4-day incentive itinerary sustainability

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 interested in primarily sustainable experiences.

This trip is based on zero-emission principles with a focus on:
- Use of electric vehicles only
- Local food and ingredients based on local traditions
- Nature-based activities

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

Day 1: Bergen - City of Gastronomy

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 Clarion Hotel Admiral in Bergen city center.

After check-in, we take you out into the city on a guided food and culture walk. On this tour you get to experience Bergen with all your senses. Along the way you will learn about Bergen and local food traditions and history. There will also be 5 stops during the tour, with different types of food experiences.

 Photo: Bergen Base Camp / Åse Marie Evjen

Mount Fløyen is one of the great icons in Bergen. In 6 minutes, Fløibanen funicular takes you up to the top, where you can enjoy a fantastic view of Bergen, or explore some of the hiking trails on Byfjellene (the common name for the seven mountains surrounding Bergen). In the summer you can try canoe paddling or SUP (stand up paddling) on Skomakerdiket, a small lake on mount Fløyen. You can  take Fløibanen back to the city centre,or walk down. The tour takes approx. 45 minutes and offers lots of opportunities to take photos of the best motifs Bergen has to offer.

We finish off day 1 with dinner at restaurant To Kokker (Two Chefs). To Kokker is located in one of the buildings on the famous Bryggen, and we will dine in a room that oozes history and atmosphere from the Hanseatic era. The restaurant is known for their delicious dishes based on  fresh and authentic Norwegian ingredients.

Day 2: Day trip to Flåm and Nærøyfjorden

We start with a spectacular train ride. First, we travel from Bergen to the mountain station Myrdal, where we change to the famous Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana) which takes you down to Flåm station, in the heart of the Aurlandsfjord. Flåmsbana is one of Norway's most spectacular attractions and it was named the world's most beautiful train journey by Lonely Planet in 2014. On the way to Flåm station Flåmsbana stops at Kjosfossen, one of many impressive waterfalls in western Norway.

 Photo: Norway's best / Morten Rakke

From Flåm, we continue by e-mobility cars up to the spectacular viewpoint Stegastein, which is located on top of the Aurland mountain between Flåm and Aurland. At Stegastein a spectacular viewing platform has been built. The platform is 3.5 meters wide and built of wood, steel, concrete and glass, and protrudes 30 meters from the mountainside. From the platform, 650 meters above the Aurlandsfjord, you have a panoramic view of the fjord in all directions and many describe it as a feeling of soaring above the fjord.

Photo: Visit Bergen / Casper Steinsland - visitBergen.com 

Afterwards it’s time for lunch, served at Ægir BryggeriPub in Flåm. Ægir BryggeriPub is steeped in Viking history, and the same goes for the menu. They use local ingredients - the same as the Vikings used, but the food is adapted to today's palate. The beer that Ægir brews at their own brewery is used in marinades and sauces, and hops, malt and herbs add character to the food.

Satisfied and happy, we’re ready for a fjord cruise on the Nærøyfjord. The Nærøyfjord is the world's narrowest fjord, only 250 meters at its narrowest. The fjord is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and from the fjord rises steep mountain sides up to an altitude of 1800 meters. We will travel on Future of The Fjords or Legacy of The Fjords, all-electric vessels that run only on battery power and move at a speed of less than 10 knots. As the vessels are fully electric, the sound level from them decreases sharply. This contributes to even better nature experiences.

 Photo: Sverre Hjørnevik

The fjord cruise takes us to Gudvangen, a small town in the heart of the Nærøyfjord. Here we are going to visit the magical white caves. The caves are located in a special type of mountain, where there are large amounts of the anorthosite rock inside old mine tunnels. The anorthosite rock becomes white in color when exposed to rainwater. On the tour through the labyrinth of mine tunnels, we will experience light and darkness, colors, music, silence and tranquility, running water, music by Grieg, trolls and vikings.

From Gudvangen the tour continues to Voss by electric bus. When we arrive in Voss, we will have dinner at Hangurstoppen restaurant, 820 meters above sea level. t. Luckily we won’t have to climb up to the restaurant, the tour from Vossevangen and up to Hangurstoppent takes 9 minutes with the spectacular Voss Gondola. Voss Gondola is Northern Europe's largest and most modern gondola. For dinner we will be served rustic flavourful home-cooked food, based on local ingredients.

When both dinner and dessert are consumed and digested, we head back to Bergen by electric bus.

Day 3: We explore the skerries outside Bergen

Outside of Bergen there is a beautiful skerries, and we start day 3 with a short tour in an electric boat between islets and reefs. After approx. 25 minutes we arrive at the island Vestre where Bergen Fjord Adventures will be waiting for us. The food we have eaten during the last days has been based on local ingredients, and today we have to work to find ingredients for lunch. We will look for snails, shells, seaweed and kelp that will be ingredients in 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.

 Foto: Bergen Fjord Adventures

 

The next item on today's agenda takes place in Øygarden, and to get there from Vestre, we have arranged for a sailing regatta in which we participate.

When we arrive in Øygarden, we will give our beaches a helping hand. Many beaches are flooded with plastic. It decomposes and becomes microplastics that pollute the environment in the sea. Rydd Norge (Clean-up Norway) is the first national clean-up program in Norwegian history to take a structured approach to clearing the country of plastic waste. From Øygarden, we return to Bergen city center by electric bus.

Day 3 ends with a bang. We will have dinner at Lysverket, the only restaurant in Bergen that holds a Michelin star. 

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.