Catherine,
I have a prepared "advise sheet" I wrote for a friend dealing with self driving suggestions for Norway. If you are interested in it, leave your e-mail, and I will gladly mail it to you.
It is VERY easy to drive in Norway and you get to see so much more. I highly recommend it.

eri... I'm new to this chat-room format, but I, too, am headed for Norway (Denmark, Sweden & possibly Finland) in July (8th thru the 24th, to be exact). Will be driving, as well, and would certainly appreciate a peek at the "advise sheet." Plan is to start the journey in Copenhagen, probably head toward/to Stockholm, across to Helsinki (if time permits), onto Oslo/Bergen and back through Kristiansand. Will camp in the countryside, and hopefully, find "reasonable" lodging while visiting Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, and Oslo. Sooooo.... how does one secure a copy of your "Driving the Backroads of Norway" 1st edition? Thanks in advance... Terry

Terry,
I am more than willing to share my Norwegian experiences with you or anyone else. I admit that I love this country. Last summer was my 8th trip to Norway: on that trip we traveled through the far north (Finnmark) for 13 days.But this part of Norway is really only for "experienced" Noray lovers... My report, however, covers the more touristy and popular parts. But I think it is too long for posting it here (4 Word pages). Therefore, I suggested mailing it via e-mail.
Some comments concerning your plans:
I feel that you want to grab too much in one trip. I have been in Helsinki. I highly recommend that you skip Finland on this trip. The trip to Finland is time consuming and I really feel that "investing" this time in Norway is wiser. Helsinki is a pretty dull place (sorry, if I am insulting any Finlandians).
We did start one of our trips in Copenhagen, rented a car there, and drove to Hirstal (in the far north), took an overnight ferry to Stavanger (has to be reserved in advance!), and from there started our Norway trip for 10 days. We ended it in Denmark - driving from Oslo to Copenhagen, with a short ferry crossing from Helsinborg Sweden to Elsinore Denmark.
This is a marvelous trip. But it leaves you no time for Sweden or Finland. I feel that this is the way to do it. Norway is by far the most beautiful and breath taking country of Scandinavia. This way you see most of Denmark and a nice chunck of Norway.
Let me know if you want me to mail you my "adise sheet".

eri... Thanks so much for the reply. This will be my first sojourn to Scandinavia, so the advice of a "seasoned" visitor to the land of the midnight sun is most appreciated. As I mentioned earlier... will begin this "self-guided" auto adventure in Copenhagen on July 9th, and will need to return to Denmark by the 23rd. I think you're right about adding Finland to this trip.... too big a bite for two weeks. Will stick to Denmark, Norway, and perhaps a bit of Sweden. Plan on camping whenever possible--keeps the search for lodging to a minimum, while transferring more funds to the gastronomic side of the budget. Speaking of food... any thoughts about not-to-be-missed culinary experiences would be most welcomed. Always willing to deviate a bit to satisfy the tastebuds you know. Thanks again, and the address is: terigon@hotmail.com

Thanks so much eri. I'm off to find a good road map of Norway. Will keep you posted as "the planning" continues.

Hi

I think that the Suleskar road from Oslo to Stavanger is quite nice (check out http://www.suleskarvegen.no/, only in Norwegian it looks like but press "Kart" to see a map). This is the mountain route and it is more scenic than the coastal route in my opinion. If you come to the Stavanger area I would recommend that you can check out places like Kjerag (http://gardkarlsen.com/kjerag.htm) and Preikestolen (the Pulpit rock, http://gardkarlsen.com/preikestolen.htm). Get in touch if you have any questions

Regards
Gard

Terry,
Listen to gard's advise. He is from Stavanger!

Hi

I went to Kjerag yesterday by the way and it was great The weather was good and there is still quite a lot of snow left...so if anyone is going there now remember to bring boots so you don't get soaked

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com

Eri, et.al. -- I am also heading to Scandinavia this summer for two weeks and are planning 6 days in Norway. We know for sure that we want to visit Oslo and Bergen. Would you be so kind to please e-mail me the "Advise Sheet for Norway drives"? My e-mail is lajasone@nycap.rr.com. Many anticipated thanks!!

Catcan-- your questions are right on. BTW, we will be in Norway from 7/2-7/9. Feel free to e-mail me if you want to bounce stuff. Have a fabulous trip!!

Gard... Got the map, and just finished reading your "Trip to Kjerag - 2003." The area looks fantastic! What a great Saturday you must have had. According to my trusty road atlas, there appear to be hyttes in the area (one near Ortevatn, and another near/in Kvaeven) Also, as I've mentioned before, we will have a tent, and I'd love to hear your thoughts about camping in the Kjerag area.

Also, on the grander scale... I'm wondering how you would approach a journey from Oslo to the west coast.... one that would allow a visit to the Flam area,.. Bergen,.. and still catch the Suleskar road to Kjerag and ultimately Stavanger.

