Why Bergen?
 

A lot of contributors say that extra time in Bergen is a must. What are the attractions of Bergen that everyone seems to love it so much?

I have been for the wonderful fjords,<BR> hanseatic league visits,the famous<BR> GRIEG house concerts, the little<BR> green people, the view from the funicular, the coastal cruises

My grand daddy was born there. Don't miss it.

Bergen is somewhat dull, but strategic for fjord peeping. But I wouldn't assume you want to base there; rather plan your fjord excursions and only then look where is strategic to stay.<BR><BR>For instance in the past I would have greatly benefited by using even duller Voss as a base instead of repeatedly training between Bergen/Voss. But if not including Hardingerfjord you may come to another conclusion.

http://gofree.indigo.ie/~kieran/html/landscapes/bergen.html<BR><BR>www.vistaphotos.com

The town is cosier than most Norwegian cities, with a very walkable centre and as being said, very strategically located for heading north towards the fjords.<BR><BR>The newspaper Bergens Tidende has a virtual Bergen roundtrip here:<BR>http://www.bt.no/kamera/panorama/

Barry, <BR>I'm born in Bergen, but got away at 3 month's of age. Being ironic I'll state that the main reason to stay for log in Bergen must be to get a glimpse of sun. But that might take a lot of time.<BR>When that is said: Yes Bergen is special, locationwise and architechtural. Communicationwise, howevever, it is dreadful. If yo are after a base for fjord tips, smaller locations (even Voss) will serve far better, just because of distances. Look on a Norwegian road map, and you will understand. Bergen's location far north west on a peninsula isn't ideal.<BR>But: The town has great charm, great views and really is worth a visit. However, when going for Norwegian sites of spectacular interest, I doubt if I will put Bergen among the top 10.<BR><BR>Welcome to Norway. Also Bergen.<BR>Bjorn, Oslo<BR>

I was in a hurry. Please forgive me the bad grammar and all the typos....<BR><BR>Bjorn, Oslo

I did a fairly extensive Fjord area and the Lofoten Islands trip through Norway last year and Bergen was the last stop. For me Bergen was very anti-climatic after all the wonderful places we had been prior to getting there. I guess whether to go there really depends where else you'll be going to in Norway. Many people say you must do the Norway in the Nutshell and Bergen-but I suspect for many those are the ONLY places they go (besides Oslo). I wish we would have skipped both actually. We found Aalesund to a fabulous little city, what we thought Bergen was going to be like.

Thank you, all for your insights. Can someone tell me who the little green people are, or was Luc pulling my leg?<BR><BR>Barry