my Bergen tips

In October 2008 I wrote this small Bergen guide. Since then several people have asked me for Bergen tips. Today I got a Flickr mail from Laura, asking me for advice for her and her husband's upcoming trip to Bergen. Thanks to her I was reminded that it is finally time to update my Bergen guide.

Some of my recommendations are exactly the same as in that 2008 post, some of them are new. I've lived in Bergen since August 1999, and despite the very wet weather, I love it here!



Bring raingear or at least an umbrella. Even in summer, but especially in autumn. And remember sensible shoes. Bergen is a perfect city to explore by foot.



Get a city map so you can find your way around the city. The city centre is not big and it's nice to walk around and explore all the idyllic cobblestone streets and wooden houses. Take a walk from Torgallmenningen to Nordnesparken via Klosteret. Have lunch or a drink at USF (that's where my office is) whilst looking at the sea. If the weather allows it, it's the best spot in the city for al fresco drinks.



Have breakfast or lunch at Godt Brød. They serve the best organic sandwiches in town. The brownies and sommerbolle (sweet bun with vanilla custard) are yummy too. Find Godt Brød in Korskirken, Vestre Torvgate and Vetrlidsallmenning. Smakverket (Rasmus Meyers Allé 3) is another excellent choice for lunch and really good coffee.



For really great coffee I highly recommend Kaffemisjonen in Øvre Korskirkeallmenning 5. Dromedar (Strandgaten 81), Det Lille Kaffekompaniet (Nedre Fjellsmauet 2), and BarBarista (Stølegaten 8a) are also great.



A visit to Bryggen is a must. Amongst all the souvenir shops Ting stands out; a great spot for good design.




Another must: Catch the funicular to mount Fløyen and get a nice view of the city. Well, depending on the weather, of course... Or take the cable car to the highest of the seven mountain tops surrounding Bergen, Mount Ulriken. There are lots of great walking trails up there which I highly recommend.



Some of my favorite clothing shops are Vrimmel (Olav Kyrres gate 11), Retro (Olav Kyrres gate 7), Lot 333 (Strandgaten 72), Nova (Strandgaten 73), Filippa K (Håkonsgaten 33), Acne + Pepper (Christies gate 9) and Twisted (Nygårdsgaten 1). Skostredet is a sharming street with nice cafés and shopping, for example T Michael, Håkki, Kleskapet and Kamelone. There are several shops around Torgallmenningen and there are several shopping malls in the city centre: Galleriet, Xhibition, Sundt, Kløverhuset and Bergen Storsenter. Here you find high street brands like H&M, Cubus, Lindex, Kappahl, Vero Moda, Bik Bok.



I must admit that we don't eat dinner out a lot, so I'm not really into what's hot or not. But I do have a hand full of places I like and recommend (in no particular order): Bølgen & Moi (Rasmus Meyers Allé 9), Café Opera (Engen 18), Pingvinen (Vaskerelven 14), Potetkjelleren (Kong Oscars gate 1), Soho Kitchen & Lounge (Håkonsgaten 27), Søtt + Salt (they did the catering in our wedding), Colonialen (Engen 8), Lucullus (Valkendorfsgate 8), Hanne på Høyden (Fosswinckelsgate 18), Kroathai (Nygårdsgaten 29), Escalon (Vestrlidsallmenning 21), Jacobs Bar & Kjøkken (Kong Oscars gate 44).



For beer and rock visit Legal and the legendary Garage in Christiesgate 11 and 14.

Unfortunately I don't have any good tips for accommodation, since I always sleep at home ;-) But I'm sure you will find something nice by Googling it.

Here is my Bergen set on Flickr and here are all my Bergen related blog posts. You should also check out my friend Ingvild's Bergen guide brilliant Bergen guide (in Norwegian - use Google Translate). Also: VisitBergen.com

PS: All the addresses and names mentioned here can be found on Google Maps.

Feel free to add your own personal Bergen favorites in the comments!

same but different

The neighborhood view in different weather - equally beautiful in my eyes.

Canon 40D

Snow filled skies on Friday. Later I took this shot.


Minolta SRT 101, Kodak Portra 400nc

Pastel colored morning sky in December. I think is was the same morning I took this.

pre-Christmas Bergen

This is how Bergen looks like these days when I walk home from the office. There is just a little less snow than in these shots, that were taken earlier this month. Nice, isn't it? So, are you ready for Christmas yet? Händel's Messiah, a blazing fire and red tea lights are putting us in the right mood tonight. And in a couple of days we pack our bags to drive home for Christmas in our hometown Sandnes.

Do you have any favorite tunes to put you in the right holiday mood?





All photos: Minolta SRT 101, Kodak Portra 400nc

what a difference a night makes

February 2010 | Olympus mju, Rollei Retro 100

That thing I said yesterday about Bergen being grey and our garden being green - well, not so much anymore! We were hit by a blizzard during the night, and once again Bergen is white and the traffic is total chaos. I'm glad I could just bundle up and walk to the office.

By the way, I have done a few changes to the sidebar; I have listed the cameras I mostly use (just in case anyone wondered) + I have added shortcuts to some of my travel stories/photos. Click on the images to escape for a bit.

PS: Don't forget the giveaway!

What a difference a day makes

the food festival

A Sunday in September was spent strolling between the stalls at the food festival at Bryggen. In the evening we had a lovely Sunday dinner with goodies bought there (described here).

Canon EOS 500N, Kodak Portra 160vc + Rollei Retro 100, Olympus mju

early winter office walk

I think I've mentioned it before; I love my daily walk to the office. Part of the walk is along Store Lungegårdsvann, where these shots were taken.

This is the last batch from the Minolta SRT 101 test shot. Film: Fuji pro 160S. You can see all the test shots in this set on Flickr. I think miss Minolta might be my new bff.

winter trees

Mostly bare branches seen on my way to the office on a bright and beautiful December 1st. These are all from the Minolta SRT 101 test shot. Film: Fuji pro 160S

October autumn

In October I loaded my little Olympus mju compact camera with a Kodak Portra 160vc film to check if it was still working properly after this weird incidence (described in the comments below the photo). Turns out everything is all right, it just prefers color film instead of black & white film. It has acted weird with the last two black & white films, but now with the color film it was fine. Seems like the black & white film might be thicker than color films, so that might be the problem.

This autumn has been surprisingly lovely. So much drier than we are used to here in Bergen. All the pretty autumn leaves are now gone and the branches are bare. It has been below zero (Celsius) for a couple of weeks and it's starting to feel a lot like winter. I'm getting eager to start the skiing season soon. I think it's time to close the autumn set on Flickr and open the winter set. It is December 1st today after all.

How about you, are you ready for winter yet?