Norway In A Nutshell by Car or Tour?
 

Hi:

We'll have kids (under 7 yrs old) traveling with us when we make the Scandinavia trip in Summer, but I wanted to know if it makes sense to do the "Norway In A Nutshell" trip ourselves by car or take the tour (train/boat/bus combination)?

Of course, the convenience of the kids is a priority as well (that's the only way the adults can enjoy the trip), but I want to know if there are any downsides (from viewing the scenery perspective) if we travelled in our own car.

Thanks,
D

How can you simulate a boat trip on the fantastic fjord by car? Can you see whales perhaps or skirt by the dramatic cliffs the boat does?

can you experience the thrilling Flam to Myrdhal mountain railway - though a road does run next to it.

But the boat ride to me is the key to making the Nutshell experience one of my most memorable in decades of European travel - just would not be the same by car IMO.

PalenQ:

I should have posed my question better. I did not mean see from the car what people see from the train/boat/bus.

I thought we could drive to the towns that offer the boat rides to the fjords. And buy tickets for the Flam-Myrdhal railway on our own when we get to Flam. The idea for renting a car is to travel at our own pace, enjoy the scenery, but then take the appropriate train/boat rides based on our schedule.

Is that possible?

OH of course a car would be sweet in that way - not sure how the boats work but you might have to go round trip on the boat to easily get back to your car. Maybe not.

You could park at Voss, take the thrilling mountain bus ride to Gudvagen - ferry to Flam - train to Myrdhal and train back to Voss - no backtracking

But yes the boat ride is the deal and you could do that from Flam I'd think round trip and the road to Flam pretty much parallels the Flam-Myrdhal Railway so you see the same waterfall, etc.

Yes with kids I may drive to Flam and just do the boat ride and drive along the railway on the road.

and you will not miss any great scenery IMO by doing that - though the bus ride down to Gudvagen and the fjord is rather dramatic.

In Voss you can check out the grave of Knute Rockne is the village graveyard. Touchdown Jesus watches over him!

Thanks for your detailed replies.