Most of the things we do leave a footprint and traveling is no exception. Most emissions tied to traveling are produced during transportation to the destination and secondly the emissions produced during your stay. The tourism industry is working to reduce their emissions, but what can you do yourself as a visitor?
In this list you will find ten tips to make your travels to and within the Bergen region a bit more sustainable.
1. Take the train or bus to Bergen
A natural place to start reducing your footprint is to choose an environmental-friendly type of transportation when traveling to Bergen. Trains in Norway have about a tenth of the emissions compared to commercial airlines, and the Bergen Railway has been run on renewable energy since 1964! The train ride from Oslo to Bergen takes a little under seven hours. This scenic ride takes you through some of the most beautiful landscapes in southern Norway. It is also possible to take the overnight train and wake up in the city center of Bergen after a good night’s rest.
Photo: Øivind Haug
There is also a variety of bus routes connecting cities and towns across southern Norway, for example the Kystbussen from Stavanger and Haugesund.
2. Use your feet or public transportation
Bergen has a compact city center, and most attractions can be reached within a 15-minute walk. If you want to feel the wind in your hair you can rent a bike from Bergen Bike Rent (April - October) or from Bergen Bysykkel using their mobile app. The Bysykkel pickup and drop off points are scattered all around the city.
Photo: The world’s longest purpose-built cycling tunnel from Bergen city center to the suburb Fyllingsdalen. (7.8 kilometers). Visit Bergen / Espen Bakketun - visitBergen.com
Outside the city center you can take advantage of well-developed public transportation with a variety of low-emission buses (either electric or biofuel powered) or the Bergen Light Rail. With the Bergen card you get free admission on all public transport in the whole of the Bergen region. (The Airport Bus gives a discount with the Bergen Card). You can buy the Bergen Card online here, at the Tourist Information at the Fish Market or at selected hotels and camp sites.
3. Stay a day or two longer in the Bergen region
Did you know that staying for a longer period at your chosen destination is one of the most important things you can do to lower the environmental footprints? When guests choose to stay longer, the demand for new guests arriving declines and with it the emissions related to transportation. And by staying longer in Bergen, you also get more time to really explore the city and region!
Photo: Visit Bergen / Casper Steinsland - visitBergen.com
4. Explore the fjords on an electrical fjord cruise
Bergen is called the hearth of the fjords, and visitors come to see the beautiful landscape of western Norway. A great way to explore the norwegian fjords is by taking the popular roundtrip called Norway in a nutshell®. The journey takes you to famous sights such as the World Heritage site Nærøyfjorden and the historic Flåm Railway. The round trip combines the use of train, electric fjord cruise and bus. The tour can be done as a day trip from Bergen, or you can customize the trip to suit your travel itinerary, for example by spending a night in Flåm before continuing your journey the following day.
Photo: Sverre Hjørnevik
5. Explore the region with an electrical car
The rugged terrain of western Norway can make it difficult to explore some parts of the region exclusively by using public transport. If you decide that renting a car is the best choice for your adventure, we recommend that you choose an electric car. Norway has the highest concentration of electric cars per capita in the world, and the availability of charging stations is very good throughout the region surrounding Bergen. This way you can explore the region with a clean conscience. We recommend that you use the charging stops to explore the small towns and nature along the road.
6. Choose an eco-labelled travel supplier
When choosing an eco-labelled travel supplier, you can be sure that the company has committed to working systematically with sustainability. Holding a certification does not mean that the business or company is completely sustainable, it tells you that they fulfill several criterions aimed at reducing their footprints and that they are working continuously to become more sustainable and environmental friendly. At VisitBergen.com you can look for the symbol "Green Travel" to find an eco-labelled supplier. The purpose of the symbol is to make it easier for our guests to find a certified supplier.
The following certification schemes is included in the symbol: Ecotourism Norway, The ecolabel Nordic Swan, Eco-Lighthouse, Green Key, ISO 14001 and Blue Flag.
