Romantic Getaway to Bergen
There are many ways you can get to Bergen, but there is one best way: by train.
Whether summer or spring, winter or fall, the landscape that stretches between Oslo in the east and Bergen to the west is the most beautiful I’ve seen. The journey features 180 tunnels which create a hide-and-seek effect with the light as you dip in and out of the dark. In the sunny months expect rolling green hills, sparkling lakes, and wildflowers. In the darker months, expect to be dazzled by the glistening winter wonderland of lively ski villages and frozen expanse.
We traveled in mid December 2021, shortly after my now-fiancé proposed under a light tunnel at a Christmas market in Oslo. Our Bergen excursion became a de facto “engagement-moon” but even if you aren’t traveling with such a romantic premise, the place creates its own poetry.
The trick to enjoying the magic of traveling by train in December is to capture as much daylight as possible during the seven-hour ride. We caught about six and arrived in Bergen after dark.
During the long winter, light in any form becomes especially important, both practically and for the spirit, and just like many public spaces, the train station was strung up with thousands of twinkle lights upon our arrival. It took only eight minutes to reach our hotel, walking through the drizzle with the street lamps as our guide.
The Opus XVI hotel has a special history that I’d read about in Viking magazine so I knew it was the only place I wanted to stay. It was founded by relatives of the composer Edvard Grieg, and the hotel is dedicated to his work and memory. The building was originally constructed as a bank and underwent multiple transformations to become the boutique hotel it is today. Its location is unparalleled, with views of World Heritage Site, Bryggen, just around the corner.
Directly across the courtyard is a shop called Husfliden, which is a small outpost of a larger shop based in Oslo, where you can buy authentic Nordic homewares. Think felted wool slippers or hand carved cheese slicers.
The following is an account of our two-day stay in Bergen, what we loved, what we ate, and what we’d do differently next time.
Day 1
Start with breakfast in the hotel. If you haven’t had a Norwegian breakfast buffet, get ready for a treat. We Norwegians eat fresh, crusty, seedy brown bread with påleg (toppings) almost daily, and when presented in as a buffet, the påleg options are seemingly endless: cheeses—including traditional brunost (a caramel-y brown hard goat cheese)—cured meats, lox, eggs, and fruit preserves… yum.
Before venturing out, remember that Bergen is a coastal town and as such, it's damp. In December especially you want to dress both warmly and dryly. I donned weather-resistant boots that were comfortable for walking (I’m obsessed with the comfort and versatility of a Sorel wedge), a long puffy coat, and a wool hat and mittens.
Walking is the way in Bergen because that’s how you’ll best experience the charm of its architecture. The neighborhoods are full of little urban treasures like tunnels, plazas, and vistas.
On the way to the Maritime Museum, you’ll pass through the University of Bergen campus and gardens and once you arrive, plan to spend about 90 minutes at the museum diving into the region's rich maritime history.
As you leave, descend the hill towards the city center and veer slightly left making your way towards Sjømannsmonumentet (the Sailor’s Monument). Your maps app will guide you there via a bustling town square, on the other side of which is lunch at fisketorget (the fish market). If you eat fish, this is a real destination, and if you don’t there are plenty of bakeries to delight in too. Either way, this indoor/outdoor market has a plethora of culinary options from fast casual to white table cloth dining with harbor views.
We kept it casual and, despite the chilly weather, found a bench to sit on away from the crowds where the air coming off the sea was fresh and the view of Bryggen was unencumbered.
After lunch, loop around the harbor towards Bryggen. Its facade is as iconic as the postcards, brightly painted in bold marigolds, brick reds, and crisp whites. Many of these have been retouched over the years to maintain the prestige (or even rebuilt entirely after fires) and have been converted into tourist shops full of Norwegian flag-branded tchotchkes and mass-produced Marius-printed souvenirs. Venture further back into the maze though, through the open air halls of original wood beam construction, and you’ll find art galleries, historical exhibits, and shops that cater to selling the work of local artists and regional makers. It’s easy to imagine this place being overrun during the summer months when the cruise ships pull up, but in the winter, you’ll have the luxury to wander this space in ways that excite the imagination.
Original construction, modern man.
Head back to the hotel for a rest before dinner by walking to the end of Bryggen, turning right, then right again and going uphill to the street that runs behind and parallel to Bryggen. This is a quiet and charming cobbled neighborhood path away from the visitors and the harbor wind. And because it’s elevated from sea level, you’ll get intermittent harbor views between the buildings too.
Norway takes the Christmas season quite seriously. This means that many businesses and restaurants remain closed for two to three weeks, allowing their staff to actually enjoy the holidays themselves. For tourists this poses some restrictions: we would have loved to enjoy dinner and a concert at the home of Edvard Grieg. But alas, this was closed and it remains on our bucket list for next time. Instead, we found a lodge-style restaurant near Bryggen where I ordered an enormous Christmas plate piled high with meats, boiled potatoes, pickled cabbage, and lingonberry preserves, and we generally had a very cozy time.
Day 2
Since day one was a town day, day two became the nature day. We love to get up high and take in a place from above. Luckily in Bergen there are multiple opportunities to take a cable car up a mountain: Fløibanen or Ulriken. The difference is which peak it takes you up, and only while writing this guide did I learn that Ulriken is the tallest of the seven peaks surrounding Bergen—no wonder the views were so incredible. In December, the season made the choice for us, so we caught the local bus a few stops inland, into the residential neighborhood where, just up the hill, Ulriken base is planted.
Once you get to the top you’ll find a cafe with near 360° views of the wild landscape. It was peaceful up there, as we sat wrapped around lattes, watching the sun come up to create colorful mirages over the hillsides.
We began to notice sportily-dressed people who hadn't taken the cable car up with us. Eventually it became clear they had hiked up via a natural stone staircase. For locals, the sprint up and down Bergen’s tallest peak is an average workout. The barista assured us that it’s an easy trip especially on the way down, so we went for it.
The barista lied. The combination of uneven stair heights paired with those wedge boots I love gave me just enough lift that the experience was like doing 1,300 consecutive pistol squats. By the end, I could barely walk and people stared at me with unmasked pity. Nolan blamed the shoes. I blamed the barista. If only we had we actually intended to take—and dressed appropriately for—this hike…. In the end, it was type 2 (and a half—because nobody died, but it definitely hurt) fun and yes, I would do it again. And you should too. Just please wear proper shoes.
In the summer months, you can zipline your way down the mountain. *Adds to bucket list*
It was a rush to catch the train home after our adventure. We were physically wiped and had to repack at the hotel before booking it to the train station, all while hungry. We opted for take-away paninis from Deli de Luca in the train station to hold us through the seven-hour ride back to Oslo. These little fast take-away shops you’ll see throughout Norway are not comparable to what we have in the US—they’re better. They wouldn’t be my first choice, but they are decent and do the job well.
The ride home was less romantic as we’d used most of our daylight allotment on Mount Ulriken, but we did get to glimpse the landscape we’d missed on the way in and truly, it doesn’t disappoint. The train home was the perfect bookend to our short, but very sweet, visit to Bergen.
🖤