As an exchange student in London, I always have the nagging sense that I should be visiting all sorts of romantic and historical European cities at every opportunity. When else would I have so many of the top travel destinations so within reach? Well, I have since concluded that traveling on jam-packed weekend itineraries are not really what I define to be fulfilling (it’s really tiring!). Notwithstanding, I was still determined to make good use of my precious Fall Reading Week to visit somewhere beyond the borders of the UK. After all, this is the first time I’ve had a Fall Reading Week to even boast about. So, a couple of weeks prior, I booked my plane tickets for Norway and Sweden. The first leg of my trip would land me in Bergen.
Why did I choose Bergen? To be blunt, it was only because I had read about the Bergensbanen, the train connecting Bergen and Oslo, which is said to be one of the most scenic train trips in the world. Beyond that, I didn’t know very much about the city. I had even started to doubt whether this trip would truly be a good use of my precious Reading Week. While my other exchange student counterparts told me about their plans to visit Spain, Prague, and Italy, I started to question whether going north to a colder and (possibly) rainier region than London would really be wise, considering how miserable I found all the rain and wind in London to be already.
Well, I was lucky. It turned out that Bergen was in the middle of an unusually sunny spell, and not a drop of rain fell while I was there. Although I did have to bundle up in scarves and mittens, the temperature never dipped below freezing, and I never felt particularly chilled. The clear skies and cool Autumn air also revealed another truth: Bergen is beautiful. Situated on the Byfjorden and surrounded by several mountains, the city is brimming with breath-taking views and natural serenity.
I had booked a 1-bedroom apartment Airbnb over at #GørbitzGate (100% recommend; super cozy) which had a fantastic view of the harbour out front, as well as Sandviksfjellet, one of the mountains surrounding Bergen, in the back. One night, I even woke up to see stars outside of the window above the bed (now that’s a sight you won’t catch in the big city). The winding walk to the city centre takes about 20-30 minutes, and features lots of cobblestone and more fantastic views of the city and harbour.
Maybe it’s because it’s November and folks prefer to visit warmer places in Winter, but the streets were relatively quiet. The city centre was still lively with buskers and tourists milling around, but it was nothing compared to the throngs of city-goers marching in and out of the tube stations in London. In fact, I’d say that Bergen was immensely idyllic. Riding the Fløibanen up to Mount Fløyen in the morning and being maybe 1 out of the 10 people at the lookout point is so refreshing. I leisurely walked around the peak, looked for some mountain goats (which remained elusive), then headed back down to the city centre.
Much to my surprise, there was a lot to do in Bergen, and 2 days was not enough for it all. I would have loved to stay longer to explore the shops in Bryggen, the World Heritage Site which was an important trading centre in the Middle Ages for the Hanseatic League. I would have loved to explore more of the museums which introduce aspects of Bergen’s culture and economy, like the Norwegian Fisheries Museum, the Old Bergen Museum (where they literally shipped old wooden houses to be preserved), the Troldhaugen Home of the composer Edvard Grieg, and the Museum of the Norwegian Knitting Industry (which I’ve heard, is actually quite amusing). Admittedly, if I had stayed longer, I’d have to figure out how to best budget my food expenses, since Norway is also notoriously expensive to visit. With the Bergen card though, visitors can save massively on tickets for various attractions and museums, as well as enjoy free use of local public transport.
Finally, yes, I did get to experience the Bergensbanen as I travelled to Oslo. The train ride did not disappoint. Pulling away from Bergen, the train travelled through numerous tunnels and alongside several craggy mountain faces. I was thoroughly impressed that Norway had thought it worth the effort to lay train tracks through these mountains at all. It definitely deserves the title of being one of the most scenic train rides in the world though. The train car I was in was half empty (even if I did count the baby and the two dogs in the front), and the two seats across the aisle remained unoccupied for the first half of the journey. Needless to say, I happily bounced back and forth across the aisle during this half, determined to be on the side with the better view at all times. At one point, the greenish yellow hills dotted with colourful cabins gave way to snow-covered peaks and lakes of ice. As we approached Oslo, the landscape became more even and less snowy again.
Here are some photos from my trip!
All images in the article belong to the author.
Cover image: Rune Fossum, Foto from Bergen Railway at Ustaoset