Bergen is not an early rising type of city. A quick search to confirm the opening hours of our list of must visit coffee shops quickly made this evident; nothing opens until 10, even 11 am. But we did find one spot which not only opens early but also serves a good breakfast and was recommended by a few locals as the place to go. Perfect.

There are a few locations of Godt Brod but we choose the one closest to where we were staying, just a few steps away from the entrance to the Funicular. The place was empty when we arrived, so we had the full selection of tables and chairs outside for ourselves. Something else became very apparent to us about Norway. Early morning is the absolute worst time to make your way up the Funicular, especially if a cruise ship in port. When we had gone up the evening before we didn’t have to wait at all. Instead this morning there must have been over 100 people waiting in line, mostly large groups freshly disembarked from the two cruise ships that had arrived at port that morning. They all eyed our food and drinks jealously but of course couldn’t leave their groups.

As with almost everywhere in Bergen, we had a great view up the steep hill covered with multicoloured houses. It was another beautiful sunny day, very unusual for Bergen which, in 2004 had the record for the most number of rainy days in a row in a year (98!).

Godt Brod stands for good bread and everything we had there was incredible. They use, and have only ever used, all organic ingredients and baked fresh since they opened. They pride themselves on being knowledgeable bakers and you can even contact their bakers via their website to ask your own baking questions. We had a raisin bun and another bun filled with vanilla custard and blueberries. They have a sandwich bar where you can build you own sandwich, and these are so good. In terms of hot chocolate you have a choice of light or dark but I’d recommend the dark. In Norway they put a lot of milk in their hot chocolate (and seem to all serve them in tall glasses which means you need to drink them quickly and they aren’t very rich). The dark chocolate option was just a bit more chocolaty, as would be expected, and was quite pleasant.

After breakfast you have the day ahead of you to explore the city! Bergen is such an underrated city and beautiful to walk around in and get lost in the lane ways. It is however pretty much impossible to get lost because at some point you will always see the water and then know exactly where you are. From here you are just 100 metres away from Bergen’s Fish Market where you can buy a large selection of fresh fish and get it grilled or fried and served to you right there on the spot, with plenty of tables right next to the water to enjoy it on (expensive but enjoyable). It doesn’t seem to me that this is where the locals buy their fish, too expensive and lots of specialty items that seem to be geared towards the tourist like whale meat and caviar, but it makes for a nice, albeit short, walk through the market.

Verdict: We are going back for breakfast and hot chocolate tomorrow. Very good and several locations around the city. Godt Brod, Bergen, Norway

The post Breakfast, a Hot Chocolate at Godt Brod, and a Walk Around the Fish Market, Bergen, Norway appeared first on Ultimate Hot Chocolate.

Bergen must be the most underrated city in Europe. They advertise themselves as the being the gateway to the fjords, but they are so much more than that. Bergen is easily one of my favourite cities in Europe. It doesn’t necessarily compare to any of the big cities, Copenhagen, Paris or London, but it just so charming and gorgeous and overall makes for a really relaxing trip. One comes here, hopefully on a sunny day, to just wonder around the streets for hours, stopped every once in a while to sit on a terrace and enjoy the views.

If you do come, leave your fancy, high heeled shoes at home. This is the land of flats because if you are walking anywhere it will be either up or down a steep hill on cobblestone roads. We chose to spend today exploring the hill to the south of the historic district, getting lost among the colourful 18^th century homes and their tiny well kept gardens. The hills don’t seem nearly as much work as they are because there is always something interesting to see, little details, another colourful house, another interesting looking alleyway.

The good news is that quite often you can stop and treat yourself to food or cakes to give you the energy to continue on with your journey. Just as the clock struck noon today we happen to stumble upon our lunch stop right on the top of the hill at a place called Klosterret. Klosterret has a very colourful terrace outside where you have views of the funicular going up and down Mount Floyen. You are surrounded by Bergen’s characteristic houses. Most importantly Klosterret claims to have the best fish soup in Bergen…and they do. They had the best fish soup I think I have ever had. It was so good and I highly recommend it.

The hot chocolate was very sweet, too sweet for my liking. But they also have a range of attractive looking cakes and there is more on the menu, made fresh on the premises, than just fish soup (although I wouldn’t look any further really). The staff/owner are incredibly friendly and it really felt like I was a local for an hour and this was my local spot for a nice quick lunch.

From here you are just a few blocks from the Bergen Aquarium which used to house the oldest captive penguin in the world (29 years old) but today still has several dozen penguins you can see up close. You can also walk around to the back of the Aquarium through a beautiful green park that brings you down to the water for incredible views.

Verdict: They do have the best fish soup in town, and probably the most colourful terrace. Klosterret, Klosterret 16, Bergen, Norway

The post Walking up and down the Hills of Bergen and a Hot Chocolate at Klosterret, Bergen, Norway appeared first on Ultimate Hot Chocolate.

If you can see the top of Mount Floyen, then it is worth taking the funicular up to the top. An impressive train with glass windows and roof to be able to enjoy the view from all angles takes only 5 minutes to climb the steep mountain side. It has been taking tourists and locals alike up the hill since 1918. Once you reach the top you get the most stunning views of Bergen.

