Bergen (Norway) on a budget
Tips that will save you money on your trip to Bergen - guaranteed
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Bergen is a beautiful city sorrounded by mountians and fjords, but like most cities in Norway, a quite expensive place to visit. For this reason, making a little research in advance can save you time and money. Below you'll find some tips that will help you save money on your trip to Bergen - guaranteed.
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ACCOMODATION - TRANSPORT - FOOD - ALCOHOL
FREE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
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Find cheap accommodation in Bergen.
Getting accomodation in Bergen can potentially be difficult and expensive, especially during the tourist season (May to September). Below we have gathered som links to cheaper alternatives:
Hostelbookers.com - hostels in Bergen and Norway
Rooms and flats with PRICE GUARANTEE - Powerful hotel search engine that combines results from all the major search engines such as hotels.com, booking.com, Expedia.com etc. Price guarantee on hotel rooms.
Airbnb Bergen - very cheap private rooms and flats for rent (this site is great for finding cheap accomodation all over the world). Read how to become a member here.
Roomorama.com - wide range of apartments and rooms for shorter and longer stays. Many houses for rent in the countryside and cottages.
Bring alcohol into the country
Alcohol is very costly in Norway (3 eur for the cheapest beer in a supermarket and around 10 eur for a beer in resturants and pubs). So, if you plan to enjoy alcohol during your trip you should bring some or buy it from the Tax Free at the airport or bring some from your home country. However, make sure you dont bring more than you are allowed to (normally 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of wine and 4 beers).
Buy beer before 20:00 / 18:00.
If you forget to buy beers at the airport, buing beers in grocery stores is the cheaper option. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand that buing beers in a store is the cheaper option, however, it can be a bit difficult to understand why the sale of beer closes at 20:00 on weekdays and at 18:00 on Saturdays although the grocery stores are open longer. After the closing time of the beer sale the shops cover the beer behind big curtains. This is a part of the strict alcohol policy in Norway and you just have to accept it. If you're two minutes too late - sorry - no beer for you.
Shop in the low price grocery stores
Food is quite expensive in Norway. But like most other places, some store grocery stores and supermarkets are more expensive than others, and you can save some money by picking the cheaper alternatives. The low price grocery stores are called Rema 1000, KIWI and RIMI and you can find them spread out all over the city. In addition you can buy cheap fruits and vegetables from the markets.
Read more about traditional Norwegian food here.
Go by walk
The city centre of Bergen is small and if you stay in the central part of Bergen / city center you can reach many of the attractions by walk. If you need to take public transport make sure you buy the tickets before you enter the bus or the tram. If you buy the tickets on the bus or tram it costs extra.
Avoid taxis.
In general, taking a taxi in Norway and Bergen is very expensive and not recommended if you want to save money. The Bergen city centre is relatively small and compact and most of the tourist attractions can easily be reached by foot or by public transport.
Drink water from the tap
You can safely drink water from the tap instead of buing expensive water from the stores. The tap water in Norway is drinkable and of good quality.
Do you have more tips to save money while in Bergen?
Feel free to share them below
