Going on a trip to Bergen or Stavanger

I don't know why you'd want to leave the charming city of Haugesund but if you do I would definitely recommend Bergen over Stavanger.

Stavanger is obviously closer but Bergen has much more to offer. When I went to Stavanger during the summer the city was empty and had no atmosphere whatsoever. And, I had to go to five places to find some vegetarian food. So I have no desire to ever go back.

I like Bergen, it's nice to walk around and take the funicular up Fløyen. There are also lots of nice places to ear. Apart from the city itself, the main attraction seems to be the aquarium. Which is actually better than it sounds. It's also a bigger city than Stavanger so has a bit more going on.

That's my opinion anyway. Although I know other people who think much the same. Let us know what you decide and where you end up.

David

Bergen is the most visited city in Norway (take that, Oslo).  There is an aquarium, ferincular railway, tram museum, the historic and beautiful hanseatic quarter, a busy fishmarket, a rich theatre scene, and Edvard Grieg's birthplace is a short bus ride away.  There are lots of pubs, and recently a strip joint opened it's legs.

The Bergen YMCA hostel is right in the city center and is quite cheap (http://www.bergenhostel.com/).  Bergen Travel Hotel has similar rates on the weekend, and you know, is an actual hotel (http://www.hotelbergen.com/).

Good places to go out to in Bergen include Café Opera, Biskopen, and Naboen (the have their own micro-brew).  To eat, I would recommend Mr Chan's (excellent atmosphere, good prices), Zupperia (good prices, good food, serving staff don't speak Norwegian), Nama (try the whale, shark, or flying fish), Cyclo (well-priced Vietnamese foods; take-away is best value).

I don't know much about Stavanger, but I have a family friend who works in the oil industry who was in Bergen for a year before moving out to Stavanger, and he says he prefers Bergen.

Ik ben zeker dat Bergen niet perfect is, maar ik kan niet klagen.

Bergen has a lot more charm, but a lot of stuff is shut down in the winter, or much muted.

Stavanger is a very worldy kind of city, so it loses a lot of the tourist appeal. Also, very expensive, even for norway.

That's my two cents.

It lookes like it will be Bergen we will be visiting.
I think it has more charme and there are more things to do.
What is so special about this aquarium? It seems like it's very known.
We were planning on going in February but it seems we can better wait for the summer?

Thank you for the info.
Tom

I think the aquarium's main attraction is the crocodile/alligator section.  A few of the small ones have escaped a few times, giving the place quite a reputation.  But, they have penguins, dangerous spiders, and a "touch tank".  There's also a 3D cinema in the basement.

As for February vs Summer, it depends very much on what you can tolerate, or what you value more.  In the summer, the town gets extremely busy, and you can't move on the fish market for people.  On the other hand, in February, there are fewer stalls.  The "fixed" attractions are all still there, open, and less crowded.