Bergen - the city for all occasions

Bergen is a student city. There are over 30,000 students in Bergen during the semester. This means that there is a very active nightlife in Bergen, and there are always lots of things going on. Bergen is a cultural city. It is the home of the composer Edvard Grieg and in 2000 it was European city of Culture. Bergen is also an outdoor city. It is surrounded by mountains, forests and the sea. It is also filled with outdoor bars, cafes and restaurants. As soon as the sun comes out, the people of Bergen can be seen enjoying the warmth, whether it be sitting across from the harbour enjoying a drink, walking up one of the famous seven mountains, taking a trip on the fjord to catch some fish, or having a barbeque and simply enjoying being outside.

Sunset concert at Fisketorget

If you like live music, there is a very active music scene in Bergen. As well as the many local bands like Røyksopp, Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band, The Kaisers Orchestra and Ephemera, quite a few international stars come to Bergen each year. The Ole Blues festival in April is one of a number of organised events throughout the year. Every two years, one of the biggest music festivals in Norway is organised at NHH by NHHS (the student union). This is UKEN. One definitely not to be missed!


Bryggen

No films in Norway are dubbed, either on TV or at the cinema. This is fortunate as there are lots of opportunities to see movies in Bergen. Bergenkino (Bergen Cinema) is made up of three separate cinemas in the city centre with a total of 19 screens varying in size from the very small to rather big, allowing it to offer a wide range of non-commercial films as well as the latest movies from Hollywood. For those who prefer something other than the regular Hollywood offerings, Filmklubben and Cinemateket are two alternative cinemas showing less commercial films and classics.

There is a very active café and bar scene in Bergen, with many having outdoor serving areas. There is also a good variety of restaurants: Italian, Japanese, Indian, Mongolian, Mexican, Chinese etc. And of course we have some typical Norwegian restaurants as well. Prices and quality vary, from expensive gourmet restaurants to cheap fast food restaurants. With a fish market in the heart of the city, seafood is a must for all who stay in Bergen.


View from Lyderhorn

The mountains surrounding Bergen offer a wide range of hiking trails in a mountainous and wooded landscape. Do not leave Bergen without having hiked from Mount Ulriken to Mount Fløyen! The trails are well marked and the cable car up Mount Ulriken and the funicular railway down Mount Fløyen can take the pain away from the less adventurous.

As you would expect being so close to the mountains, there are a few ski resorts around Bergen. The best resort is at Voss, approximately one hour and a half from Bergen by car or train. It is possible to rent ski and snowboard equipment there and a special lift and train ticket deal is available. Norway largest ski resort at Geilo can also be reached by train from Bergen. It takes about 4 hours by train to get there from Bergen.

In Bergen there are a lot of hills, so if you like cycling you will need a bicycle with a good gear system. Once a year, normally in April or May, the police in Bergen will arrange an auction, where they will sell bicycles from the lost property office. A good place to make a bargain! For those who like more adventurous cycling, the mountains and forests around Bergen provide excellent mountains biking terrain.

What ever you choose to do in your spare time in Bergen, you will not get bored!

Find out more about life in Bergen at www.visitbergen.com