thursdaysd

Thanks BLT83, that sounds great. Just so long as there IS a shower, small is fine.

BritishCaicos - lovely pix, but noise would be a problem.

BritishCaicos

No noise in the upper level rooms, lovely architecture but is does have a young vibe.

Definitely see the Vasa and get there early as the queues can be diabolical.

If you have any eye for detail or naval architectural design then you'll be shocked that anyone involved in its construction would conceive that the thing would ever float.

Sparkman and Stephens it is not!

menachem

Alesund is nice, not sure about a whole day though. There's only so much jugendstil to go round, and a shortish walk in the city center is sufficient to see it all. In Alesund I also visited the Sunnmøre open air museum and found it quite moving in fact, especially the boats they exhibit, including the fishing boats that were used as the "shetland bus" during WW2.

I think that for an entire day of Alesund, at the end of it you'd be looking for things to do.

Nomaden, in Apotekergata is a good place for lunch.

I second BritishCaicos Berns suggestion in Stockholm. Stayed there a couple of time when I was at SIME conference and loved it every time.

BritishCaicos

Berns isn't really a hotel.

More of a piece of Stockholm's historical societal fabric.

Changes your view of Stockholm by staying there. Some would hate it, its not Eden Roc or The Four Seasons but we loved it.

thursdaysd

The Four Seasons? Not likely! I generally stay in B&Bs or pensions.

Thanks for the Alesund info. I found some photos, too. Looks like I'll be getting back on board for the fjord.

menachem

Geiranger is equally limited in range. The cruise up to Geiranger is beautiful but Geiranger itself is a bunch of souvenir shops and coffee/lunch places.

However, I really enjoyed this:

http://www.geirangerfjord.no/fjord-farm-hiking

Do find out how much time you have in Geiranger proper.

thursdaysd

menachem - looks like it will be a brief stop at Geiranger. Plus, I'm not sure either of us are up for a "demanding" ascent - those fjords look steep! There is an excursion with "a drive up Ornevesein, enjoying magnificent views of Geirangerfjord en route to the beautiful Eidsdalen Lake" followed by a ferry from Eidsdal to Linge and a drive via the Trollstigen pass to Molde. Not sure whether that would be instead of visiting Alesund.

menachem

I think it depends on: do you want to be on a bus all day, basically, or explore at leisure following your own schedule. If the latter: Alesund wouldn't be a bad choice at all. Maybe hire a private guide. That open air museum is really good, so that's the morning. Lunch in town, maybe a guided walk around and then it's time to get going again. Have a look around Alesund on google streetview to see how you like and to gauge how "big" it really is. I had the benefit of a small scale guided tour, which was excellent.

dyoll

It would be absolutely crazy to skip the fjord visit (Geirangerfjord) for a day in Ålesund. Geirangerfjord is the highlight of the trip!
Why Gothenburg? Pleasant enough city but not worth 3 nights if you are only leaving 2 nights for Bergen.
Do the Norway in a Nutshell as a day trip from Bergen (put in an extra night there) - not backtracking from Oslo (it takes twice as long). From Oslo consider day trips to Oscarsborg and Fredrikstad.

BritishCaicos

Dyoll

Have you done the full Hurtigruten cruise to the North Cape? There's an awful lot of scenery in those six days.

menachem

BritishCaicos, I'm with you. For me, Lofoten were the highlight, not the Geirangerfjord so much. And I quite liked Ålesund actually.

And dyoll, yes, Bergen three nights, Gothenburg 2, although the Archipelago there is very nice, especially during summer.

thursdaysd

Can't change the nights in Bergen as I already have the plane ticket from Stockholm. Could move one from Gothenburg to Copenhagen or Stockholm. I thought that the NiN from Oslo was supposed to be better than from Bergen because the train ride into Bergen was the least scenic leg?

Anyone have a hotel they like in Oslo?

BritishCaicos

I have never, ever gone wrong with many SAS Radisson hotels. Incredible breakfasts, no experience of Oslo.

HappyTrvlr

We took the Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes in late August and visited both Alesund (briefly)and Geirangerfjord which was beautiful. Did not get off the boat. Many waterfalls to be seen in the Geirangerfjord. In Bodo, visit the Aircraft Museum filled with WWII history. In Tromso we took a city bus to the Arctic Chapel; we easily walked to the Polaria Museum from the pier. The only booked excursion we took was to Nord Cap which is a huge bluff looking out to the sea. It was OK.
Stockholm.. Definitly take a tour of city hall filled with so many interesting rooms, art and history. We were pleasantly surprised.VASA Museum is a highlight.
For a trip to archipelago take a ferry from Nybroplan out to Fjaderholmarna and have lunch there.
Don't miss the boat trip and visit to Drottingholm Palace where the royal family lives.
We really enjoyed Oslo, liked it enough to return someday. Excellent public transportation. Bought a transit pass. Vigeland Sculpture Garden and the Viking Museum were highlights. We stayed at the Grand Hotel;we found a great internet deal.The l
Hotel's location was perfect.

kja

I enjoyed Drottingholm, too.

kja

BTW, I hope you make time to visit Nefertiti while in Berlin -- she is truly lovely, IMO.

thursdaysd

Oh yes, Nefertiti is definitely on the agenda.

Am currently doing hotel reservations for Norway. It is reminding me that it is always easier to travel solo, and I am discovering that two single beds are more expensive than one double...

live42day

Hi Thursday, we are going to some of those places in the Fall.
It was quite hard to choke down the high prices of hotels, but none the less we are going anyhow.
We booked on booking.com, and opted for the no penalty change option, which ends up costing a bit more but gives us flexibility to change or cancel if something comes up.

In Bergen we booked the Basic Bergen $115 per night, (all are based on doubles
In Stockholm the Comfort Hotel Stockholm, the most expensive city , $160 a night (ouch)
and in Copenhagen, Hotel du Nord, $125 per night.

Our priority is to be as central as possible. I don't want to spend my time commuting.

We are doing a self drive from Bergen and will be in Alesund for one night, staying at the Alesund Hostel for $115 per night
I have quoted all in USD.

thursdaysd

I have been booking pre-paid rates, although I am reluctant to do so! In Bergen we are staying at the Scandic Ornen, for considerably more than you are paying - but I am splitting it with my sister! I'm currently looking at apartments on AirBnB for Oslo, as that way we won't have to eat out all the time.

live42day

Yes, having a kitchen is a great idea, which is why we liked the Basic Bergen. In the other places we are going in France and Isreael we have booked mostly VRBO or AirBNB for the full kitchen to cook our own breakfasts and some dinners, to not only save money, but keep my dietary needs on track.