Europe is hot in more ways than one. Well, it will be in the summertime anyway.
Travelers are flying far and wide to iconic cities, incredible beaches, and everything in between across Europe.
With summer around the corner, crowds will only increase along with the summer heat.
It’s not only destinations like Dubai that become a sauna, it’s Europe too.
In fact, many travelers reported Athens was unbearable last year, reaching the point that the historic Acropolis implemented new rules to alleviate the risk of tourists having heat strokes.
Same goes for Paris, Rome, and many more popular cities across the continent, where travelers constantly seek shade and Google how to ask for water in another language.
Not all of Europe is hotter than the Devil’s armpit, however.
Scandinavia is a summer scorcher’s kryptonite, with one lesser known city seeing a surge in travelers looking to escape the blazing hot weather.
Bergen: Norway’s Lesser Known Summer Destination
Norway slips under the radar compared to Europe’s urban stalwarts, but rarely do you ever hear of anything negative from those who have been.
Well, other than the prices. The positive spin would be to say Norway is great for making use of your credit card points, along with how truly gorgeous and safe it is.
The capital city, Oslo, is surely the most recognizable name. As Norway is one notch below Iceland in terms of pronunciation skills, you’re probably not sitting at the dinner table talking about Broennoeysund.
But what you should be talking about is planning a trip to the beautiful city of Bergen.
Dating back centuries, this vibrant city is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still holds its unique charm and stunning natural beauty today.
With a cozy small-town feel set amongst jaw-dropping mountains, Norway’s second-largest city is the perfect entryway to the country’s famous fjords.
Get your passports ready because summer is one of the best seasons to plan a trip.
Don’t Sweat It!
Keep an eye out for the obligatory selfies everyone will take at the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, and the Acropolis this summer and make sure to zoom in to see the beads of sweat rolling down tourists’ faces.
Those poor souls don’t have to be you. If you’re not ready for spring to end, book a trip to Bergen for continuous weather in the mid-60s through August.
Norway is actually one of the easiest European nations to reach from the U.S., making Bergen a breeze to access.
No, there aren’t direct flights to Bergen, unfortunately. That being said, as a 3-time Oslo visitor, I can attest that one of the most underrated adventures in Europe is experiencing Norway by train.
The station at Oslo Gardermoen Airport is like a modern day Hogwarts and the train system is so easy to navigate you don’t have to be a wizard to hop aboard a train to Bergen.
One-way tickets cost about $60 on the low end. Make sure to pick a window seat for some epic photo ops along the way.
Fjords Are A Must, Mexican Food Is Not
Visiting Bergen without booking a fjord tour would be like going to Mexico without eating tacos. Speaking of tacos, don’t be a travel rookie like I was and eat “Mexican” food in a Scandinavian country.
We’ll spare you the details here. Just do yourself a favor. Moving on…
The main attraction in this region are the seemingly endless fjords. Bergen is known as ‘the gateway to the fjords’ after all.
If you can squeeze it, reaching Sognefjord will leave you breathless as this 127-mile stretch of scenic fjords and blue water will make you feel like you’re on another planet.
Norway May Be Pricey But Flights Are Cheap
When you land in Oslo and realize Red Bull costs $7 to fight your jet lag, this is only the beginning, making it even more frustrating I overspent on crappy Nordic tacos, but I digress…
What is cheap is the flights to Norway from multiple major U.S. cities. Norwegian Air no longer services the U.S., but Norse Atlantic Airways does.
Travelers can fly nonstop to Oslo from LA, Miami, and New York. Keep an eye out for frequent flight sales too.
While I’m far beyond my travel rookie days and realize that Paris is not in Norway, I did just purchase round-trip airfare with Norse from LA to Paris for just $312.
At the time of booking, the same flight to Oslo was only $40 more.
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