Having rejected the dried whale toast (admittedly its unappetising appearance partly swayed my decision) and a moose burger (almost tempted but not quite), in the end I opted for a crabmeat sandwich.

Eaten al fresco overlooking Bergen's busy harbour and accompanied by a Norwegian beer, it was delicious only to be outdone later by a freshly-made fishcake followed by a spicy shilling bun bought at the monthly farmer's market.

This charming and compact city, which promotes itself as the gateway to the fjords and is surrounded by forests and seven mountains, has evolved around its busy harbour. Certainly, Inverness could perhaps learn from Bergen on how to capitalise on its waterfront.

Not only is Bergen itself designated a World Heritage City, the oldest part, Bryggen, is also on Unesco's World Heritage List. Located alongside the wharf, it is a labrynthine quarter of wooden buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. Although Bryggen was destroyed by fire on several occasions in past centuries and the whole city was reduced to ashes in the great fire of 1702, this quarter was re-built. With a warren of narrow alleyways and overhanging balaconies evoking a bygone era, today it is home to a range of shops, galleries and restaurants.

To get a panoramic view of the city and beyond, a seven-minute journey by funicular takes passengers — including city commuters — from the centre to the top of Mount Floyen. From here, there is the option of returning by the same mode of travel or meandering back down the woodland paths and cobbled roads while the more energetic can use it as a starting point to head away from the city into the lake and mountain country.

Another novel mode of transport and a great way of seeing the sights is to take a trip on the Bergen Express, a brightly-coloured minature "train" which trundles along the cobbled streets. Throughout the 55-minute long tour with a recorded running commentary, the historic links between Norway and Scotland become evident.

Hakon's Hall, for example, the largest and most imposing of the royal residences in the 13th century — when Bergen was the political centre of Norway — was built by King Hakon who is thought to have assembled his fleet of longships off Skye in 1263, resulting in the name Kyleakin (Haakon's Kyle).

Unfortunately, on the day of our visit, the hall was closed for a degree-conferring ceremony by Bergen University and instead we had to settle for a tour of the nearby Rozenkrantz Tower built by Scottish stonemasons and stonecutters in the 16th century to resemble the Scottish fortified houses of the time.

Bergen is not short on culture and history with museums dedicated to all kinds of subjects from leprosy to Norwegian knitting while it can also boast connections with composer Edvard Greig, dramatist Henrik Ibsen and also an extensive collection of paintings by Edvard Munch. Not surprisingly, it was designated a European City of Culture in 2000.

Eight years on, the Norwegian port city of Stavanger is sharing the title European Capital of Culture for 2008 with Liverpool. Bizarrely, despite being south of Bergen, there was no direct flight so we flew to Sandjeford, on the south-east of Norway, for an overnight stay (but unfortunately no time to explore further) before flying back to the west coast for a whistle-stop tour of Stavanger.

Like Bergen, Stavanger's old town, with its narrow cobbled streets and elegant and well-maintained timber buildings, radiates outwards from the harbour. The unlikely-sounding Canning Museum recreates an early 20th century sardine factory, an industry upon which Stavagner built its wealth.

But it was the discovery of oil and gas plus shrewd foresight by city leaders during the 1970s which ensured prosperty for the city which today has virtually no unemployment.

While Stavanger regards itself very much as a place for business, this year, it has the added dimension of showing off its cultural side under the guidance of Highlands-born Mary Miller, director of Stavanger 2008.

Bergen has an impressive array of attractive wooden buildings — some of them dating back to the Middle Ages. Jens Henrik Nybo/Innovation Norway

With a budget of 300 million Norwegian krone — of which 100 million krone is raised by the city and other local authorities, 100 million from the Norwegian state and 100 million from other sponsors — it is staging a varied and imaginative programme of events and newly-created features.

The innovative Geo-Park project, for example, beside the Norwegian Petroleum Museum (housed in an eye-catching building this is also well worth a visit, despite its name) is a venue for skating, dancing, graffiti and beach volleyball as well as festivals and exhibitions.

Designed with the involvement of local youngsters, one of the most popular features is the bouncy area created using salvaged buoys from the North Sea.

The World of Sound project, on the other hand, features a series of hand-crafted benches at various locations around the city where people can plug in earphones to listen to specially-commissioned music and sounds reflecting the surroundings.

Although the year-long programme will soon draw to a close, both residents and visitors will still enjoy its legacy for years to come and certainly along with Bergen is well worth a visit.

A word of caution, however — Norway is not a cheap destination, particularly when it comes to the price of food and drink. Two glasses of beer, for example, came to more than £12 while main courses at middle-of-the-road restaurants appeared to be between £20 and £30. It is perhaps an idea to save up before making the trip.

Travel Facts

Val Sweeney flew to Norway with the Norwegian airline, Widerøe. Widerøe serves 36 destinations throughout Norway, all of which can be reached using the airline's great value Explore Norway ticket, which this year cost £251, £315 or £370 for one, two or all three zones respectively (child discount of 33 per cent).

The ticket will be available again next summer, although exact prices may vary. Connecting flights from three UK cities — Aberdeen (to Stavanger and Bergen), Edinburgh (to Bergen, summer only) and Newcastle (to Stavanger) — are free to Explore Norway ticket holders and the ticket will be available from approximately 23rd June to 26th August, 2009. Watch the website for exact details.

Val stayed at the Rica Park Hotels in Bergen and Sandefjord. Rica Hotels is Norway's leading locally-based hotel chain, with 90 quality hotels throughout Norway and Sweden. For further details visit www.rica-hotels.com

v.sweeney@inverness-courier.co.uk 

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