Which city would you visit first?? Comment here! Watch next -> VISIT NORWAY ON A BUDGET ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fTXanehuPU8.html
Awesome vlog, we think you have convinced us to visit Bergen over Oslo. We were planning to visit Norway next year (hopefully) and if we do get to visit Norway, we will definitely visit Bergen. Thanks with all the detailed info, this really helped us a lot. - Love & respect from Bangladesh.
You know I visited both cities 3 months ago. Unfortunately, as a student, I had limited time so I couldn't take a train journey. I'm gonna upload video about Oslo-Bergen flight. Oslo is more multicultural, Bergen is calmer. Bergen is around many beautiful fjords. If I had enough time, I would visit the little towns around Bergen to see daily local life. I would visit Stockholm over Oslo if I would looking for nightlife and architecture in Scandinavia. There's more metropolitan, there's also located to more beautiful nature. I would recommend a night train between Oslo S and Bergen on late May (especially for the budget travelers) or June. Beautiful vista and white nights, it would be an unforgotten journey. During winter, days are too short and the visibility of landscapes would be limited. I also recommend preparing some little foods at home before the journey for budget traveler students who are visiting Norway. I almost didn't buy food for the first 3 days. So I saved my money for other days.
I agree with everything you said. For young budget travelers, I do think Trondheim is a good choice. It doesn’t have the beautiful fjords, but it has nightlife, nature, and traditional Norwegian culture.
Hi there, About travelling late May the night train better for budget travellers why it's cheaper ? You mean normal seats Unless you travel in the bed carriage isn't it ?
Just for info, Oslo has a little more than 1 million inhabitants. Oslo is actually just a really tiny part of the city but you have to count the entire thing together :) The Oslo area is 1.5 million. For viking history I would recommend going to Stavanger, the 3rd largest city area in Norway. This was where Norway was gathered to one country many years ago.
Thanks for the contribution! To be honest I just googled "Oslo inhabitants" like I always do for every city, but now that I think about it, probably all urban centers in Norway are waaay more spread than an average city, especially compared to European ones.
What a shame Mary Jane there’s really three ways of looking at it, and all other cities really. Population within city limits, e.g. historical boundaries set in the 1800s, maybe expanded on later, but most definitely not a «natural» line in where any city ends, and each country or region may have done so with a different approach, which makes comparing cities this way a lost cause. The city limit map of los angeles is the best example of this. The other two ways, Urban area and Metropolitan area, use universal standards for deciding where to draw this line, making them unbiased in a way. These numbers should appear directly below the previously mentioned «administrative» population in almost every wikipedia article ;)
Oh just shut up. It does not even hae 1 million inhabitants. What you call "greater oslo" would never pass as a greter metropolian area in any other european country, because it's way to spread out and way to low population density to count as an urban area. , It's a tiny town
Also, you need to read history of you think stavanger has any significance in the forming of the kingdom of Norway. Just stop talking about subject you don't know.
Oslo is not located at the sea. Like you said, it's a fjord, and way of the coast Bergen is a cotal town with direct connection to the sea. I would stay away from Oslo. If you want to visit a capital city there are so many better options in the nordic region (all of them), and if you want to feel you are visiting Norway you definantly want to visit Begen. It got so much more character, soul and history. Oslo is just a modern mockery of a capital city, without any interesting historical sightings.
We want to see Bergen as well but we do not have many days in Norway. Is it worth taking the train to Bergen from Oslo for just 1 night and then go back to Oslo the next day? So we will be in Bergen for 1 night only. Is it worth it doing this way?
If you want my opinion, it is. But it is totally personal. I talk about this situation at the end of this vlog ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6-ZG-nmxJ_0.html go to the minute 10:04 for the relevant part. As I said the train trip Oslo-Bergen is worth per se, if you manage to see the sunset from the harbor of Bergen of even better from the top of the hill by taking the Fløibanen funicular or even better hiking from the city center for about 40 minutes, then spend the night and the morning after wake up relatively early and do a quick city tour before going back to Oslo (maybe by plane at this point so it's quicker?), it's going to be great. If you go within a month or so you'll also have 24 hours daylight so it's going to be easy to sleep less hours at night and see more of the city. To be it would totally worth it, but as I said it's personal.
