Good to Know

Norwegians can be shy creatures! Don’t get offended if they don’t talk a lot on public transport or if they keep it short. This is normal! Do not fear to ask them questions though, as Norwegians are usually friendly creatures who would love to lend someone a helping hand
Most Norwegians speak good English as they learn English from first grade at school. It’s not normal to dub movies to Norwegian, unless it’s childrens movies, so Norwegians watch a lot of English on TV and in movies. If you understand English, you can therefore definitely find some movies to watch at a nearby cinema! A great activity for a grey and rainy day?
The tap water in Bergen is perfectly safe to drink, and most people prefer it instead of buying bottled water. As bottled water isn’t a real necessity, it is usually a bit more expensive than in other European countries.

Bergen is one of the places in Norway where it rains the most in a year. But don’t let that stop you from booking your trip. Just come prepared – just like the awesome people of Bergen always do with an umbrella in their bag! Pack your raincoat – or plan to buy one while you are there! Walking around with an umbrella is so common that a lot of restaurants and cafés even have an umbrella stand inside.
Most museums and attractions have websites where you can buy tickets in advance. During the tourist season this may be a smart move to be able to skip some ques.
In Norway our electrical sockets are of the Schuko(CEE 7/3) type, outputting 230 V, 50hz. Depending on your country of origin, you may need to bring an adapter/converter for your electrical appliances.

Our currency Norwegian kroner(NOK) consists of bills 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000, and coins in the value of 1, 5, 10 and 20 kroner.
In Norway you mainly pay with a debit or credit card, but most shops still use cash. There are ATMs spread around town in malls etc. where you can withdraw NOK (Norwegian kroner)
If you have foreign currency you can exchange it at Mathallen and Forex Bank.
In Bergen most shops and malls are closed on Sundays. Most restaurants, bars, cafés and museums are still open, but remember to stack up on some late night snacks from the grocery store the day before if you want to avoid buying expensive 7/11 food when you feel like snacking a late Sunday evening.

Most bars have a 20 year old age limit, but a few have 18. If you are unsure about the age limit to the bar you want to visit, it is a good idea to do a quick Google search beforehand.
Be sure to have a ticket if you are using the bus/boats/Bybanen before you enter the vehicle. Securitas has ticket controls regularly and if you don’t have a ticket you will get a fine of 1150 NOK.
The easiest way to find public toilets is to use the shopping malls, cafés etc. around town. Map of public toilets.
Even though most public transport and shops have wheelchair access. Wheelmap.org is a great resource to be sure.

In Norway, the age limit for buying alcohol is 18.
You can buy alcohol up to 4,7% at grocery stores. Any alcohol with a higher alcohol percentage has to be bought at Vinmonopolet.
The sale of alcoholic beverages in Bergen is heavily regulated. Which means you can only buy alcoholic beverages between 2.5 and 4.7% ABV in grocery stores mon-fri 08.00- 20.00. And Saturdays 08.00-18.00. The stores that are open on Sundays do not sell alcoholic beverages above 2.5% ABV.