Oslo to Bergen "Norway in a Nutshell?"

[stephenson]

Hi All,

Last bit of planning for Viking cruise - we're all set for DFW to FAO, and ARN to DFW - but, trying to decide whether to:
1. Fly from Faro to Bergen, or
2. Fly day earlier from Faro to Oslo, spend night in Oslo, then do entire NiN on one day, or
3. Same as 2., above, but spend night in Flam and train into Bergen the following day

1. Is easy but perhaps missing an opportunity?
2. Is a long day, but has lower airline cost from Faro
3. Breaks it up, but has concern about missing stuff in Bergen we were going to do the day prior to the cruise tours of Bergen

Anyone done this - or has opinion on these options?

Thanks!

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

We did Bergen to Oslo in one day. It seemed fine.

More details: We were in Oslo, and went to Alesund in one day. (8:00 to 15:40). We spent a couple of days in Alesund, then took the Hurtigruten to Bergen. Spent a couple of days in Bergen, then did Bergen -> Flam -> Oslo in one day, with a 2-hour fjord cruise in Flam. (8:45 to 22:35).

I think there is more good stuff to see in Bergen than Flam, so I guess my vote would be for your option #2.

 

[cathy63]

We did Bergen to Oslo in two days and enjoyed it very much. We both thought Flam was worth the overnight. We had a couple of days in Bergen first though and several in Oslo afterwards.

What are you planning to do in Bergen that's not included in the cruise tour? I guess the real question is whether NiN is better than whatever you had planned for Bergen.

 

[shanehus]

Hi All,

Last bit of planning for Viking cruise - we're all set for DFW to FAO, and ARN to DFW - but, trying to decide whether to:
1. Fly from Faro to Bergen, or
2. Fly day earlier from Faro to Oslo, spend night in Oslo, then do entire NiN on one day, or
3. Same as 2., above, but spend night in Flam and train into Bergen the following day

1. Is easy but perhaps missing an opportunity?
2. Is a long day, but has lower airline cost from Faro
3. Breaks it up, but has concern about missing stuff in Bergen we were going to do the day prior to the cruise tours of Bergen

Anyone done this - or has opinion on these options?

Thanks!

Flying a day earlier from Faro to Oslo, spending a night in Oslo, and then doing the entire NiN on one day is a more adventurous option, but also more exhausting in my opinion.

 

[stephenson]

Your thoughts are very helpful ...

I think we've decided to modify #3 above:
- depart Faro as planned and fly to Oslo
- overnight Oslo (have couple hotel resv within five minute walk to Sentral train station)
- train to Flam
- overnight Flåm
- boat, bus and train to Bergen
- late afternoon stumble about Bergen, and check in on ship

Not ideal, but gets us a train ride, a more interesting train ride (Myrdal to Flåm), an afternoon/evening somewhere we would not see (Flåm), a boat ride (and bus) and another train!

Some rationale - we will have a couple of hours in late afternoon for walking about in Bergen, then check in on ship, then the next day is the Bergen tours from the ship ... and, while only one night in Oslo we have a couple days in Oslo on the boat a week later.

Still sound OK?

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Sounds good to me!

 

[stephenson]

All done!

Interestingly, Vy would not accept my Visa or MasterCard - had a note on their checkout saying North Americans should use PayPal - they required 3D Secure.

I use PayPal as a last resort - so, tried Amex - went right through.

https://docs.stripe.com/payments/3d-secure

Seems like good idea, but can I apply it to my Visa and MC?

 

[Zona]

We did the Norway in a Nutshell tour 7 or 8 years ago from Bergen to Oslo. We stopped halfway and stayed in Balestrand for 2 nights so that we could ferry over to Vik to see the Hopperstad stave church. We had it all to ourselves as a tour bus had just left, and there was a wonderful young docent who lived in the town who walked us through the church pointing out all the interesting things we wouldn't notice on our own. There is a beautiful old hotel in Balestrand called the Kviknes -- although we did not stay there we did stop by to have a drink in the bar and look around. In the summer they host a very generous scandinavian dinner buffet.

Then we took a fast ferry over to Flam, stayed one more night and picked up the rest of the Nutshell train from there. We preferred the town of Balestrand to Flam, but if you only have one night for the Sognefjord section then Flam probably makes more sense since it is well on the beaten path with more accommodation and restaurants.

Best thing we did in Bergen was the guided walking tour of the Old Wharf buildings, followed by a drink at the Old Terminus bar (great if you like whisky). The Mount Floyen funicular is supposed to have great views but it was obscured by fog when we were there. Best things in Oslo were the City Hall interior, Fram museum, and Vigeland sculpture park.

Our time in Norway was too brief, only a week or so. But we loved it and hope to go back and explore more on a future trip. We keep a travel blog with photos/videos; PM me if you would like a link.

 

[braumeister]

Our time in Norway was too brief, only a week or so. But we loved it and hope to go back and explore more on a future trip.

I've spent a fair amount of time in both Oslo and Bergen, as well as the towns up in the far north of the country.
It's really a great place to visit, and I think most people don't give it nearly the time it deserves. The only drawback is that it's a very expensive country for a tourist, similar to Switzerland.

 

[Lucie]

I’m following, as we are taking the opposite route .We are flying in to Bergen for a few days, then take the train to Oslo for 2 days prior to our Scotland intensive cruise. This departs from Oslo in August. Any recommendations for hotels Or AirBNB would be appreciated!

 

[braumeister]

I’m following, as we are taking the opposite route .We are flying in to Bergen for a few days, then take the train to Oslo for 2 days prior to our Scotland intensive cruise. This departs from Oslo in August. Any recommendations for hotels Or AirBNB would be appreciated!

In Oslo I like to stay at the Scandic Byporten. It's in the same building as the central train station.