laurastanz

we are looking to travel to norway in august. at least 10 days, maybe more depending on replies here
places i would like to visit :
- oslo
- bergen
- fjord cruise (short)
- not interested in trains
- tromso
- vestvagoy
- svalbard ( i realize this is quite north and possibly not doable)

my questions....
if we fly into oslo...rent car...travel to bergen....can we do a short fjord cruise from there ? then go back to bergen...maybe fly to tromso....rent car....drive around up north for a few days...then fly back to oslo and head back to the usa. is this doable within 10 days ?

concerning svalbard.....has anyone been there recently ? any day trips to see walruses ?
and is the time it takes to get there worth it ?

thanks,
terry

PalenQ

Yes from Bergen you can drive to Gudvagen via Voss and go down to Norway's largest fjord and hop on a boat that takes you to Flam - about two hours and then two hours back to your car - this is part of the Norway in a Nutshell excursion that if you do not want to drive this day you can take a train from Bergen to Voss - mountain bus down to Gudvagen and boat to Flam - scenic Flam Railway to Myrdhal then train back to Bergen - you can buy all-inclusive ticket in Bergen - but again you could drive to Gudvagen or Flam and just do the boat.

There are also longer boat rides to the fjord from Bergen I believe - for more on this: http://www.norwaynutshell.com/en/exp...FQIRaQodgJ8AKA

nanabee

Bergen seems like a gateway city to the fjords trips. You can go by boat, car, train, bus. We were just there and we left by train out of Bergen, and switched to a bus, then a boat excursion up the fjords. It was absolutely worth it. We booked through Norway in a Nutshell.

Midnightsun

Terry:

You are trying to pack a lot into ten days. It is also the case that driving times in Norway, especially if you are driving along the coast, are much greater than you would estimate based on distance. The reason is two-fold. One is that you will most likely have to stop at points to wait for ferry crossings. The other is that you will find so many spots that are so beautiful that you'll want to stop and soak up the scenery.

I have not been to Svalbard (but I have considered it). It's a long way north, about a three hour flight from Oslo to Longyearbyen. Tromsø is a worthwhile destination, but if you're wanting to get a taste of the north, I would suggest you consider flying to Bodø and then taking a ferry (about four hours) to Moskenes in the Lofoten Islands. You can drive from Å in the southern part of the Lofotens all the way to Andenes, and you will be at pretty much the same latitude as Tromsø when you hit Andenes. You will see rustic fishing villages, sandy beaches on the western shore, fjords, jagged rock formations, and arguably the most beautiful town in Norway (Reine). The Viking museum at Borg is also great fun. The Lofotens are not heavily traveled (at least not by Americans), and they offer a great sampler of most of the types of scenery you would see in Norway. You can bounce from place to place or rent a rorbu (a fishing cottage converted to a guest house) for a few days. You will need a car, but you can rent one at Bodø or, better still, pick up one on the island chain (and avoid the coast of taking the car on the ferry).

A possible combination trip would be to fly first to Bergen, spend a couple of days there, and then rent a car and drive back to Oslo with a stop at Flam on the Aurlandsfjord or Gudvangen on the Nærøyfjord. Those are both branches of the Sognefjord, and you could likely take a cruise out on to the Sognefjord and back from either point. Heading back to Oslo, you will have an opportunity to see the stave church at Borgund, which, in its natural setting, is probably the best example of one of these 850 year old wooden structures. Oslo is a wonderful city, and it would be easy to spend a week there, but three days should be a minimum. I suggest you start in Bergen rather than Oslo because you will need to fly north (to Bodø or Tromsø) from Oslo.

Anyway, those are some ideas.

tower

<i>I would suggest you consider flying to Bodø and then taking a ferry (about four hours) to Moskenes in the Lofoten Islands</i>

Hi Midnight. I don't recall the auto-ferry trip from Bodo to Moskenes being anywhere near four hours. It may be just my recall mechanism that's in error. We, too, loved The Lofotens and do agree that Reine is one of the most beautiful Lofoten towns, with Nusfjord a close second. The "tropical" white sand beach at Ramberg was remarkable.

(See my pics below)

tower

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...uHk6iIgbSEgAE#

This repreents about a wonderful month of travel, so we were not rushed and enjoyed it immensely. We did three nights "on and off" on the Hurtigruten, rented the car in Bodo and turned in at Narvik (no drop fee...used Christofer Solo as the rental agent at BMW, Citroen in Bodo)
stu

dyoll

Bodø Moskenes is indeed 4 hours (and worth it) - http://www.lofoten.info/en/Ferry-and-expressboat
You could do a circular tour Voss-Gudvangen-Flåm-Myrdal-Voss parking the car at Voss or Flåm, but why head for crowded touristic attractions for the masses when you have the freedom of a car. There are plenty of other fjords and areas worth visiting.

laurastanz

wow....thank you all !!! looking at the photos, trying to decipher the ferry times/prices ???? oh lord.
lots to think about here...but thank you all.
i will be checking here from time to time to see if any other folks have posted suggestions...remarks. terry

nanabee

The fjords are really beautiful. I've done it via train and bus and must say the ferry or boat is the best in my opinion. You are on the water looking up at the beautiful mountains, and can see the little picturesque towns along the way. It is confusing and we booked through Norway in a Nutshell (which is not a tour company but simply a booking agency).

You have the options of type of travel, distance, time frames, etc. We took a day trip out of Bergen.

laurastanz

nanabee....thanks. was the day trip long enough ??
also, do you remember the tour company ?

dyoll

http://www.norwaynutshell.com

PalenQ

nanabee....thanks. was the day trip long enough ??>

long enough for what? For the casual tourist IME yes one day on the fjords is enough - if that's what you mean.