ESCORTED TOURS NORWAY DESTINATIONS N


orway doesn’t pull any punches with its


inexhaustible beauty. As soon as you clap eyes on its landscapes of jagged fjords, you’re hooked – and that’s before you get to know its historic cities and fjord-hugging towns. A taster of a new escorted


tour of Norway by Inghams introduced me to its second city, Bergen, as well as the natural wonders of Hardangerfjord. The tour also includes the capital, Oslo, before finishing in the underrated city of Stavanger. What links all of these


destinations are the otherworldly, dramatic landscapes, which you can glimpse from the leisurely vantage point of either boats or trains.


 CITY SPLENDOURS:


BERGEN The red peaks of the Hanseatic- era wooden buildings along Bergen’s waterfront are among the most distinctive sights of Norway. But they merely whet the appetite for holidaymakers exploring this city, which was built on seven hills and has an alluring mix of nature and culture. Behind the waterfront


warehouses is a maze of cobbled lanes lined with a mix of medieval buildings and wooden clapboard houses. It’s pure enchantment. For insights into the life and


fascinating history of the city, clients can join a food-and-walking tour with Bergen Base Camp. A visit to the Dr


Wiesener pub, which


dates from 1899, revealed how it was used as a public bathhouse as recently as 1982 when the district, Sandviken, was still one of the poorest in the city. Today it’s an agreeable area full of attractive wooden cottages, and the pub – now owned communally by locals – is a pleasant spot to fill up on fresh shellfish including giant prawns and langoustines. To get a sense of Bergen’s glorious natural setting, clients can ride the Floibanen funicular up to Mount Floyen, which shows off views of the city as it sprawls across the harbour and along the fjord, hugged by forested hillsides. Floyen is an excellent starting


point for guided hikes along the marked trails that wind


through the hills. There’s also the option of taking the cable car at Torget, near the fish market, up to Bergen’s highest mountain, Ulriken, for more superb views and hiking trails. Bergen’s cultural life is as


ravishing as its natural setting. Summertime brings two of Norway’s most important cultural festivals: Bergen Jazz Festival and Bergen International Festival. The latter is a celebration of classical music, dance, opera and theatre, and is held in various venues around the city. One of the most delightful is the lakeside summer retreat in Troldhaugen, which once belonged to the composer Edvard Grieg. This handsome 19th-century house is now


Bryggen waterfront, Bergen 15 November 2018travelweekly.co.uk69


PICTURE: LARS KORVALD/BERGEN TOURIST BOARD


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