And, while I think of it.... when traveling to Flam, is the train ride through Finse, Hallingskeid, Myrdal, etc. not to be missed, or does one capture the grandeur of the area by car on the road from Hagafoss, Skoro, Storestolen, Osterbo, etc.

Sorry if this sounds a little to detailed. Normally, I travel without a lot of direction, BUT this "Norway Adventure" has me torn between those places that I have heard about since I was young, ie. Oslo, Bergen, Flam, etc..... AND the Norway that the "locals" relish.

Any thoughts you may have would be most appreciated. Hope your week is off to great start. Tschus
PS. What is the "Norwegian" beer of choice..... just in case I develop a thirst while roaming the fiords.

Viajero,
I e-mailed you my notes but my mail was rejected by yours. Let me know if you have received it.

eri--- you are right, my husband tells me that the installed Norton Utilities program settings we have will not allow e-mail with attachments. Do you know what is the size of the file?

Either way, thank you so much for the kind offer and response.

Viajero,
4 pages, 31KB.

Hi,

I am also thinking of visiting Norway next year and either drive or take one of the ships up the coast. Could you send me a copy of your Norway self-drive itinerary. too? It will get me started, anyway.
geordias64@earthlink.net

Thanks.

Hi TerryGon

You can go camping in the Kjerag area...check out http://www.lysebotn-touristcamp.com/. Apart from that there are many cabins in the area operated by Den Norske Turistforening...this map will give you an idea: http://www.turistforeningen.no/turplanlegger/location.php?lo_id=NO_ryfyl

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com

Eri,
Thanks for the response. I would love your advice sheet. My email is catcan68@bellsouth.net

Catherine

Hello all,
Since my first post, I have come up with the following loose itinerary...any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

day 1 - Oslo to Roros
day 2 - Roros to Alesund
day 3 - Alesund to Balestrand
day 4 - Balestrand to Bergen
day 5 - Bergen to Oslo

Thanks,
Catherine

Cat-- why are you heading to Roros instead of choosing a more northwesternly route towards Bergen (i.e. Oslo-Voss) and then head north to tour the more spectacular western fjord area around Sognefjorden?

V-
We are exploring the Sognefjord region when we hit Balestrand. Roros is a Unesco world heritage site.
Catherine

I am still wondering if that could be a lot of driving up north for one day, but I am sure is a beautiful and unique area and sure to be enjoyed! Have fun!

Just to add a comment: I was on holiday in the Sognefjord area last summer and I really enjoyed this spectacular area. I drove from Oslo via Lillehammer to Jotunheimen, on to Ålesund via Geiranger and from Ålesund down to Luster which is a sidefjord to Sognefjord.

If I were you I might consider taking the "national tourist route" over Sognefjellet instead of going to Roros.

The Sognefjord changes a bit depending on where you are, near Balestrand it is very wide, in the innermost regions (as Luster) it is much more narrow, and IMO more dramatic. I liked the Lustrafjord very much, and there were not that many tourists around. A short hike took me to perhaps the most stunning scenery I've seen even in Norway.

Geiranger was quite nice, full of tourists, but still worth a detour.

If driving all around Scandinavia isn't enough, get a sense of accomplishment by stopping in Jotunheimen and climbing (walking) the highest mountain in Norway, Galdhøpiggen.

Eri, Please send me your report also to cparris@aol.com. Thanks

There is some very useful information in this chat line.
Were travelling to Norway in 4 weeks.
Our itinerary is UK fery -> Bergen (3n)-> Voss (3n)-> Urnes (3n)-> Lillehammer (1n)-> Oslo (4n)-> Risor (4n)-> Kristiansand (1n)-> Stavanger (2n) then ferry -> UK.
Most of this is hostelling. I'm wondering whether we should drive or ferry up to Alesund and the drive over to Roros rather than Voss/Urnes. Any thoughts. Any ideas on what not-to-miss?
Thanks

It dependeds on what you want to do while in Norway. From my experience (8 times in Norway) I feel that you are staying too long in each place and will miss a lot of the beautiful sights. Are you driving? How do you plan to get from one place to the other? Please explain and I'll try my best to answer you accordingly.

Hi, I am picking up my new volvo in Gothenberg, Sweden on September 18, then we plan to drive/tour for three weeks. Sweden,Norway and Denmark. I can drop the car for shipment to US in Copenhagen and fly home. Would like suggestions on itinerary, hotels etc..During this time of year do we need resrvations? Like to stay in interesting places s.a. castles,manors...
Thanks for help, Alex

Eri, what a generous offer. I would like a copy, too. evelynandsteve@hotmail.com

eri,

I'm planning to drive from stockholm-Oslo-Bergen-Oslo-Stockholm. I have 2 weeks and is trying not to back track on my itinerary. Any suggestions?

