littlerunaway

Hi all,

we have about 10 days to road trip from Bergen and back (not including a couple of days in Bergen itself). we'll be there on the first half of June, 4 adults.
I was thinking of visiting Geirangerfjord and Sognefjord/Nærøyfjord (and perhaps stopping in around Loen skylift for an overnight to break the drive between the two regions) and drive through Trollstigen, and then return to Bergen with a couple of overnights on the way since it's a long drive.

how many days would you spend in each fjord region? we want to do some easy hiking/walking and the usual sightseeing. where should we base ourselves for each?
I'm having a hard time figuring out the way back to Bergen so we don't take the same route but still stop at a couple of nice towns/villages with something to do on the way. any recommendations?

any recommendations about car rentals in Bergen are also welcomed.

Michael

I used Kemwel or AutoEurope (I don't remember which) to rent a car one way from Bergen to Trondheim. One offered a rental with a one way fee, the other did not impose such a fee; I think that this depends on the agency that provides the car. We took a short week for the trip with no hiking, it was touring by car. From Trondheim we flew to Stockholm with a transfer in Oslo.

https://flic.kr/p/7qoFmR https://flic.kr/p/7qoGo2 https://flic.kr/p/7qsFJG

littlerunaway

where did you stop over night on your trip?

OlavE

Okay. Early june may be at bit early for many of the best hikes in this region, but I'll give you some suggestions anyway.

First; the whole Western Norway from Stavanger in southwest to Molde in the northwest is "fjord country". I'll concentrate my tips from Bergen and northwards. Unless you are very keen on hiking, one or two nights on each place may be enough.

You should do the Flåm railyway. It is touristy, but also specatacular! And it's possible to walk or hike bike to Flåm after taking the train up to Myrdal station.

https://www.norwaysbest.com/the-flam-railway/

But don't stay in Flåm. Rather stay in the neighbouring village of Aurlandsvangen. It's a bit bigger, more charming and not THAT touristy. Map of Aurland.

https://ut.no/kart#12.86/60.89674/7.18344

On the way to Flåm/Aurland you will have passed Nærøyfjorden. It's okay for a sightseeing for a half a day or so, but not much more. The only village (or it's more a hamlet than a village) is Nærøyfjorden is Gudvangen, and it's not that worth a stay. But I would spend some time on the fjord there. Either by a boat trip, or even better; renting a kayak.

Otherwise I would stop in Fjærland and take a trip up to Jostedalsbreen. Fjærland also have a glacier museum worth visiting. Map of Fjærland.

https://ut.no/kart#12.89/61.42171/6.77211

When you get further north, you come to Loen and Olden. Loen skylift may be nice, but if I were to stay in the area, I would much rather choose Olden. Here there are several hikes and also several camping sites where you could stay and rent a camping hut (if that is an option). Map of Olden

https://ut.no/kart#10.81/61.7653/6.8932

As an option to Geirangerfjorden, I would also do Hjørundfjorden. It's probably the best place of hiking in the whole fjord region in Norway. Utterly spectacular!

https://www.fjordnorway.com/en/attractions/hjorundfjord

Here you could stay at Christian Gaard, which lies at a roadless hamlet at the north side of the fjord. You contact them and get them to pick you up with a shuttle boat if go there.

https://christian-gaard.no/en/framside-en/

And if you go there, you should also drive Norangsdalen, a narrow and spectacular valley from the bottom of the fjord. Here it is also possible to take an easy hike.

https://www.visitnorway.com/listings.../1206/?lang=uk

littlerunaway

hi, thank you for the detailed reply.

