Dear Fodorites,

My husband and i are going to Norway from Denmark and we only have 2 nights (1 full day) in Norway, so we have to make a hard decision of choosing between Oslo and Bergen.
We're both in our late 40s and pretty active. We like the outdoors and would want to take an easy pace and not hop from bus to train to bus (which is why the NIN itinerary might be too hectic, though the sites do appeal to us.). We also like parks, architecture, art and history.
So we're wrestling with the choice - the long trip to Bergen, spending 2 nights there, or a shorter trip to Oslo spending 2 nights there but (from my understanding) there is much less to see or do there. And i just keep hearing raves about the train and fjords of Bergen and the area so am really tempted to make the long trek there.
Also - Bergen is a stop for cruise ships - does it get really crowded with tourists?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Katsby

I would have said there was more to do in Oslo, not that it made my favorite cities list (Stockolm did), unless you are planning a hike. I would not make the trek to Bergen unless I was joining a ship (preferably Hurtigruten) or doing the NiN.

See: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...navia-in-oslo/
https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...usy-in-bergen/

Less to do in Oslo. ? Absolutely not so. Oslo is a large city with numerous museums, a castle and even better the option of a short ferry trip to the Bygdoy Peninsula where you could easily spend most of the day at the open-air Norwegian Folk Museum which is IMO absolutely incredible. Also on Bygdoy ypu’ll find the Viking Ship Museum and the Kon-Tiki Museum.

Bergen is much smaller and situated in lovely setting. A pleasant place to easily explore. A trip up the funicular and walk around the lake is a great way to spend a couple of hours.Make no mistake, doing the NiN itinerary in a day will be exhausting. Do you mind being herded around like cattle ? When I was planning my trip to Norway, I initially thought I’d go with NiN. After doing some research, I decided to create my own itinerary and was so glad I did.

Another vote for Oslo. Bergen is a nice town, but you have seen it all pretty quickly. Oslo has plenty to see and do.

More to do in Oslo IME than Bergen, a nice old Hanseatic port city but the reason for going there would be to yes experience the fjords however possible. NIN is great and we did in a rather relaxed way - buy combo ticket for trains, bus and boat and seamlessly transfer from one to another.