tamaraten

Hi. I just read that Pulpit Rock is one of the 20 most awe-inspiring places in the world and I had an idea to surprise my husband and kids with a trip there. My four kids, ages 15, 13, 11, and 9 have about 10 days off school at the end of September. (They've never been to Europe and we've all never been to Norway).

Is Pulpit Rock doable with these ages?

Would you be able to recommend a good itinerary for about 10-11 days? I would want to incorporate gorgeous scenic places with city stuff that kids would be interested in. I figure Oslo is a must. My girls (2 of them and 2 boys) love museums and art while the boys don't unless it is science or planet related. They all love adventurous, fun activities.

Thanks.

travelhorizons

The Travel Designer is a very knowledgeable and capable onsite in Norway - http://www.thetraveldesigner.com. Christine (the owner) organized and led the tour I was on. They offer higher-end bespoke itineraries that can be completely customized to suit the needs and interests of your family. I can highly recommend them.

Michael

You may want to take a look at my trip report; click on my name to find it. The Norway in a Nutshell trip is unnecessary if you decide to drive from Bergen into the fjord country as we did. Check on weather conditions before organizing the trip. Norway is far north, and might start having snow over the mountain passes in late September.

Michael

<i>My girls (2 of them and 2 boys) love museums and art while the boys don't unless it is science or planet related.</i>

Take a look at the Viking and the Kon-Tiki museums in Oslo.

surfmom

click on my name for a trip report - we combined Norway and Sweden. However, mine were a little younger, so we didn't do Pulpit Rock (next trip).

Definitely Viking and Kon-Tiki. Mine also really like the Fram museum (next to Kon Tiki). We also visited Holmenkollen - ski jump museum.

menachem

Totally second Viking and Kon Tiki and Fram and about 2 hours from Oslo by train there's Lillehammer with Maihaugen, quite a nice "living history" museum about rural Norway.

colduphere

You would really need to set aside 2-3 days in the Stavanger area. I would not want to do the hike up nor stand at the top in a heavy rain. The kids' ages are not a problem.

spaarne

Ditto the Viking and Kon-Tiki, with the Ra II. Thor Heyerdahl, with all respect, was one crazy guy.

colduphere

PS as a very minor suggestion you will have more luck finding information and trip reports if you use the Norwegian spelling of Pulpit Rock - Preikestolen.

tamaraten

Thank you all for your replies - it's greatly appreciated. I'm going to start looking up all suggestions and probably return with more questions.

One thing I did not realize when I started looking into this was the costs in Norway. I did not know it was the most expensive country in Europe. Ouch! Still, those views look spectacular...

Is 10 days there enough to get a good feel for it?

All suggestions are welcome!

menachem

1o days will really give you a good impression, the areas and landscapes all have their own characteristics, best to try not to see or do everything in those 10 days, but go for the significant memories. If you don't drink alcohol, Norway is far less expensive. But yes, costs can be higher than most people are used to.

colduphere

Sorry for the preoccupation with weather. But we were just there and rainy days are frustrating, especially on a short trip. You can see from this set of charts that it usually rains a lot at the end of September:

http://www.norway.climatemps.com/

tamaraten

Thanks colduphere - that's an important issue, you're right. I may rethink this... It would be really frustrating to be stuck with bad weather when what I really want to do is hike and do outdoor fun activities. Thank you for the info. I was sort of excited about the timing because I figured it's an off-time so maybe it wouldn't be so busy, which would be a bonus. But if the weather then will put a damper (!) on things, I really may reconsider. Thanks again.