10 Best Places to Go Shopping in Bergen

From Bergen Storsenter you can reach a big car park, train station and bus station - all under the same roof. The light rail stop is also close enough for you not to need an umbrella even in torrential rain. Its central location close to a wide range of transport has always made this shopping centre a convenient place to pick up goods on the move. So it's no surprise that the street level is defined by grocery stores and restaurants.

Perhaps it is also no coincidence that there is a suitcase and bag store located in the heart of the centre. Gradual additions to the building have made it a little confusing, but this in turn has increased the variety of goods on offer, with many different types of stores represented here.

In its time, Strandgaten was the most important shopping street in Bergen, and Kløverhuset - Norway's oldest department store - dominated with its central address and comprehensive selection of departments. Times have changed, and competition for customers has become fierce, but Kløverhuset is still high on the list for city shoppers, especially those who are interested in clothes with a certain exclusivity.

Despite the fact that there is an entrance from both Strandgaten and Strandkaien by Vågen, Kløverhuset is not a typical place you happen to pass by, so the crowds are not noticeable even though the premises are fairly small by current standards.

All the districts in Bergen have over time gained a large shopping centre, but Lagunen has always been at the forefront, both in terms of speed of growth and size. The centre is located in the Fana district, which is the city's largest in size and spending power, and this is reflected in the wide variety of shops here. The location at the main thoroughfare south of Bergen is practical and has led to space-demanding distributors establishing themselves here.

Add city rail stops and new developments, including better parking, and there's no danger of Lagunen losing its position as the best shopping centre for miles around. Every imaginable product is sold here, although clothing is without a doubt the most important segment, and fashion lovers can easily plan to spend the whole day.

Sartor Storsenter, based in the town of Straume west of Bergen, was for a long time a bit of a backwater and attracted mainly people from the islands in the west. However, ambitious efforts have raised its profile and selection of goods on offer, and now many shopaholic visitors also come here from the mainland - which means Sartor is a backwater no more.

The shopping doesn't differ much from other shopping centres, but with a cinema, bowling alley, go-karting and other leisure activities in the immediate vicinity, it is obvious that this is more than just a place to shop for essentials. The plan is to set up a proper town in the area. And with Sartor Storsenter, the shopping facilities are already in place.

With an entrance at each of its four corners, Galleriet is a welcoming place, and many are tempted to take the shortcut through it when the weather turns bleak. It's easy to get side-tracked here, and there is something for all age groups. Old men have taken over the benches outside the city's venerable tobacco shop, young people stop here for a quick bite to eat, and families with children enjoy themselves in the spacious café on the top floors and in the toy store and in the pet store.

Galleriet consists of five old apartment buildings that have been merged into one, yet manages to feel like one whole building with floors of shops around the pretty inner courtyard. The focus is mainly on fashion, but with interior design taking over the top floors.

The Xhibition shopping centre is the city's former main post office, which around the turn of the millennium became redundant after half a century in the postal service. It was no surprise that this green-clad building became a shopping centre, because the plot is about as central as you can get in Bergen.

As the city centre's latest shopping centre and building of a certain size, Xhibition stands out with relatively large retailers and spacious common areas. The result is a pleasant, stress-free shopping experience. The main focus is fashion, sportwear and interiors. The location couldn't be better, and Xhibition has become a firm favourite among shoppers in central Bergen.

The name Telegrafen says it all. This small, pleasant shopping centre has occupied an old building that was left behind when the communications sector was modernised. The building is listed and has therefore barely changes since its role as the national telegraph building.

And that's a good thing because the elegant British feel of this place with its brick and marble interiors suits the fashion shops that take up most of the space here. The shops circle a cosy café, from where you can admire the old frescoes on the walls. The central location makes it easy to get to and from, and the elegant, pleasant atmosphere feels warm and inviting.

Today, the most striking thing about Sundt department store is probably the building itself, which is a listed functionalist masterpiece in Norwegian architectural history. Sundt used to be the model department store in Bergen. And it's been a while now since this model was elbowed out the way by the shopping mall concept with its multiple retailers under one roof.

And yet, because the interior, just like the rest of the building, is listed, Sundt still feels like one big store. You get a sense of the former department stores of the past here, despite the fact that the centre now houses a collection of independent stores just like the other shopping centres. Clothes and fashion for women are the most important segment, where the extensive selection of cosmetics at street level has been preserved.

The shopping centres in the districts stand out for their convenience, especially for families: good parking facilities and clean, spacious amenities such as changing rooms, toilets and playrooms. Horisont in the Åsane district north of Bergen city centre is exemplary in this respect, with modern conditions and plenty of parking both indoors and out.

The store selection doesn't differ significantly from any other similar centre, but the pleasant surroundings make people like to shop here. The areas are well organised with no bottlenecks, making it easy to move around and with very little congestion even on busy shopping days.

Åsane Storsenter is the result of the merger of two older shopping centres, and the floor plan bears testament to this. But what for some is a confusing maze, for others is an exciting cornucopia of shops. Åsane Storsenter is owned by the same large national property company that owns several of the other district shopping centres in Bergen.

The downside to this is that the individual centres can lack a local identity. However, this also means that the standard of the facilities is generally very high. And Åsane Storsenter is no exception here. In short, you'll find everything you want and need here under one roof.