Norway
Our Hotel in Bergen
We stayed at the Clarion Hotel Admiral in Bergen. Our room was facing the water with a great view of all the colourful buildings of Bryggen. It was lovely to be able to sit and watch all the boats and ferries coming in and out of the harbour. The hotel was in a really good, central location and we walked to all the main sights.
Bergen - Things to See & Do
• Bryggen – beautiful colourful buildings along the waterfront. Great for wandering along • KODE art museums – several different locations in renovated buildings. Edvard Munch is probably the most famous Norwegian artist and his work is a lot broader than ‘The Scream’ (in KODE 3). The Silver Treasure gallery (in KODE 1) is gorgeous and definitely worth a visit • Funicular to Mount Floyen – great views from the top. Walk down through the forest into the city • Fisketorget (the fish market) – lots of fish! Plus lots of cafes/restaurants
Norway in a Nutshell
We did the famous ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ day trip which was highly recommended to us. You purchase the ‘package’ and all the tickets for all the different methods of transport (train, coach, boat, train etc) are included. Everything is very well organised and connected. It was lovely to get out of the city and see some more of the country. The weather wasn’t the best however we still managed to enjoy the scenery of Voss, Myrdal & Flam as well as the cruise along the fjords.
Bergen to Oslo
We left Bergen and took the train to Oslo for the last few nights of our holiday. This journey through the mountains is often described as one of the best train journeys in the world. The views were fantastic and it was mostly comfortable for a seven-hour journey.
Our Hotel in Oslo
In Oslo we stayed in the Comfort Hotel Grand Central. We were lucky and from our room we had a view straight out to Oslo Opera House. Again the hotel was central and within walking distance to most of the main sights and right next to excellent public transport.
Oslo – Things to See & Do
• Oslo Opera House - striking building both inside and out. Good view from the top. • Viking Ship Museum – interesting to learn more about the Vikings and see the ships as well as objects uncovered during excavations • Ferry ride across the harbour to/from the Viking Ship Museum – nice views of the city from the water • Astrup Fearnley Museet (Museum) – another striking building and full of modern art in light, spacious galleries • Barcode Project - massive re-development of super cool architecture • City Hall, Royal Palace & Parliament – dominating, impressive buildings • The Waterfront - new museum dedicated to Munch opening soon
I really enjoyed my week in Norway. The two cities were very different and it was lovely to see at least some countryside / spectacular scenery on the Norway in a Nutshell day trip and on the train journey between the two destinations. It was easy to get around, clean, efficient, friendly people who speak excellent English (my Norwegian was rather limited), delicious food, especially fish and salmon and (as expected) it was expensive. I’d love to go back and explore further north especially along the coastline and the Lofoten Islands.