Exploring Norway's 2nd City: Bergen
Bryggen Bergen, Bergen, Norway (ISO 100, 10 mm, f/9, 8 s)
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Oftentimes, you’ll find friendly rivalries between residents of capital and second cities in most countries and Bergan and Oslo are no exception. Both have plenty to offer with Oslo being the bustling capital one would expect, and Bergen being a bit more subdued yet exciting in its own right.
You can easily take a train between the two cities, which are located more or less on the opposite sides of the country. The journey to Bergen via Oslo should be appreciated as well since the scenery you pass includes gorgeous fjords and amazing nature regardless of how bad the weather may be.
One way to venture from one city to another is with the very popular Norway in a Nutshell fjord tours. If you don’t have much time in Norway and don’t want to hire a car, this is arguably the best way of seeing the nature the country has to offer.
Some tours are very popular so booking in advance is preferred. For my extended weekend break, I decided to include a fjord cruise from Gudvangen and also ride the Flåm Railway at Myrdal.
You can find a Google map of the places I will discuss at the end of this post. If you have more time to explore Norway, be sure to check out Oslo (blog post here) as well as a hike to Trolltunga (blog post here).
Check out my drone video of Bergen, Norway below!
Once you get to Bergen, you may notice a lot of artwork covering some of the public spaces. The city is considered the street art capital of Norway (though Stavanger, Norway has its own fair share of great installations).Do yourself a favor and take a walk around the alleyways and side streets as well to scope out some of the renderings.
Probably the most iconic part of Bergen is Tyskebryggen (or Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site) which is a series of Hanseatic heritage buildings in the Vågen harbor. The buildings themselves are rather old, but are currently used as museums, restaurants, and bars.
For photographers, these buildings are incredibly photogenic; you can capture them in any weather, at any time of day. As you can see with my photo above at the start of the page, I was able to snap the scene at dusk during a cloudy day and I am extremely happy with the results. Plus I think the contrast of the warm-colored buildings during blue hour works really nicely for the photo as well.
If you like these photos of mine, specifically the shots of Norway, I have prints available for purchase below! (Sold as Posters, Canvas, or in Metal-Frames and Wooden-Frames).
Just around the corner from Bryggen is the Bergenhus Fortress, a castle that dates back to the 13th century. It is very well preserved and is a gorgeous area to walk around and read more about the history of its existence. The castle is one of the oldest and best preserved stone fortifications in Norway.
View from Mt. Fløyen, Bergen, Norway (ISO 100, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/40 s)
If you want to catch a birds eye view of the entire city, you have two options: 1) catch the Fløibanen Funicular or take a walk up a steep hill to Mt. Fløyen where you can sip coffee at Fløistuen Café and enjoy the sights or 2) hike up Mt. Ulriken, one of Bergen’s highest mountains by taking a cable car up to Montana, and hiking 1.5 hours to get to the view point. There are no shortage of great views on the way up and a variety of hiking trails to use as well. If you feel so brave, book a spot on the Mt. Ulriken Zipline, which is the fastest in Norway.
Osterfjord, Hordaland County, Norway (ISO 400, 39 mm, f/9, 1/100 s)
If you've like to see Bergen from the water level, there are ferries running almost every single day from Zachariasbryggen to Osterfjord and Mostraumen. This is a three hour tour and is very well run. Perfect for seeing the scenery in Hordaland Province (Tour information here).
KODE 1, Bergen, Norway (ISO 100, 35 mm, f/3.5, 1/320 s)
If it’s raining outside and/or freezing, you can check out the Kode Art Museum in the city center. The museum boasts pieces from Picasso, Dahl, Dalí and more dispersed across 4 buildings in the city center. Old antiques are also showpieces in some of the exhibitions as well.
