Bergen

Bergen is the western gateway, and for a car it is reachable by sea without a Norwegian motorway at all: Fjord Line's Hirtshals–Bergen sailing lands you in the city, the Hurtigruten coastal ship starts here, and the Flåm and Hardanger roads are a few hours east. On a route it is the stop that converts a ferry day into a fjord day.

The urban piece is small enough to do without the car. Fløibanen, the funicular up Fløyen, is six minutes from the centre and runs today 08.00–00.00; the operator prices an adult return at NOK 145 in the winter season (1 October to 31 March) and NOK 200 in summer when bought online, in the app or at a machine, or 220 at the window. It is closed for maintenance 2–5 November 2026 and again 15–18 February 2027, which is the kind of date that catches a one-night stay. Tickets are valid from the day before to three days after the chosen date, so buy ahead and use a dry window.

Driving in and out means the toll ring, charged automatically to the plate, and some of the steepest street parking in the country; use a garage and leave the car there. Fuel and supermarkets are easier at the edge of town on the E39 or E16 than in the centre.

Rain is the quiet-hours rule here: a wet weekday morning empties Bryggen, and Bergen has a lot of them. Heading east, the E16 to Voss and Flåm runs through long tunnels and is open all year; the Hardanger route over Rv7 is the one to check with Statens vegvesen in winter. If Iceland or the Faroes are in the plan, the Norröna does not call here; that leg starts in Hirtshals, a Fjord Line sailing away.