Norway: Oslo & Bergen

Oslo

We were super impressed with Oslo, and after what we had seen when we were doing research, I would conclude that Oslo is a completely underrated city. I love cities that also have aspects of nature and Oslo was the perfect balance of this.

Sightseeing Cruise

We did an afternoon sightseeing fjord cruise on a sailing ship that I definitely recommend. There was some minor commentary throughout the cruise about the Oslofjord that was interesting, and there were drinks/snacks on board for purchase.

Sauna

We really embraced sauna culture throughout our entire trip, and went almost every single evening. We tried two different saunas in Oslo, SALT & Kok which were both very unique experiences.

• SALT: This sauna was great for travelers who are looking for a social scene (especially solo travelers) because it has a really large "social sauna" that overlooks the water and they also serve alcoholic drinks (beers, ciders, slushies, etc.) I definitely recommend this sauna because it was unique from the other saunas we experienced on the trip and it was fun. Some advice is to bring your own towel because otherwise you have to rent one and they smell really gross. Also no valuables unless you have a lock to put on your locker (or want to pay for one) and bring your own flip flops! There is also an opportunity to jump off a ledge into the water, it wasn't too cold!

• Kök: This was probably my least favorite sauna of the entire trip (Sweden included) and it was mainly because it was in a super public location, the water was pretty gross and infested with jelly fish. However, they have a sauna cruise option which I would do next time.

Vigeland Sculpture Park

We had such a beautiful evening walk in the park, the sculptures capture such a wide range of human emotions & dynamics. This is another thing you really shouldn't miss. I would block out a couple of hours for a picnic here and sit on the hill so that you can look out onto the view of the city.

Vigeland Park

Where to Eat?

• Fiskeriet: We had a great seafood dinner here but I will say that once we went to Bergen the seafood there completely exceeded anything we had at Fiskeriet. The fish soup and fish & chips are popular here. We got a reservation in advance.

Where to Stay?

• I don't have a specific hotel or airbnb to recommend, but I will say that if you want to be close to a lot of tourist activities or close to the water then you should find a place in the Sentrum area. If you want something less crowded but still want to be a convienient train ride away, then you can opt to stay in Grunerlokka.

Norway in a Nutshell

I really cannot recommend Norway in a Nutshell enough. If I were to do it again, I would either stay overnight in some parts of the journey, or I would do a longer fjord cruise to travel the whole Sognefjord. Even though it was a 12-hour day, it was honestly really relaxing because all you're doing is sitting in different modes of transportation and enjoying the view while all of the logistics are sorted out for you. I do have some tips for different parts of the tour though:

• Grab breakfast from the train station in the morning because the train ride to Myrdal is 4-5 hours and the food options on the train are very limited

• Which side to sit on?

  • Train to Myrdal: sit on the left side of the train (first half hour will have a lot of views on the right side, but then the left side gets the love the entire rest of the trip)

  • Flam railway: line up immediately behind the 3 on the platform as that's the front of the train and the first car that they load and sit on the left side

  • Fjord cruise: doesn't really matter which side because you'll be walking in and out a lot so just try to sit on the bottom level towards the front of the boat for accessibility

• Once you get to Voss, we noticed the majority of passengers went straight to the next train. You end up having like half an hour here, so it's really a waste to do that. I recommend walking to the water (since the crystal clear water is where Voss water got its namesake).

• Overall, people were pretty aggressive about lining up for the next transportation. Had a lot of elderly people shoving us around so just be aware of that.

• Get a cinnamon roll at the bakery in Flam, but also there's good food (hot dogs) on the fjord cruise so no stress if you feel like you don't have time to grab lunch in Flam before boarding the boat

Bergen

Bryggen's colorful landscape

According to our walking tour guide, and some comments on a Bergen tiktok I posted, it seems like Bergen really gets a bad rep. I think it's undeserved and I really enjoyed our time in Bergen. Yes the weather is unfortunate, but the colorful buildings and the historic architecture make this a charming city.

Walking Tour

I think the best way to start your time in Bergen is to do a walking tour. We were really happy with t his tour because we learned not just about the history of Bergen, but also about the food culture and present-day life.

Funicular to Mount Floyen

We took the funicular up to Mount Floyen and then hiked the way down. We went in the early afternoon and the fog had already blanketed the entire view by then so I would try to go earlier in the day so you can still catch a view. If it is foggy, no worries, it's stil a great time and it adds a great mystical touch to the troll forest. The hike down is pretty easy and takes about an hour, there are a few routes with one being very well paved.

Sauna

As I shared above, we went to a sauna probably every night of our trip. Heit Bergen definitely takes the prize as our favorite sauna experience. We went in the early afternoon on a Monday and practically had the sauna to ourselves. The water was also very clean and overall it was serene and less crowded than other floating saunas we experienced.

Bryggen

You'll likely walk through Bryggen on your walking tour, but it's worth going back later at night when its less crowded especially if you're looking to take some good photos of the beautiful colorful buildings.

Where to Eat?

Bergen was the foodie highlight of our trip, with truly some of the best seafood I've ever had. We were cautioned to stay away from the red tents in the fish market by our Airbnb host, I suppose it's more of a tourist trap?

• Fjellskåll: Our favorite dinner of the trip was at Fjellskall and although it's pretty expensive, it's certainly worth the splurge. Of the different food we ordered, I really recommend the scallops, the mussels in spicy sauce and the caviar ice cream for dessert. I would skip the gravalax spread because it's something you could get at other restaurants in Norway with similar quality (and also it honestly just tasted like an NYC bagel spread from Marky's) and I would also skip the white fish. I would try a different fish main like salmon. We got a reservation here and walked up the night before and requested a view of the water.

• Bryggeloftet & Steune: Second best dinner of the trip was Bryggeloftet & Steune. This was such a cozy and warm spot, the interior was so beautifully decorated and felt like I was at someone's cabin. We got the fish soup here and mussels, recommend both.

• Trekroneren: This was a great spot for a casual grab-and-go lunch especially if you want to try their famous reindeer dog. Harris really enjoyed the reindeer dog, I'm not super adventurous when it comes to meat so I got the classic cheese dog. Super good.

  

  Reindeer dog & cheese dog at Trekroneren

Where to Stay?

We stayed in SUCH a good airbnb, I loved our hosts. The apartment was super well located, just minutes away from Bryggen. Also, the hosts had great recommendations for us and were just overall so thoughtful. From the personal touches of chocolate, the variety of different toiletries, I really felt comfortable as if I was at home.

After Norway, we made our way to Sweden for Midsummer & to experience absolute peace at a spa hotel in the Stockholm archipelago.