Thanx in advance. Appreciate if you could email your popular "advice sheet" to me at dt31cf19@yahoo.com

Thank you

dt-- strongly suggest: Stockholm-Drammen via Karlstad. Skip Oslo at the beggining of the trip, leave it for the end. You can overnight on Drammen (pretty) or Kongsberg (more industrial). Hop on Route 40 towards Geilo (breathtaking countryside). Between Veggli and Kravik there is a wonderful B&B on Route 40 left side if heading to Geilo ($80 night/furnished apartment; lake and waterfalls on the backyard, belongs to Mangor and Kathryna; wonderful hosts). Once at Geilo (take a break at Geilo, great tourist info office), you can head out towards Bergen using Route 1 (borders the Hardangervidda National Park; the Voringfossen are spectacular; Hardanger is gorgeous) or Route 50 towards Flam, down to Voss on to Bergen. Either way is pretty. Stay on Bergen a couple of days (beautiful town!) and then head out to the Sognefjord area. This fjords area blew my mind with its majesty. We visited Oppedal, Vik, Undredal, Urnes, Borgund (obviously into stave churches!). I loved Flam as well. On to Oslo we took highway E16. Oslo is a great city, very expensive though. We stayed at the Hotel Bristol; gorgeous hotel, go there at least for a drink. When are you going? Please keep us posted on your trip!!

Viajero2

thanx for your great suggestion! my gang is heading out in August and will keep you o posted on our wonderful trip

eri, I would highly appreciate to send me your advice sheet to: modeleromy at gmail dot com. Thanks.

eri, please send me your Norway notes too! kk_laptop@poth.com.

If I can ever help you with info on Italy, particularly, the Amalfi Coast, please ask. I would love to return the favor.

WT

Hello,

I am also planning 2 week trip to northern Norway in summer 2006. Probably it will be self-driving tour (or a combination of flying, boating and driving), since I am amateur photographer and would like to have flexibility to be in places either early in the morning or late in the evening. So far my itinerary includes just Lofoten Islands (probably we will stay a week there in a couple of places). Can you, dear travelers recommend me some other great pictures places within a driving day from Lofoten, what is the best way to get there from Oslo? I would greatly appreciate any related information.
Eri, if you see this post, please email me you report to boriszh@verizon.net
Thank you, everyone!

We, too, are planning a trip to Sweden and Norway. We arrive on june 10 for 2 weeks. We plan to drive from Stockholm to Norway. It is much cheaper to rent the car in Sweden than Norway( even with the drop off charge in Oslo)
We want to spend most of the time in the countryside seeing the mountains and fjords.
I would appreciate it if ERI could also send me his ADVISE SHEET. My email is rflaum@suffolk.lib.ny.us
Do we have to be concerned with ferry reservations in advance or can we just show up. We don't like to travel on a set schedule. How about B&B's to stay in. Are there any?
Our plan is to drive from Oslo to Bergen and then north as far as Trondheim and back to Oslo on the inland route assuming there are mountains that way. Am I right? We could reverse the direction if it is prettier to go southbound.
Can we see the magnificence of the Flam area that all talk about on the train ride by car? Or do we have to take the train and then get back in the car? Is it worth it to overnight in Flam. We are looking for some easy,but scenic hiking. We are 60 years old, but in OK shape.
Sorry for being so wordy,but the thoughts keep coming.
Thank you all in advance for your help.
Shelli

We were in Norway in July of 2005. Flam is very touristy, but I would still recommend going on the Flam railroad- it is great. I think you can take the railroad up to Mydral and then walk or bike down again to Flam.

We stayed 2 nights in Balestrand. It is a very quiet village. At dinner time tour buses drove in for an hour or so and the tourists ate at Kvikne's Hotel but other than that the place is dead quiet AND BEAUTIFUL. There are only a handful of shops. We stayed at Balestrand Inn. Smaller and quieter than Kvikne's. We ate dinner at Kvikne's though.

We took kayak lessons in Balestrand. It was wonderful and fun. We had never gone before and even my 13 year old daughter liked it.

You might want to g to Fjaerland. It is a very very small book town --13 or 14 little shops set up in peoples houses and garages. ( There are only about 15 houses in the whole town) There are 2 cafe's there also. We enjoyed going from shop to shop- lots of books in English. Fjaerland is also where the Glacier museum is. Nice museum and a bus takes you to see the glaciers. Somewhere around there you can drive on a highway under the glacier. We didn't have a car, just got there by ferry, but if you drive that might be fun.

You will LOVE Trondheim!

Eri, thank you for so much information. My head is spinning as I try to sort out my options. Perhaps you can help with a decision between taking the Norway in a Nutshell tour or self driving. We (my husband and I along with two other adults) will arrive in Oslo on Aug. 20th and depart via Paris on the 26th. We would like to make our way to Bergen, see the most beautiful sites and be back in Oslo on the 25th. Do you have any suggestions for tours, etc. and places to stay throughout our trip? Thank you all so very much for your help.

