We are getting to Bergen and Trolltunga – two not to miss spots if you are traveling Norway. Bergen is considered by many the best city to visit in Norway. It is called “the maritime capital”, so we are going to see a lot of seafood and ships. And it is also called “the gateway to the fjords” and we are going to get to one of the best ones.

Bergen

Past and present, few facts

• Founded in 1070, it is the second largest city in Norway and a former capital
• Bergen has been the most important trading spot in Norway. There has always been busy ship traffic.
• The fishing industry is part of the city’s history. These days, a lot of fish from the Norwegian sea is processed in there. And of course, you can try all the delicious seafood.
• Besides fishing, Bergen is related to aquaculture, subsea technology, and oil industry.
• The city is called the medial capital of Norway. Which is reflected in the city’s architecture; you can see a huge variety of old houses here.

Bergen, Impressions

Everyone recommended me Bergen, and I see why. It has the concentration of things Norway is famous for maritime and nature. You notice it everywhere, when you approach the city from the sea, up to the city center.

These old wooden houses facing the sea are the most recognizable landmark of Bergen. Hundreds of years ago, same as now, the place was full of life, with ships going around and busy markets.

A bit of a problem can be the weather, I found out that it is one of the rainiest cities in Europe. So I think, if you happen to see a sunny day – spend it outdoors.

And there is a lot of things to do outdoors. The city is located right inside the fjord, and hikes are available right in the city area. From there, you can take a bus or ferry to some other natural sites. The weather forecast was good, so I decided to go to Trolltunga straight away.

How to get to Trolltunga from Bergen?

Since it is a frequently asked question, here is the summary.

You can use this to plan your trip (I used a bus, but there are more options):
https://www.skyss.no/en/timetable-and-maps/travel-planner/

1. Take a bus from Bergen to Odda
2. Get to the starting post of the hike at Skjeggedal
   here it is a bit tricky, buses are not allowed to get all the way up to Skjeggedal
   • There is transportation directly from Odda to Skjeggedal, check the tourist office
     OR
   • Take a normal bus to Upper Tyssedal, then there are minibusses going to Skjeggedal
     OR
   • Hitchhike, people are friendly, I hitchhiked from Upper Tyssedal to Skjeggedal and from Skjeggedal back to Odda

Can I make Bergen to Trolltunga day trip?

In theory, yes, but I wouldn’t recommend, the trip takes the whole day and you have to come back before dark.

Trolltunga and Odda

It takes 3 hours to reach Odda from Bergen. Most of the tourists I met there are heading to Trolltunga, because it is the closest place to stay. But besides Trolltunga, there are some other things to do.

Odda

Odda opens up opportunities to explore Hardangerfjord, with its wonderful waterfalls. There are also two glaziers and museum of hydropower. After all the hikes done recently, I wanted to give my legs a day of rest before making it to Trolltunga and explore Odda.

The area around Odda was called “the land of white gold”. What is White Gold? Well, all beautiful waterfalls can be used as a source of energy and it was very profitable in older times. The attempt to turn all waterfalls into souse of power resulted in protests. Because of these, the new ones are not constructed, but there are some, that function up to these days.

In the early 20th century, engineering was closely connected to art, including the hydro plants. One of such hydro plants was transformed into a museum and it looks surreal, like a steampunk role game.

“When you enter the enormous turbine hall, it feels like you enter the ballroom. Visitors are left in silent awe over this powerful symbol of human mind. The word “Temple” immediately comes to mind.”

(written at the entrance to the museum)

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There is a lot of abandoned industry around Odda.

Trolltunga

Trolltunga (Troll’s tongue) is one of the most recognizable symbols of Norway. It is a piece of rock that stands out almost horizontally on the height of around 700 meters. Thousands of tourists visit it during the summer months. I think it would be even more, but to get there you have to make a quite challenging 11 km mountain hike (one way).

I was visiting the place in September, it is not the busiest season, but I found it very easy to get companions. People talk about it in the hostel, on the streets and at the starting point of the hike, they simultaneously make groups. I have joined a group of Japanese.

The first 1 or 1.5 km is the way up, but after that, the area is not very steep. The way is long and very beautiful. The new landscape opens up behind every corner.

The distances are huge and time is limited, so I didn’t bother to get to good spots for photography. Was making shots on the way.

And, oh boy. I overestimated myself a bit. Was wearing light boots and 25kg of weight (DSLR, lenses, food). I should have left most of the things at Trolltunga office. I had to jump from stone to stone sometimes, otherwise, I would drown in dirt up to my knees. It has really slowed me down.
(next time won’t be lazy and will take to the trip two pairs, some light boots for traveling in the city and my monster-size hiking shoes)

I got late to the bus that goes to Odda, which meant I would also be late for chining the bus to Bergen. I hitchhiked and to my luck, got a car in 2 minutes. When they got to know my bus to Bergen is leaving soon, they drove downhill with quite a scary speed. Thanks to these lovely people, I was 5 minutes before the bus left.

5 Things to do in Bergen

Now, when I am back to Bergen, let’s see more of the city. Let’s switch to 5 things, that I find significant. I was happy not to have rains during Troll’s tongue hike, but when I came to Bergen – it started raining.

1. Nature! Fjords and everything

I made it to Odda, but there are much more possibilities. You can take one of the boat tours. If the weather is good – that should be on the top of your list. I would recommend checking the weather forecast when you are there and choosing the trip of the appropriate length in the tourist office.

2. Get to know about Norwegian maritime industries

Bergen is all about the marine industry, so it really worth seeing how fishing and trade were developing, and how they look now. There is a good museum of shipbuilding, you can see everything from the Norwegian ships of Viking times up to the ships in our days.

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The Fishery museum would tell about the seafood produced in Norway and about technologies used. I found the museum a bit small, most of the information is on monitors, instead of real exhibition items. So woul.d recommend it only if you are interested in the topic. (that was in 2015, maybe things have changed)

And actually, on the way to the museum, you go along the shore side and see the modern Norwegian fleet.

3. See the great variety of old architecture

In the city center, you immediately see the historic district of Bryggen.

When I was next to the houses I realized that you could go behind them, and to my surprise, I found the whole district of old medieval houses. It hosts some shops, museums, and restaurants.

There are a lot of architecture in different styles around Bergen.

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4. Try the seafood

There are plenty of places, but I somehow prefer the restaurants in the noisy central market. Some of the places on until late evening in summer.

Alternatively, you can go along the Marken street and find the restaurant that suits your budget, there is a supermarket at the end of the street.

5. See the city from above

Here I had very bad luck!

There are seven mountains around the city. The mountain Fløyen is easy to reach from the city center. You get there on funicular or you can walk. I really liked the houses there, so I decided to walk the whole way up.

Here is what you would see (image from Flickr Creative Commons)

They tell that the best view opens from mountain Ulriken. And… really disappointed with the cable car service. They were clearly seeing some tourists, getting to see the best view of the city. They took our money and no one told that we are not going to see anything.

Here is one from Flickr Creative Commons

Further reading

My trip takes from the North to South, with Bergen as the last spot. If you want to see the Southern part starting with Stavanger, I can suggest this 10 days itinerary for Norway.

A fellow blogger has described more hikes the Southern Norway. Apart from Trolltunga, you will get to know about Kjerag and Preikestolen.

Another outstanding place, that you can reach from Bergen is Flam. This post would tell you how to get from Bergen to Flam.

If you are looking for a place to stay – check out this places to stay near Trolltunga

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