For me, Oslo vs Bergen isn’t an particularly shut contest. Bergen is a much more stunning and fascinating metropolis, and is nearer to extra worthwhile sights than Oslo is.
With this being stated, Oslo is just not a metropolis you may write off solely. This is particularly true as a result of it’s nearly definitely the place your journey to Norway will start. Even for those who really feel such as you’ve reached the identical conclusion I’ve, this submit continues to be value studying. (And, extra to the purpose, Oslo can be nonetheless value visiting, if just for a day.)
I’ll dive deeper into how to decide on Oslo or Bergen in only a bit, however first enable me to train some vainness. I visited each cities throughout my first sojourn round Norway over a decade in the past. After touchdown in Oslo on a chilly and dreary June day, I rode the practice over the glacier to Bergen which, despite being often called Europe’s rainiest metropolis, was extraordinarily sunny (albeit not heat in any respect).
While I notice climate is just not one thing you may wholly choose a spot on, the truth is that climactic circumstances over each Bergen and Oslo matched each cityscapes, and the way my time in every made me really feel. Although I’ve warmed to Oslo on subsequent journeys to Norway, the truth is that it hasn’t even come near charming me like Bergen has, even when I prefer it much more now than I did in 2012.
How to Compare Oslo and Bergen
Things to do
Oslo could also be gray and dreary, however there’s a good bit to do, from the beautiful Oslo Opera House, to the traditional Akershus Fortress, to the provocative Vigelands Park. In reality, whereas Bergen’s cityscape is usually extra fascinating (and positively extra colourful), the variety of precise must-see sights is likely to be much less. Most of what there may be to do within the metropolis facilities on exploring the Bryggen space and having fun with the view from Fløyen mountain.
Surrounding nature
An fascinating reality about Oslo, as boring because it appears to the bare eye, is that it technically sits inside a fjord. Unfortunately, a fjord is a geographical designation, which refers back to the form of the inlet, not the wonder or majesty of the surroundings round it. While Bergen’s personal fjord is just not fairly as spectacular because the dramatic ones inside day-trip distance of it, its magnificence is a superb deal extra enchanting and…nicely, Norwegian.
Food and drink
Let’s be frank: Norwegian meals is just not something to write down residence about; alcohol is just too costly right here to drink at scale, except you’re cool with beer. With this being stated, in case you are in search of eclectic eating choices, I’d truly say the array of eating places in Oslo’s Aker Brygge space shall be far more interesting than what you discover in central Bergen, as scrumptious because the seafood on provide in Bergen is, and as a lot character (comparatively talking) because the eateries have.
Day journeys
Another differentiator that will help you select between Bergen or Oslo? While you’ll must journey removed from Oslo (i.e. midway to Bergen) to get anyplace remotely stunning and fascinating, lots of Norway’s greatest locations are straightforward day excursions from Bergen. These embrace, most notably, the well-known fjords of Hardangerfjord and Sognefjord, the latter of which hides the charming village of Flåm.
Onward excursions
From Oslo, you may both take a practice throughout the nation to Bergen, or fly north to different locations like Trondheim and Tromsø—there actually aren’t loads of locations to simply proceed your journey in its basic neighborhood. From Bergen, given its location on Norway’s west coast, there are extra choices. Head south to trek Trolltunga, or north through the fjords to picturesque Alesund, itself a gateway to beautiful nature.
Robert Schrader is a journey author and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications equivalent to “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” alongside the way in which. His weblog, Leave Your Daily Hell, gives a mixture of journey recommendation, vacation spot guides and private essays overlaying the extra esoteric elements of life as a traveler.