4-day incentive itinerary - food experiences

To make it easier for you to plan an incentive trip for your company or for customers, we have created an itinerary over 4 days for groups that are primarily interested in food experiences.

Activities in the itinerary can of course be changed to better suit what you are looking for.

Day 1: Love at first taste

Most people who travel to Bergen do so by plane. Bergen Airport Flesland is certified as "Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA)" at level 2 Reduction, and has an ISO14001 certification as well. From the airport you will be transported by electric bus to OSS Craft Distillery, the producers of the world famous gin Bareksten, while the luggage is transported to the hotel. If you arrive by train, you will be picked up at the train station in the city center.

At OSS Craft Distillery, we get a taste of the gin and a tour of the production room. The natural, raw flavors in the Bareksten products come from the Norwegian ingredients used in production. Ingredients that come directly from Norwegian nature.

When we’re finished at OSS Craft Distillery, we’re going for a tour in the beautiful skerries outside of Bergen. A RIB-boat will transport us to the island Vestre where Bergen Fjord Adventures will be waiting. Part of their concept of “from fjord to table” is that we have to participate in finding the ingredients for lunch. We will look for snails, shells, seaweed and kelp that will be part of a gastronomic meal prepared on a campfire. In addition to the ingredients we find, Bergen Fjord Adventures brings delicious fresh ingredients and delicacies, such as scallops, oysters and crab.

 Photo: Bergen Fjord Adventures

After this delicious lunch, the RIB-boat takes us back to Bergen city centre for check-in at the hotel. Bergen Børs Hotel is located in the old stock exchange building in the heart of the city, and is an exquisite hotel with a delicate classic / modern style.

Dinner on day 1 is at Lysverket. The chef at Lysverket, Christopher Haatuft, worked in Michelin star restaurants in New York, before returning home to Bergen in 2013 to follow his dream of creating something unique in Bergen. He has created his very own food genre called "Neo-Fjordic" where the food is based on natural and organic ingredients from the local area. Lysverket is located in the same building as the art museum KODE, and dinner will be served in Tårnsalen, a chambre separee in the museum.

Day 2: A culinary tour to Austevoll

We start the program on day 2 at lunch time. But we’re not having lunch at a restaurant. Bergen Base Camp is taking us on a guided food and culture walk where we will learn about the history of Bergen and local food traditions. The guided walk takes us through the old part of the city and there will be 5 stops along the way with different food experiences. 

You can’t visit Bergen without visiting Fløyen. Fløyen is one of seven mountains surrounding Bergen, and the Fløibanen funicular takes us to the top in six minutes. When we get to the top of Fløyen (320 m.o.h.) a spectacular panoramic view of the city, fjord and mountains awaits. At least if the weather is clear. But Fløyen is an experience in any kind of weather. We will enjoy freshly baked skillingsbolle (a local type of cinnamon bun) at Fløistuen cafe, or walk to Skomakerstuen to taste their delicious “sveler” with sour cream, jam, brown cheese or sugar.

 

 Photo: Sverre Hjørnevik / www.fjordnorway.com

Afterwards we’re going on a field trip into the region outside of Bergen. The boat MS Rygertroll takes us along the coast towards Bekkjarvik, an old fishing village in the archipelago Austevoll. On our way we will stop at Breivik farm which produces one of the best cheese’s in the world. Their product Fanaost won the title "The World's Best Cheese" during the World Cheese Awards in 2018. At Breivik farm we get a closer look at how they make their cheese.

Foto: Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri Hotel & Suites 

We arrive in Bekkjarvik just in time for dinner. We’re having dinner at Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri (guesthouse), where we will also spend the night. The history of this guesthouse dates back to the end of the 17th century. Today it is run by the Johannessen family. The head chef at the guesthouse is one of the sons in the family, Ørjan, who won Bocuse d’Or in 2015. Together with his twin brother Arnt, they serve high-quality down-to-earth food, based on local ingredients. The restaurant is famous for their wild sheep, a local delicacy in Western Norway that tastes like a mixture of deer and adult sheep. Wild sheep is one of the most tasty and sustainable pieces of meat you can get.

Day 3 Cider in Hardanger

On the morning of day 3 we travel by boat from Bekkjarvik to Hardanger. On board we enjoy a taste of Norway's largest export product, Salmon sashimi, and learn about this product from the Norwegian Fisheries Museum. When we arrive in Hardanger, we speed it up on a RIB-boat tour to Fyksesund, a fjord arm of the Hardangerfjord surrounded by steep mountain sides.

After satisfying our “need for speed”, we continue to the idyllic Steinstø fruit farm. This farm has been owned by the same family for 9 generations and now focuses on fruit and berries. We will get a tour of the farm and a taste of the different types of cider that the farm produces.

From Steinstø, we will travel by boat to Norheimsund where we will have lunch at Thon Hotel Sandven. After lunch, we return to Bergen by electric bus, with a stop along the way at Steinsdalsfossen. Steinsdalsfossen has a drop of 50 meters and is one of Norway's most visited waterfalls. This waterfall has a pathway where you can walk behind the waterfall, giving you a feeling of being “inside” the waterfall. 

 Photo: Statens Vegvesen / Norske Turistvegar v/Bjørn Andresen

When we arrive in Bergen, we check in at Bergen Børs Hotel. We will have dinner 643 meters above sea level, at Skyskraperen Restaurant on top of mount Ulriken. The restaurant is newly refurbished and offers beautiful views and excellent food. We will take the gondola to the top, but it is possible to walk up to Ulriken (takes about 50 minutes)if you want to work up an appetite.

Foto: Benjamin Bargard 

Day 4: Time at your own leisure 

Depending on what time of day you leave Bergen, day 4 is an excellent opportunity to experience more of Bergen on your own. We recommend you visit Bryggen, one of Norway's most popular attractions, or go on a discovery tour among the wooden houses on Nordnes. Or why not visit one of Bergen's many interesting and exciting museums.

Do you want more information about incentive trips in the Bergen region? Contact one of the local DMCs, and they will assist you  with any further planning.

Check out our other suggestions for 4-day itineraries for incentives trips based on other themes.