Norway - Bergen: Gateway to the Fjords and Nordic Charm

Nestled between seven mountains and the sea, Bergen is Norway’s second-largest city—but it feels like a cozy village with a UNESCO-worthy soul. Our arrival in Norway did not start so well. More on that below. Bergen has to be one of the cleanest and safest cities we have ever visited in the world.

What did we do? 

Bergen Free Walking Tour highly recommend. They offered both English and Spanish tours. Our tour started at the Sailor's Monument. The irony wasn't lost on us that our guide, Fernando from Ecaudor, gave us a tour of a Norwegian city.

The National Stage, Henrik Ibsen-Statue, Ole Bull Fountain, and Edvard Grieg Statue

Can you guess the song?

Bergenhus Fortress is one of Norway's oldest and best-preserved fortresses. Bergenhus today consists of medieval buildings, modern fortifications and lush park area.

Entrance to the fortress area is free.  Summertime hours are 8:00 - midnight.  

Ride the Fløibanen Funicular to Mount Fløyen for panoramic views.  

The goats on Fløyen are cashmere goats, a type of domestic goat.

Skomakerdiket a swimming lake, no we did not swim. You can also rent canoes.

Trolls 🧌 🧌 

I think we found 

a troll cave

We found a troll

One last view picture:

Tips:

Skip the line and purchase your ticket on line. 

Make a reservation at Fløirestauranten in advance. You could always pack your lunch or cheese and bread and take advantage of the many picnic tables and wonderful views.

If you can, definitely walk down versus taking the funicular. We bought round trip tickets and were disappointed we did.

Festplassen we just missed the Wake Board City event.

Lille Lungegårdsvannet 

Stroll Bryggen Wharf, a UNESCO World Heritage site with colorful wooden buildings. Not one building was plumb, square or straight.

Explore the Fish Market for fresh seafood and local delicacies

Whale, Moose & Reindeer Sausages
We tried whale & reindeer

Wow! Look at the size

King Crab

Churches closed to tourist on Saturday and Sunday. 

Bergen Cathedral has had worshippers for over 900 years. The first church was dedicated to Olav the Holy, Norway’s patron saint, and it was a small stone structure. The church is mentioned in king Sverre’s history and must have been built by 1150. 

St. Mary's Church is one of the oldest buildings in Bergen. It was built between 1130 and 1170 and ravished by fires in 1198 and 1248.

Random Pictures

Old Town Hall

Troll Mural

Restaurants/Bars

Brasserie Cherie - a French restaurant: The service and atmosphere was excellent. The food was delicious.

Classic Tartare with brown butter emulsion,
chilli hot sauce, cornichons and pea sprouts

 

All mixed up

Toppesalad

Bouillabaisse fish soup with mussels

Duck breast from Gardsand with turnips,
herbs and red orange sauce. Very tender!

Fish Me Fishmarket inside Mathallen.

Norwegian Fish Soup

Pasta a la Fish Me
Pappardelle in a creamy lobster
sauce with Lobster meat,
 mussels & langoustine

Dragon Combo
Green Dragon & Red Dragon Roll

Hotel restaurant Frescohallen we had a buffet breakfast. They also serve lunch and dinner.

Iceland Air

Lundey Gin
Named after puffin filled
Lundey Island

Blue hue in the bottle turns
pink after tonic is added

Potsticker dumplings, black pepper 
and lemon roasted chicken breast, &
balsamic pear tart

Foccacia sandwich with Parma ham,
mozzarella, arugula, cherry 
tomatoes & pesto

Lola's was recommended by a friend and we are so glad we were able to make a reservation. The food was delicious and the service was really good. Great atmosphere!

Summer salad with
caramelized goat cheese

Lola's beef tartare with
horseradish and trout roe

Catch of the day (cod) with
chanterelles and cucumber

Polska pa Ga

Meat Periogi 

Seaside located inside the Fish Market.

Fish Soup

Spicy Mussels

Where did we stay? Bergen Bors Hotel   

How did we get there?

Our adventure started with my daughter and sister flying down from Maryland to see us off. Well... not really. It was just a coincidence. lol

Once they arrived in Vero we headed to Riverside Cafe for the delicious Tuna Nachos and a salad. Back to the house for a refreshing dip in the pool before saying our goodbyes.

Flew IcelandAir from Orlando, FL (MCO) to Bergen, Norway (BGO) with a stop in Iceland. Our flight was supposed to leave at 9:55pm. We were delayed and did not take off until after 11:00 pm. We were super nervious about missing our connecting flight due to a short layover.

Champagne 🍾 Toast

Iceland

Iceland

We thought for sure we missed our connecting flight in Iceland but was told they were holding the flight us. Wow! We hurried through the airport, cleared Customs and, of course, our gate was at the farthest end. We were the last ones to board the shuttle and the plane. 

Two reasons we travel with carry on bags: so they don't get lost and we do not have to wait for our luggage. Guess what? We both have suitcases this trip and one did not make it 🙄 😒 😑.

The very nice agent at baggage services took our information and assured us the luggage would be on Saturday's flight and delivered to the hotel around 7:00 pm. Well that time came and went with no luggage and no update. Icelandair's customer service is horrible.

Luckily, we have Tiles Bluetooth trackers in our suitcase and could see the suitcase was at the airport. So off we go on the tram to the airport Sunday. We had to wait for a baggage service agent in the Domestic side of the airport's baggage claim to be let into the International side. And there it was... Rob's suitcase sitting on a cart for almost 24 hours. 

Rob was ecstatic and I was happy
he had fresh clothes to change into.

Yay! A successful trip. But still waiting for contact about missing luggage.

When did we visit?

15 - 18 August 2025

"A city overflowing with emotion — where every narrow street tells a story and every cobblestone seems to travel you back in time,"