Bergen

Leaving the port your drive will take you past the medieval King Håkon's Hall and Rosenkrantz Tower. The route then continues along Bryggen, the hanseatic quarter of Bergen, with its old, picturesque wooden buildings to the funicular station of Fløibanen.

The funicular will take you on a short journey to the top of Mount Fløien, one of the 7 hills that surround Bergen and stands at a height of around 1,050 feet. There will be free time to purchase souvenirs or to just sit and enjoy the bird’s eye view of Bergen and the fjord, before taking the funicular back to the bottom.

Back on board your coach, you’ll head past the famous fish market and on towards the peninsula of Nordnes, with its typical 19th century, white-painted wooden houses and splendid views on both sides of the port.

Step aboard your boat for a scenic cruise, lasting approximately 1½ hours, along the beautiful fjords. Beginning on the Byford, you’ll travel between the surrounding archipelago of the Bjorøyna, Lerøyna and Tyssøyna islands, under the Askøybridge and along the Lysefjord. After relaxing and soaking up the scenery on board, a coach awaits to take you on a drive through the suburbs and city centre to Bryggen.

Bryggen is a living illustration of the city’s history, with 61 protected Hanseatic buildings. Enjoy a guided walk through the alleyways and colourful, picturesque warehouses lining the street and waterfront. These once housed German merchants belonging to the Hanseatic League who settled in Bergen around 1350.

As you stroll through the narrow passages and along the dark covered balconies, you’ll be transported back through the centuries. Bryggen is not a museum, it is living cultural heritage. Today these buildings, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, house shops, restaurants, cafés and artists’ workshops.

Walk from the pier to Høyden, home to the University of Bergen Library and the Botanical Gardens. View some of the beautiful buildings in Bergen as you head to Grieg Concert Hall, built in the shape of a grand piano and inaugurated in 1978. Enter the city park, where many of the city’s art museums are located and pass the small Lille Lungegaardsvannet Lake and the city’s Town Hall.

Take a look at the fish market and the Byfjord, before reaching the famous Bryggen Hanseatic Quarters. Soak up the atmosphere in the narrow passages between the buildings. Continue past St Mary’s Church, the oldest building in Bergen still in use, and one of the outstanding Romanesque churches in the country.

You’ll soon reach Bergen’s oldest street, Øvregaten Street, to board the funicular for a ride to the top of Mount Fløien. This is one of the most popular recreational areas with spectacular views at 1,050 feet above sea level. You’ll return to the base of Mount Fløien by funicular.

At the end of the tour you can either return to the ship or opt to remain in town to explore further.

See the old medieval city, including the 13th-century King Håkon's Hall, the 16th-century Rosenkrantz Tower, and Bryggen, a major trading centre for the medieval Hanseatic League. Pass the open-air fish market at Torget and Grieg Hall, the city's concert hall. Enjoy the surrounding sights of green slopes and ragged mountains as you drive through suburbs, with well kept houses and gardens, to Troldhaugen.

Troldhaugen, beautifully situated at the Nordås Lake, was home to the late Edvard Grieg. Grieg (1843 1907) was a composer, pianist and conductor with his first piano debut being at the age of 18. Norwegian folk music, nature and the delightful scenery of Norway inspired him to create the most beautiful pieces of music.

A special piano recital in the ‘Troldsal’, a unique style concert hall with turf roof, will immerse you in the exquisite sounds of Grieg's music. After the recital, there will be a guided tour of Grieg’s house and gardens where you will see many of the original furnishings including a Steinway grand piano, which was an anniversary gift in 1892. Before departing Troldhaugen, there will be the opportunity to visit the information centre which sells books, CD’s and other Grieg memorabilia.

The Old Voss Line is the only preserved railway in Norway where the steam locomotives and teak carriages still run on a main line track. It was originally constructed in 1883 as a narrow gauge line, which formed part of the Bergen to Voss railway. In 1904 the line was upgraded to extend to Oslo and then electrified in 1954. It continued to serve as part of the Bergen to Oslo main line until it closed in 1964 when the Ulriken Tunnel opened.

The railway is now run by volunteers of the local branch of the Norwegian Railway Society. The service operates with a 1913 steam locomotive, which was restored by the society between 1981 and 1993.

Enjoy a nostalgic 45 minute ride on this lovely heritage railway which travels between Garnes and Midttun. The 11 mile journey passes through the Arna Valley towards Haukeland, where the scenery undertakes a change toward a more typical western Norwegian nature.

There will be time at Garnes Old Railway Station to browse the gift shop or explore the museum and railway area.

