MEG & ANDREW

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

When picking a destination, it’s easy to assume that getting there is a simple case of hopping on the plane, a quick taxi ride and there we go. For us, New York was exactly like that, smooth as silk. And so was Berlin, and Rome and Copenhagen, and everywhere that came after. Las Vegas, in particular was the easiest travel day ever, with an extremely short taxi ride and porters queueing up to carry our bags for us (for a small tip, it is Vegas after all).

When we travelled to Lake Bled however, it was far from easy. A plane ride into Trieste, a minivan to Ljubljana, and an eventual bus ride to Lake Bled. This wasn’t helped by a no show from our privately hired minivan, and a language barrier that was harder to overcome then we were used to. It did make us think though, the journey can (and maybe should) be part of the adventure. With that in mind, when we booked our upcoming trip to Bergen, we got a little creative with our travel arrangements.

Option 1 – Direct and Convenient

If you should choose to fly directly to Bergen, there are a limited number of airports from which you can do so:

Seasonal (Limited)

• Birmingham
• Edinburgh
• Leeds Bradford
• London Stansted
• Manchester
• Newcastle
• Shetland Islands

All Year Round

• London Gatwick
• Manchester

Based on your starting location, you’re best options are definitely London Gatwick and Manchester. Based on a quick check, flights from London Gatwick can set you back between £171 to £446 per person for a round trip. When arriving, Bergen Airport is beautifully positioned by the fjords, and is widely recognised as a pleasant small airport to fly into. With a bus route only 30 minutes from the city centre, certainly Option 1 presents a relaxed and enjoyable travel day.

Option 2 – Long and Adventurous

For ourselves, flying from London Stansted is infinitely more convenient than from London Gatwick, so we set about finding an alternative option. Flights to Bergen from Stansted were just not available, but for the small sacrifice of a 1am start, we could fly to Oslo, which quickly became part of the adventure. From our point of view, we had essentially bought ourselves a day exploring Norway’s capital.

Oslo is still a distance from Bergen however, roughly 310 miles by road. Luckily for us, Norway is home to Bergensbanen, widely recognised as one of the most scenic train journeys in Europe, traversing through some of the most dramatic wilderness that Norway has to offer. And so, the adventure got bigger.

With a night in Oslo, and a 6 hour train journey, Bergen will take roughly a day and a half to reach. Long and arduous no doubt, but for travellers who have never set foot in Norway, Option 2 gives us the best option to see as much of the country as we possibly can within our week long trip.

Our advice, take Option 2! Load up on healthy snacks, pack a book and a camera and embrace that adventurous side.

We’ll update you on the success of our trip upon our return from Norway, including an honest review of the train journey, and a reflection on the ease of travelling to Bergen via Oslo.