I went to Bergen, Norway in the summertime this past year and I liked it well enough. But then I returned to Bergen this winter – and absolutely I loved it. It was colder, it was rainier and it was darker, but it was also better. I couldn’t stop gushing afterwards about the city, its charm and all its gorgeousness. I certainly registered those before, just not quite as strongly as during the winter.
Thinking more about it, I realized that I loved Bergen in the wintertime so much more because of those off-season, murky gray days – the ones most people try to avoid on their holidays. They reminded me of the way I feel about Venice during that same time of year.
Much like in Venice, the sunnier season in Bergen brings with it crowds of tourists, and lots of them. These enthusiastic travelers descend by the thousands into this extremely special waterfront city, dwarfing not only the local population but also the local flavor. Regular restaurant menus give way to touristy fixed price “specials”; anything an actual person might buy is hidden under piles of cheaply imported facsimiles.
In the wintertime I had to bundle up. The sharp winds coming off the cold water will certainly test your commitment to the outdoors. But whatever I might have received in cold air, I also got back with the warm possibilities of chances to encounter a more authentic city. I saw Bergen the way it is meant to be seen.
I visited the Hanseatic Museum, which tells the story of Bergen and its trading past, and enjoyed nearly all the exhibits to myself. In the summertime, I had to give up the attempt because the queue was so long. Now, the well-curated galleries of the Kode Museum were all mine, while in summer I couldn’t even make it across the crowded sidewalks that far into town fast enough. I shared the infamous cable car, the Floibanen, which takes passengers to the best view of the city, with only a handful of locals, rather than with hundreds of cruise ship passengers who rode up, snapped a few photos and rode down, barely having the time to take in much more.
Which is not to say that visiting Bergen in the summertime is bad, not at all. This past summer I was among those hordes of cruise ship passengers, making the most of a short day in what is a city that merits so much more. I just felt the experience opened me up to Norway as a destination, something more to return to. The sunshine grazing over the magnificent fjords invited me to come back someday for more, not more sunshine, but more substance.
I also realized that, like Venice, cities built by the launching of a thousand ships of seafarers are best enjoyed for their character, for their determination and for their sheer presence on the water. Bergen and Venice are certainly cities that can show you a version of themselves in just a day or two, a brief glimpse if you are lucky. If you want to really see the city for what it is, then the quieter, colder days will invite you in for a much warmer reveal.
Are you an off-season traveller as well? What are your favourite destinations for off-season trips?
This is a guest post by Ania Krasiewska.
Ania is a blogger, consultant and mom who planned on becoming a diplomat, but somehow married one instead. Living life in 2 to 3 year increments around the globe, she and her family are always on the hunt for the next adventure while making a home away from home. Ania keeps track of their life-on-the-go on her blog The New Diplomats Wife and A Toddler in the Trees and you can find her across social media channels as @thenewdiplomats.
I definitely agree with this, Bergen is gorgeous in the summer, but so much cozyer in the Autumn and Winter! :)
cozy is definitely a great word for the feeling there in the off season!
Bergen is at the top of my wishlist at the moment! I would absolutely love to take a trip from there to the Fjords. I was thinking about going in Autumn, so good to hear that the colder months are even better than the summer months!
so worth it - i hope you make the trip! and it's a great jumping off point for the fjords too, lots of boat trips you can catch right from the harbor.
I visited Bergen in the summertime and I loved it. It was one of the highlights of our trip to Norway. We got lucky though, I hear it rains the majority of the year! Plus, it's an easy reach to the Fjordland.
it's such a great jumping off point for so many good trips in norway.
I love this write up of Bergen! It's already on my list of visits within Norway - and being that I much prefer off season travel (and the cold and rain have never been a deterrent for me, I lived in Vancouver, BC for 16 years!) I travelled through Finland in mid-January and it was a similar experience. Had museums and the sort all to myself. And more likely to have more interesting and deeper interactions with the local folks :)
Loved Venice in January. Misty Murky "don't look now " days and the Regatta Della Befana .
i've always wanted to see the Regatta - you've reminded me to add it to my list!
it's so beautiful! I just got back from Stockholm!:)
you know, even though we live in Denmark, I haven't been yet, have been waiting for a good opportunity but i probably shouldn't wait much longer!
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