Eri,

Could I also get a copy of your "Advice Sheet" for self-drive tour of Norway? eweber@chem.engr.utk.edu

Many thanks,
Eileen in Tennessee

Eri,
Can you please send me a copy of your advice for self-drive in Norway at roman_days(at)yahoo(dot)com ?

We were thinking of a Norway trip in 2006, but plans changed and we are going to Croatia instead. But hopefully Norway in 2007… Thanks a lot

Bogger,
Sorry for not answering sooner. I read your planned schedule and feel that you don't have enough time for anything in your trip. If you absolutely cannot make more time, maybe you could fly directly to Bergen and also depart from Bergen. Omit Oslo. This would give you more time for the fjords.
I can't offer an opinion about the nutshell trip, simply because we always self drive. We find that this way we can stay in the most interesting parts and places, stop where we want and see the most.
Sorry for not being able to help you more.

xyz99,
I did send you your request but the mail was rejected and returned to me. I'll try again.

Eri,
I got your email, and your attachment. Thanks a lot. I also wrote you back...hmmm, I guess you didn't get my email

Eri- Please send me a copy of your Norway drive tour. Does it have anything about the windy "troll road" around Andalsnes? I am driving with a Swedish friend from Sundsvall Sweden over to Trondheim then back to Stockholm. Thanks.
karen-bryan(at)sbcglobal.net

Hi Eri,

We are planning to be in Norway mid-July 2006 and would be grateful if you could email (puananik@gmail.com) us a copy of your route. We expect to drive to enjoy the sights at our own pace.

Thanks,
Pua

I will be in Copenhagen in June and want to travel to Oslo for a week and then Brønnøysund in southern Nordland for a few days and then back to Copenhagen. I am visiting the places where my grandparents were born. Any suggestions as to the best way to travel?

xyz99,
I received one mail from you. But did you recieve my Croatia suggestions? Let me know. If not I'll send them again.
hpk and cobbie, I'll mail you the Norway suggestions today.
To all the other future requests - I am off to Iceland tomorrow. Sorry, I will not be able to help you in the next month!

Thank you Eri for your response. Am I to understand that I can't do the Norway in a Nutshell tour between Oslo and Bergen and back within 5 days? Help!! I thought it took one full day to travel between Oslo and Bergen via nutshell. I was expecting 5 days for a round trip would give me a day or two to spend in Bergen. I better read the the travel route more closely. Any help from others will be appreciated.

Hey Bogger,
That's not what I said. I have no knowledge of the "nutshell" trip. What I meant was that the way I see this trip is with a rented car, self drive and that I would start the trip in Bergen to save long drives in less interesting places. You could of course do less, take the train. It all depends on what you like or prefer. Have a nice trip.

Hello eri,

We are going to Norway for the first time - we are a young couple, looking for scenery, wildlife, and culture - we wanted advice on an itinerary including Oslo, Bergen, Geiranger, other cities in the fjord region, and then up to the north - do you recommend Lofoten islands, Bodo, Tromso? We like to go-go-go and were given one itinerary that had us driving up 6 hours/day with no time to see anything and driving from Trondheim to Bodo which seems better to fly? I don't want to post my email on here for spam reasons, could you please post your 4 pages online somewhere? Yahoo has a free briefcase?

Our overall itinerary was 12 days Norway, 3 days Stockholm area and 2 days in nearby countryside (dalarna, etc), 2 days Helsinki, 4 days St Petersburg.

What do you think?

