Bergen Transportation Tips by FletteMette

'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: Bergen's train station is situated right in the middle of town, next to the bus station.

The 470 km long journey on the Bergen railway between Bergen and Oslo (which several times has been voted "The World's Finest" railway journey) lasts 6,5 - 7,5 hours, and takes you through some very scenic parts of Norway. The landscape changes considerably as you travel - you'll go past fjords and through valleys in the western part, cross northern Europe's largest mountain plateau Hardangervidda with its glaciers and snowcapped mountains, before entering the flat, green, (if you go during summer, that is:o) cultivated area of eastern Norway.

At Myrdal station, 2 hours journey from Bergen, there's a connecting line for Flåm, by the Aurlandsfjord. (An arm of the Sognefjord) The steep, spectacular Flåm railway is part of the popular "Norway in a Nutshell" - round trip.

If you book your tickets well ahead (but max 90 days), on NSB's web site, you should look for the "Minipris" ticket - this ticket allows you to travel between *any* two stations on NSB's regional trains for only NOK 199 - or 299 if the very cheapest tickets are sold out. (You could travel from, say, Bergen to Bodø for 199, a ticket that would normally cost ca 1600...!) Available on selected departures only. See NSB's web site for more info.

Tickets can be booked on the NSB website, or at NSB's office at the train station.
Phone: +47 55966900
E-mail: bergen.stasjon@nsb.no

Ticket office opening hours:
Mon - Fri 06.45 -23.00
Sat 07:30 - 17:15
Sun 07.30 - 23.00

There are left luggage lockers available at the train station.

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Website: http://www.nsb.no/internet/en/index.jhtml
Other Contact: Address: Strømgt. 4

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: Bergen Bus Station is situated next to the railway station, right in the city centre. There's a quite nice shopping centre - Bergen Storsenter - in the same building. Left luggage lockers are available. There's an information booth at the bus station if you're getting confused about when and where to go ;o)

Flybussen will take you between Bergen airport and the city centre. On the way to the airport the bus leaves from SAS Royal Hotel at Bryggen, goes via SAS Hotel Norge in the very centre of town, and then the Bus Station (The express bus terminal) - from the airport the same stops in reverse. Travel time from the Bus Station to the airport around 30 minutes unless there's heavy traffic. (45 mins from Bryggen)
Flybussen Prices: Adults 72 NOK Children 36 NOK.

Tide (formerly Gaia and HSD) operates buses throughout Hordaland county. (As well as express boats to Stavanger, and car ferries). All buses are marked with the destination and route number, and most have stops in the city centre as well as at the bus station. Most routes have frequent departures - the departure times are posted at the bus stops, or you can pick up a time table at the bus station or on board the bus.

Nor-Way Bussekspress offers long-distance buses all over Norway.

Phone 177 or check out this website: The Route Planner for info regarding timetables and routes.

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Phone: 177
Other Contact: Address: Strømgaten 8

'Mode': TO
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: From Strandkaien by Vågen - the harbour in central Bergen - there are daily express boats to many destinations along the western coast of the country.

Tide operates express boats to Stavanger, via Haugesund and several other smaller places to the south of Bergen. The trip Bergen - Stavanger takes around 4 hours, several departures every day.
Ticket office, phone +47 55238700.
E-mail: booking@tide.no

Fylkesbaatane runs express boats between Bergen and numerous destinations in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, to the north of Bergen - in the very heart of Fjord Norway...;o)
Ticket office at Strandkaiterminalen by Vågen, phone +47 55907071
E-mail: fylkesbaatane@fjord1.no

Reservations can also be made online.

All the express boats are large, modern and comfortable catamarans.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: Ever since 1894 tiny ferries have been crossing Vågen (the bay) in central Bergen, transporting both tourists and locals that can't be bothered with the short walk around the bay.

Originally the ferries were powered by electricity - and the company running them was called Bergen Electrical Ferrycompany, hence the name BEFfen, which means "the Bef"... :o) Todays Beffen runs on diesel.

Earlier there were four small ferries criss-crossing Vågen, but now Beffen is the only one running all year - there's another one running from Torget in summer. The tiny green & orange ferry will take you across the bay between Bryggen and Nordnes - not far from the Aquarium. The popular trip takes around four-five minutes. The ferry runs Monday - Friday 7.30 - 16 - Beffen takes the weekend off.

Ticket prices:
Adult 15 NOK
Children 8 NOK

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'Mode': TO
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: Bergen Airport Flesland is located around 17 km southwest of the city centre. There are ATMs and a bank at the airport - the bank is open 08.00-15.30 Mon-Fri, Sat and Sun closed.

Taxi fares to the city centre: between 250 - 350 NOK depending on the weekday (more expensive during weekends) and time of day. Most taxi drivers speak English, and you can pay by credit card or in Norwegian Kroner. (Norway is not part of the European Union, hence no Euro;o)

Flybussen, the airport bus, leaves the airport "as soon as possible" after most arriving planes. Takes around 30 - 40 mins to the centre of Bergen - in the city centre the bus stops at the Bus Station (the Express Bus terminal - which is right next to the train station), and then at Radisson SAS Hotel Norge in the very centre of town, and at Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, Bryggen.
Ticket prices (to/from the city centre): Adults: 80 NOK Children: 40 NOK.
Tickets are purchased from the driver.

Airlines:

www.sasbraathens.no SAS Braathens, aka Scandinavian, flies within Scandinavia and to several other destinations world wide.

www.norwegian.no Within Norway, and to ca 40 European destinations, most routes are from Oslo but there are direct flights from Bergen to London, Manchester, Berlin, Prague and Paris, to mention a few. Usually quite a bit cheaper than SAS. If you're on a budget and your flight dates are flexible, check out Norwegian's *excellent* lowfare calendar - it tells you the cheapest flights available on each day of your chosen month.

www.wideroe.no Widerøe has smaller planes, flying to 35 destinations in Norway - mostly small towns. A few destinations in Northern Europe.

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Phone: +47 55998000
Website: http://www.avinor.no/English/Airports/Bergen_Airport,_Flesland/

'Mode': TO
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: A pleasant - and sometimes even quite cheap - way of getting to Bergen is by boat between Bergen and ports in the UK, Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. You can bring your car along on all these cruise ferries.

Color Line operates a cruise ferry service between Bergen and the Danish town of Hirtshals (via Stavanger). Three weekly departures in each direction. This ferry service is no longer in operation

Fjord Line sails between Hanstholm in Denmark and Bergen - via the Norwegian towns of Egersund and Haugesund.

Smyril Line sails between Bergen, Lerwick on Shetland, Thorshavn on the Faroe Islands and Seyðisfjörður on Iceland.

DFDS Seaways has quite popular cruise ferries between Bergen and Newcastle in England, via Haugesund and Stavanger in Norway. Two weekly departures in each direction.

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