I flick a switch and the peripheries of the viewfinder blur, supposedly to produce a quaint, almost toytown appearance.

I am looking at the crooked wooden buildings of Bryggen in Bergen, but breaking from the photo session to simply admire the ramshackle row of old warehouses, I realise I needn’t have bothered with the digital trickery.

The warped, narrow passages, shadowed by overhanging galleries and jutting window frames, resonate with the history of shipping merchants and chaotic docks, particularly when the wind whips up the sea water and the old creaking timber frames seem to absorb and emit that salty tang. It exudes more character than any photo manipulation could produce.

It must have been quite a sight to see the 1,200 young Germans merchants who called the Bryggen home hard at work. When building Bergen, the Norwegians decided to compartmentalise foreigners into different sections of the city for fear of cross-pollination.

The Bryggen was formed by the Hanseatic traders who had come to the city in the 13th century to profit from the huge fish industry. They would be fined a barrel of beer if they fraternised with the local Norwegian women. Despite this deterrent, many settled and stayed, making the Bryggen their home.

While a delightful destination in its own right, Bergen also acts as a gateway to the southern fjords. There are various operators but we travelled with Norway In A Nutshell, which take you from Bergen via the Flåm Railway to the fjords and back again.

It’s a mark of the glorious countryside that the view on the connecting commuter train from Bergen to Flåm was suitably spectacular, but served simply as an appetiser before the visual feast of the renowned Flåm railway.

The railway was opened in 1940 and descends a staggering 863m, cutting through the mountains and winding past waterfalls and small villages perched on the waterside. Such is the steepness of the tracks, the engine is equipped with four separate braking systems.

The Argus:

The small village of Flåm has sadly succumbed somewhat to the tourist trap. Stepping off at the station, a colossal cruise ship met our eyes, and shielded half of the view out into the fjord. As the starting point of most fjord tours, the town is also full of shops offering the usual tourist wares and one is a little gem – the Flåmsbryggen micro-brewery.

A range of craft beers are available, from stouts to golden ales, which offer a lubricating respite from the tourist bustle beyond.

Of course this is all just a preamble before boarding the boat and gently heading out into Aurlandsfjord.

Waterfalls cascade from sheer cliffs with stubborn trees clinging on. Even more impressive are the small settlements dotted about the foot of the hills. These include several old churches, as well as some buildings that seem impossible – from construction to any accessibility. And yet those looking to really get away from it all head here in the summer to be helicoptered in and left to their own devices, with only the fjord below for escape.

To the west of Aurlandsfjord is the UNESCO World Heritage-registered Næroyfjord, so named due to the corridor-like narrowness of the natural phenomenon. A bonus of its constricted form is that cruise ships cannot enter the shallow waters, meaning no vast vessels obscuring the view.

Like peeling layers of a physalis to reach the fruit within, the deeper into the fjord we travelled, the more we were rewarded. The sheerness of the slopes, which reach more than 5,500ft each side, combined with the slender shape – at times just 300m wide – makes it feel like Gulliver suddenly transported into the land of giants in Brobdingnag.

Bergen and the fjords are as stunning from above as they are from ground level.

The city’s Fløibanen funicular railway allows for great views across the whole city. The viewing platform atop Mount Fløyen allows for admiration of the harbour, with ferries, cruise ships and tankers perpetually docking and departing; the mountains that hug Bergen in their embrace; and the fjords beyond.

The Argus:

Away from the centre of town, adventurers can head to Nordnesparken’s open-air swimming pool which has existed since 1910. It includes a rather high diving platform into the sea – a bracing wake-up call.

The walk there takes you through some of the quiet back streets and over the cobbled streets which wind their way down to the docks. In between the slanted roofs you can still see the water which made the city so important to its founders. But here, old warehouses and dockyards have been converted to modern flats and arts venues such as USF Verftet, where the annual Jazz Festival is held.

For all the many superlatives that could be applied to the trip, there was a very large elephant in the room – the cost.

A rich source of oil and gas has left the country very wealthy, which is reflected in the price of pretty much everything.

While Easyjet’s opening of the route means finding a bargain flight is more likely, once you arrive bargains will be hard to find.

Beers are about £8 and wine £40 a bottle. Our taxi from the rail station to our hotel cost as much as you’d expect to pay for a journey three times the distance.

But you do get clean streets, an extraordinarily safe feel to the city and a great transport system for your money.

  • Peter Truman travelled on Easyjet’s new route from London Gatwick to Bergen. A two-night break at the four-star Radisson Blu Royal hotel departing from London Gatwick on 6 June and staying on bed and breakfast basis costs £273 per person. Visit www.easyjet.com