skylark81

Hi guys - been debating for a while to ask this question.

We are a couple in early 30s who are interested in museums, food and exploring the cities in general. We are visiting Stockholm and Copenhagen in last week of August. Despite our very limited time of 6 nights, we want to try to fit in Oslo (0.5 day) and the fjords as well (it's crazy, we know!). This is because it is unlikely we'll visit this part of the world again so soon.

Would anyone advise taking the 7 hour Oslo-Bergen Railway over the 11 hour Oslo-Bergen Norway in the Nutshell trip? And vice versa? Taking the 7 hour train gives me more time in Copenhagen since we wouldn't stay overnight in Bergen. Can we really see the fjord on the train? Oh, and I couldn't find the weather forecast for 26 August.

Many thanks. Much appreciated.

RM67

0.5 days is not enough time to see Oslo and the fjords. If you mean you've got a half day to explore Oslo and then time on top of that to head to the Sognefjord and/or Bergen, that's a bit different. But it takes several hours just to get to the fjord region by either train or car, let alone do the tour (NIN incorporates train, ferry and bus follwoing a triangular route).

I think you need to explain a bit better exactly how much time you have in Norway from the time you arrive to the time you plan to leave.

'Oh, and I couldn't find the weather forecast for 26 August.'

I am assuming this a joke.

Michael

The nice part of the Oslo-Bergen rail line is part of the NIN itinerary. But the ride along the water on that line does not match in any way the NIN itinerary because the train goes through many tunnels. Take the 11 hour trip or don't do it at all.

RM67

Seeing that you have just six nights in total split between two cities already, I don't realistically think you can do this at all - either variant.

RM67

The only way I could see this working would be if you flew into Bergen at the start of your trip, landed am, did the 11 hour trip on your first day, stopping in Oslo overnight, leaving you 5 nights to split between Copenhagen and Stockholm. But it would be knackering - and I'm guessing you're starting from the US (even though you don't say so) in which case there will likely be no direct flights which will probably scupper the plan. I cannot see this working as a spur from an existing trip - only if you can put it right at the beginning or end of the trip and fly open jaw.

skylark81

Thanks for feedback guys.

To clarify and just to share the crazy schedule if we take the NiN tour:
Stockholm: 1.5 days (2 nights) covering City Hall, Drottingholm Palace, Old Town, Vasa Museum
Oslo: 0.5 day (1 night) covering Opera House and walking around the city
Oslo-Bergen NiN tour that starts at 8am-9pm: 1 day (1 night)
Copenhagen: 2 days (2 nights)

If we take the 7 hour train, we'll reach Bergen at 3pm, walk around the town and then proceed to take the 8pm evening flight to Copenhagen. That will give us 2.5 days in Copenhagen..

@RM67: could only find the 10 day weather forecast. Yes, am flying off from Copenhagen.

RM67

Skylark - what I meant was looking for a forecast for one very specific day and several weeks in advance is not at all likely to be accurate. The accuracy of any forecast improves as you get closer to the date. You might get a general sense of weather conditions for the whole week at the moment, but not much more than that.

Well, good luck if you do decide to go ahead with this schedule - its very tight. Please come back and do a TR and post some pics if you can.

zwho

Just my humble opinion, but I would skip Stockholm totally. Even the Vasa Museum is not a deal breaker. Spend a day to day & a half in Copenhagen and in the evening get yourselves to Oslo. The next day, walk around the city center ending at city hall & the Nobel peace Museum. Spend the evening around there. Lots of restaurants, bars & people. Next day go to Vigner Park, (truly amazing) and then you can spend the rest of the day visiting the Con Tiki museum, the Viking museum & the Folk museum. They are all pretty much next to each other. Spend the evening & have dinner at the Johann gate. the name may be wrong but it's a pedestrian area and a block or 2 from the Opera house. Next morning do NIN, however long it takes. That's what I would do.

nytraveler

I'm afraid you're counting some time more than once, not being realistic about how long it takes to see and do things, and just trying to do WAY too much.

As for weather - you will know the day it happens - or quite possibly the evening before. Any further than that is a guess.

And I'm afraid you haven;t really absorbed much about the geography involved if you think Drottingholm is in the center of Stockholm.

nytraveler

Sorry - in your time I would try to squeeze in Copenhagen and Stockholm. If you want to do Norway you must drop one of the others.

Ruby99

Last year we spend 4 nights in Copenhagen, 3 in Helsinki, 2 in Tallinn and then overnight ferry to Stockholm where we spent another 4 nights. I found that to be rushed and we had more than twice the time you had. I would have loved to go to Norway then, since we were so close, but we chose to leave it out in order to fully enjoy the cities we were in.

Your itinerary is totally doable, but I'm afraid you won't get to get much of the real feel for the cities you are visiting if you are constantly flying in and out of somewhere.

dyoll

To answer your original question - you do not see the fjords on the direct rail journey Oslo-Bergen. Googlemaps will show you the routes.
Otherwise I agree with the other comments here - you'll cross lots off the list, but won't actually see anything. 6 nights is five whole days, 2 of which you intend to use for flights which with transfers to airport etc. etc. will use up most of a day.