Yael

Yael: I wasn't asked, but I'll throw in my two cents. Your itinerary is ambitious. If you enjoy the outdoors, you'll find driving the Norwegian coast to be very time-consuming. Every dozen kilometers or so thre will be a point that you have to stop to wander off the road, take a closer look at a small village, and (most of all) take a photograph. We planned a coastal drive from Bodø to Bergen to Oslo a few years back. We were way behind schedule three days into the drive, and we never did get to Bergen in the time we had allotted (about eight days), going only as far south as Ålesund (a very nice art nouveau fishing town). The reason for driving from Trondheim to Bodø is the natural beauty. You can also drop in on Hell, a small suburb of Trondheim, if ever you want to back up any comment you might make about spending an afternoon in Hell. It's really a pleasant little place; the locals don't think as much of the name as a source of mirth, naturally, as do we English speakers. We drove mainly on the coast, but we did cut inland towards Mo I Rana and then headed north so we could visit the Arctic Circle Center. As you get closer to the Arctic Circle, you come to a high, rather barren plateau. Just north of the Arctic Circle, you'll be able to see the Svartisen Glacier. Then, surprisingly, you come off the plateau (north of the Arctic Circle) and there's more pleasant green farmland. We wound up doing Bergen on another trip, and we made a separate trip also to the Lofotens. Once again, we weren't too good about time planning. We spent four nights just outside of Reine in some great rorbuer, and we thought we could explore all of the Lofotens from that base. Wrong again, we only took in the southern half (up to the Borg Museum). We could easily have spent more time in the Lofotens, which have all the beauty of Norway crammed in to one small island chain: beautiful fishing villages, lovely fjords, craggy overlooks. There's not much town life, but if you appreciate the natural beauty, it's one of the prettiest places on Earth in a country that boasts many claims to that title. We may have been especially fortunate to be there on four bright sunny days at the start of July, but I expect it would l;ook pretty good in most conditions. It's also neat to watch the midnight sun (hence my screen name) from a sandy beach on the west side of the island chain. Yes, there are sandy beaches above the Arctic Circle, and some people do swim there, but the water temperature was such that I began to have a major cold alert when I got to thigh depth. Nonetheless, some children and (for some reason) German tourists seemed quite happy with full body immersion in the Norwegian Sea. I suppose thje point of my posting is to encourage your travel, whet your interest, and tell you to set aside a lot of time. Driving the Norwegian coast is great fun (and a good resource if you can find it is Frommer's (can I say that word here?) Driving Tours Scandinavia. You'll also be able to find much information in English at the tourist offices once you're in Norway. We have traveled quite a bit in Scandinavia over the last ten years, so e-mail me if you need more information about Norway and Sweden. In fact we'll be back this summer, although probably not to Norway but just Sweden this time. Unless the call of the Lofotens gets too loud

Thanks MidnightSun! Here is our proposed itinerary, please let me know if you think it's doable... we like to prebook things so then we have to stay on schedule... we are go-go-go travelers and like to cram as much in as possible, although I think adding Tromso is too much at the end of this and we should do another night somewhere else?

Thanks!

May 8 fly from DC, get in around 2pm?
May 9 Oslo
May 10 train to Bergen via Myrdal, Flam train, ferry to Gudavenger, bus to Voss, train to Bergen (overnight Bergen)
May 11 Bergen
May 12 ferry to Balestrand, overnight
May 13 Drive to Geiranger via Hellesylt & ferry (overnight Geiranger)
May 14 Drive to Alesund via Andaslnes on the famous Trollstigen road (is this open at this time of year?) (overnight Alesund)
May 15 Alesund (leaving a day here for exploration of Runde Island birds)
May 16 drive to Trondheim
May 17 Fly to Bodo (9am flight), get to Lofotens (either fly to Svolvaer (10:25am flight) or car ferry to Moskenes or Svolvaer – I heard the passage is rough? better to fly and can you rent a car there?) (overnight Kabelvåg)
May 18 Kabelvåg overnight
May 19 fly to Tromso via Bodo (is this worth the trip? I think was thinking of dogsledding & sami tent day tour in Tromso)
May 20 Tromso to Stockholm (late in the day to allow for day tour in Tromso)

Trollstigen did not open till June 1 in 2005. Go to www.trollstigen.net for great info. There is lots of Norway travel info on the net. Google Norway travel. I don't think you are allowing enough time for driving. From my research and from what MidnightSun says you need to alot more time. Trondheim sounds beautiful. In Bergen be sure to take the ride up the mountain side for the amazing overlook.

Thanks cobbie!

I did look up the routes on viamichelin.com and the only really long one is Bergen-Oslo which is 7.5 hours, although many bus tours do it in one day. Balestrand to Geiranger is 4.5 hours, Geiranger to Alesund is 2 hours (without Trollstigen), Alesund to Trondheim is 5 hours. Perhaps the problem is that the driving times don't take into account the ferry schedules. We drove around New Zealand on a schedule like this one, also with nice scenery, and that worked out great but they don't have any ferries.

If anyone has suggestions on a better way to do this itinerary in 12 days (will remove Tromso and Trollstigen) please let me know.

Thanks for all your help and advice!

Gday !

Like a lot of other readers 4 of us are planning a trip to Denmark, Norway and Sweden in July 06. We only have about 10 -12 days and are looking at the option of self driving. Would appreciate the 'Advise Sheet' emailed if possible please.

Thanks for your time

Whoops - my email is drafter@westnet.com.au for the Advise Sheet. Sorry

Hi Eri,

My family and I are planning on driving through Norway next year for a couple of weeks and I was wondering if you would be able to e-mail a copy of the advice sheets. I would really appreciate. My email is suebron@hotmail.com

Thanks very much
Sue

Yael,
Sorry for the delay. I have just returned from Iceland. By your name I guess that Hebrew is your language. If this is so, I could give you more advice in IVRIT and personally on the phone. Let me know if this is so.

