Norway in a Nutshell Logistics Questions
 

We are four adults visiting Norway in July. We fly into Bergen and after a day there, plan to travel to Flam, stay overnight, and continue on to Oslo. I have a few questions:

1) Should we commit to a full day in Bergen or think about a day trip or part of day outside the city?

2) Should we make transportation reservations in advance for the Bergen-Flam and then Flam-Oslo trips?

3) Is it easy to take our luggage with us from transportation mode to transportation mode, or should we consider using the porter services offered on the Norway in a Nutshell website?

Thanks!

kbob24

I don't recommend you to stay overnight in Flam.You should order a ticket online or by a tourism agency for the Norway in a Nutshell trip. Sleep in Bergen and don't take heavy luggages with you. The trip from Bergen to Flam and back,(all the Norway in a Nutshell trip) is about 9 hours (we left at 8 am and were back to Bergen at 5 pm). Flam is not the best place to sleep. You could also consider a boat trip from Bergen to Hardangerfjord or to Sognefjord ( the hole length, because Norway in a Nutshell contains a 1 hours trip on a narrow passage on Sognefjord, but it isn't the same). I would personally choose a boat trip from Bergen to Sognefjord and back. Flam is not so beautiful as you would think and Norway in a Nutshell doesn't really express the wonderful beauty of Norway (although it is a well organized trip). If you want to "feel" the real Norway, take a day trip from Bergen to one of these two fjords - Sognefjord or Hardanger. But if you insist on Norway in a Nutshell, don't sleep in Flam :) Have a great trip!

We did the same trip in reverse late last month.

Bergen is a pretty city, but there is not a lot to see. I think it is worth part of a day, unless there are particular things that you want to see. I believe the Grieg house is a short ride away from town and might be a good addition. I highly recommend the view from the top of the funicular; it is one of the most memorable views from any of our trips.

Norway in a Nutshell is not necessarily an "all or none" choice. We used it to get from Oslo to Flom, then took a boat across Sognefjord to Balestrand and stayed for 3 nights. Then we took the express boad from Balestrand to Bergen. Balestrand is a good place to spend 1 or more nights, although I don't have the information to compare it to Flom. There are a few other small towns on Sognefjord that might be suitable for a night's stay, but we did not look into them before the trip.

I agree with the previous comment that spending more than 1 hour on a boat on a fjord is highly recommended, and to do that you have to leave the Nutshell route at least for a while.

Advance reservations are important on the train segments of Norway in a Nutshell (probably on the bus parts as well). They are not needed on the boats that service the fjord, except perhaps the short trip that is part of Nutshell.

This may be outside your question, but if you stay on Sognefjord, there are possibke excursions that would keep you in the area longer. We took a tour of the glacier museum and saw two glaciers on a guided excursion from Balestrand, and a different short boat trip to Vic allowed us to visit one of the oldest Stave churches in Norway, a short distance from Balestrand. Depending on your interests, you could spend more time in the Sognefjord area.

Unless you carry a lot of luggage or generally need help with it, you should be able to make the transitions from one mode of transportation to the next. We pack light.

I meant Flam, not Flom. It's one of the few Norwegian words I can spell so I should get it right.

we loved flam
and stayed three nights

we visited the fretheimhotel
not worth the money
for us
but ok if you wanted a one night stay

flam is soooo pretty when the daytrippers leave

we stayed at the marina apartments right on the fjord
magical
owned by the heimly pensionat people -just a little bit set back from the water

theres an all you can eat buffet that was quite nice in town

you can easily walk from the train to your accommodation but im sure the owners can come and pick you up

I enjoyed Bergen and could have easily spent two full days there - part of a day wouldn't do it justice. There is the Bryggen, funicular, the cable car (great hikes down from the top) and the leprosy museum/history.

I only went to Flam for the day and understand the comments that you wouldn't want to stay there, but I also imagine its rather peaceful when all the day-trippers (like me!) leave.

We just did the Norway in a Nutshell tour, and the only reservation we has was for the train ride from Oslo to Myrdal. From Voss to Bergen we were on a local train with no reservations. A call to the Norway In a Nutshell people will tell you which segment of the trip must be reserved.