Trips from Bergen – Exploring Norway and Further Afield

By Charlotte Hussey, University of Bergen, Norway

A year abroad, in my opinion, is the perfect opportunity to travel. There are so many opportunities provided, whether through organised trips by different organisations like ESN (Erasmus Student Network) or simply by meeting many likeminded people. I have found that my new friends are like me because they really love to travel. It also helps that I seem to have much less work to do here than in Manchester meaning I have more free time to travel!

I have been lucky to have travelled quite a lot so far and I am still planning more trips! Norway itself offers so much and can cater to different interests – from Bergen it is easy to take a quick city break, like to Oslo, or to take a trip to the countryside and stay in a fun cabin in the mountains, like in Voss. You can even travel to the Artic Circle which I spoke about in another blog post! However, it is also easy to explore further to more of Scandinavia – I have taken a trip to Stockholm and I am currently planning a trip to Copenhagen! I will talk a bit about the highlights of the different places I’ve been.

Voss

Voss was the first trip I took from Bergen. Although Voss is a prime location for skiing (one of the most popular destinations in Norway), we visited in September, in the offseason. Even though there was no snow or skiing, it still provided plenty of activities for a weekend trip plus it was much cheaper! We stayed in a gorgeous, cosy cabin where we spent a girls night making food, having hot chocolates and doing karaoke. It was a great opportunity to bond and I felt like I became closer with my new friends. We went on a long hike to the top of a nearby mountain which was usually used for skiing and were lucky to see incredible views and even have a go on a swing at the top of the mountain! It was a really fun, quick trip that was really easy to organise!

Oslo

We went to Oslo fairly spontaneously – we weren’t doing anything for the weekend so thought why not visit the capital! Luckily the flight and accommodation were fairly cheap for booking last minute. Oslo was fun and very different to the rest of Norway I had been to before. Even though Bergen is the second biggest city in Norway, it feels more like a town whereas Oslo felt a lot bigger.

We went to the Munch museum to see the famous Scream painting which was very cool. Walking to the top of the Opera House gave us amazing views of the Oslo waterfront. We went to nice places to eat and bars in the evening – on the Saturday night we went to a place where it was one building with several different bars in side, providing different atmospheres. It was really nice to just explore the city, see the different sights, and walk through the Sunday markets. Overall it was a really chill, fun and easy city break!

Stockholm

We took a three day trip to Stockholm in December, which I would say was a great time to go as it was very Christmassy! It was great weather when we went – it snowed the first day, which felt magical when we were ice skating while it was snowing, and was really sunny the other days. We went to the Christmas markets which had lots of local things to try and buy. We had to try the restaurant called ‘Meatballs for the People’ because everyone recommended it and it definitely lived up to the expectations! Even the underground stations in Stockholm are stunning with many of them covered in cool designs. There was loads to do in Stockholm and I definitely would take another trip there as I think there is still more places I would like to see!

Day Trips

Exploring Norway is very fun but it doesn’t even have to be a overnight trip – I have done several day trips where we simply pack a lunch and get on a bus from Bergen to explore the surrounding area. Anywhere you go is stunning and you will find yourself surrounded by mountains, forests and fjords. It is a great, cheap option as the buses are often free if the destination is in a certain area!