I think we'll skip the Flåm railway. we're coming with a car so we'll have to do a round trip and for the 4 of us it's just very pricey (or maybe we'll do it, I'm not sure yet). going back on foot or on bikes is not an option. we're traveling with my parents and they are definitely not up for doing that (two unfit people in their 60's). which also eliminates most of the hiking options in general because we can only do the really easy ones. for example, the only one I found that can fit us is the hike from Olden to the glacier, which seems to be a popular one. also came across Huaren viewpoint that can be reached from Olden. couldn't find anything else suitable in Jostedalsbreen. I don't know if there's a point for us to stay in Fjærland.

in Aurlandsfjord I wanted to do a short visit to Underdal, looks like a cute little place to stroll in and also Stegastein viewpoint (perhaps we can stop there on our way to Olden).
are there any boat rides we can take from Aurlandsvangen (not private, more like a ferry type)?
is Flam worth a visit if we don't take the railway?
any other place in that area we can check out? I know our hiking ability really limits our options but I'm afraid there's not much we can do about it.

I'm sorry for all the questions but I never planned a trip like that before.

OlavE

Okay.

No, I don't think Flåm itself is worth a visit without doing the railway or any hiking/biking. There isn't much there unless hotels and it's funtion is mostly as a "rally point" for people coming and going to the railway and to and from hikes and biking tours in the area.

For boat trip I found this:
https://www.fjordnorway.com/en/see-a...seeing-rundtur

That glacier gike from Olden should be quite doable yes, I've done that.

Otherwise, Geiranger then may be a better choice than the mentioned Hjørundfjorden due to the lack of hiking ability. Here are a link to hiking tours around Geiranger. The page is in Norwegian (the English version seem to contain fewer tours than the Norwegian). The green marked routes are the easiest and should be doable.

https://morotur.no/?lat=62.09617128&...579178&zoom=12

But I would still do Norangsdalen. It also have a section for easy hiking. You can see the remains of the old road in the street view link below.

Google street view Norangsdalen

Michael

It's in this trip report:

Trip Report: Norway, July 2009

There is one obvious correction; photos are to be found here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjpdzmt7

littlerunaway

how does that look as a possible itinerary?
I would prefer option 2 since 2.5 days in Bergen seems enough but I'm not sure where to stop on the way from Alesund to Bergen. any ideas?
(the numbers on the left refer to dates in June).

Norway
3 - arrive in the evening
4 - rent car. travel to Naeroyfjord. Undredal. stay in Aurlandsvangen.
5 - Flam railway. Stegastein. travel to Olden. stay in Olden/Stryn. glacier hike from Olden.
6 - Loen skylift + hike. stay in Olden/Stryn
7 - travel to Geiranger via Dalsnibba vp.
8 - cruise. Hellesylt and back
9 - trollstigen. stay in Alesund
10 - Alesund

option 1 --------------------------
11 - travel to Skei via Norangsdalen
12 - travel to Bergen
13 - Bergen

option 2 --------------------------
11 - travel to ? via Norangsdalen
12 - travel to ?
13 - travel to Bergen

14 - Bergen
15 - Bergen
16 - early flight home

littlerunaway

ok, final itinerary. how does that look?

3 : arrive, 17:30. stay in the airport
4 : take car, drive to Eidfjord (4.5hrs or 3hrs for shorter version). stay in Eidfjord (?).
5 : drive to Vøringfossen (waterfall viewpoint), drive to Aurlandsvangen (2.5hrs). stop at Undredal. stay in Aurlandsvangen.
6 : Flam railway. Stegastein viewpoint (?) drive to Olden (3hrs). stay in Olden.
7 : Glacier hike. Loen lift + hike. stay in Olden.
8 : drive to Geiranger (1.5hrs). stop Dalsnibba viewpoint. stay near Geiranger.
9 : fjord cruise to Hellesylt and back (short walk in Hellesylt). stay near Geiranger.
10 : drive Trollstigen. drive to Alesund (4hrs). stay in Alesund.
11 : Alesund. stay in Alesund.
12 : drive to Skei (3.5hrs). stay in Skei.
13 : drive to Bergen (4hrs). stay in Bergen (return car to the aiport)
14 : Bergen
15 : Bergen
16 : fly home

staying in:
Bergen Airport
Eidfjord x1
Aurlandsvangen x1
Olden x2
(near) Geiranger x2
Alesund x2
Skei x1
Bergen x3