Port Stop: (Re)Discovering The Magic of Being a Kid in Bergen, Norway
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Travel can be surprising – sometimes it can be disruptive but there are those times when it’s a pleasant revelation like a sleep hit that brought out the kids in most of us. That was part of the fun we had in our fourth country of our 11 Day NCL Prima Northern Europe cruise as we sailed into Bergen, Norway.
LOGISTICS
PORT: Bontelabo | CURRENCY: Norwegian Krone (NOK)
DOCK | Arrival: 7:00 | Departure 16:00 | 1 USD = 10.08 NOK (CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE)
LANGUAGE: Norwegian
Hei – hello (hi) | Hadet – good bye (hah-deh) | Unnskyld meg – excuse me (een-shool my) | Vær så snill – please (var soh snil | Takk – thank you (tahk)
MONEY MATTERS
Credit cards were widely accepted (we were able to use American Express, Visa and Mastercard throughout Norway). ATMs are called Minibanks in Norway: we found that other than for tipping in local currency, we didn’t need to carry cash (ie tipping guides for already paid tours). Speaking of which, tipping is not obligatory in Norway as wages are high/workers are paid living wages so there isn’t a need for a tipping culture (vs in the US where workers are reliant upon tips as part of their salary). As such, it is a nice gesture of appreciation to tip if you receive great service.
COMMUNICATION
English was widely spoken.
BEAUTIFUL TIP: Reminder that arrival times for port days are estimates for when the ship will be docked and may not be when the port has given approval to the ship to allow passengers to get off. IF the activity start time is close to arrival times, I will always reach out the activity/tour provider and find out exactly what their policy is if I am not able to be there on time. I have found that many operators are flexible especially if the majority/all of the participants are from the cruise ship but some may not be able to accommodate late arrivals with no refund given. Whilst both scenarios are valid business practices, don’t make the mistake of finding out it’s the latter when you aren’t able to join! See below in what we did for more info on this
PORT LOGISTICS
Note that there are multiple ports in Bergen! The main cruise berths are Skolten, Festningskaien, Bontelabo which are a short .5 mile (900 meters) walk to the Bryggen wharf area. The Dokken and Jekteviken berths are situated about half-mile west of the fish market but is located in an industrial area so Bergen provides shuttle buses.
BERGEN
We arrive in Bergen which is the second largest city in Norway (after the capital, Oslo) and is located on the southwestern coast. It is known by a few nicknames: “City of Seven Mountains” and “Gateway to the Fjords” due to its geographic location. Also important to note that it is known as the “City of Rain” and is officially the wettest city in Europe with an annual precipitation of 89 inches (225 centimeters)! I found my kindred as the Norwegians are fond of saying “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”
Bergen was founded in the 1000’s (perhaps as far back as 1020) but officially is stated to have been founded in 1070 by King Olav and was known as Bjørgvin, ‘the green meadow among the mountains’. It served as Norway’s capital during the 1200’s and was a bureau city in the Hanseatic League from the end of the 13th century. Notably until 1789, Bergen held the exclusive rights to maritime trade. Aquaculture, offshore petroleum, shipping, tourism and finance now are top industries for the city with Bergen Port being Norway’s busiest – with half a million passengers on over 300 ships stopping in this city annually.
WHAT WE DID
Bryggen
(15-20 minutes walk from cruise port even with littles) As we made our way to the funicular, we first stopped at the historic harbor district. Bryggen, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Norway’s most famous attractions. This former Hanseatic commercial district features a series of colorful wooden buildings that date back to the 14th century, representing the city’s important role in the medieval trading empire.
Detours
What should have been a 5-10 min walk to the next destination turned into an hour+ adventure but that’s part of embracing travel. We did the usual “check out a grocery store in a foreign country” and then this happened – my 18 year old nephew decided to strike a pose and the other cousins followed…and this was the theme of the
Mt. Fløyen
One of the seven mountains that surrounds Bergen, Mt. Fløyen is a 20 minute walk from the cruise port. You can walk (approximately 45 -60 minutes) or pay to take a funicular car up to the top: Find all the information on Mt. Fløyen and purchase tickets for the funicular directly on the Fløyen site here
Fløibanen (funicular)
It was very easy to prebook the tickets so we were able to skip the queue to buy tickets which was already sizeable around 10 and head straight up. Even with our unfortunate location in the car, the view and ride were enjoyable.
Viewpoint + Hiking/Walking Trails
Up top you are greeted with 360 degree panoramic views of Bergen and the surrounding landscapes. There’s also hiking and walking trails as well as a restaurant up top and…..
Playgrounds + Troll Garden
There are two very fun playgrounds for the kids (and young at heart) – seriously because of this area for most of us this was our favorite spot from the WHOLE TRIP! You know when you hear people having so much fun that you have to go investigate/join? That was us – talking kids and adults into trying the zip line, climbing the tower and testing balancing skills…while encountering rain and slippery conditions (I kept thinking that my surgeons would be so disappointed if this was how I re-injured my knee!)
Walking Around
Bergen is a very walkable city (but not all of it is flat including heading up to the funicular).
Bergenhus Fortress
The well preserved castle is one of Norway’s oldest fortifications and has served as a royal residence, military seat of power and Bishop’s office. It has a long and rich history spanning all the way from the Middle Ages to the present day, as it is a protected national cultural heritage site. And it’s free to explore!
Fisketorget (Bergen Fish Market)
We ate at the fish market which was fairly pricey: ~$28 for the paella which was just okay. The fish and chips (with fried shrimp) was really good as were the salmon sandwiches (~$13) and also picked up some sushi.
WHAT WE ATE
Norway is expensive: this paella was $28 and some of the most expensive ice cream I have ever had – this triple cone set me back almost $14!
WHAT I SPENT
Again very unlike me (and another way that these NCL port posts are unlike my other posts): I don’t have numbers for a lot of my spending ie the food as my sister brought the pastries and paid for other things
- Activities $15.26 $15.26/160 NOK-adults + $38.16/400 NOK-family packs(2x adults + 2xchildren under 15)
OTHER TOP SPOTS TO EXPLORE + ACTIVITIES TO DO
Bergen: City Tour on Foot
I loved how our day turned out as it was a good mix of having fun for the adults and the kids but if it had just been me, I would have definitely done this highly rated walking tour: why? I have found these to be so informative and in many ways, of course learning about history, culture, etc but guides will typically discuss points of interest and if I am limited in time, their expertise helps narrow down what I would enjoy the most. In addition, there have been many places/things that were never on my radar that I learned about through guides/others o the tour!
Bergen: Round-Trip Ulriken Cable Car Ticket
Mount Ulriken is the most prominent of the seven mountains – take a cable car to the summit of the highest mountain in Bergen.
It’s going to rain in Bergen so if you want to spend part (or all) of you day inside there’s many options: https://en.visitbergen.com/things-to-do/attractions/museums
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