I will be travelling to Oslo in late May using an Eurail Pass. From there I will be taking the train to Bergen but want to stop off along the way at Myrdal and do the "Norway In A Nutshell". Since I will be using my Eurail pass for the travel on the public rail system can I purchase tickets individually for the other segments of the Nutshell Tour (train to Flam,Boat to Gudvangen,Bus to Voss,etc.). If so, should I purchase these ahead of time or can I do it at the station? Thanks for any advice.

Terry,<BR>Yes, you can purchase tickets for the pieces. Your pass probably will give you discounts on the Flam rail. Best way to be sure to get place on the boat is to contact them and make a reservation. Then you receive a refno, and tickets may be picked up and payed for in the tourist office in Flam, or when entering the boat. Buses will wait at Gudvangen to take you to Voss or further. I do not know exact prices, but the boat will be some NOK160 and the bus some NOK60. Do not quote me!.<BR>There also might be a possibility to arrange the whole Nutshell detour when you purchase your seat reservation at the nsb office (the railway company). Naturally you'll not have to pay double for the main rail legs.<BR>If you want me to , I can help you. Juste send me an e-mail.<BR>Bjorn, Oslo

Bjorn<BR><BR>Thank you so much for the advice. I've seen many of your posts on this site before and you've always been most helpful. As I am able to finalize my travel plans, I would like to seek your assistance for further information.<BR><BR>Look forward to visting your country and all it has to offer.<BR><BR>Terry

I have a question similar to Terry's, which is: if you take this from Oslo to Bergen using the Eurail pass, what do you do with your luggage? Do you drag it with you the whole way, or is there some alternative? Ideally, I was thinking of leaving Oslo on the early morning train, do the Nutshell detour, then head on to Bergen and stay the night before heading back to Oslo. Any guidance would be appreciated.

Shannon: In your case I'd use lockers or the luggage storing service in the Oslo S station. There also is a express luggage service letting you hand in luggagage in Oslo and pick it up in Bergen(or get it direct to your hotel) Some NOK 200 I think. Limitation 40 kilograms per person no matter how many pieces.<BR>Another thing: I checked on the Eurorail option: If you have that pass, it will save you money to buy the nutshell in pieces.<BR>Bjorn, Oslo

Good question about the luggage! I'm going in September. Planning to go all the way to Tromso. Oslo - Bergen, then steamer to Tromso, back to Bodo then train it back to Oslo. Luckily I travel fairly light.

I will be traveling to Oslo in mid-August. I've seen this "Nutshell Tour" mentioned quite often in the various chats. Can someone give me a detailed description (transportation, duration, cost, etc.)of what all is included? Thank you, in advance, for your help!

I don't have all the details you asked for Lana - but here's what I have from my ticket of the year before last and the brochure handed out. The trip can be in either direction, I'm doing it Oslo to Berger order:<BR><BR>Oslo to Myrdal - regular national train<BR>Myrdal to Flaam - small train, cog wheel due to the enourmous steep incline, the brochure says this is just under an hour<BR>Flaam to Gudvangen - boat, you go out one arm of the Fjord and back in another, my recollection is this was about one hour out and one hour back for two hours total<BR>Gudvangen to Voss - bus, picks you up at the dock in tiny little Gudvangen and takes you to the bigger town of Voss, brochure says 1 hr<BR>Voss to Bergen - you meet up with the national train again in Voss, my recollection is this was not that long, maybe an hour and a half<BR><BR>Suggestions - if you have time, and unless you're traveling at the end of the day, you can skip the ship you were connecting to in Flaam and get the next scheduled one. Flaam has lots of little places to explore and eat at, if you really have the time it's great to spend the night! Too many people over look that opportunity.<BR><BR>Another possibility is to do the same in Gudvangen, wait for the next bus instead of the one you're scheduled for. But do this only if you know there is another bus in a reasonable amount of time. Unlike Flaam the dock there in Gudvangen basically has only the restaurant/hotel. It's extremely unique to stay there are the Fjordhotel, it's a traditional Norwegian circular building with an earthen roof. But it has no TV and not much more than the restaurant to hang out in so it may be perfect for those seeking a getaway and not so perfect for those wanting the night life. Another excellent place is just up the side of the mountain in Gudvangen which has a fairly large hotel at the top of the mountain. The view is spectacular and worth an overnight stay.<BR><BR>Another idea for those that want to spend a little more time than just going directly back to Oslo from Bergen - take the hydrofoil from Bergen to Stavanger and stay a day. Stavanger to me has some nice shopping and was sort of a mini-Bergen. From Stavanger a train from there to Oslo via Kristianstad is very easy to get back.

REference to the earlier question about luggage, I have the same question. A reader told me that the express luggage delivery from hotel (Oslo) to hotel (bergen) starts at 9:00 am, and the Train starts at 8:00 am.