What to do with 4 extra days in Norway
Jul 31st, 2006, 11:35 AM
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What to do with 4 extra days in Norway
My husband and I will be taking a business trip to Norway at the end of August. We will spend a couple of days in Oslo and then a couple of days in Trondheim. We will then have 4 full days before we fly out of Oslo. We are looking for things to do with our 4 days. Norway is expensive and we would like to keep the cost down. We like doing things rather than seeing them. I am interested in ideas and in places to stay.
Jul 31st, 2006, 12:09 PM
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One of europe's most scenic train rides to Bergen then from there another day do the fantastic Norway in a Nutshell loop involving train, mountain bus ride, a boat ride on norway's longest fjord and mountain train back up from fjord to train back to Bergen - outstanding experience - one of top things i've done in 37 years of annual European travel.
Jul 31st, 2006, 12:10 PM
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Depending on the nature of your business trip, what you can pack, and truly how active you are, you will have plenty of time to do the Norway in a nutshell.
The route I took was an overnight train from Oslo to Bergen. Than taking a high
speed ferry up to Sogneford. From there you can take a local ferry to the Glacier museum in Fjærland by the architect Sverre Fehn. The museum itself isn't really an amazing attraction, but it is a good point to get information on places to hike, or to walk on the glaciers. I believe there are buses which depart from there to take you up to the glacier. http://www.bre.museum.no/index_engelsk.html
I chose instead to hike to the nearest glacier in Jostedal Glacier National Park which was about a 1 1/2 hour walk through farmland to the base of the mountain and a 3 to 4 hour hike to the top, where there is a cabin to stay and camp the night. I would not say this is an easy hike even though I thought I was in shape. Proper hiking boats are a must. However, the view from the top is literally in the clouds and has an amazing view of the fjords. After staying the night you can hike back to the ferry dock. If you have the time, I would each lunch in the nearby town and take the late afternoon ferry.
I would suggest taking the Flam railway on the way back as it is a one of a kind railway even if it is a little touristy. I believe it connects in Mydral from Soegenford and you end in Flam which can take you back to Bergen in a few hours. More info is on this:
website:http://www.norwaynutshell.com/default.asp
From Flam I found it easier to go back to Bergen before returning to Oslo. Either way I would reserve some time in Bergen. It is a charming town which I would like to have spent even more time. Supposedly however it rains or is cloudy something like 300 days a year. I was able to luck out and be there when it was sunny. I would definately suggest spending some time at the fish market. Besides the fresh salmon and cavier, Norway is known for there strawberries.
All and all I enjoyed this portion of Norway more than my stay in Oslo. The connections are layed out well and the transportation is very up to date (except for the local ferries). I think you have plenty of options to see a great deal of Norway in a short period of time.
The route I took was an overnight train from Oslo to Bergen. Than taking a high
speed ferry up to Sogneford. From there you can take a local ferry to the Glacier museum in Fjærland by the architect Sverre Fehn. The museum itself isn't really an amazing attraction, but it is a good point to get information on places to hike, or to walk on the glaciers. I believe there are buses which depart from there to take you up to the glacier. http://www.bre.museum.no/index_engelsk.html
I chose instead to hike to the nearest glacier in Jostedal Glacier National Park which was about a 1 1/2 hour walk through farmland to the base of the mountain and a 3 to 4 hour hike to the top, where there is a cabin to stay and camp the night. I would not say this is an easy hike even though I thought I was in shape. Proper hiking boats are a must. However, the view from the top is literally in the clouds and has an amazing view of the fjords. After staying the night you can hike back to the ferry dock. If you have the time, I would each lunch in the nearby town and take the late afternoon ferry.
I would suggest taking the Flam railway on the way back as it is a one of a kind railway even if it is a little touristy. I believe it connects in Mydral from Soegenford and you end in Flam which can take you back to Bergen in a few hours. More info is on this:
website:http://www.norwaynutshell.com/default.asp
From Flam I found it easier to go back to Bergen before returning to Oslo. Either way I would reserve some time in Bergen. It is a charming town which I would like to have spent even more time. Supposedly however it rains or is cloudy something like 300 days a year. I was able to luck out and be there when it was sunny. I would definately suggest spending some time at the fish market. Besides the fresh salmon and cavier, Norway is known for there strawberries.
All and all I enjoyed this portion of Norway more than my stay in Oslo. The connections are layed out well and the transportation is very up to date (except for the local ferries). I think you have plenty of options to see a great deal of Norway in a short period of time.
Jul 31st, 2006, 12:43 PM
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I agree with the above recommendations. We spent 2 days in Oslo, and it could have been one. We loved Norway but Oslo was our least favorite town. Definitely do Norway in a Nutshell and spend some time in the Bergen area.
