Norway in a Nutshell overnight stop
 

We will be in Norway late June/early July, based primarily in Oslo staying with family. We plan to do Norway in a Nutshell to Bergen and had thought we would stay 1 nite in Voss and 1 nite in Bergen...however, just learned our niece wants us to visit her home 4 hours north of Oslo which will give us our "rural" experience. So perhaps we should plan on 2 nights in Bergen and skip staying overnight in Voss??? We will be traveling with 2 teens.

We did the Nutshell and stayed overnight in Flam. From what I recall on the trip to Bergen, Voss was very isolated. Bergen was wonderful. Although it will be a long day, I would probably choose to spend the extra day in Bergen.

What is Norway in a Nutshell? I have seen references to it in various postings. My brother is going to Norway this year and I thought it might be something he should know about.

Thanks!

The Nutshell is a railway based individual tour from Oslo to Bergen or day-trip from Bergen taking you down valley on the Flam-railway, short cruise on a narrow fjord and up a serpentine road. For more information check www.fjord-tours.com partly owned by Norwegian Rail

enjoylife- try a google search on "Norway" and "Nutshell" - there are plenty of sites about it.

peggi- we did this tour this past July, and it was breathtaking, but also a LONG day! We did not traverse the country, however, and drove from Bergen to Voss, spent one night in Voss, and did the round-trip tour(train, flamsbana, boat, bus) starting and ending in Voss. Voss is really a ski town, and there wasn't too much to do/see there in July, but we were pretty tired anyway! Even in the middle of the summer, I would recommend bringing lots of layers- you will want to be on the top deck, out in the open, for the boat tour of the fjords - I wish I had brought a better sweater as it got quite cool in the shade, and there was still snow on some of the peaks! In addition, the guy at the tourism office recommended that we take the route that goes down the valley on the flamsbana, not up, and he was right. Make sure you sit on the left hand side of the train as it goes down for the best views.
My vote is 2 nights in Bergen, and don't miss taking an English tour of the excellent Hanseatic House museum, right on the water in the Bryggen. Absolutely fascinating. And have a salmon sandwich at the Fish Market for me!

In doing the N in nutshell tour from Oslo to Bergen...once you get off the fjord cruise ship, you board a bus to get you back up to the main rail line, to continue to Bergen.

I have been told some of the buses don't stop at the famous hotel on the way "back up". I think the hotel is the Stalheim? You have to make sure you get on the one that does stop, for 15 min or so, at that hotel. The scenic drive up to that hotel is some of the best scenery on the whole trip.

We did it last summer, and if I had to do it over again, I would have spent the night at that hotel, just to relax and enjoy the view. Just an opinion.

Previous posting about staying in Bergen for 2 nights is also a good idea. I liked Bergen better than Oslo (not to degrade Oslo..which is wonderful).

We got off the bus at the Stalheim and spent the night and continued on the next morning. We were there in mid May when the hotel just opened so we were the only (very pampered) guests.Enjoy Norway!

Peggi-we did the Nutshell Oslo-Bergen-Oslo trip in one LONG day. Departed Oslo about 8am, returning about 7am next morning. The Flam railway trip is breathtaking, while the drive up and around those hairpin turns to the Stalheim will take your breath away. We loved the Nutshell, but hindsite being what it is, doing it in one day didn't let us experience the beauty surrounding us. Overnighting at the Stalheim and/or Bergen would have been the smarter thing to do. If you have the time to do 2 overnights, definitely consider these two spectacular places. You won't be sorry. ENJOY the Nutshell!

My vote is continue on to Bergen. Voss will be dead, and you will arrive (assuming leaving on the 8 a.m. train from Oslo) in Bergen about 8:30 p.m. It will still be daylight there; in fact, it won't really get too dark at all; maybe dusk around 11 p.m. In Bergen, check into your hotel, then take the teens to Bryggen and have dinner at Pepes Pizza. You can't miss it, and that whole area is quite lively. The teens will love it.

Suggestion: if you have the choice of the Signatur train over any others, choose the Signatur train. You'll be stuck on the cattle car train from Voss to Bergen, so you'll understand that 8 hours on that train back to Oslo from Bergen is beyond excrutiating, while the Signatur train is comfortable, climate controlled, serves food at your seat and you have piped in music to listen to with the headphones they provide you.

Surfergirl ... you made my day by mentioning Pepes pizza--yum !! It's worth going back to Norway to eat there again !!

What wonderful responses; thank you so much! I think we'll plan on the 2 nights in Bergen and definitely get the recommended pizza!

From the posted recommendations I've reserved a night at the Hotel Stalheim. I have yet to make any train reservations as I am planning to get a rail pass for our travels from Copenhagen to Stockholm to Oslo then the Nutshell via Stalheim, on to Bergen, then training overnight back to Oslo. Since the railpass is only good for 6 months, I'll be purchasing it soon for our trip in mid-July. Need information from those that know if I can call the Norwegian trains from US to reserve the Nutshell tour, making sure I can do the overnight in Stalheim, then on to Bergen the next day. I've heard over the summer it gets very crowded and one should book ahead. Thanks for any tips.

We did the "Norway in a Nutshell" several years ago, during August. Since we knew that it would be a very long day, we started in Oslo, and stayed overnight in a small town called GEILO. During the winter, this is a popular ski area. A beautiful lake is surrounded by mountains. During the summer, bike rentals are available. As GEILO is almost half-way between Oslo and Bergen, and is on the "Nutshell" train line - staying overnight was very convenient, and split the journey into two very managable, and enjoyable trips. We then spent several nights in Bergen - which is much older, and a bit more quaint than Oslo(although both places were great!)

Every book I ever read said in summer, book the Norway in the Nutshell tour well in advance because otherwise you'll have problems. So I did. But we could only get 2nd class tickets, which would have been okay, but it was my son's birthday and I didn't realize how wonderful the Signatur trains would be, even in 2nd class.

Let this be a lesson to me: August 1st, we rolled into Trondheim. Got off the train and went to the ticket booth. Asked if they had tickets for the nutshell tour, first class for the morning of Aug. 3rd, for the 3 of us. No problem.

Yes, it was crowded, but not so crowded you needed to get it before you were in Norway.

And peggi, if you like caesar salad, Peppi's has, aside from great pizza, a pretty good one. Keep in mind that the alcoholic beverages will cost you more than the price of the entire meal. But they do have pretty tasty ordinary table wine, even at $10 a glass.