I’ve been to Norway 22 times and when you’ve been to a country so many times, it’s because it has something extra that keeps you coming back. Norway is extraordinary! A truly beautiful country, but I still have a bit of a love/hate relationship to Norway. These are the 3 things I HATE about Norway!

1: The Weather

Let’s take Oslo: The weather and darkness in November; wet, chilly and dark. No bright snow or crisp air, no leaves on the trees; mostly windy, rainy and dark, with some wet snow (sludd) that clings to you and feel wetter than rain, but melts on the ground. Hate it! Or even worse, snow in May. I want Summer in May, not a massive snowfall. I’m sure most Norwegian people think about immigrating to Italy or somewhere else down south, when they have snow in May! Other than that, I have no trouble with the oddities of the Norwegian weather. Or if I have, I’ll check the weather forecast and dress properly!

At the same time 2 meter snow in Winter time and skiing in Geilo is wonderful, but overall I’m not the biggest fan of the rainy, cold weather most times in the south of Norway.. Go to Lapland in the North in the winther months and you’ll have lots of snow, but it’s nearly totally dark for half a year..

This negativity is coming from a guy who just had the most perfect summer weather on his latest Norway-trip, with 20 hours of day lights and sunshine. The irony! The advantages of going in July!

Lovely summer weather in Norway.. For once! 2019

2: The Insects

Having Faroese blood (Faroe Islands), which is the only country in the World along Iceland where mosquitoes (culicidae) don’t exist, makes it always a shocking experience to go out in the wild in Norway.
I always get a lot of mosquito bites in Norway, which really sucks! The Norwegian sand fly ‘knot’ (ceratopogonidae) is literally my worst enemy with the mosquitoes on a close 2.nd spot!

I hate biting insects.. Yet still, I visit the Norwegian wilderness a lot! I’m a weirdo! I know, right?

In Vidalen with my parents in a small hut my grandfather built in the wild.. No electricity, no internet, but bears 🐻 and mosquitoes…

3: The Prices

This image shows the downside of Norway’s prices.. You arrive to Norway with money bills and leave with small coins.. Norway is expensive! I still remember my night out in Oslo with my friend Tor in 2013, where the absolutely most normal Domestic Beer you could get (1 pint draught) was around $13-15.

I remember buying 3 cucumbers in Egersund, Norway in 2012 for around $15 too, when I did a football trial for their local football team there. Insane! They offered be a pretty well-paid contract offer, but when I experienced the Norwegian prices on my own, I quickly figured out I wouldn’t have much money left anyway. So it was a no from me! After I had a big injury and had to quit my football career, which was the start of my travels, which I’m so thankful for looking back. Anyway, back to the prices!

10 days football trial in Egersund, Norway

When I say I’m happy I didn’t move to Norway at that time, it was because Norway is simply too pricey! This is more than 5 years ago and Norway isn’t cheaper now.. The Norwegian salaries are of course very high and one things is to live in a place, another thing is to visit. End of story, the Oslo cost of living index is 19.78% higher than my city Copenhagen, which is NOT a cheap place, in fact Oslo is considered to be the most expensive city in the World, and a city like Bergen is pretty much on the same level as Oslo.

Bergen, Norway 2019. Pretty much as expensive as Oslo

Prices: Don’t Forget The ‘Bompenger’

Another thing I dislike when driving around Norway is the ‘bompenger’ (a tax you need to pay when driving around Norway) for use of the roads. It’s of course good for the nature that people maybe reconsider taking their car out and pollute the nature, but it’s pretty annoying getting a letter, when going back to Denmark with a bill you need to pay. And sometimes it can be a lot of money. Normally it’s $5-10 once around every 35-40 min, but I remember when driving from Bergen towards Oslo there was a point where it was $25. It adds up quickly and makes the most beautiful road trips a little less enjoyable!

All being said Norway is a beautiful country, I’ve been there 22 times and I hope to come back soon again!

The nature, the scenery, the fjords, the waterfalls, the people, the adventures.. Too many good things about Norway to not to come back. But these are some of the honest, negative sides about the country from my point of view.

Any thing you hate about the beloved Norway?

Gustav

gus1thego.com

Bergen – a picturesque, harbor-side city in Norway is out of a sudden a destination everyone is talking about. You’ll find Bergen on most Top 10 cities-lists in Europe and there’s a good reason why!

What Makes Bergen So Special?

Norway’s second biggest city with less than 300,000 inhabitants has seven mountains surrounding the city centre of Bergen, which makes an unique scenery, and therefore it’s often called ‘the city between the seven mountains.’

Bergen has the most beautiful fjords, colorful houses, plentiful museums, and innovative gastronomy all served up alongside a heavy dose of Scandinavia! There are plenty of things to do in Bergen…if you can get past the weather there is!

One Of The Most Beautiful Countries On Earth

After arriving to Bergen from the north of Norway (Vassfaret) and spending more than 3 days here on Norway’s southwestern coast, on my 22nd visit to Norway, I’ll admit I have a weak spot for Norway and its beauty! Now I have a very soft spot for Bergen too! But don’t get too excited before you’re off to Bergen!

The Weather

Yes, there is no denying it, Bergen is allegedly either the wettest city in Europe or the entire world (depending on your internet source.) Around 240 days of rain on average a year, guess I was extremely lucky to have 3 days in the most beautiful sunshine I’ve ever seen with no rain whatsoever. But don’t worry, the hardy Norwegian Vikings have developed plenty of alternative activities for a rainy day!

