Bergen holds a lot of charm and beauty in a small but expensive town. We spent one day in Bergen and one day on a fjord boat and train tour through Sognefjord. The hostel we stayed at made us feel old. Next time we won’t stay in a 32 bed dorm. There was always someone talking or the lights on. I guess you get what you pay for. The location of the hostel was great though; it was right in the middle of downtown. The fjord tour was the highlight of the trip.
Fish market: The fish market was ok. I think we were spoiled for too many years in Seattle at Pike Place. We expected the market to be bigger and cheaper. We did end up sharing a seafood plate with shrimp and salmon and paella which didn’t disappoint. Just make sure to bring cash and lots of it. A plate of seafood here ran upwards of $20-60.
Flyøen: Bergen is surrounded by 7 mountains. One of which you can take a steep tram up to a see a gorgeous view of the city. This is definitely worth it. Beyond the view you can go on a variety of hikes that range from easy 1 hour hikes to all day 6 hour ones. We did not come prepared for a long hike but decided to explore the 2 hour hike through forest and lakes. It was beautiful and fresh. We recommend taking the tram back down to the city center instead of walking. The walk down was only 45 minutes but downhill the whole way.
Fjord tour: We woke up to cloudy skies and lots of rain and wind. Probably not the most ideal day for a tour through the fjords but it ended up being awesome. We found the tour through Fjord Tours. The tour started with an express boat tour from Bergen through the Sognefjord (the longest and deepest fjord in Norway). The boat was fast and had a great deck out back to take pictures. We bundled up in scarves and rain jackets to brave the wind and get some pictures. It was crazy to think about how these fjords were created. The huge mountains lining the coast contrasted the small villages sprinkled along them. I kept thinking, “who would live way out here?” but then I looked around and it made sense. It was calm, fresh, and the view never got old. The pictures we took don’t even begin to grasp the beauty of the place.
Flam railway: The second half of our tour was taking the Flam railway which is the steepest railway in the world. This train ride was insanely beautiful. Rivers with water so blue and so clear that it didn’t look real. Green mountains, waterfalls, red and yellow houses, and steep valleys. The whole train ride we sat with our noses against the windows. There was also a pretty impressive waterfall where we could exit the train to take pictures and get a little wet from the overspray. Flam railway is a must. The only thing we wished we would have done was to stay in Flam and rent bikes to ride through the mountains. This is for another time possibly.
How not to break the budget: Bergen is expensive. Anytime we eat out in Norway we had to share a meal. Usually we go to the grocery store in the morning and get some bread, cheese, meat, fruit, snacks, and probably some cookies. This lasts us from breakfast to about 2 or 3pm. That’s when we need a snack. Something small but that will last us until dinner. We made our dinners in the hostels both nights which was super cheap. The hostel kitchen was busy but worked well enough to make some pasta and salad. We enjoyed it while planning our next day’s adventure. All in all, don’t eat out unless you want to pay $20-40 per person.
We left Bergen feeling happy we only spent one day there. We felt like we saw everything we wanted to see in a day. The fjord tour was the highlight and a must if visiting Bergen.