Great video, lots of useful information about both cities. I think the only reason for choosing Bergen over Oslo is if you want to be close to the fjords and see more of the nature around there. In Oslo you also have beautiful nature, but in another way. The best museums, attractions, night life, restaurants and food scene (this is important for a lot of tourists) is definitely better in Oslo. But of course, try visit both if possible, and do the beautiful train ride across. Btw, the new Munch museum opens in 2020, along with the new National museum, this will improve the art scene a lot in Oslo. And if you come to Norway for nature and hiking, the north is the best, check out Lofoten and Senja. If you want to see stunning fjords, check out Geiranger and Hardangerfjord.
@@WhatashameMaryJane Thank you:) yes we are! do you have any tips? is it better to rent the car there or should we book it now? The prices are very high... But we knew that. PS: I am from Germany. Many Greetings! xx
Well I actually took an amazing 2 days car trip from Bergen to a bit up north (Stryn and above) and back and filmed it, I just haven't edited the material yet :/ which is a bit of a pity because I went with a local who showed me a gorgeous non very touristy itinerary. Unfortunately I've never rented a car there so I couldn't say. Send me a private message if you want mj@whatashamemaryjane.com
@@ioouus127 One good thing about the Norwegian system though is that they may have very high prices yes, but the quality is accordingly high. Norwegians don't scam tourists and if they offer a service for a high price it usually means that you get what you pay for and more. The goods that you buy at a shop for example, if after one or two years they break or you realise they have defect, you bring them back to the same shop and they'll change them for you. I wouldn't know about the car rental. But I would say: why don't book it in advance? So that you're sure you have the car you want.
Bergen sounds like the better place for older people for me, thinking of flying from Manchester UK next year, my only worry is the accommodation, I am 60 and couchsurfing wouldn't be my choice, can you recommend cheap stay with bed and shower?
Hello there, I recommend using Airbnb. If you want the entire place for yourself you're going to pay 80-90 euros at least, but you can pay up to 50 euros (40-45 pounds?) to have your own private bedroom in a shared apartment. To be honest I used Airbnb many times and keep using it as an alternative to Couchsurfing and I can definitely recommend it especially because of their customer service. I've had things going wrong twice (in big cities, not quiet places like Bergen) and a call to the customer service has solved the entire problem in a very efficient way, got refunds and a new Airbnb accommodation paid by the company itself. So even if you don't feel adventurous and you want a quiet experience, but still paying less than a hotel, I think Airbnb can provide you a good stay.
@@WhatashameMaryJane Thanks MJ, I have just booked an airbnb in the centre of Bergen, two nights for £80, also 2nights in Alesund for £72, have decided to extend the trip for another 4 day's on the strength of this.❤
@@mickeymunkchunk4512 That's great! I love to hear that you extended your trip. The longer you stay in a place, the deeper you get to know the local culture. I wish you a wonderful experience.
As a local from Bergen (bergenser) I agree that Bergen is a nicer city. Unfortunately all (90%) of the governmental funding for museums go to Oslo, but we have almost just as much to offer!
Been to Oslo twice, never made it to Bergen - As I feel we share much in how we see and experience our travels, your video has made me definitely want to go to Bergen soon. Thanks for what you do, Mary Jane. P.S. Probably you did it already but I'd love to see the BTS of your nomadic life. How does your typical daily life look like? You are a nomad worker, bring your laptop with you - how do you generate money while traveling (if I may) and so forth...? Well, that's just a hint. Take good care...
It's good advice because I struggle to have the perspective of a viewer on my videos, so thanks for the suggestion. If you'll ever going to visit Norway again, please visit Bergen or at least the west coast, cause that's the real deal ;)
@@WhatashameMaryJane Absolutely ;) thanks for your follow-ups as well, and don't discard the idea of creating the video on how YOU earn money and YOUR personal experience around earning money while you travel. I believe that (at least, myself 🤗) people are always interested in this topic. Take good care.
