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Okay, so I started reading through the boards, but most of what I am seeing is at a level of detail that I am just not at yet.
My mother is Norwegian and has always wanted to go to Norway, so for her 70th birthday, my husband and I plan to take her an her husband there. So, I am trying to figure out the best way to do this...a formal tour, a cruise (with other Baltic stops?), plan it on my own. I am leaning towards a cruise, but not sure that that will get us a true taste of Norway.
Mom has traveled in much of Europe (Italy, Spain, Portugal, France), but not Norway and "nearby" locations. Would love to hear the wisdom of those of you who read this board and know more about Norway than I do (which is probably everyone reading this!), and those that have travelled with parents (I will say that they are quite active, with no significant medical issues that could add to the complexity of our travel).
Thanks so much!
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Very early planning stages...trip to Norway
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You say 'cruise with other Baltic stops' ? Norway is not a Baltic country ! That said, it might depend on fitness of your mother. A cruise would take you to the most scenic spots. I prefer to do planning with help from the net, most kind of tickets may be pre-bought, and you would be free to take detours if not too tight a schedule. Lots of tips here and on other travel forums.
www.fodors.com/community/europe/the-most-beautiful-voyage-in-the-world-and-the-northern-lights.cfm
This is my report on the Hurtigruten which will certainly give you a true taste of Norway but only Norway.
Enjoy Norway it is a lovely country
i dont like tours but in saying that i do acknowledge that they do get you places and you do know what youre looking at..must admit at times we didnt exactly know what waterfall had what legend attached to it when we did geiranger ourselves but we dont really care lol
i think cruising would be the way for your parents
relaxed and theres no unpacking
we are not cruising people
but we are planning our yachting trip next - im looking forward to the relaxed pace and having everything on hand and not having to pack up each time
now about norway
the prettiest places we saw were geiranger and flam and naeroyfjord/ aurland fjord..balestrand is beautiful too
sure we saw a ton of other breathtaking places but youd need to do a land tour to get to them ..so maybe you could do the norway in a nutshell from oslo to bergen and then catch the hurtigruten cruise north
norway is unbelievably gorgeous - one of those must see places along with canada switzerland and new zealand in our opinion
Last July we went to Norway on Crystal Cruises, and beyond. In a 14 day trip, we began in Copenhagen, and were primarily along the Norwegian coast line. We visited Bergen, Olden, Geiranger, Alesund, Trohdheim, then went on to the North Sea, North Cape and up to the Polar Ice Cap. We finished in Dover, England.
The scenery from the ship along that coastline was amazing. Just the fjords along Geiranger took your breath away. There are many excursions along the way, but the beauty of what you see from the ship alone is worth the trip, and it's very varied.
It works well to cruise, so that if excursions are not to everyone's liking, you can split up for a few hours, or just stay onboard.
There are other cruise lines, including smaller Norwegian vessels, so you will find something to your taste and price.
Does your mother know where her ancestors lived in Norway? That may make a difference on where you go. Norway is quite easy to travel - I would recommend independent travel - you can go where you want to go.
We did use Nordicsaga to make arrangements for an independent trip to Norway and it worked very well. www.nordicsaga.com
We did the Golden Triangle Tour. Oslo, Stavanager by train, ferry to Bergen and Norway in a Nutshell back to Oslo. We stayed one night on the fjord.
We have also rented a car and visited 3 farms of our grandparents in Norway. There is much to see in Oslo.