About Bergen

Bergen is Norway's second largest city and the most popular gateway to the fjords of West Norway. The city is renowned for its great location amidst mountains, fjords, and the ocean. Steep mountains and highlands within the city offer excellent hiking opportunities. The city center is compact and can easily be covered on foot, while the city as a whole is spacious and sprawling. Bergen and suburbs are home to about one quarter of the people in West Norway. Having fostered many of Norway's greatest bands and artists, the city is also known for its cultural life and underground/indie music scene. Bergen's unpredictable weather adds to its quirky, unmistakable charm. Bergen was Norway's main city for centuries, and many patriotic inhabitants believe it still is.

Source: Wikipedia

Essential Information

Currency

Norwegian krone (NOK)

Symbol: kr

Language

Norwegian Nynorsk

Also: Norwegian Bokmål, Sami

Phone Code

+47

International dialing code for Norway

Driving

Drive on the right

Standard for Norway

Region

Europe

Northern Europe

Connectivity

Area codes are no longer in use in Norwegian phone numbers. Phone numbers are normally eight digits, some special numbers may be three, four or five digits. In any case you should always dial all of the digits to make a call. The country code of Norway is+47. If you are calling abroad from a land line, dial 00 before your country code and phone number.

How to Get to Bergen

Transportation options and arrival information

Flybussendeparts from right outside the terminal building.Flybussenmakes frequent stops, including atBryggen, theFisketorget, and the bus terminal. The journey downtown takes about 30–40 minutes. Adult tickets are kr 179, return ticket kr 309 (discounts for children, students and senior citizens apply). Buy your ticket before boarding to save kr 10, either online, from a machine or from a ticket vendor. However, tickets can easily be bought on the bus, with either cash or cards. Buses run freque

Getting Around Bergen

Local transportation and navigation tips

Downtown Bergen is compact and easy to walk for most visitors. Most sights and hotels are located within few minutes walk within downtown. While the very centre is located on a relatively flat piece of land, there are hills in virtually every direction out of the centre so heading downhill usually leads to centre. The main square is the east/west Torgallmenningen, a pedestrian zone. The Nordnes peninsula points north from the very centre, on the eastern side is Vågen, a small bay and once Bergen

Safety in Bergen

Very High Safety (Global Peace Index: 1.465)

About the Global Peace Index: Global Peace Index measures peacefulness on a scale of 1 (most peaceful) to 5 (least peaceful)

Bergen has, as the rest of Norway, a generally low crime rate. The most likely crimes for tourists to experience is car break-ins and bicycle theft. Pickpockets is also becoming an increasing problem in the summer season, but it's still nothing like in larger cities in Europe. It is always a good idea to look after your belongings, this includes never leaving valuable objects visible in your car and locking your bike safely.

Source: Institute for Economics & Peace (2022)

Where to Stay in Bergen

Accommodation tips and recommendations

Outside the summer season, getting a hotel room is usually not a problem, although it can be quite expensive unless you have a reservation. In the summer season (from May to Sept) a reservation well in advance is required. Breakfast is normally included in the price except at hostels and camping sites.