@@marcofamaonline I think you're totally right and I can't wait to share this aspect too, but I want to figure it out a little bit better myself before making it public :P
Love this video, it's really helpful. Going to Norway next week and luckily I get to go to both Oslo and Bergen. I've watched all your other videos about travelling on a budget because I'm a student and don't have much money. Really love your stuff
Awww great!!! I wish you a great trip girl! If you intend to take the train I suggest you to book it right away cause the prices go up close to the trip date
Mary bacım bu senin videodan alınma PEKEKE ile Oslo görüşmeleri ima eden bir video yada haykırış anlayana ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mdCgXmwEF-k.html
if in norway bergen is considered western norway and oslo eastern norway. vestlandet and ostlandet. southern norway is the small part in the south far from both cities. middle of norway is above eastern and western norway where the fishbone part starts. norwegian geography is bit strange. if i had to choose only one of them, i would choose bergen, because of th fjords.even better take the train from oslo to bergen, on the way beautiful views and very different landscapes. in summer there is snow on the way and high mountain planes, only covered with moss and hyttes, fjords etc
I think you confuse Sørlandet ( = The South Country) that corresponds to Vestlandet and Østlandet, with the southern Norway. Roughly speaking all south of Trondheim is considered the southern part of Noreay. SØrlandet on the other hand is a smaller part on the very "bottom" of Norway.
@@WhatashameMaryJane Well, that was not the purpose, so let me try again :) Norway is divided into a number of Counties ( I think that there are about 18 of them). An example of a county is Rogaland (where the city of Stavanger is located). Norway often is divided into different "vertical" parts as well.. Sør-Norge (Southern Norway) is one such part, and you can see what it covers in the red part of the map on this wiki: no.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8r-Norge The other parts are Midt-Norge (Middle Norway) and Nord-Norge (Northern Norway). The confusing part is that these parts are then again often again divided into different regions. i.e Vestlandet (literally the West Country, where Bergen is located) and Østlandet (literally The East Country, where Oslo is located). There is also the region of Sørlandet (literally The South Country) which consist of the two counties Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. Sørlandet is marked by red in the map on the following wiki: no.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8rlandet I hope that was more clear... (even though I can see it might be even more confusing :) )
How expensive Oslo is in terms of night life compared to Bergen? I thought the prices (for day to day life, including weekends) would be pretty much the same everywhere irrespective of the place you live in Norway!
Yes they are pretty much the same. Actually I realised that from what I say at the end it seems like I wanted to warn about the prices in Oslo and not in Bergen, but I was just giving for granted that no one would go to Bergen to go party at night..
I visited Norway 40 years ago, actually 1979. I have never been there since that time and I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding the " better" in a cultural sense city is Bergen. I wasn't in Bergen long from the 9 - 11/9/1979. I can't remember too well the motorbike ride from Oslo to Bergen, but it was fairly cold but very scenic and I had an Argentian guy passenger on a fairly small motorbike from Oslo to Bergen. About half way across between Oslo and Bergen. I stopped at Gielo I must have been mad to have a passenger on such a small motorbike. I had bought the motorbike in England from an Hispanic American who wanted to get rid of it quickly and so I bought it on the spur of the moment. The motorbike cost me 200 English pounds and I rode through several countries. I abandoned the motorbike in Firenze youth hostel, 2/10/1979, my diary isn't clear about that. I joked to my youngest daughter that she should check to see if the motorbike was still there and resume riding around Europe . I don't know what happened to the motorbike keys though. I had made a good film of the trip through Europe including Norway, but the super 8 film I threw away after keeping it for quite a few years, which is a shame because I could have got it put onto a video CD or dvd. I'm glad you liked Norway, it was most interesting from another perspective because I got to experience staying with this guy and his girlfriend. He was the son of a Lutheran pastor, so I experienced very good hospitality and a look into that world. I guess most Scandinavians are not religious. Anyway it's pleasing to see you appreciate the history of Bergen. Talking about history last November I visited for the first time Tasmania. I was amazed and pleased that the many older buildings throughout the island were still standing. One of the reasons I visited Tasmania was to see a hazelnut orchard with a view to possibly buying it, but there was no house so I am still considering. Southern Tasmania would have a similar climate to the cooler regions of Italy or Oregon in the USA where hazelnuts can also grow. My hobby is growing macadamia and pecan nuts and mangoes in Perth, Australia.