Take the funicular to the top of Mount Fløien, which at 1,000 feet offers panoramic views across Bergen and the surrounding area. The Fløien hills are a very popular recreation area with picturesque lakes and mountains, which is used by the population of Bergen all year round. Walk on one of the many gravel roads, through slightly hilly woodland and down to the little, idyllic lake called Skomakerdiket. Walking uphill you’ll join the main path, Blåmansveien, where the views get more impressive the higher you get.

In clear weather the route heads up the Rundemansveg Road, emerging into an excellent panoramic view as you reach the highest point, Rundemanen, at 1,800 feet. There are several trails and your guide will select the most suitable, dependant on the weather conditions.

Bergen is known as the city between 7 mountains, and Mount Ulriken is the highest and most spectacular of these. At 2,109 feet above sea level, the view from the top offers a magnificent panorama of the city, coastal landscape, fjords and mountains.

As you take a leisurely drive through Bergen to the cable car, your guide will point out the interesting landmarks such as the Grieghallen, fish market, Bryggen and the Nordes Peninsula.

At the cable car station you’ll board your gondola for the 7 minute ride to reach the top. As you ascend you will be able to see views of Norway’s second largest city stretching out below you. On arrival at the summit of Mount Ulriken, refreshments of coffee or tea and a slice of cake will be served in the stylish new restaurant, whilst you relax and enjoy the panoramic views.

Begin your day with a drive past many of Bergen’s highlights including the Bergenhus Fortress, Rosenkrantz Tower, fish market and the Hanseatic buildings of Bryggen.

Heading inland, you’ll pass Lake Kaland and the village of Os, before reaching Hatvik for a ferry ride across the fjord to Venjaneset. There will be a stop to visit the tiny wooden structure of Holdhus Old Church.

As you approach Mundheim, the beautiful Hardangerfjord will come into view, it is undoubtedly one of the prettiest Norwegian fjords. An hour-long scenic drive will take you along its shores offering panoramic views of orchards and villages framed by the surrounding snow-capped mountain peaks. On a clear day you will have views of the Folgefonna Glacier.

There will be a stop at Steinsdalfossen Waterfall, whose falls arc away from the mountainside. If you wish you can walk behind the curtain of water without getting wet. Back onboard the coach a series of tunnels will take you up the Tokagjel Gorge, before descending to the Sørfjord for views of Osterøy Island.

During the day, you’ll enjoy a delicious Norwegian buffet lunch at a local village hotel.

Your journey will take you through the old towns of Skuteviken and Sandviken, with their characteristic tiny white painted wooden houses, to the Old Bergen Open Air Museum. The open air museum, opened in 1949, contains a collection of more than 40 old wooden houses and shops dating from the 18th and 19th century. The buildings were moved from different areas of the city to this site, with the goal of preserving a picture of Bergen streets and communities as they once had been. Take a look inside a few of the houses to get an idea how the residents lived in those by-gone days. Along the cobbled street you’ll find the watchmakers, skipper house, craftsman house, senior housing, dentist, barber and the oldest bakery in Norway, which is still in operation on special days.

Driving along the wharf you’ll pass the colourful, old Hanseatic merchant houses of ‘Bryggen’, the market place with its famous open air fish market and the Nordnes Peninsula before heading out to Fantoft where you’ll visit its beautifully reconstructed wooden Stave Church, an excellent example of the ones built in the Middle Ages. The drive back to the port will take you via an alternative route past the hospital, train station and Grieghallen.

A short transfer through the city centre of Bergen will bring you to the small harbour where you will board a comfortable modern boat for your Byfjord cruise of the Bergen archipelago and the peninsula of Nordnes. Your guide for the tour will be the local ‘sea cowboy’, Alf Roald Sætre also known as ‘Oyster Dundee’ – Alf is a very colourful character and will bring his hometown to life with his flamboyant tales.

On arrival at the small private island of Holmen you will be welcomed with a glass of wine and an appetiser before beginning your ‘seafood safari’ where you will be shown an array of fresh lobster, crab, scallops, langoustines and other shellfish. You will be given seafood demonstrations, watch the daily catch being processed and taste smoked salmon straight from the oven before adjourning to the unique and renowned Cornelius Seafood Restaurant where you will be greeted by a freshly caught sumptuous seafood buffet. Savour your delicious lunch whilst you admire the picturesque views of the fjord and surrounding landscape.

You will have exclusive access to the restaurant and its surroundings for the duration of the tour making it a truly unforgettable dining experience.