Norway Itinerary; 48hrs in Bergen

You may have seen, if you follow me on Instagram, that Mike whisked me away to Norway for just short of a week for a surprise 30th birthday treat. I had lots of lovely DMs about what we were doing and I promised that I would do a little blog series to share; here is part three – 48hrs in Bergen. Read the first 48hrs in Oslo here and the second 48hrs in Flåm here.

Transport 

We left Flåm at 11:45 and hopped back on the Flåmsbana Railway to take us back up the mountain. It was lovely to do the journey back up as it was a little more chilled than the journey down as we knew what to expect. We arrived back in Mydral at 12:35 where we sat and out our packed lunch during out half hour wait for our train to Bergen. An hour and a half train journey later we were stepping off the train in Bergen.

As before, the return on the Flåmsbana Railway is around £40 per adult. We also had the first-class tickets for the train to Bergen but it’s well worth the money for the space, free hot drinks and being able to pick your seats.

Where to Stay

Our hotel was stunning; we stayed at Opus XVI right in the centre of Bergen, which is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group and it so deserves to be part of it.

Our room was rather plush and the floor to ceiling windows made it feel even bigger. We had a Nespresso machine, a huge tv and a very well equipped bathroom. The staff were beyond words offering help with anything and everything, and I’d stay there again in a heartbeat. The location meant we could walk to and from the train station and anywhere we wanted to go in town.

Opus XVI
Vågsallmenningen 16, Bergen, 5014 

What to Do

The Gingerbread Town also known as Pepperkakebyen was such a cute way to spend an hour or two. Local schools, businesses and residents have created a huge copy of Bergen (within reason) out of gingerbread.

At 100 NOK each entry (£7.50) it’s not the cheapest but it’s wonderful to see the community spirit. It’s the worlds largest Gingerbread town and back in 2009 someone broke in and smashed the lot of them which so heartbreaking for all involved.

Gingerbread Town
Sentralbadet, Teatergaten 37, 5010

We are both pretty scared of heights, so you know what’s a really good idea. Jumping on the Ulriken Cable Car! I joke, we were totally safe and loved it.

The Ulriken Cable Car takes you to the highest of Bergen’s seven mountains and the views are incredible! If you’re feeling super sporty you can climb your way up but we were far happier using the easier option! The return ticket is around £15 for an adult all year round, but the views are so worth it!

Ulriken Cable Car
Haukelandbakken 40, 5009, Bergen

The Fløibanen Funicular was one of the first things we did when arrived in Bergen after wandering the streets as they are all so pretty.

Tickets to take the Fløibanen Funicular are just under £7.50 and it takes you to a different part of the mountain than the Ulriken Cable Car so it’s well worth doing both. There are incredible views, a lovely restaurant and shop at the top too. There’s also plenty of hiking routes but we stuck with the funicular both ways!

Fløibanen Funicular 
Vetrlidsallmenningen 23A, 5014 Bergen

Where to Eat and Drink

We had breakfast both mornings in our hotel, the Opus XVI and it was unreal. The sheer volume of food was crazy! I mean there was crab and lobster there should you so wish.

There were plenty of veggie and vegan options to chose both at the buffet and the hot food menu that is served at your table. Again, the staff were bloody awesome and I could even go so far as to say, it’s by far the best breakfast spread I’ve seen!

So, Godt Brod is quite a well-known chain in Norway, but it’s been cited to be the best place for Norwegian kanelboller (cinnamon buns).

We grabbed one, a cup of tea each and wandered up the hill to sit outside a stunning church and watch the world go by.

Godt Brod
Vestre Torggaten 2, 5015 Bergen

Oh, Daily Pot was a banging find by Mike and is the perfect stop for lunch.

The menu is entirely vegan and you mix and match to make your pot; you start with a soup base and then add to it. We both had different so we could try both and they were both so good. The server was really helpful in teaching us what goes with what and he was certainly right.

Daily Pot
Vaskerelven 21, 5014 Bergen

On our first evening, we didn’t have any dinner plans so we wanted to try something totally different so we ended up at the Naomi Restaurant & Bar.

The cuisine of the evening was Ethiopian and we ordered their vegan platter. It has so many incredible flavours and don’t let the awful photo put you off! The service was really good and was such great value for money as we were so full up!

Naomi Restaurant & Bar
Nedre Korskirkeallmenningen 4, 5017 Bergen

Our final evening meal of the trip was at the tiny Munken Bistro where you pick a menu and the wine comes paired; very us!

I obviously had the veggie option and Mike went with the classic meat option which was paired with different wines so it was great to try all of the varieties that were placed on the table! Both meals began with a soup, then a main and a dessert which costs between £32 and £50 dependant on what you order, adding the wine flights are around £28 for the three glasses. The service was really good and the atmosphere very intimate which was lovely for our final evening.

Munken Bistro
Klostergaten 12, 5005 Bergen

‘But you’ve not shared any places to drink yet?!’ I hear you exclaim! Don’t worry they are here…

If you’re looking for something hella crazy, then grab a pint or two at BarBarista.

There is something to look at in pretty much every inch of this room, from the toys hanging over the bar, the upside down umbrellas by the front door, the Asian theme fans and the records adorning the walls. You won’t get stuck with something to talk about that’s for sure!

BarBarista
Øvregaten 12, 5003 Bergen

We are such suckers for decor and Sjøboden did not disappoint. On the outside, it’s one of the very famous buildings on Bryggen so it’s pretty good from the outside too!

With chesterfield after chesterfield surround by stags heads, you could b mistaken into thinking we’d decorated this bar ourselves! The beer menu was great as was the live music coming from the front of the bar that kept our toes tapping and singing along when we could.

Sjøboden
Bryggen 29, 5003 Bergen

Awarded the best bar in Norway in 2015, meant we kind of had to make a stop at No Stress right?

Beers on tap and quirkily named cocktails in an old streetwear shop that the owners bought to keep the legacy running; pretty cool huh? The bar presses their own juices and makes their own syrups so it’s really quite a homely place, especially with the cute messages on the mirrors in the loos.

No Stress
Hollendergaten 11, 5017 Bergen

And so that concludes our incredible trip to Norway. I really had the best week and can’t urge you enough to visit.