bxzhit

Hello,

I am also planning 2 week trip to northern Norway in summer 2006. Probably it will be self-driving tour (or a combination of flying, boating and driving), since I am amateur photographer and would like to have flexibility to be in places either early in the morning or late in the evening. So far my itinerary includes just Lofoten Islands (probably we will stay a week there in a couple of places). Can you, dear travelers recommend me some other great pictures places within a driving day from Lofoten, what is the best way to get there from Oslo? I would greatly appreciate any related information.
Eri, if you see this post, please email me you report to [email protected]
Thank you, everyone!

Ole

Hello!
Are you planning to drive from Oslo or travel to Lofoten by plane? If you choose car I would recommend a 3 or 4 days trip from Oslo. Then you also have time to visit Trondheim (3rd largest city). From Brønnøysund to Bodø I prefer the coast road, beautiful traditional coastlandscape also included the seven sisters (mountains). You can also go to Bodø by train(20h) or plane(1 1/2h). From Bodø you take the ferry(5h) to Moskenes (Lofoten Islands).
A one week stay seems ok. Overnight stays in simple cabins or "rorbuer" in norwegian. Places you should visit: Å, Reine!, Ballstad, Stamsund, Henningsvær and Svolvær. You also should go by boat for a fishingtrip-an unforgettable experience. I ensure you will find the scenery beautiful; high mountains, clear water and white beaches. But good weather is an advantage....
Andøya is an Island ca 1 day trip north from Svolvær. A special Island, mainly flat but with some mountains in north. Also an incredible beach at westside.

bxzhit

Thank you Ole!
I am still working on my itinerary, but at a moment it is the following:
Flight USA - Bergen. 1 night in Bergen and then rent a car and circle for a week mainly around Sogn og Fjordane: 2 days in Geiranger, 2 days Brigsdal, 2 days around Flam (any recommendations where to stay and what to see? May be some better places?). After a week return to Berger, spent a night there and take a flight to Bodø . Now a couple of questions - should I rent a car in Bodø or in Svolvær? I am planning to spend 5 nights on Moskenes and drive around. How should I split these 5 nights between places you recommended (I would prefer to stay just in a couple of them to avoid packing/unpacking and to have more relaxed vacation). Finally ferry back to Bodø and the same day flight to Bergen. After night in Bergen flight home.
And the last question - should I reserve local flights from Here, USA or it's OK to buy tickets just week in advance, when we arrive to Bergen?

tower

Can you imagine a pure white sand beach in the Lofotens? Well, there is one...and it's a photo op paradise. Just beyond Reine, in the little village of Ramberg ..stroll the white sands as if you're in the Carib. Reine is exceptionally picturesque as is the town of "A".. Bodo's harbor is quite colorful also.But do try to see the Shvarzeisen(sp.) (black ice) glacier about 80 miles south of Bodo. I would suggest the Norway in a Nutshell excursion from Oslo to Bergen for more photo ops per square kilometer than you ever imagined!

Ole

If you go by boat from Bodø to Moskenes you should rent a car i Bodø. I dont think yuo can rent a car i Moskenes, and it is a 2 hour drive from Moskenes to Svolvær.As an opportunity you also can fly (the Wideroe airline) to Svolvær or Leknes in Lofoten. I recommend two days in Svolvær/Henningsvær and three days in the Reine area.
You should reserve flights in advance, its cheaper.(its cheaper to buy tickets for norwegian flights in USA then in Norway, scandinavian.net, norwegian.no, wideroe.no)
I have never been in Geiranger and Briksdal - shame on me. But around Sognefjorden you should visit Stalheim, the Flåm railway, the Nærøyfjord and Aurland. Maybe also the mountainroad between Lærdal and Aurland and a short trip to the Hallingskarvet mountains. (I guarantee snow, 1h from Aurdal, road number 50)
Hope you will enjoy

Ole

....the two most beautiful parts of Norway. Ole from Oslo

bxzhit

Ole- great! Thank you again!
Now I need to find a pictures place somewhere around Sognefjorden, which can be used as a hub for a day trips to Flåm, Nærøyfjord and Aurland..May be Underdal? Do someone know is Stryn is a good hub for day trips to Glaciers and Geiranger? Any place to stay there?

cobbie

Hello Ole - Pls let me tag onto this thread. I have a friend in Sundsvall Sweden that I will visit in July. He says we will drive to Trondheim and then see the fjords. He also mentioned a "Troll Road" with about 11 hairpin turns that takes all day to drive. We did not have a map when we spoke about this but I now have a map and am curious.

Which fjords are closest to Trondheim and where is the troll road?? I have looked at the Trondheim website & it looks like a beautiful city. I am quite looking forward to this trip.

Thanks in Advance,
Karen of Norwegian descent

Ole

Hello Karen!
The trollroad (trollstigen) is about a 4 hours drive from Trondheim, near the "city" of Åndalsnes. The Geiranger fjord is about 2 hour further south. You should visit them both. Remember that trollstigen not opens before may/june becouse of the snow! Here's av website you may find interesting: http://www.trollstigen.net/index2.htm
Ole

Ole

Hello bxzhit!
Stryn seems like an ok starting point. Near Geiranger and the Briksdal glacier.
But its about 210 kilometers driving from Styn to Flåm so you sholud divide your overnightstays into two places. Here's a website about the Stryn area: http://www.nordfjord.no
Hope you will find some tips about accommodatoins at Sognefjorden here:
http://www.sognefjord.no/
http://www.fjordnorway.no/index_no. http://www.alr.no/ html
Ole

cobbie

Thanks Ole. As it gets closer to my visit I'll probably have more questions for you. The websites are beautiful.

Midnightsun

bxzhit: I'd agree with all the advice posted about the Lofotens. If you're there in late June/early July don't miss the opportunity to see the Midnight Sun from one of the sandy beaches on the west side of the islands. If you haven't already arranged accomodations, I'd suggest Eliassen Rorbuer in Hamnøy right next to Reine. The setting is wonderful, the proprietors are very friendly, and the location is quite convenient for exploring the southern Lofotens. The Borg Museum, about 18 km north of Leknes is also worth a visit. It's a recreated Viking longhouse(on the site of an original structure) with "living museum" types of craft demonstrations. When we wandered down to the nearby harbor, a replica Viking ship that looked quite a bit like one of the vessels in the Oslo Viking Boat museum. We had the boat to ourselves, so we got to shoot many photos and take our pretend captain places.