Kay2

I'm a 50-yr-old female who visited Norway once with my husband. We saw Oslo, then took train to Flam, overnight, ferry on the fjord and train back to Oslo.

In June I will finish work in Lillehammer on a Wednesday and need to fly to Helsinki on Sunday or so. I therefore need to end up in a town with air connections such as Ålesund, Trondheim, or Oslo. I will be on my own and using public transport to see some more of the beautiful scenery as well as walk and enjoy nature. Just no driving or long hikes solo. I've got to make some tough choices, so I have some questions of those who have been in this region.

Should I stick around in Lillehammer for a half-day with such limited time? I've read mixed reviews. Sounds like a typical ski town. I'm not interested in the olympics. I like the open air museums, but have visited the ones in Oslo, Stockholm, and Helsinki. I have read of a stave church in Ringebu.

I plan to take the train to Dombås and then the Rauma line to Åndalsne. Should I stop here for a half day/night? The setting looks nice on Google Earth, but I've read that it is an industrial town without much to offer.

I'm considering the bus (two daily departures) to Trollstigen and Geiranger. This is another option for stopping for the night. Geiranger better town than Åndalsne?

In Geiranger I can either take a bus up to Flydalsjuvet and Dalsnibba, then back down plus take a 1.5 hr trip on the fjord or else I can make a connection on the Hurtigruten to Ålesund. Another option for an overnight. Has anyone done just this segment on the Hurtigruten? Is a sightseeing tour around Geiranger more scenic than the route out to Ålesund?

It is even possible to do a circular trip in one day Åndalsne-Geiranger-Ålesund-Åndalsne with the buses and boats timed. But is this exhausting? I would only do this if I am ending up in Trondheim instead of Ålesund.

If I want to end in Trondheim, it sounds more scenic to return to Åndalsne and backtrack up the Rauma and train on to Trondheim rather than the bus from Ålesund. Is the train route more scenic than the bus closer to the sea?

I've read on the board that Trondheim is a nice town. If I end here it would just be an overnight and part of a day until afternoon flight to Helsinki.

Any other tips would be welcome. I'm saving my kroners--I remember how expensive Norway was!

gruezi

Hi Kay,

I am your age and traveled around Norway alone in May.

I did not see Lillehammer so cannot help you there.

Hurtigruten does a lovely tour to Geiranger and I really enjoyed it. Geiranger itself is very small but the boat trip and bus trip is breathtaking and not at all tiring. You can contact Hurtigruten directly by phone and they will help you with what you can see comfortably and logistics-wise in what amount of time. I basically carved out my own little route with their advice. I started in Bergen, then Alesund, then Trondheim and then Geiranger and back to Bergen. I felt I saw plenty of the coast without doing the whole route north. You can only go to Geiranger by boat in the summer months. It is pretty spectacular and I am rather spoiled by scenic views!

Trondheim was my favorite stop in Norway. I loved this lovely little city. There are plenty of nice walks or bike rides. I spent one night there and a day and a half and I was able to see quite a bit. There is even a little section of the St. James Way pilgrimage there - you can do a really nice walk from the top of the city to the Cathedral. I also had some amazing meals there... The people were beyond wonderful to this solo woman traveler.

I hope this is helpful. I felt guilty I never did a trip report here after my 2 weeks in Norway...there are a few good threads here on Norway with links to blogs that you may find very helpful.

Have a wonderful time!

gruezi

Kay2

Thanks, Gruezi.
I remember you asking for advice last year.

It helps to know the boat Geiranger - Ålesund offers spectacular views.
Also, good to hear about Trondheim.

The attraction of Trondheim to me is that it will offer a once a day direct flight to Helsinki on Flybe along with several Norwegian and SAS 1-stops. The connections out of Ålesund are not as good.

gruezi

Hi Kay,

Well, that does sound great, but also, it is a lovely spot.

Have a great trip! Hope you have good weather - I was not lucky that way

Dayenu

I read the list in your subject line, and even before reading your post I thought I would skip Alesund (unless you need a boat/bus/plane from there), but definitely visit Geiranger and Trondheim.