Nice video. I have two remarks. Although Oslo without question has the biggest display of Munch paintings anywhere in the world, you should maybe add that Bergen has the second-biggest collection, in its Kode art museum, which spans four buildings in the city centre. Secondly, it's not true that Bergen was the first capital of Norway. It was the capital in the 1200s, but before that Trondheim was the seat of power.
So very helpful - thank you! Doing Viking cruise in June, 2023....was docking in Bergen & doing the train to Oslo. But you convinced me to spend time in both places. Bergen seems to be the best of traditional Norway...but we also want to see/get the Viking info, too. I'm subscripting to you for future info!
Great video. Thank you. My husband and I have familia in Bergen . We spent three months there last year in 2022. At that time there were no tourists to speak of . It was still during the pandemic and it was during the winter. We live in Denver Co USA and the weather here is changeable but not anywhere as changeable as Bergen. During our time there we saw within one hour rain, sleet, wind, sun, cloudy weather, lightening , snow and rain. What we loved about Bergen is the transportation is on time,clean and excellent. The air is clean because all the cars we saw were electric. The busses and train are electric. People were helpful if they saw you struggling. We got to experience a tradition called waffles and coffee and a traditional child's birthday party. There are lots of activities to do outside which was really cool. What we did not like was the cost of everything vs where we live and vs Spain where we have visited. It is expensive.
Don’t get sick in oslo. They will have to go to an emergency room with horrible service. When traveling investigate where hospitals are and how they work.
Hi there, great video. Just wanted to comment on the temperatures. Actually Oslo is both colder, and warmer than Bergen. So in the summer Oslo tends to be warmer, and in winter tends to be colder.
Ciao Mary Jane! Ti seguo da poco ma trovo i tuoi video veramente interessanti, sopratutto questi sulla Norvegia, complimenti! 😊 PS. Quando finirai la tua vita da “vagabonda”, preferiresti trasferirti definitivamente a New York o in una grande città norvegese?
Ciao! Come ti chiami e da dove vieni? Grazie :) Domanda difficile... SE e quando finirò di vagabondare...credo che se dovessi scegliere un posto che sia definitivo tornerei nel mio meraviglioso Friuli. Per ora mi piace passare molto tempo a NYC, ma è una città in cui è difficile vivere a lungo termine. Di "grandi" città norvegesi non ce ne sono molte 😅però direi che no, non sceglierei di vivere in Norvegia.
Eheh in effetti mi aspettavo mi rispondessi l’Italia! L’ho volontariamente omessa dalle opzioni 😅 (meraviglioso il Friuli, prima a poi ci andrò) Comunque, mi chiamo Simone e vivo in nell’aspra e soleggiata Sardegna. Ho scoperto il tuo canale cercando informazioni riguardo a viaggi nei paesi scandinavi. Mi piacerebbe visitare specialmente la Norvegia e chissà, magari in futuro, quando avrò terminato gli studi universitari, trasferirmi e lavorarci. In ogni caso, so per certo che il posto in cui tornerò sarà la mia amata isola natia.
Aaaaaah noi italiani e il legame con la terra.....😏 Sai che in tutti i miei viaggi, devo ancora trovare un altro popolo così legato alla propria terra d'origine? Tornando a te, mi sembra un bel progetto il tuo. Credo che viaggiare o ancora meglio vivere per almeno un periodo all'estero sia un'esperienza quasi necessaria per ogni cittadino di oggi. Quando penseresti di andare in Norvegia?
