SHORE EXCURSIONS

The Hardanger Fjord is one of the favorites among the many Norwegian fjords. It’s the 3rd largest fjord in the world and the 2nd largest in Norway. A scenic drive takes you by the fortress of Bergenhus, King Hakon's Hall and the Rosenkrantz Tower. Pass by the buildings of the Hanseatic period and the fish market of Bergen. Continue to the Bjornefjord, where you’ll have a short drive along the fjord with lovely views of islands and snowcapped mountains in the distance. A short ferry ride takes you from Hatvik to Venjanesetand where you continue your scenic drive to Mundheim and the Hardanger Fjord - The Queen of the Fjords. In Norheimsund, you'll make a stop for lunch and continue to the Steinsdal Waterfall. Here, the water falls away from the cliff enabling you to walk underneath without getting wet. Before travelling down to the Sorfjord, where you’ll find Oster Island, Northern Europe’s largest inland island.

Bergen was founded in the year 1070 and up to the 1830’s it was the largest city in the country and a center for commerce and shipping. For several centuries the hanseatic merchants had one of their four trading offices here and today it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your tour starts with a drive along the old wharf side of Bryggen - with the characteristic wooden buildings and pointed gables facing the harbor. Stop for a walk through the ancient buildings and alleyways which today is home to workshops, where painters, weavers and craftsmen produce fine-quality and original items. Continue by coach through suburban areas ending your tour of Bergen with a ride up to Mount Floien. The funicular will take you safely up to approximately 1,050 feet/320 meters above sea level. The ride takes from 5 to 8 minutes each way. From the top you can enjoy a magnificent view of Bergen and the surroundings, weather permitting. You’ll return to the center by funicular where your coach will be waiting to take you back to your ship.

OVERVIEW

Cruise past the naturally beautiful islands and skerries off Bergen before returning to Bergen by driving through the glorious countryside. The coastal views will be stunning, especially once you enter Lysefjord, Fana, whose pristine landscape is considered even wilder than that of other fjords. You can’t help but be awed by its majesty. Keep an eye out for waterfalls, mountain goats and adventurous hikers along the edges of the sheer cliffs. The scenery will be decidedly different but equally spectacular once you disembark at the Buena pier and take to the highway. The landscape between there and Bergen is mountainous, forested, shaped by ancient glaciers and absolutely breathtaking. It has changed little over the centuries. Similarly, the Bryggen harbor in Bergen looks much like it did in medieval times, although it was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1955. A walking tour will reveal why the area earned a UNESCO World Heritage site designation.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Behold Bergen’s coastal beauty by cruising through the archipelago and into a glacial fjord.
• Marvel at the untamed countryside on a panoramic drive between the fjord and Bergen.
• Walk through Bergen’s medieval wharf district, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• See the best of Bergen and the surrounding area by land and sea.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Discover historic Bergen on your guided walk through the old city. See the central Festplassen, where many of the city’s art museums are located and cross Bergen’s main square, Torgalmenningen, with the Seamen’s statue. Soon after, you'll pass the Fish Market on your way to Bryggen Hanseatic Quarters. This is a lively area with artists, shops and a great variety of restaurants and pubs. Before reaching Bergen’s oldest street, Øvregaten, you'll pass by St. Mary’s church, one of the outstanding Romanesque churches in the country. Bergen has seven mountains and on this tour you’ll take the funicular to the top of Mt. Fløien, approximately 1,050 feet/320 meters above the city. The ride takes about five to eight minutes and travels at a 26 degree incline, stopping for commuters along the way. At the summit, be prepared for magnificent views of the city, harbor and countryside, weather permitting. There’ll be time for shopping or a short walk on one of the forest trails before you return to the city center by funicular and back to your ship.