Furthermore I’ll strongly recommend you to go in July. August is doable too, but July is the best chance you’ll have for no rain!

Walking around Bergen’s cozy streets in the end of July. Perfect time.. Maybe!

5 BEST Things To Do In Bergen! (3-Days Itinerary)

These are some of the unmissable things to do in Bergen. Of course, there are plenty more things to do – but for 3 days in Bergen, this should keep you very busy!

1: Take Fløibanen Funicular To Admire the Views From Mt Fløyen

If you’re unlucky to have lots of rain, wait for a break in the weather and head to the Fløibanen funicular, which whisks you up to the top of Mt Fløyen every 15 minutes for the best views of Bergen. Bonus points if you can time it for sunset, there is truly nothing else like it in the world. Beautiful views!

Pro budget tip: For the more adventurous/active traveler you can save yourself some coin and hike up/down or both ways – it’s about an hour up, and there are two pretty decent loop tracks on Mt Fløyen (1.6 km / 5 km) which take you past picturesque lakes and through the forest.

I actually paid for both ways, which was stupid because I chose to walk down! I saw the beautiful scenery and changed my mind up there. It’s 135 NOK (16 dollars) for both ways. You can pay for one way also, which is 65 NOK (8 dollars), which I should’ve done. If you want to save more money and time, I recommend you to buy tickets for Fløibanen online at www.floyen.no in advance. The queue was pretty bad!

Bergen is getting popular!

2: Admire the UNESCO World Heritage Enclave of Bryggen

Beautiful Bryggen, Bergen, Norway. (@gustavrosted)

Bryggen has been ravaged by many fires, the great fire of 1702 in particular. The whole of the city was reduced to ashes, but the foundations had been there since the 12th century, which means that Bryggen is basically unchanged despite the passing centuries. This magical place of wooden buildings and walkways on the harbor front is easily Bergen’s most iconic attraction.

Though there has been plenty of fires over the last 1000 years, (I like to imagine they partied too hard every time,) Bryggen is still the best example left remaining of the overseas Hanseatic Offices and is protected with an UNESCO World Heritage status.

Today it is filled with boutique shops, souvenirs, and cafés, but still has plenty of charm…especially at night when the place is completely deserted and you feel transported back in time. Magic!

3. Try The Freshest Seafood at the Bergen Fish Market

In a country known for the quality of its seafood, you simply can’t visit Bergen without checking the fish market out! There is no better place to try seafood than the ultra-modern Bergen Fish Market with over 30 specialty shops selling small-scale Norwegian produce.

Norwegian King Crab. Around $160 if you want to eat it at the market and $100 if you take it with you. Pricey!

You can try the expensive +$100 Norwegian King Crab or you can go for some cheaper options. Remember Norway is considered one of the most expensive countres in the World, so it probably won’t be cheap no matter what.

I tried a bit of the legendary Norwegian Atlantic Salmon, which is 2. in the World, after New Zealand’s King Salmon, which is the creme de la creme of all salmon. Top choice still!

*Norwegian* Atlantic *salmon* makes people who don’t eat fish, eat fish

Enjoy a meal here of some of the freshest seafood in the world, or simply walk through and try to spot as many weird fish species as you can. It literally blew my mind to see the options here! In the summer months there is a large outdoor fish market that takes place every day, but in the winter months there is only the iconic Mathallen Food Hall to keep you warm and dry.

One of the best things to do in Bergen, and given it’s location – you would be sad to miss it!

4. Take a Road Trip Around The Fjords (Or Boat Trip)

Bergen is the Gateway to the Fjords of Norway! The best starting point to experience the most magnificent fjord landscape, with narrow fjords, glaciers, steep mountain sides, beautiful islands and spectacular waterfalls.

From Bergen you can pick from several fjord tours in the Bergen-region, a journey to one of the World’s most popular tourist attractions Nærøyfjorden – the world’s narrowest fjord, which was voted ‘The World’s Top Unspoiled Travel Destination’ by National Geographic in 2004.

Or Just Drive Through The Stunning Landscapes

Nature itself has provided the first letter for many of the superlatives used to describe the fjords and the landscape near Bergen: Stupendous, stunning, spectacular!

You can drive a little further to ‘Hardangervidda’ and the landscape changes completely from mountainous fjords to becoming a huge flat mountain plateau, it largest of its kind in Europe.

Hardangervidda, the largest mountain plateau of its kind in Europe

Or you can drive to one of Norway’s most famous and majestic waterfalls, Vøringsfossen. An absolute stunner!

5. Take A City Walk In Bergen

Put on your best shoes and get moving in Bergen! It’s not for fun it’s one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Historic wharves and colorful wooden houses in a beautiful Scandinavian design! If it wasn’t for the 240 rainy days in a year here, I would strongly consider moving here after my 3 days here! So cozy!

Bergen has some undercover artistic hot spots too, and I was surprised to find out that the Bergen street art has burgeoned over the last decade largely thanks to a Bansky visit in 2000. Head to Sentralbadet to see one of Bergen’s only legal street art walls or explore around the University of Bergen or the Skostredet neighborhood to spot more creative pieces of art. This city has it all!

See You Next Time, Bergen!

I can’t wait to visit Bergen in winter time too one day and watch the World’s biggest Gingerbread City – the Pepperkakebyen in Bergen, which unfortunately is only a seasonal attraction, but if you’re visiting Bergen in the winter months (November-December,) you should definitely go. It looks amazing.

Bergen, it was a pleasure. I can’t complain too much after 3 sunny days in the World’s wettest city!