Norway Knitting Retreat with Bergen Knit Fest

With our flight-inclusive package, meet Anna and your Tour Manager at a London airport for your flight to Bergen. Upon arrival, meet our driver who will transfer us to our hotel.

If you have booked our join direct package, meet us at the hotel in Bergen.

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and is surrounded by mountains, hence its name ‘City of Seven Mountains’. It was also the largest city in Norway until the 1830s when it was overtaken by the capital, Christiania (now known as Oslo). What remains of the quays, Bryggen, is now a World Heritage Site. This afternoon we will enjoy a walking tour of this incredible city with a local guide.

The first stop on our excursion today is the Hillesvåg Wool Spinning Mill. This family-owned mill was founded in 1898 and has been in the same family for four generations, making it one of Norway’s most long-established wool and yarn producers. Our guided tour will take us through the entire process, from when the wool enters the mill to the finished product. The shop offers yarn for hand and machine knitting, hand weaving and crochet, and carded wool for felt making.

Continue to the Museum of Norwegian Knitting Industry for a light lunch. Through our guided tour of the former Salhaus Knitting Factory (1858 –1989), we will learn about the history and importance of the textile industry in Norway.

Enjoy a full-day workshop with Anna at the hotel.

Taking place at the Museum of Norwegian Knitting Industry, Bergen Knit Fest has been running since 2016. We will find the historical factory premises filled with workshops, talks and a large yarn market with local independent vendors selling yarn and other knitting accessories.

Please Note: your ticket includes entrance to the festival, as well as the market and knitting lounge. If you would like to take part in any workshops, you will need to book these separately.

Today we include another full-day workshop with Anna at the hotel.

Our excursion today takes us first to Osteroy, an inland island surrounded by beautiful fjords. The island has a strong history of craftsmanship that is still alive today. Our guided tour of the open-air museum, which has a focus on preserving traditional crafts, will take us around the 17th-century buildings and introduce us to some of the crafts and costumes. After some lunch here, we continue to Norlender Knitwear.

Norlender Knitwear`s story goes back to 1927, when the founder, Ola Tveiten, bought his first knitting machine. Today, the third generation of the Tveiten family have one of the few remaining textile factories in Norway, making garments from Norwegian wool using yarns spun in Norway. We’ll visit the factory for their Factory by the Fjords tour, seeing how the knitwear is manufactured and visiting the factory shop.