10 Reasons Bergen is a Great City Break for Families with Autistic Children

Our BERGEN DESTINATION GUIDE FOR AUTISTIC FAMILIES is now available!

GATEWAY TO THE FJORDS

1) Bergen is often called the Gateway to the Fjords. It was our reason for going, as seeing the Norwegian Fjords has been an item on my bucket list for absolutely ages. There is a huge range of cruises to choose from, including ones that combine a boat trip with a rail journey and visit to places like the picturesque town of Flam.

As great as it sounded, a 10 hour round trip was clearly beyond the boys, so with them in mind we settled on a 4 hr trip that left from Bergen's harbour, literally 50 m from our apartment! The cruise navigated through the long Osterfjord and the narrow Mostrauman strait. The scenery was stunning - and it was a dream trip.

BUGGY FRIENDLY CITY CENTRE

2) Bergen is easy to navigate, with wide footpaths that made pushing Charlie in his buggy quite easy. There were a number of pedestrianised areas which also made getting around with Charlie when he wasn't in the buggy feel pretty safe. It didn't feel like there was a lot of traffic on the road either around the main touristy areas.

NOT TOO CROWDED

3) Despite visiting during the May half term week, which was also the Bergen International festival, it did not feel busy or overcrowded. There were a few other people and some cruise tour groups around but it was not overwhelming. Even on our Fjord tour there was plenty of space to move around the boat and take some amazing family photos.

BEAUTIFUL NATURE

4) There was a great playground near our accommodation which gave the boys the opportunity to play and be outside in the afternoon. This is often the most challenging time of the day as they are getting tired - having somewhere to go where they could let off steam helped them to stay emotionally regulated. It also had the most incredible views of sea and mountains, just standing there and looking at it while the boys played was also a very peaceful and calming experience for J and I.

5) It was very easy to get the Floibanen funicular from the centre of the town to the top of Mt Floyen. There are great views from the top along with some excellent woodland playgrounds and walking trails through beautiful Norwegian forests. We did the shortest walk to the lake and it was so peaceful and serene. The boys also loved meeting the resident Mt Floyen mountain goats! It was one of our favourite activities and if we had been staying longer we would definitely have gone a second and maybe a third time!

For more information on Mt Floyen and what it offer families you can visit the main booking website. We turned up on the day, but in the summer and other busier times they recommend booking in advance.

YOU ARE NEVER FAR FROM WATER

6) Bergen is situated on a large harbour, the boys enjoyed watching the boats on the water and going for walks along the promenade.

7) The boys love swimming so we made a point of booking a session at the Nordnes Seawater pool and it was absolutely brilliant - we all loved it. Swimming right by the sea and looking out across the harbour at the beautiful wooded mountains was a special experience. 

In fact you can go from the outside heated pool into a sauna and then down into the seawater but we weren't brave enough for that!  Going on a weekday morning meant there were few visitors and it felt as if we had the place to ourselves, indeed we were the only ones in the kid's pool.

The Nordnes website tells you the pool and sea temperature and also has a handy counter on it which shows you how many people are there swimming at any given time, which is helpful if you want to avoid the crowds.

A LIVELY MARKET

8) There was a great fish market by the harbour with stalls that had tanks of live sea creatures that the boys enjoyed watching. There was also lots of outdoor seating for alfresco dining, which is always easier and more relaxed than inside a restaurant.

THE FRIENDLY LOCALS

9) We found the people we met to be kind, friendly and very helpful. 

From helping us find a supermarket that was open on a bank holiday, selling us international stamps and giving us directions to a post box, checking every ingredient on about ten cakes to find one that didn't say may contain nuts or sesame, friendly chats in the playground and inviting the boys to go and meet the captain in the bridge on our highly recommended half day Fjord boat trip it seemed nothing was too much trouble. We truly felt welcomed and looked after.

ITS GREAT FOR HISTORY BUFFS

10) Dating from the Norwegian Middle Ages (c1350) the old town wharf (Bryggen), is an interesting and vibrant example of Hanseatic architecture. There are 2 museums (which we didn't visit), but the main draw is its maze of buildings (rebuilt in 1705) that house an interesting mix of contemporary artistic workshops and glimpses of life from long ago.

It is one of Northern Europe's oldest port cities and on the UNESCO World Heritage List, while Bergen itself is a World Heritage City.

We hadn't really known what to expect and were surprised to find lots of steep stairs to climb up and down as well as long galleried landings and hidden away workshops - it is probably best to leave the buggy at home if you visit. Unfortunately it was raining really, really hard when we visited. Although the boys enjoyed the bits we did do, especially finding all the trolls, quite a few sections of it were open to the elements and in the end we were so soggy we abandoned it to find shelter - and never went back to complete the full experience.

CONCLUSION:

We loved Bergen. It was the perfect size, compact but with lots for us and the boys to do. I would highly recommend it as destination for families with neurodivergent / autistic / adhd children. If you are thinking about visiting keep an eye on the Norwegian Airlines website - they often have flash sales and Bergen is an obvious destination. 

If you self-cater and limit your cafe visits then we found Bergen to be reasonably affordable for us a family. 

Our BERGEN DESTINATION GUIDE FOR AUTISTIC FAMILIES is now available!