Holiday lettings & accommodation in Bergen City

When staying in a city like Bergen, deciding which area of the city you’d like to stay in is pretty important. In the neighbourhood of Bryggen and Nordnes you’ll find the wharf and harbour on the northern side, which is brimming with history and is a popular tourist attraction. The area features the colourful wooden merchant houses that lend their name to the neighbourhood. The entrance to the harbour is guarded by the medieval fortress of the Bergenhus. If you want to be away from the hustle and bustle of inner city life, then the quiet tranquility of outlying countryside areas such as Troldhaugen, Fantoft and Ulriken may be just right for you. If however you’re more interested in being right in the centre of the action then downtown areas such as Rasmus Meyers Alle and Grieghallen might be just perfect. This is where most of the major attractions in the city can be found.

There’s so much to do in Bergen, you will find yourself spoiled for choice when it comes to historical or cultural attractions. The city’s art museums are amalgamated under an umbrella institute known as KODE, and they come together to form one of the largest art-and-design collections in the whole of Scandinavia. The works are distributed between 3 architecturally unique buildings that line the Lille Lungegard lake, each one having a slightly different focus. Amongst the many masterpieces held by code, you can expect to find works by Picasso, Munch and Nikolai Astrup. Bryggen, Bergen’s oldest quarter, runs along the Vagen Harbour on the eastern shore and features parallel rows of gabled buildings, which date from after the 1702 fire and retain a 12th century building style. The Bryggens Museum is an archaeological museum that has been built on the foundations of the city’s first settlement, over 800-year-old foundations that were unearthed during construction and have since been incorporated into exhibits.

Eating well while on holiday can really make the difference between a good trip and an incredible one. While new Nordic cuisine has seen a wave of popularity in recent years, Norway has been somewhat in the shadow of the neighbouring countries of Sweden and Denmark. Although there have been a string of great cutting-edge restaurants opening and selling their delicious wares, the city of Bergen is still better known for its mountains and fjords than for the food it has on offer. Nevertheless, this is in no way reflective of the quality of the cuisine on offer. Bergen is home to some of the best restaurants in Norway, and has everything from great fish restaurants to small arty cafes, bars and coffee shops. It’s always worth checking online reviews or asking locals for restaurant recommendations to make sure that you’re able to enjoy the best possible dining experience, rather than falling into a tourist trap.

Within the city centre, the best way to get around Bergen is on foot. You can take in the beautiful scenery and get a little light exercise while getting from A to B. The city is also well connected by public transport, with extensive bus networks operating throughout. All details of bus routes and times can be obtained from the information desk at the central bus station. Tickets can be purchased on the bus from the driver, or from ticket machines at many bus stops. Payments for tickets must be in cash, and ticket machines function in Norwegian only. Most major lines operate every day of the week, including public holidays, though some smaller lines have little or no service at the weekends. Light rail services also operate within the city, running between the centre and southwards towards Lagunen, and forming the primary mode of public transport for southern parts of Bergen.