Once you have finished taking in the view you have lots of options. Norwegians and especially Bergenites are very active and you will see the locals wearing their hiking boots walking around the dozens of different trails that criss cross the mountain and also make their way back down the hill to the city center (about a 45 minute walk). If you aren’t feeling that active, just walking around the top of the hill will provide some other points of interest. Two different areas are filled with trolls. In one area they are more obvious but the other you need to go find them and they like to hide. There is a family of 5 sheep that roam free, two of which wear noisy bells, walking around eating the grass and providing more distractions. There is also a restaurant with a nice terrace at the top but they only seem to serve beer and a small selection of food just during lunch.

But if you are looking for a coffee or of course a hot chocolate, I’d recommend visiting Lille Kaffe Kompaniet that’s just one flight of stairs up the hill from the Funicular building. at the bottom of Mount Floyen, either just before you go up or right after you get down (It’s open late). I love Lille Kaffe Kompaniet. They are what all little coffee shops should be; attentive, passionate about what they do, have a fantastic and charming atmosphere, busy enough that you are not alone but not so busy that you can never get a seat. We sat outside because of the gorgeous weather. On one side is one of Bergen’s traditional narrow, cobblestoned streets lined with old white wooden 3 story houses with window boxes full of colourful flowers. On the other is the steep and windy road that goes from the Furnicular right at the bottom all the way up to the top of the hill. A steady stream of locals made their way up and down the hill while we were there, as it is one of the main walkways to get to the different levels of houses all along the hill side. Today there were two dogs on either side of the terrace, taking turns going from staring at each other and barking, and then staring at their owner’s cake and barking.

And they were right to bark because although Lille Kaffe Kompaniet is actually known for its coffee, they have the most amazing carrot cake. I have never had a carrot cake as good as theirs. It is decadent and mouthwatering without being overly sweet or heavy. I’ve had two pieces, one while sitting there and one I took away in a plastic cup. It is that good. The hot chocolate is really good too. They use 70% Valhrona chocolate melted in milk and served in a tall glass. You also have the choice of adding a hint of chili pepper to give it an extra kick, which I did, and loved.

Not surprisingly the coffee is amazing here too. This coffee shop was opened in 1996 by four university students who used their student loans to start the company. Since then it has changed ownership quite a few time with baristas and regulars joining in as owners which has kept it feeling like a family business. They usually have up to 25 different coffees in stock and several offered every day from around the world as well as local coffee roasters in Norway including the Bergen Coffee Roastery started by an ex owner of the coffee shop.

Verdict: My favourite spot in Bergen. Lille Kaffe Kompaniet, Bergen, Norway

The post How to spend an afternoon at the top of Mount Floyen and a Hot Chocolate at Lille Kaffe Kompaniet, Bergen, Norway appeared first on Ultimate Hot Chocolate.

When a place has UNESCO World Heritage status you know that it is going to be interesting and stunning, and Bryggen really is both of those things. Bryggen is the name of the old wharf of Bergen, one of the oldest port cities in North Europe. The port area was, and still is, filled with traditional wooden houses organized in long narrow rows and painted a multitude of bright colours; reds, oranges, green, etc. Over the years several fires, including the last one in 1955, ravaged the characteristic houses but they have since been rebuilt traditionally following old patterns and methods. Today there are some 62 buildings in this area. The best way to visit is to start at one end and walk back and forth up and down the narrow alleyways through the houses to get a full feel for the neighborhood. Although there were a lot of people walking around the neighborhood, we found that there were a lot less actually walking through the alleyways so you easily feel transported into another time.

Throughout the alleyways there are a range of stores selling Norwegian arts, woolen clothing, and jewelry. They are of course aimed at tourists but are surprisingly untouristy and we found quite a few things that we could have easily bought…or actually did buy which isn’t usual for us. One store sells humorous hand made illustrations including removable wall stickers with these illustrations. There are also a range of really fun design stores just across the street including my favourites Ting and Lil Ting (for kids).

But right in the middle of the area is Bastant Bryggen, a tiny little coffee shop with several tables inside and a range of seats outside, recommended if you can grab one so you can sit and admire the surroundings. Bastant is a growing brand in Bergen, started in 2011 by Jo, a bartender, and Morten, a trained chef. Their other location just a few blocks away has an alcohol license and is open late serving a range of very good and reasonably priced food accompanied by a range of local beers. This location is mostly about coffee and cake.

I had read amazing things about their hot chocolate. Unfortunately, it really was nothing special. I suspect since we arrived at 5pm right when they were closing that maybe I got the short end of the straw. It was mostly milk, but still pleasant and gave us the perfect excuse to sit and enjoy the area. We had a traditional cake that looks like a giant truffle but is a lot less decadent and more enjoyable made from chocolate, marzipan and nuts. So good and highly recommended.

Verdict: A great spot to really immerse yourself into the world of Bryggen. Bastant Bryggen, Jacobsfjorden 4, Bergen, Norway

The post A Walk Around UNESCO World Heritage Bryggen and a Hot Chocolate at Bastant Bryggen, Bergen, Norway appeared first on Ultimate Hot Chocolate.