Brilliant Bergen is beset by the colossal, sheer-cut Hardangerfjord and Sognefjord, and shrouded by the mythical mountaintops of the Bergenshalvoyen Peninsular and Hordaland—where creaking glaciers metamorphose on soaring summits and the vast moorlands of Hardangervidda throw up galloping herds of reindeer and ancient, otherworldly monoliths.

The city’s setting is a fine introduction too, because there are few places in Europe as alluring as Bergen. Tour guides are quick to nod to its legendary Viking past, which once made it an epicentre of trade on the North Sea. The city’s resident students however prefer to ensnare visitors in a throbbing party scene; one part white night hedonism, one part subterranean vodka bar, finished off with a dash to the clubs of Nygardshoyden and Mohlenpris (the town’s university district). Visitors are never too far from lovely architecture here either, whether wandering between the ochre, bisque and timber homes of UNESCO-attested Bryggen, the stoic walls of the Bergenhus fortress, or the cottages that cling to the side of Skansen hill. Then there are the festivals and gigs, from Nattjazz to honorary shows by Norway’s own Röyksopp; and an unbridled cultural offering, found lingering between the Bergen Art Museum, the Hanseatic Museum and the wooden homes of historic Gamle Bergen.