What a shame Mary Jane Dubito lo troverai mai! Nonostante i mille problemi, nutriamo un’intrinseca gelosia, priva di malizia, nei confronti della nostra madre patria; la considero una virtù! ❤️ Dunque, mi frullano tanti di quei progetti futuri in testa che non immagini! 🤯 Come hai scritto tu ora (e come hai meglio spiegato in un precedente video), è meglio VIVERE il paese in cui si va, immergendosi nella cultura e interagendo con la società; per questo motivo, ho in mente di trascorrere un periodo di Erasmus Traineeship di 2 mesi durante la prossima estate, in modo tale da poter valutare se il posto mi aggrada realmente, oltre che virtualmente. Ma ripeto, con le mille idee che mi svolazzano per la capoccia, i piani potrebbero cambiare 😅 Continuando questo ping-pong di domanda e risposta... In un vecchio video ho notato che, se non ricordo male, sei stata in Erasmus in Germania; presumo che tu sia laureata, se sì, in cosa? Spero di non essere indiscreto, ma devo ammettere che suscita curiosità vedere una persona prendere e partire in solitaria, da un momento all’altro, tra i capi opposti del pianeta 🤔
@@SnakeEastwood10 Ora mi ricordo di aver ricevuto la notifica di questo commento! Lo riconosco perché potevo leggere la prima frase, ma ho provato tante volte a cliccarci sopra senza che nulla succedesse. Ho pensavo l'avessi postato e poi avessi deciso di cancellarlo. L'ennesimo bug della comment section di RU-vid, purtroppo. Mi fa piacere vedere che la conversazione prosegue! A me l'erasmus ha letteralmente cambiato la vita. Passare un periodo in un paese straniero essendo però guidati e appoggiati dalle istituzioni e potendo vivere in un ambiente già costituito come quello degli ambienti universitari è qualcosa di incredibilmente arricchente. Quindi credo che questa tua idea sia ottima. Io mi sono laureata in Filosofia, sia alla triennale che alla magistrale, all'università di Padova.
@@WhatashameMaryJane haha yes! But I am from a part a little bit out of the city called Fana, if you have ever taken the bybanen from the airport I live right with the big mall called Lagunen. But yeah really loved this, to be honest in my opinion to many people travel to Oslo instead of western Norway, so glad you summed this up!❤
Oh yes sure! Actually I think the same. I remember when I was younger - I already had the fascination for Norway - I was dreaming of buying a ticket to OSLO to go visit NORWAY. Then fortunately I went to Bergen as my first time in Norway and I couldn't have been happier.
Hey Paulo. I can't answer your question, I really don't know. I don't know in which part of the world you live. Keep in mind that in Europe in general there's not the same kind of "racism" that I see in the US, where a person is discriminated only because of the color of the skin. In Europe when there's intolerance it's more linked to a specific ethnicity that has many immigrants in the country. Since they tend to escape their own country for quite desperate reasons and they have nothing to loose when they arrive to the new one, the percentage of criminality tends to be slightly higher among that immigrant group. That's the main reason for racism in Europe, very very much simplified of course. So I wouldn't say there's such thing as being racist against "Asians" in Europe. It's too generic. This said, I got the impression that Norwegians are not the most tolerant people in the world when it comes to foreigner groups living in their country. But it is just a auperficial impression.
@@WhatashameMaryJane I appreciate your candidness. Yes I live in the US and although I haven't been discriminated against, I still can say racism is present in some parts of the country. I've been meaning to visit Scandinavian countries but am worried their citizens might treat me differently because I'm not "white". In your experience, were there a good number of Asians in Oslo?
@@Bookerdevin101 Oslo is a multicultural city. I can't say for sure that I saw many Asians cause I don't even pay attention to the colour of the skin of the people I see on the street to be honest. But Chinese people are everywhere in Europe and Asian restaurants are pretty common in Oslo as much as any other European city. I have never heard of discrimination against Asians. We have huge masses of Asian tourist coming every season of the year in Europe, I really want to reassure you cause I'm 99% convinced that you have no reason to worry about anything.
@@WhatashameMaryJane thank you for the insight. I'm visiting Germany, Austria and Hungary in December. Norway, Sweden and Denmark should be next! More power to you and your channel!
Paulo Quitain That sounds like an awesome trip! I encourage you to go without worrying about any racism. It’s not the typical “trend” in Europe, especially not for Asians. Rotten apples are everywhere: if you happen to find one, laugh at his/her face, answer politely, and move on. That’s my formula to face any kind of hate.