The Green Travel symbol is administrated by Visit Norway, you can read more about the symbol on visitnorway.com here.
Find environmentally certified activities in the Bergen region here.
7. Great experiences with low emissions
Bergen offers a great selection of experiences that have a low environmental footprint. The Fløibanen funicular takes you up to one of the greatest views of Bergen. The funicular is almost exclusively powered by the counterweight of the second carriage riding down the mountain, pulling the other up. At the top of Mount Fløyen there are a variety of different hiking trails if you want to go for a walk.
Photo: Fløyen
If you wish to experience Bergen from the seaside, a ride with the boat "Beffen 1" is a great alternative. The boat is powered by electricity and have regular departures from the Fish Market. It is a short trip to Nordnes, where you can visit the Bergen Aquarium to see penguins and many other animals. You can take a swim in the sea water pool at Nordnes Sjøbad or explore the Nordnes Park. If you take the boat a bit further to the area of Sandviken you can visit the Old Bergen Museum, an open-air museum with a collection of wooden houses dating back as far as the 18th century. In Sandviken where you can also visit the Norwegian Fisheries Museum to learn more about one of the most important industries of the region.
Photo: Norges Fiskerimuseum - Museum Vest/Silje Robinson
8. Environmentally friendly activities
In Bergen you can find a variety of environmentally friendly activities. At the Norwegian Fisheries Museum you can rent kayaks for free, in exchange you have to pick up the trash you might find in the harbor basin.
At Mount Fløyen you can rent bicycles, hammocks, backpacks and even eco friendly travel sized barbeques from Fløyen Active. At the climbing park Høyt & Lavt the whole family can test their fear of heights on several courses with varying degrees of difficulties.
Photo: Klatreparken Høyt & Lavt Bergen AS
Bergen is surrounded by seven mountains, and there is a myriad of different hiking trails only a short distance away from the city center. If you are less experienced as a hiker or want to learn more about the region while hiking, a guided hike is a great alternative. Norway Mountain Guides offers a variety of guided hikes, both in the surrounding mountain and the greater region, with various levels of difficulty. As we say in Norway: God tur! (Have a great trip!)
9. Eat like the locals!
Bergen is a city with proud seafood traditions, with specialty dishes like the Bergen fish soup and Persetorsk (cod prepared in a special way), which is a must to try! Along with fresh fish and other produce the Bergen region produces award winning local products like cheese, gin and cider.
When you buy locally produced food you contribute to the preservation of local food traditions and jobs. Locally produced food demands less transportation and therefore produce less emissions on its way to your dinner plate. Many restaurants in Bergen are part of an initiative where greens and vegetables are grown on roofs throughout the city. For example, the Michelin rated restaurant Lysverket, uses this locally grown produce.
Meet the owner of Lysverket, Christopher Haatuft, and learn more about food in Bergen on this podcast:
Read more about Bergen City of Gastronomy.
Photo: Ida Skeie - Cornelius Seafood Restaurant
10. Learn about the local culture and history
Bergen is one of the oldest and largest cities in Norway, and with this comes a great cultural heritage. By visiting one of the many museums in Bergen and the region you contribute to the preservation of the local culture and history.
About a twenty-minute walk from the Bryggen you can find The University Museum of Bergen. It holds both a natural science museum and a museum of cultural history. At the natural history museum, you can study huge whale skeletons or learn more about climate change and how we as humans affect it. At the cultural history museum on the other hand, you can learn about the first settlers of Norway, understand more about the Viking age and see lost Viking treasures!
The Textile Industry Museum gives you insight into the textile industry and how it affected the industrialization of Norway. At the Heathland Centre you can experience the 5000-year-old cultural landscape of the Heathlands, a UNESCO site, and the last place in Europe where this cultural landscape is preserved. At the center it is possible to rent bikes and fishing rods, and there is a café that serves local food.
Photo: The Heathland Centre - The Museum Centre in Hordaland
to add an item to your Itinerary basket.