Welcome back, Eri ! How was Iceland? We want to know all the details – and see pictures, too

Eri,
I am planning to see fjords in Norway by driving Bergen-Alesund-Bergen. I am very appriciate if you can send me your "advise sheet".
My address is: comm@helsinki.mfa.gov.il

Regards,
Zeev

Eri:
After years of planning all our trips, I forced my easy-going husband to tell me where HE wanted to travel. Turned out it's Scandinavia. Since we prefer self-drive trips, too, can you send your advice sheet with self-driving directions for Norway?
Marta

Eri:
Oops! Forgot to leave my e-mail. It's jparker3@aol.com.
Thanks for any help you can give!
Marta

Hi

There is some good information about visiting fjord Norway in this thread: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g190502-i934-k460292-Fjord_visits_question-Bergen_Hordaland_Western_Fjords.html

Apart from that I recommend that you check out these pages: Pulpit rock near Stavanger: http://gardkarlsen.com/preikestolen.htm
Kjerag near STavanger: http://gardkarlsen.com/kjerag.htm
Vigeland park in Oslo: http://gardkarlsen.com/oslo_vigeland_park.htm
A bit of info about Stavanger: http://gardkarlsen.com/stavanger.htm

Regards
Gard

Eri Could you please send me the self drive advice sheet. Thanks...robertsimerlink@zoominternet.net

eri,

My wife and I are planning a trip to Norway in June or July. Could you please send your advise sheet? Thank you
toyhacsi@yahoo.com

I just misspelled my own email address. It should have been
tonyhacsi@yahoo.com

Eri, I would like your advise sheet too! abbe@swaycreativegroup.com

eri: could you also send me your "advise sheet"

PeterBTempId@hotmail.com

Thank you

I've tried it both ways///self-drive and Norway in a Nutshell package...got to admit, though I'm a veteran driver in over 50 countries, I much preferred the
N-I-N trip...easier to see all the fabulous sights without worrying about a sudden snow storm, blocked roads or car problems. Why not combine some self-drive with the N-I-N package (only about $120, Oslo to Bergen, and then rent another car in Bergen? Try it that way, you'll be happy you did.
Stu T. ENJOY!

Sorry, but I really couldn't resist. After 8(!) trips to Norway I can testify withoput hesitation: We have NEVER and I repeat NEVER encountered any snow storm in the summer, no road blocks, and never had any problems with rented cars. I see no reason whatsoever to take Norway in a Nutshell trip if you have an inclination to rent a car. We also drove in many countries, maybe not 50, and we find Norway to be very relaxing and easy to drive. We are experienced in traveling, not young (72 and 65), and if we can do it easily, so can everyone if they like to drive.

eri: could you also send me your "advise sheet"

PeterBTempId@hotmail.com

Thank you

Dear eri and all other travelers,

We are planning a trip to Scandinavia May 23 to June 16 2006. We were thinking of starting in Helsinki, then somehow get to Stockholm, drive to Copenhagen (where we meet our daughters on May 30), continue driving to Norway and back to Copenhagen on June 16. I would love to get eri's advise sheet and any other advise anyone can give me in Hebrew, English or any other common language.
Any advise on B&B on the road?
Should we drop Helsinki and fly directly to stockholm?
Thanks for any help you can give!

Michal
Fmichal@comcast.net

Michal,
I'll send you the material in Hebrew shortly. Just to answer your questions: The only 2 cities you need to reserve anything are Oslo and Bergen. All the other B&Bs on the way will be easy to find and most of them vacant in early June. So don't bother. As a matter of fact we don't even reserve in those 2 cities, but you might feel better if you do.
When planning your trip, take into consideration the steep drop-off charges that the rental conpanies charge in Scandinavia. Therefore, you might consider planning your trip on several rentals rather than one for the whole trip. And yes, I would fly from Helsinki to Stockholm. Pick up another car in Copenhagen, travel to Norway. Get to Norway by an overnight ferry from Hitshals Denmark to Stavnger or Bergen, travel in Norway and Then travel through Oslo, Sweden (Gothenburg) and Elsinore in order to return the car in Copenhagen. in Copenhagen. You can of course do it the other way around: Copenhagen-Oslo and return Bergen or Stavanger-Hirtshals-Copenhagen. Just a suggestion.

Afternoon to eri and readers,

I'm going to be in Copenhagen from the 7th of May and staying about a week there before moving on to Oslo, then Bergen and the fjords. Is it more advisable to book the Norway in a Nutshell tour from Oslo or take the Oslo-Bergen train and then start the tour from Bergen? Or are both more or less the same?

eri, could you please email me your advice sheet, please? At cheng.harrison@gmail.com

Another query: I've heard that it's possible to cycle from Finse/Myrdal to Flam, but is it safe (snow) during mid-May, or am I better off taking the Flam railway down instead? It is alright to cycle down and take the railway up again before continuing on to Gudvangen, right? The reason I'm asking is because I've heard that the scenic cycling route is amazing.

Thank you all for listening and hope that you can help me with this!