OVERVIEW

See Bergen from the ultimate vantage point while riding a cable car up and down Mount Ulriken and browse a replica of a wooden stave church built in 1170. It was no easy task to reconstruct the church – which an arsonist allegedly burned to the ground – as most stave churches were built in the Middle Ages using technologically advanced techniques that have long been forgotten. These usual steeped-roof churches were constructed with wooden dowels instead of nails and supported by large pillars called staves. All the materials for the Fantoft Stave Church were made on site using wood from pines, so it is as authentic as a replica can be. The ultimate view of Bergen and the fjord beyond awaits you atop Mount Ulriken, the steepest of the mountains that loom over the city. You will ascend by cable car and enjoy a coffee break while you behold beautiful Bergen below, which you will explore later on a panoramic drive.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Drink in the views of Bergen and its fjord while ascending Mount Ulriken in a cable car.
• Admire the sweeping panoramas from the summit and while descending on the cable car.
• See an extraordinary replica of a stave church originally built in the Middle Ages.
• Gain insight into how stave churches were built with wood but no nails.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Ride through the heart of Bergen in an electric minibus that runs on 100% renewable energy and is small enough to reach intriguing areas that other vehicles can’t. A local guide will describe the attractions. A special focus will be given to how the architecture has evolved since Bergen was founded in the 11th century and how devastating fires have shaped the urban landscape. A fire in 1955 raged through Bryggen, the city’s medieval Hanseatic-era wharf, but it was rebuilt so convincingly that UNESCO deemed it a World Heritage site. Because the minibus can easily drive through the narrowest of alleyways, you will see off-the-beaten-track neighborhoods such as Sandviken that offer a genuine look at daily life away from the tourist areas. That route will bring you to the century-old fire station at Skansen, where you will enjoy panoramic views of Bergen.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Settle in for a panoramic drive through Bergen in an electric minibus.
• See out-of-the-way areas off limits to larger vehicles for a unique perspective of Bergen.
• Pause for photos at the medieval Hanseatic-era wharf, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Drive through narrow alleyways to reach a lookout point that most visitors never see.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Ride the Ulriken cable car into the mountains behind Bergen and hike to the summit of Hauggjelsvarden, the highest point in the area. As you ascend the slopes in a gondola with oversized windows, you will gaze out over Bergen, the surrounding fjords and the sea beyond. The views will be absolutely stunning, especially the one from the very top of Hauggjelsvarden if it is a clear day. To reach this lofty peak, you will follow a guide along a slightly uphill trail that is rocky in some places and grassy in others. The hike is about four miles long roundtrip and is considered moderately challenging, but well worth the effort. Along the way, you will stop to rest and snack at stunningly scenic lookouts such as the Vidden mountain plateau. The reward for reaching the summit 2,200 feet above sea level will be the quintessential view of Norway’s fjord country.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ride a large-windowed cable car up and down the mountain behind Bergen.
• Hike a mountain trail to the summit of Hauggjelsvarden, the area’s highest point.
• Admire the gorgeous fjord country that surrounds Bergen.
• Snack on Kvikk Lunsj, a wafer chocolate bar known as the “hiking chocolate.”

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Snap selfies at the most photogenic spots in and around Bergen, many of them iconic attractions that define the city. To ensure the best possible results, a selfie tutor will offer tips so you can capture just the right angle, lighting and composition for every shot. Your pictures will be ideal for posting on social media and sharing in other ways.

As you walk and ride through Bergen, you will pause at designated selfie stops that include:
• Bergenhus Fortress
• St. Mary’s Church
• Bryggen wharf
• Byparken city park
• Fantoft Stave Church

HIGHLIGHTS

• Take inspiring selfies at the most photogenic attractions in Bergen.
• Follow tips from your selfie tutor to ensure the very best pictures.
• Learn the historical significance of the locales while enjoying their dramatic settings.
• See architectural gems such as Bergenhus Fortress and Fantoft Stave Church
• Enjoy free time at Bryggen wharf, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Wish you were here in medieval Bergen, when stone walls and royal power framed the entrance to the city. On this route you move through those centuries in sequence, seeing how each era reshaped the streets you’re standing on today. Bergenhus, parts of which date to the mid-1200s, is one of Norway’s oldest and best-preserved stone fortresses. A former royal residence, it boasts a medieval banquet hall that King Haakon IV built. You will gain a broader historical understanding of Bergen in Bryggen, the city’s Hanseatic-era wharf. On the brink of destruction after a 1955 fire, it has been rebuilt so convincingly that UNESCO deemed it worthy of a World Heritage site designation. Free time lets you wander its narrow lanes and wooden warehouses, imagining the life and trade that once animated the waterfront. For a glimpse of Bergen in the 19th century, you will pause at the expansive square Festplassen and at the National Stage, where famed Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen was the stage director. The final chapter unfolds around the VilVite Science Center, where sleek lines and large glass panels reveal Bergen’s 21st-century vision. By the end, it feels like time travel for the soul—from the Bergen you wish you could have seen in the past to the one unfolding in front of you today.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Step into the Bergen you wish you could have seen, moving from medieval stone walls to contemporary glass façades in one chronological route.
• Independently explore the Hanseatic-era wharf district, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Visit the surroundings of the 19th-century National Stage and the 21st-century science center.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Browse a museum that showcases Norway’s fishing heritage and visit a fish farm where modern aquaculture is practiced. The Norwegian Fisheries Museum occupies an 18th-century warehouse on the wharf and features detailed exhibits that depict the history of the fishing industry and how it has evolved since the 1300s. Other displays cover topics such as seal hunting, herring processing, wind-dried stockfish and aquaculture. After this immersive experience into the country’s fishing traditions, you will race off to a fish farm in a rigid inflatable boat known as a RIB. The ride will be exhilarating as the high-powered boat is open-air and remarkably fast. Even so, RIBs are surprisingly stable and maneuver easily. Upon reaching the fish farm, you will see firsthand how fish such as salmon are bred, raised and harvested through aquaculture to ensure a sustainable food supply. Some of the fish are used as wild stock to repopulate overfished waters.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Gain an understanding of Norway’s fishing heritage at the Norwegian Fisheries Museum.
• See exhibits on topics that range from herring processing to seal hunting to aquaculture.
• Take a exhilarating, high-speed ride to a fish farm in an open-air rigid inflatable boat.
• Learn how fish are farmed in a controlled environment to ensure a sustainable food supply.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.