Beautiful Bergen

Bergen is "one of the world's great harbour cities", says Simon Calder in the Independent.

Its natural surroundings are spectacular: it nestles between seven mountain peaks on the west coast of Norway and acts as a gateway to the region's magnificent fjords.

Its history is illustrious: it was "the Hanseatic hub of trade for all of Scandinavia for more than 400 years".

Its medieval heart, Bryggen, is a charming warren of cobbled streets, churches and old merchants' houses.

There are plenty of good designer shops and restaurants and some fine galleries in the city, but one "treat" in particular stands out: the "beautiful" seaside villa of Troldhaugen, where the composer Edvard Grieg spent all his summers.

SAS (08715-212772) flies to Bergen from Gatwick, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.