Heart of the Fjords | Bergen Fjord Tour
Updated: Jul 19, 2022
They said one of the best views you can get of the iconic Norwegian fjords is from the deck of a catamaran or cruise ship. They were right. Every experience is a bit different, but nonetheless incredible.
Overview of the Cruise
Simply put, we went on a small bout tour around the Southwestern Fjord area. The captain and crew cared well for us and the tour is set up to share historical facts along the way. It has been one of our favorite outings.
Time - 3 1/2 hours (ours was from 10am-1:30pm or so)
Location - Bergen to Mostraumen
Company - Fjord Tours, Click Here for Website
Best Sights & Moments
Top Deck - Heading up to the top deck of the catamaran and taking in the views is by far the best part. It was cold, rainy at times, and at some points crowded... but there were moments when most people were down below and we could just take in the view, feel the cold air on our skin, and breathe in (deeply) the fresh, crisp air. It was pretty incredible, almost surreal in the quiet moments.
Lower Deck - Fortunately, on our tour, there were restrooms, snacks available for purchase, and a warm place to sit and reset when needed. With kids, the lower deck option is important to hang out for a while and take breaks. That was a win.
Do I know you? - Of course, we met a few people and had some great conversations. The best interaction? Steven ran into a friend from high school! It was hilarious. He was only in Bergen 24 hours and was on the same tour we were. They haven't connected in years, so it was fun to catch up.
Photography - If you are a videographer or photographer vocationally, you would LOVE a tour like this. It really is one of the best ways to get incredible footage. We are amateurs with iPhones and enjoyed capturing family moments and beautiful scenery. We can only imagine what professionals could capture! Some of our favorite website photos are chosen from this specific tour.
What We Wore
Layers. Just always think layers in Norway. But, below were some of the helpful items. We admit, we dressed in more layers than most as we planned a lot of time on the upper deck. Some visitors definitely went a bit more simply with dress code, but stayed "inside" the majority of the tour.
What we recommend:
Warm shoes and socks (waterproof if you're on the upper deck a lot).
Jeans, warm pants/trousers. If you have water-resistant pants, those are best. Apparently, many Norwegians wear them daily all year round. Now we know why and have some of our own.
Layered tops (it can be warm in the sun, but in Spring, for our trip, it was pretty cold). Base layer shirt, sweater, and additional fleece is what we did (and we needed them).
Raincoat! Not only does it rain, but there is a lot of overspray from the boat as it's cruising. It moves pretty fast through the water and you will be drenched if you aren't prepared.
Hats and gloves! Keep that heat in - we would have been frozen without them.
What You Should Know...
Book in advance. They may take last-minute registrations, but most people purchased tickets ahead and it was a full tour.
Do it! We would highly recommend a tour like this if you are ever in Norway. It was something different, beautiful, and exciting. It was also something that could work well for many different kinds of groups and family sizes.
It was a great time for making memories and created a few of those "core memory" moments that we know will stick with us for quite some time, if not forever.
Just make sure to check your weather, bring some water and snacks, and layer up!
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Also, don't forget to check out our Fjord Tour reel on Instagram. It's a fun one with better footage!