Memorable Norway Trip: Romantic Hotel Stay, Fjord Cruise & Bergen City Walk
Discover our authentic Bergen travel story: from a quirky boutique hotel experience to a stunning Nærøyfjord cruise and charming city strolls.
In this blog, I share real stories from Finland and related audio files to boost your Finnish.
Subscribe for free to receive new posts and learn about Finnish culture and language.
Why We Chose Norway and Bergen
I mentioned earlier that I’m starting my long summer vacation with a trip to Norway with my spouse. The breathtaking fjord landscapes attract both of us, so we decided to go to Bergen. Many Finns travel around Norway by car, but we chose to fly and spend several days exploring Bergen and the surrounding area.
Unique Hotel Charmante Experience
Of course, the trip planning started earlier, when we picked our hotel. We browsed hotels and noticed one had exceptionally good reviews. In the photos, it looked a bit odd, but all the reviews praised it. That sparked our curiosity. Some reviews described the hotel as “quirky” and “strikingly unusual,” so we decided we had to check it out.
How many times have you received a welcome drink when checking into a hotel? Right. Me neither—until we stood at the reception desk at Hotel Charmante.
It felt like we had entered another world, a past era. The decor, the music playing everywhere, and the dim lighting all added to that time-travel feeling. I imagined that we were stepping into old-world France, living like royalty centuries ago.
The hotel restaurant, which also served breakfast, was excellent. I can’t remember the last time I had such a melt-in-your-mouth steak as the one we had on the second night.
Breakfast had a luxury twist with à la carte options included in the room rate. On the first morning, I noticed the granola with fresh berries on yogurt was extremely good, so naturally I ordered two of them the next mornings (on top of everything else!).
The hotel was definitely good, clean, and delightfully different. Four nights may have been too long, though. At first, everything was exciting, exotic, and new. On the last day, I started feeling a bit tired, and the constant background music began to feel a bit overwhelming (though you could turn it off in the room).
Still, I would absolutely recommend Hotel Charmante if you’re heading to Bergen. Try it for a night or two, and make sure to book a table for at least one dinner!
Here are some useful Finnish words and phrases related to hotel and restaurant experiences, five at a time:
hotelli – hotel
huone – room
varaus – reservation, booking
pöytävaraus = table reservation
vastaanotto – reception, front desk
I will say the following phrases first slowly, and then again at a natural speed.
“Onko huone valmiina?” – “Is the room ready?”
“Voinko saada pöydän kahdelle?” – “Can I get a table for two?”
“Missä on ravintola?” – “Where is the restaurant?”
"Voinko tilata aamiaisen huoneeseen?" – "Can I order breakfast to the room?"
"Saisinko laskun, kiitos?" – "Could I have the bill/check, please?"
Walking Tour of Historic Bergen
I always want to dive deeper into a destination than just wandering its streets alone. I had booked a guided walking tour for our first day, covering Bergen’s history and modern life.
I also enjoy meeting people from around the world, and this tour group was international as well: our group included Americans and Germans, and our guide was originally Canadian.
I’m a history junkie, so all the city history was fascinating to me. My partner said afterward that he learned a lot; the guided tour made the information easily accessible and not at all boring (unlike if we had tried to read all that information from books or online).
Fun at Mount Fløyen: Funicular Ride and Semi-Hiking
We also walked around Bergen by ourselves. We took the funicular up to Mount Fløyen. There were many marked hiking trails at the top, but my knees were sore, so we decided to walk down only. Or rather, only one of us walked: my partner piggybacked me down. Well, not all the way down, but enough to work up a sweat. He exercised for both of us!
On this trip I noticed there were a lot of alpine rhododendrons planted along the trail and in in people’s gardens. It's one of my favorite plants; I actually planted one myself in our garden earlier this summer. It was fun to see that one of my personal favorites is also popular in Norway.
Highlight of Our Trip: Nærøyfjord Fjord Cruise
The highlight of our trip was the fjord cruise. I booked us a cruise on the Nærøyfjord, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage landscape list.
It was absolutely stunning!
We were extremely lucky! The sun shone beautifully on our cruise day. It was so unusual that the minibus driver joked we got too good weather; he should cancel the tour because we wouldn’t be experiencing the “authentic” scenery with the rain!
The trip to the cruise starting point took three hours with stops. On the drive, we admired the scenery and stopped at waterfalls and other beautiful viewpoints. Once again, we were with an international group including Americans and, to our surprise, a Chinese woman living in Finland. Her children spoke and understood Finnish, Swedish, English, and Chinese. (Imagine the advantage in future job markets!)
Our cruise started in Gudvangen and ended in Flåm. The scenery was breathtaking. The fjord was so narrow that the mountains felt close. Here and there we saw waterfalls or dried channels. I imagined they spilled during rain.
The timelessness of mountains always seems confusing and fascinating to me at the same time. They were there before me and will stay long after me. I feel like the mountains always remind me that I'm only here for a short time. That reminder makes me feel grateful and respect life.
Here are some essential Finnish words and phrases related to fjord cruises and scenic landscapes. Practice saying them aloud, five at a time:
vuono – fjord
risteily – cruise
maisema – scenery, landscape
vuori – mountain
vesiputous – waterfall
aurinko – sun
sade – rain
sateenvarjo – umbrella
sää – weather
kamera – camera
"Onpa kaunis maisema!" – "What a beautiful view!"
"Milloin risteily alkaa?" – "When does the cruise start?"
Weather Surprises in Bergen: Sun Instead of Rain
Before our trip, I heard from a friend that it rains over 200 days a year in Bergen, so we mentally prepared for rain. But to our surprise, we ended up having exceptionally nice weather! On the cruise day, the sun shone all day (we spent the whole cruise on the deck), and on other days, we only had light rain.
I realize this was very unusual, and packing rain gear was definitely worth it. And if we had forgotten something, we could have easily bought it at local stores.
Would We Return? Our Final Thoughts
Shortly: Yes! My partner has already said three times that we could return to Bergen today. And we will definitely go back. Back to Bergen and to other parts of Norway. We absolutely loved Norway!
What About You?
Have you been to Bergen? What stood out to you? Share your thoughts, I’d love to hear your experiences!