Harrison

Eri,Please send me your "advise sheet" for the self drive of Norway. Thanks djacobs@ccps.org

Eri: I would also appreciate your advice sheet. We'll be arriving in Oslo and leaving out of Copenhagen 10 days later. Should we try to include a visit to Stockholm. Do you have suggestions if we do not have a car? Thank you! DianeRose1@aol.com

" I would fly from Helsinki to Stockholm"

I wouldn´t, I would take a train from Helsinki to Turku and a boat from there. Or a boat Helsinki-Stockholm. By flying one misses one of the most beautiful archipelagos in te world.

Turku-Stockholm one sees the archipelago on both ends (plus Åland in between), Helsinki-Stockholm archipelago lies at the Stockholm end, at the Helsinki end they are just individual islands.

Eri....Would you please send me a copy of your trip through Norway? I'd really appreciate it1 Thanks, Judy

judybloomquist@gmail.com

Eri....you must be going crazy emailing everyone!! I am joining my daughter (who will spend 3 weeks in Iceland on a grant) at the end of August. We wanted to go from Iceland to the Faroe Islands and then on to Norway (maybe add Copenhagen) and drive through Norway. I am just beginning my research but would ABSOLUTELY love to receive your advice sheet for self drive mobilemoms@yahoo.com
and any other advice you or anyone might have. I want to travel 8-10 days with my daughter. Fly into Iceland and out of ??? stokholm? oslo? copenhagen? we are trying to decide this. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
Thank you!

Hi ERI:
I too am planning a trip to Norway in 2008. Would really appreciate your sending me your plan for driving the region. Thanks so much!
robinpwentworth@hotmail.com

I would also like your driving recommendations. Not looking to go until 2008, and looking for good bed and breakfasts...Any reccomendations? Thanks. marilee

Eri,
Would you be so kind as to send me a copy of your advise sheet?
pauldd2002@hotmail.com

Many thanks,

Has anyone got advise for a young family on a self drive through Norway?

We want to spend about 10 days from Oslo to Bergen - spending 2 days in each city and 6 days between - (we'll be coming in from Copenhagen on the ferry as we're in Denmark the previous week).

Our children are age 6 and 4 so we'd like to spend odd days on trains (we think Bergen to Myrdal, and Myrdal to Flam railways?), some driving around, and some relaxing in lake side areas.

We'd like to keep mileage fairly low, so perhaps centre the break on Sognefjorden maybe including Flam for 2 nights.

We thought we might use cabin accomodation, but it's not a cheap as we expected (about 650 - 800 NOK a night). Is there a better alternative? - are B&B's better value?

Any tips or locations good for the chidren? - are the lake sides suitable for swimming or is the water too cold?!

Thanks in advance.

Eri...forgot to leave my email address.if you would so kindly mail your driving information. mwa45@mac.com Thanks....Marilee

Astronaut- I can't help much with the travel part of your trip... we are Americans living in Bodo (North of the arctic circle on the coast) but I can give you some tips about traveling in Norway with kids. We drove from Bodo to Bergen last summer. What an experience! The "highways" are nothing like I'm used to- barely room for 2 cars in most spots- between Oslo & Bergen might be better though. Lodging is expensive and cabins are your best bet- try to find things with a kitchen to help keep cost down on food. Eating out is very expensive here and you'll get sick of hot dogs rather quickly. I would recommend a cooler- one that you can plug into the car would be a best bet as it's hard to buy a bag of ice here. I would also recommend bringing some motion sickness medicine as roads are twisty- and bring any medications you might need for the family- tylenol, cough medicine. I'm not sure about the water temp for the kids. Hope this helps.
Amy

Eri,
Please transmit your driving advice and insights to:
keith_gale@hotmail.com

Thank you.

Eri

let me re-type that email so it is more evident:
keith_gale@hotmail.com

Greetings,
My wife and I are picking up my new Volvo in Goteborg, Sweden around the 1st of September and after reading some of the posts about driving in Norway, I think we are leaning toward doing the self-drive portion of our trip there. We will have about 12 days total vacation and would like to spend the other half using public transportation and visiting Copenhagen, Stockholm, and possibly Helsinki. Does anyone agree that if you are going to have a car for six days in Scandinavia, you would be better served using it to explore the mountains and fjords of western Norway?

Also coming from Goteborg / Oslo does anyone have a suggested itinerary to get to the Sognefjord area (Nutshell)? If we go that far, is Bergen or Stavanger a must or could we circle back to Oslo without missing too much?

Gard, I saw your Trip to Kjerag page and pictures and I'd really like to do it but can I work that in with the Nutshell area visit in five days from Oslo without feeling like I'm spending all my time behind the wheel of my car? Could you suggest a route from Flam if we decide to skip Bergen?

Eri, I would also be interested in your advise sheet - artc6114@hotmail.com

Thanks in advance to Gard and Eri and anyone else who would be kind enough to offer some advice.

