Bergen - Norway - page 256

waiver. Of course, rates are subject to change. The lowest rates are almost always
offered to those who reserve their cars from their home country before they leave.
Remember that Norway imposes severe penalties—including stiff fines and,
in some cases, imprisonment—on anyone who drinks and drives.
BY FERRY
You can take a ferry across the harbor Monday to Friday from 7am to 4:15pm;
they don't run on Saturday or Sunday. One-way fares are 12NOK ($1.70) for
adults, and 6NOK ($.85) for children. Ferries arrive and depart from either side
of the harbor at Dreggekaien and Munkebryggen. For information, call & 55-
55-20-00.
BY COASTAL STEAMER
Bergen is the cruise capital of Norway, home to a flotilla of well-engineered ships
that carry passengers, cars, and vast amounts of freight up and down the coast.
At least 10 of the boats begin and end their itineraries in Bergen and make about
30 stops en route before landing 5 to 6 days later at Kirkenes, far north of the
Arctic Circle, near the Russian border. You can book a berth on any one of these
ships for short- or long-haul transits, and do a quick bit of sightseeing while the
ship docks in various ports.
Depending on the season and the category of berth you select, a full 12-day
round-trip excursion from Bergen to Kirkenes and back costs $1,243 to $3,059
per person, double occupancy. It's best to book these cruises through the New
York City office of the Bergen Line ( & 800/323-7436 or 212/319-1300). The
line owns some of the ships and acts as a sales agent for the others. If you're
already in Norway, talk to any travel agent. You can make arrangements through
Bergen-based Cruise Spesialisten, Lillemarkev 1-3 ( & 55-23-07-90 ). It has
brochures and lots of information concerning the crop of newly built Norwe-
gian cruise ships. They include Lofoten (1995); Narvik (1995); Nord Norge
(launched in 1997); Polarys (1996); Nordkapp (1996); Trollfjord (2002); Fin-
marken (2002); and Midnatt Sol (2003).
Other routes head south from Bergen to Stavanger and other ports, and tours
go to some of the fjords to the south. For information and reservations, contact
the Bergen Line, Cruise Spesialisten (see above), or a local operator. They
include Flaggruten ( & 55-23-87-80 ), and H.S.D. ( & 55-23-87-00 ). The
firms share offices at P.O. Box 2005, Nordnes, N-5024 Bergen. Faster than
many hydrofoils, they go to the inner reaches of the world's longest fjord, the
Sognefjord. They stop frequently en route to pick up cargo and passengers, and
are worthy vehicles for sightseeing expeditions. Many of them dock at Bergen's
inner harbor, near the Stradkaiterminalen.
FAST FACTS: Bergen
Area Code The country code for Norway is 47. If you're calling from out-
side the country, the city code for Bergen is 5. Inside Norway, no area or
city codes are needed. Phone numbers have eight digits.
Banking Bergen has dozens of banks. The most visible is Den Norske
Bank, Torg Almenning 2 ( & 55-21-10-00 ). Branches of many of its com-
petitors can be found near the Radisson SAS Hotel Norge, on Rådstuplass.