“Bergen is a picturesque, ancient city, the second biggest in Norway. It’s on the southwestern coast, a seven-hour drive from the capital, Oslo — should you topple into the glacial North Sea, the next landmass you’d hit as you drifted west would be the Shetland Islands. Known as the “gateway to the fjords”, it’s surrounded by seven mountains (like Sheffield, only snowier and more dramatic). It’s heaven for outdoor types — you can take the funicular up Mount Floyen or the cable car up Mount Ulriken and soak up the panoramas of the city, the Unesco-listed Bryggen wharf and distant islands. There’s also a lively music scene — Kings of Convenience and Röyksopp were both formed in the city, and the composer Edvard Grieg was born there. The highbrow Bergen International Festival is a big draw”. (Zoe Dare Hall, The Sunday Times)