Norway trip plans
 

Hi everyone. My wife and I are starting our planning for a trip to Norway for May 2 - 16, 2024. We live in Tallahassee, FL. We have airline miles for the flights to Norway and back to the US. I have a little flexibility to add a day or two if really needed. Budget is between $10 - 15K.

We planned to fly into Oslo, and then go from there, but open to alternate starting points. We'd like to get to Amsterdam and Copenhagen as well, and see as many sights as possible. On the extreme end of the dream is a train ride to see the Matterhorn.

Sights to be seen are TBD, but we're certain we want to see the tulip festival in Amsterdam. Aside from that we're open and would love suggestions from the crowd.

Thanks!

We need to know more about what your interests are and whether you have ever been to Europe. Why Norway for instance. Amsterdam and Copenhagen and the Matterhorn are also not in Norway. Also trying to see as many places as possible is a common travel mistake and one that I personally deal with every time I plan a holiday..

Hi MJS. Thanks for reaching out. Our interests are varied but in particular we enjoy museums, architecture and photography. We met late in life but so far have seen quite a bit of the US, and as far as outside the US we've been to places like Nova Scotia, Iceland, St Maarten, Jamaica, Cozumel, etc. I was in the military for 24 years and traveled to Europe and the Middle East. I lived in Italy for 2 years, but also saw parts of Greece, Germany, Spain and France.

Norway was simply a place neither of us have ever seen. We're intrigued by it and so we want to see it. We're also aware that Amsterdam, Copenhagen and the Matterhorn are not in Norway. But they are in that region of the world and so in our initial stages of planning we listed them. We fully realize the challenges and impact of trying to see too many too many places. The places I listed are not etched in stone, but rather part of our wish list. It may well be logistically unfeasible to see all of them.

Thanks.

Is May 2nd the day you leave the US? Even if it is your arrival day you may not get much done that day, and presumably May 16 is the day you leave? That gives you 13 days for sightseeing. You lose much of a day every time you change locations. I trust you are planning to fly into one city and out of another?

Either go to Switzerland instead of Norway or forget the Matterhorn. You can see plenty of excellent scenery in Norway. I highly recommend a Hurtigruten cruise up the coast, but you could also just do Oslo and the "Norway in a Nutshell" trip to Bergen. My favorite of the Scandinavian capitals is Stockholm, and I would visit it in preference to Amsterdam. You can connect Oslo and Copenhagen by overnight ferry.

For my Scandinavian trip see my TR (links at the top of the page): https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...ed-copenhagen/

You could spend all your time in Norway and barely scratch the surface tbh. You could take a ferry over to Denmark for a couple of days.

If Tulips are a must fly to Amsterdam, spend a couple of days there, see the tulips then fly to either Oslo or Bergen and explore Norway for the rest of your time. It pains me to recommend that flight but you don't have the time to take the train.

Be prepared for sticker shock in Norway. it is a seriously expensive country. Not that Amsterdam in tulip season (or any other time) is cheap...
Be prepared for cold weather in both Norway and the Netherlands. It may be warm in NL in May but if it is like this year it won't be. Layers and waterproofs are the order of the day, especially coming from Florida heat.

Norway has an excellent tourist website, https://www.visitnorway.com/. I suggest you spend some time on it and get a feel for what you want to see, and how you plan to get around.

Save the wishlist places you don't do for another trip, so you can enjoy the places you do visit without constantly rushing and transferring.

Lots to see in Oslo, such as the Folk Museum


and the Viking Ship Museum


and the Kon Tiki museum (all three plus a polar expedition ship within walking distance of each other)


You could do the Norway in a Nutshell circuit to Bergen and fly from Bergen to Copenhagen


https://www.kayak.com/flight-routes/...Copenhagen-CPH

Thanks thursdaysd! I'll check the link.

Thanks hetismij2! We thought the same about Iceland. Such a big area with so much to see that 2 weeks simply isn't enough. We get that part, which is why we're planning now for next year and spending the time to see what makes the best sense. I'll certainly check the Norway site link. Thanks again!

Thanks Michael!

I have gotten a little obsessed with Norway so I am just following along here for the recommendations. Whatever you decide to do I hope your trip is everything you are looking for ---Norway looks so beautiful.

Hi everyone. Still working on our plans. We're discussing a change in venue, now considering flying into Amsterdam, using that location as a base, and plotting sights to see. We know we can drive to Paris and Normandy, and London is within reach as well. Once of the questions right now is the feasibility of traveling to see the Matterhorn. I know it's a long drive, which isn't an issue unless there are high mountain passes. My wife won't be able to handle that. So then we'd have to consider alternatives, such as train or plane. Interested to know what others think, what they've done (if applicable), etc. Thanks!

PSBrawner

Trains! Trains! Trains!

Don't immediately think driving. Everything you mentioned will be easier and cheaper by train. Public transport is quite good in Europe, unlike the USA.

Someone else already did and I'll write it here too: take trains. If you want to see the Matterhorn, go to Switzerland, not Amsterdam. You're seriously mistaken about what "in the region" means in a European context. And please let go of the reflex that you need to drive everywhere. Serious issues with parking your car in European city centres. Not worth the hassle.

Thanks menachem. I do appreciate your input. I'm well aware of what in the region means. I've been to many places around the world, including Europe (Italy, Spain, France, Germany, etc.) so I'm not a neophyte. I'm also not stuck on driving everywhere. I'm simply stating I understand the drive could be long and we're not opposed to it. We only wanted to get input from folks who might be familiar with the terrain. My wife and I really enjoy driving, in large part because we feel we have greater control over stopping points, particularly for getting photos as we're both into photography. But as much as we love to drive, we are absolutely looking at using trains.

Thanks again!

Thanks Margo. We're looking at all options. I don't immediately commit to anything, but I'll admit my wife and I love to drive to places. We're definitely looking at using trains.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Driving is often not the best way of getting around Europe. Car rentals are much more expensive than before COVID, Petrol cost is about twice as expensive than North America and there are sometimes towns- cities that don’t allow cars.
Parking is also often expensive and there are often tolls. There are places where having a car makes sense but often times a train is the best option. Having said that, driving the mountains and the fjords out of Bergen last year was one of our better holidays.

Thanks mjs. I appreciate the insight. We've rented a car virtually everywhere we've gone, but definitely can go without. We just came back from a few weeks in DC and only used trains, buses, Ubers and walking. Worked out perfectly.

To see Norway and access the charming coastal villages, I join posters above in suggesting you book a Bergen to Kirkenes trip on a Hurtigruten coastal steamer.
You don’t have enough time to see Norway, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Switzerland! You would shortchange every single place.

Hi - if you are first leaving the states on May 2nd, you may be too late for the Amsterdam tulip festival. We went last year (2023 in April). Check the admission dates for Keukenhauf Gardens to confirm. Good luck!

You need to be aware that the tulips bloom in Smstetdam in late April.