at Ulriken in the same day.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

Distance from the port to the city centre varies depending on your terminal. If you have a look at my post above you will see a description of where each terminal is and a link to the schedule, so you can check where your ships will dock :)

Once in town the funicular up Fløyen is very central, between Bryggen and the fish market.

If youære looking to do Ulriken in the same day I think this should work out fine. There is a tour bus at one end of the fish market (an old fashioned double decker with signs and a desk to the side where you can buy tickets, you can't miss it!).

This should take around 20 minutes to the bottom of Ulriken (maybe someone here can confirm as I've never been up this way). Then the trip up in the cable car takes around 10 mins. Depending on how long you want at the top I think going up Ulriken in the morning and Fløyen in the afternoon would be easy to fit in, and will give you a great day in the city!

Thank you for your info. According to the port website and this guide linked bellow, there are free shuttle buses offered by the port from the Jekteviken / Dokken area:

 

http://www.cruise-norway.no/viewfile.aspx?id=3118

 

http://www.bergenhavn.no/event/dolink/famid/356141

 

I have looked at google maps, and it's just a 20 minutes walk to the city centre, plus the streets you have to go trough look quite nice.

 

May I ask, why do you recommend taking the shuttle, to be in the town centre faster or is there any other reason? for example, you don't like to walk in that part of the city?

 

Thank you for all the info!

 

We're looking forward to see the town on foot, and then to climb with the funicular and maybe go back walking too. We don't mind walking a lot, plus we'll have a sea day before Bergen, so we'll be fresh.

Thanks for adding the links :).

There's no reason not to walk to town from the container terminals. The first 10 minutes is not too picturesque and could be a bit of a drag, but you'll soon be in town having a great time.

Thank you very much for this information! We'll be sure to keep an eye out for that playground.

 

If youære looking to do Ulriken in the same day I think this should work out fine. There is a tour bus at one end of the fish market (an old fashioned double decker with signs and a desk to the side where you can buy tickets, you can't miss it!).

 

This should take around 20 minutes to the bottom of Ulriken (maybe someone here can confirm as I've never been up this way). Then the trip up in the cable car takes around 10 mins. Depending on how long you want at the top I think going up Ulriken in the morning and Fløyen in the afternoon would be easy to fit in, and will give you a great day in the city!

We took the 'Blue Bus' as it's called from outside the Fishmarket two years ago, the journey is easy and the cable car up Mount Ulriken provides fantastic views. At the top we ate lunch in the restaurant, well worth the visit.

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Thank you very much for this information! We'll be sure to keep an eye out for that playground.

Yes, do! There's a big bright playground right by the viewing platform at the top. This gets busy. Head just a few metres into the woods (past the large wooden trolls) and you'll find the adventure playground, with a rickety bridge and several structures to jump and climb on. This area is always much, much quieter, and has loads of space to run around between the trees. Definitely where I would have been playing as a kid!

Are the hoho buses a good way to see the city and some of the outlying areas? I can't seem to find many reviews of the hoho's in Bergen.

Also, are cabs or private tours from the dock readily available?

Thanks, for the information and the links. We will be there in July 2015. We like the idea of the town being walkable and have listed the sites you have mentioned. Is there anything else in the area, we should see?

This message is totally off subject and is for UKcruise88 or anyone else who can offer information.

My grandson arrived in Bergen, Norway a couple weeks ago to attend the university and his Mother and I are hoping that he can make arrangements to meet us in Barcelona before TA cruise in October.

I usually use Expedia for flight info, but for Bergen they are only showing KLM and SAS………surely there are other airlines that fly between these two cities. Can anyone help/make suggestions?

Thanks, Velma

This message is totally off subject and is for UKcruise88 or anyone else who can offer information.

 

My grandson arrived in Bergen, Norway a couple weeks ago to attend the university and his Mother and I are hoping that he can make arrangements to meet us in Barcelona before TA cruise in October.

 

I usually use Expedia for flight info, but for Bergen they are only showing KLM and SAS………surely there are other airlines that fly between these two cities. Can anyone help/make suggestions?

 

Thanks, Velma

Check out Kayak. Bergen to Barcelona is a long distance and requires at least one stop. Flights look to be expensive and lengthy for a brief visit.

The population of Bergen is only a couple of hundred thousand as I recall. It doesn't get a massive amount of competition.

This message is totally off subject and is for UKcruise88 or anyone else who can offer information.

 

My grandson arrived in Bergen, Norway a couple weeks ago to attend the university and his Mother and I are hoping that he can make arrangements to meet us in Barcelona before TA cruise in October.

 

I usually use Expedia for flight info, but for Bergen they are only showing KLM and SAS………surely there are other airlines that fly between these two cities. Can anyone help/make suggestions?

 

Thanks, Velma

For schedules, try the Bergen airport website (http://www.avinor.no/en/airport/bergen/frontpage) ...looks like Norwegian and Vueling offer nonstop flights, on certain days only. Skyscanner.net shows lots of airlines offering connecting flights. Good luck!

Are the hoho buses a good way to see the city and some of the outlying areas? I can't seem to find many reviews of the hoho's in Bergen.

 

Also, are cabs or private tours from the dock readily available?

I've heard that the hoho bus is pretty good in town. The centre is very small though, so it's a really easy city to see on foot! Taxis are very pricey here, so I'd advise taking the hoho bus instead if you'd like to take it easy. You can catch this from alongside your ship at every terminal, there should be signs when you disembark.

Thanks, for the information and the links. We will be there in July 2015. We like the idea of the town being walkable and have listed the sites you have mentioned. Is there anything else in the area, we should see?

Glad I could help! The key things to see in the centre are bryggen along the historic waterfront, the fish market and a trip up fløyen (more info further up on this thread). If you're lucky with the weather then there's nothing better than finding a spot in a cafe in town and watching the world go by with a coffee or cold beer. If the rain sets in there are some great galleries by the lake in the centre. Also there is a small very interesting free museum on the park at bergen festningshus which looks at bergen's role in a lot of conflicts, including world war two. This is particularly handy if you dock at Bontelabo as you'll walk right past it on the way to/from the ship. Enjoy!

This message is totally off subject and is for UKcruise88 or anyone else who can offer information.

 

My grandson arrived in Bergen, Norway a couple weeks ago to attend the university and his Mother and I are hoping that he can make arrangements to meet us in Barcelona before TA cruise in October.

 

I usually use Expedia for flight info, but for Bergen they are only showing KLM and SAS………surely there are other airlines that fly between these two cities. Can anyone help/make suggestions?

 

Thanks, Velma

It's always worth checking with norwegain. They fly direct and looking at the website the prices in October are a mixed bag - anything from $50 to $500 each way, so you might get lucky with dates.

If your grandson in staying in norway for a while it might be worth him signing up for their reward scheme. They're one of the only budget airlines to offer this. It doesn't add up to much on the low fare flights but even if it's just a few dollars this can be taken off the price of any trip at the time of booking.

Was there last year and had trouble finding info on how to see the Hardangerfjord using public transportation. Would you recommend doing this if you were only in port for a day? If it is worthwhile, how would you find bus schedules, etc? I want to recall a local boat company offering an excursion, but it didn't get back until after our ship was set to sail for the day.

THANKS!