Regards,
Art

To all those who were kind enough to thank me for mailing them my Norway information, and to all those who didn't bother to do so... And to all others who are thinking of asking me - I have decided to "retire" from my offer! No more Norway pages and e-mails from me. Sorry! I amt exhausted. Maybe I'll return in a few months!
Bye!!!

Hi Catherine
We (family of 4) are heading to Norway on WED for 1 week self-drive starting in Oslo.
I was wondeing if you could pass on any tips re. accomodation, food, places to visit, itinerary etc..

Sorry Catherine
Forgot to give me name
John

We went for 2 weeks this summer to Norway. Only saw Viking and Kon tiki museum in Oslo. The headed west. We loved Balestrand and the drive/ferry from Voss to Balestrand and ferry to Mundal from Balestrand. Ulvik, Eidfjord also beautiful. High mtn road from south of Lom to Aurland was beautiful. Enjoyed Alesund more than Bergen. Any fjord tour is good, but when it's sunny it is incredible. Have a great time!!

eri

Please send me a copy as well:

lps1@seidman.net

Hello Eri,
We are couple planning to spend a few days in Norway. Could you please email me your advise sheet? We would prefer to rent a car in Oslo and drop it in Bergen instead of the NIN package, but we do not know if it will be posible to visit the fjords with the car on the ferries.
Thanks a lot

lfantunez@lq.cl

Luis Fernando-- just a quick note; my husband and I rented a hybrid in Stockholm and dropped it off in Oslo. We opted for a road trip rather than a NIN. We covered quite a bit of territory mostly centered around stave churches and fjords, including the Handargervidda National Park, Sognefjord Region, and about 2 full days in Bergen. It was the trip of a lifetime. We were able to see so much, go on a whim on to many country roads to breathtaking waterfalls and fjords villages, have coffee with the locals type of stops Most ferries we had to take took the cars, not expensive, but they had a schedule, so plan accordingly. Great day trips from Bergen, so evaluate the possibility to get to Bergen and rent a car at Bergen and explore from there if your time is limited. Two of my favorite towns were Undredal and Vik. Check a webcamera of Vik located on the roof of a cyber cafe we stopped at: http://vikjavev.no/?spr=en I love it that it stays lighted all night so the camera is always "on"!!

Luis- This thread is from 2007, so I am guessing Eri isn't going to see your request. It might be best to start a new thread, asking your questions.

Viajero2 thank you for your coments we will check on the webcamera and Undredal.

My husband and I plan to drive to Norway and surrounding areas to visit for about 3 weeks next month (Aug 2012)...could you email me your list...not sure which person offered it...we would love it....anne2215@aol.com

We are presently living in Ravello Italy and need to escape the heat for awhile...thanks so much in advance...

Eri, Would you please email me your list for self driving Norway. We would love to vacation there and would appreciate your advise. Thank you, Lonnie lkauff@ptd.net

Eri I would like to get your advise sheet if possible. My email address is johnweb0207@hotmail.com. I am going to the Scandivanian in July and would like to drive around and see more of the countries.

Eddie

Hi, My name is Monica. We are planning a trip to Norway in August. We would like to go into the Fjords by car. Can you tell me which ones would be the best ones to visit and what hotels would be the least expensive? Is the road safe to drive? We are going to Bergen is one hotel better than another there? What sites are best in Bergen and Oslo? In Oslo we plan on staying in the Olmpic Village. When we leave Norway we are going to Coppenhagen then Denmark.
I forgot to tell you we are coming from Iceland taking the ferry into London and the train into Bergen. If there is any itinerary you can send me I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you in advance for your help. We are trying to keep the expense down as much as possible but at the same time see the most for our money. My husband is disabled so we have to be careful becasue he is limited in his activities.
Thank you again for your consideration in this matter. Monica

Hey Eri, I saw that lots of people on here were requesting your itinary for Norway. My wife and I are planning a 5 day trip in Norway at the end of May and we are clueless as to what to see, stay, train, boat, car, ect. Could you email me your itniary? I am not sure if you are still handing it out in that your original post was 5 or more years ago. I would greatly appreciate it! My email is calebkrienke51@hotmail.com.

Thanks!

If you have a car and limited time, why not base yourself in Lom? That way, you can have both Sognefjord (via Sognefjell, a spectacular drive) and Geiranger (you can take the car on the ferry through Geiranger fjord to Geiranger, then drive back to Lom from there, via Trollstigen) as 2 easily drivable daytrips: Lom and surroundings is beautiful for hiking. Driving distances in Norway are considerable, and you don't want to spend the entire day in a car. In and around Lom there are good hotels: a favorite of mine is the Elvesetter, just outside of Lom. Then, you can do the drive to Bergen, via Voss, and Bergen to Geilo, on to Oslo via Hardangervidda.

Also in Lom is Morten Schakenda's famous Bakeriet i Lom. Delicious and not to be missed.