I just finished reading a bunch of old posts on Norway and saw several references to doing this tour on your own. What does that mean? Is it generally done in organized groups? We're thinking about starting in Oslo then spending a few nights along the way to Bergen. Will that be a hassle? What are the best places to overnight if we want cool scenery and to go hiking? Thanks!

Hi, Page. <BR>Seems like postings regarding Norway increases accordingly with days getting brighter. Maybe Scandinavia soon will take over for requests on Italy and France? <BR>Organized vs individual? <BR>If you like group travelling, there are lots of organized tours. Advantage is beeing taken good care of, reduced efforts with your luggage handling, no bothering with planning, it might give good value for money etc. Disadvantage: You must stick to the schedule, you may miss your own points of interest and it might be more expensive. <BR>Next to organized tours, you can buy packages, consisting of transport tickets, overnight vouchers etc, and then plan the journey in your own pace. <BR>The Norwegian Railroad's website <BR>http://www.nsb.no can be a good starting point to get info on some alternatives. <BR>Personally I would try to get info on different individual packages, and then start planning for all nessecary modifications, according to needs, purse and schedules. I promise you that in Norway travelling individually will not be any hassle. Meaning of course, that you not try to cross glaciers, climb dangerous mountains etc on your own. <BR>Spending some days on your way from Oslo to Bergen seems great. But it is impossible to give you any hints on overnight places and hikes without more details on dates, type of hikes, budget, other needs, your physical fitness etc. Please feel free to email me, or maybe a better idea is starting a heavy Norwegian thread on this cannel. <BR>See you <BR>Bjorn <BR>

We did Norway in a Nutshell a few years ago, and had NO problems doing it on our own. We did not stopover anyplace, however, until we got to Bergen. Norway is a beautiful country (as is the rest of Scand.), and language was not an issue. We have found all Scand. to be very fluent in English. It's so refreshing to go to a country where there are no hassels at the airport, in the cities & airport you don't have to look over your shoulder to see if someone is going to pickpocket you, you don't feel ripped off because you paid the price stated on the tag (instead of having to bargain for something you want), etc. I'm sure you will LOVE Norway.

Paige, We are going to Norway in early March for eight nights. Our first three nights will be spent in Oslo. We will then take the train to Bergen and spend three nights there. <BR> <BR>On our second day in Bergen we will be doing the Nutshell tour. My understanding of the tour is that it's generally done independently. You can begin the tour either from Oslo or Bergen. You're also permitted to do overnight stays during the tour. We are just going on for one day. I believe the tour tickets simply permit you to take the various means of transportation from point to point. Check out the the Norwegian railway site (www.nsb.no/no/) for more information. <BR> <BR>After our stay in Bergen we will travel back to Oslo for the last two nights. <BR> <BR>So in a nutshell (ha! ha!) it should not be a hassle to stay in Bergen. Hopefully others will have good information regarding cool scenic overnights and hiking spots. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip!

By the way, Paige, appropos of another current thread here, I just read yesterday on a CNN site that of all the countries in Europe, Norway is the least likely place you will find mad cow disease. Maybe you don't eat beef anyway, but there you go! Have a great time!

yes , norway in a nut shell is a grt way to see alot in a short time and space. it is very easy to do by your self , just book and go from bergen. The trip between Oslo and Bergen is also very spectacular. <BR>In Bergen i recommend the walking tour of the old area of town and also giong up one of the cable cars, the fish market is also interesting. we stayed in pensions or what i call b&k , bed and kitchen facilities. Very good accommodation for $30 NZ $15 USA approx. <BR>have a grt trip cheers from lorrie

Thanks, Ess, but I'm a vegetarian. <BR>Bjorn, I'm thinking we'll either go the last week of April or the 1st of June. I realize the weather will be better in June but that's really not the best time for our schedule. I was thinking of overnighting so that we could go for 3-5 hour hikes. We hike regularly in the Bavarian Alps in the summer (no mountain climbing or serious stuff). We're 35 and 39 and in reasonably good shape. We're really looking for spectacular scenery. Our budget is flexible but we usually look for rooms under $100 US. We'll have 8-9 days. Any recommendations? <BR>Thanks to everyone that responded!

Hi Page. <BR>Unless you choose cross-country skiing, I believe hiking in April will be a challenge. Mountain areas will be impossible to walk, and due to the snow melting, hiking might be a hassle in lower areas as well. The last saturday of April a great ski-event, Skarverennet, takes place. That weekend all the hotel rooms in the Geilo-Finse area are booked up, and on Saturday there might be some rush on the Oslo-Bergen railway. <BR>However, when this is said, I'm sure you'll have possibilities, although some limited, for nice hiking. When in Oslo, I'd spend some hours walking on the Bygdoy peninsula in connection with visiting the Vikingships, Kon-Tiki etc, or I'd take the train beyond Holmenkollen to Frognerseteren and make my way downtown by foot. In Bergen I would take the funicular to the viewpoint at mt Floyen, and by foot down the steep paths. Or, if weather and time allow, continuing by foot and make a circle in the hills north/east of Bergen and get to mt Ulriken. <BR>If making overnight stops on the way to Bergen, my general advice is to go nonstop until you have reached or passed the mountains. <BR>If you plan to take the Oslo-Bergen railway and to make the "nutshell" detour from Myrdal via Flam and Gudvangen to Voss, I think youll find nice accomodations and som hiking alternatives both at Myrdal, Flam, Aurland, Stalheim and Voss. Staying at the 1222 at Finse might be nice. <BR>Stalheim used to be a great hotel, and with magnificent views. Voss also have lots of possibilities. <BR>In Bergen make sure you stay central. In the old Bryggen area youll find many hotels, and within USD 100 you should be able to find appropriate hotel rooms, at least during weekends, when prices are discounted. Rainbow Orion is ok. You also may try pensions. Skansen Pension http://www.skansen-pensjonat.no/ seem very ok to me, and very very nicely located close to the funicular and with a very nice city overview. <BR>Bjorn <BR>

We are planning to do the "Norway in a Nutshell" trip in August. We're starting in Oslo and plan to spend a night in Flam at the Heimly Pension. The next day we'll continue to Bergen, our next destination. We have a Scanrail Pass which will allow us to travel part of the trip at a reduced rate for the train from Myrdal to Flam (I think). My question is this: Do we need to make reservations in advance for the train to Flam, and the boat and bus portions of this trip or can we purchase our tickets for the Flam train, and boat and bus as we board. We'll make reservations in advance for the train from Oslo to Myrdal and the train from Voss to Bergen. It's the three parts inbetween that we're not sure about.<BR>Thanks in advance for any responses. If you can reply to my email address too it will be helpful.<BR>Best Regards,<BR>Glenda