isemida

We have a 6 days in Norway (flying in and out of Oslo) and would like to see the fjords. I understand that 2 days is enough to see Oslo, so I looked at the 4 day Norway in a Nutshell trip. However, I am a bit confused by the website - the price seems to be ~$1,200 per person for 4 days not including hotels? What exactly are you paying for, then? And is there any more economical way to spend a few days seeing the fjords?

I saw they also have a cheaper day trip option - this one seems a bit rushed though. And then we'd still have 3 remaining days in Norway...

tuscanlifeedit

Maybe I'm nuts but I always had the idea that Norway in a Nutshell gave you on board accommodations.

I'm anxious to see a response to this.

Marija

You can do the pieces of the Norway in a Nutshell route at your own pace. For example, take the train from Oslo to Bergen and spend a day in Bergen. Then from Bergen you can take the train to Voss/Myrdal/Flam. After lunch in Flam take the ferry along the Naeroyfjord and then the bus to the Stalheim. Overnight at the Stalheim, enjoying the great views. If you have time you can continue on to Balestrand and spend the night before returning to Oslo. Or you can take the bus from the Stalheim to the train to continue back to Oslo, if that's your final destination.

Another option is from Oslo to to make your way to a town on the Hardangerfjord. Spend a night there and then train to Flam and continue as before. Enjoy Norway! (Bring lots of money.)

tuscanlifeedit

So is it $1200 pp for transport only?

Marija

The transport price varies depending on where you start the trip: Oslo, Bergen or Voss and whether you do a rountrip back to Oslo. You can see prices for the various options here:

http://www.norwaynutshell.com/en/exp...-in-a-nutshell

hetismij2

I've looked at the link Marija gives - the price quoted there is NOK 1090 per adult. That's about $188. Transport only.

hetismij2

If you buy the Fjords pass you get a discount on hotels too. I stayed at the First Hotel Marin in Bergen - on the Bryggen, though the entrance is around the back on another street. We paid a bit extra for the harbour view. Lovely room, very spacious by Norwegian standards.

Michael

Norway in a Nutshell is simply a set of tickets for the various modes of transportation (train, train, ferry, bus, train) involved in the trip be it one way or RT. It can be interrupted at any point, and the tickets for the various legs could be purchased separately. But I do not recall a cost of $1200, so it may be that some type of accommodations are offered at that price.

Marija

@tuscanlifeedit, don't confuse Norway in a Nutshell with the Hurtigruten which does include accommodations onboard.

isemida

Thanks all! I was looking at Norway in a Nutshell with Geiranger (link below). This one is 5910 NOK i.e. more than $1,000. I thought that the cheaper Norway in a Nutshell package was only 1 or 2 days, whereas the below is for 4 days. Maybe I'm wrong though!

http://www.norwaynutshell.com/en/exp...tshell/#prices

Michael

We did the NIN in one day from Oslo to Bergen.

Marija

The four day tour is much more extensive than just the standard Norway in a Nutshell. It also includes cabins on the Hurtigruten.

anjun

hetismij2,

What is the fjords pass?

anjun

Where do you get the train and bus schedules, if you want to break up the trip into seperate days.

Michael

You don't need the schedule. All the modes of transportation are frequent enough for those purchasing individual tickets. The one possible exception is the Oslo to Bergen train. If one is on a tight schedule, it is best to simply take it in one day where there is a guarantee of immediate connections.

Marija

Here's a timetable:

http://www.norwaynutshell.com/sitefi...27.09.2013.pdf

anjun

Thanks

anjun

marija, I looked at the timetable. Does it mean it only goes at one time per day?

JoyC

We did NIN a few years ago. And yes, from the timetable it only goes once/day because they have to coordinate the departure and arrival times of the train, ferry and bus in a particular place. It is also necessary if you are doing it as a daytrip.

In our case, we went from Oslo and did it as far as Gudvangen. We wanted to stay in Stalheim Hotel, which I fully recommend because of its magnificent setting, and then the next day we used a local bus to get us to Voss, toured Voss before getting the train to our Bergen destination.

If you have more time, you can do all these at your leisure because there are local trains and buses that go to these places. You can also check out the ferry times the goes through the Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord, or you might like to do the Sognefjord and stay in the scenic village of Balestrand instead after arriving from Flam.

Michael

<i>And yes, from the timetable it only goes once/day</i>

Not according to the NIN website if doing a one-way from Oslo to Bergen:

http://www.norwaynutshell.com/en/exp...tshell/prices/

One train leaves at 6:00 a.m. and the other at 8:00 a.m.