Oslo, Norway - worth the trip?
 

Hi friends,

My husband has a work trip to Oslo, Norway coming around the end of April or May. We have been wanting to go back overseas for awhile to do Italy & Greece, but we just moved and funds are very limited. With all his sky miles, we could make Oslo into a vacation for us, but can't decide if it's worth it. It seems really easy to get around there, so I almost think we could spend 1-2 days there then hop somewhere more interesting.
Since this is not a planned vacation, we don't really have a timeline for how many days we want to spend or a budget.
If we go, would you recommend any nearby places?
Is Oslo worth the trip, or are we better off saving for a year to go somewhere else?

All feedback is appreciated!

I should add that we both love to be outdoors for hiking or site seeing. We are also craft beer and food lovers.

I am planning my first trip to Scandinavia, so I will be interested in the replies. I just put down a deposit on a Hurtigruten cruise from Bergen to Kirkenes, and will do a version of "Norway in a Nutshell" on the way to Bergen, probably spending a couple of nights in Balestrand. I'm looking forward to some fabulous scenery!

We were pleasantly surprised by Oslo, pretty setting, outdoorsey vibe, many museums. I would like to return there. After the business part is finsihed, you could do the Norway in a Nutshell trip or fly to Stockholm, ferry to Copenhagen, book a trip on one the Hurtigruten coastal ships, many choices in that pretty part of our world.

We have done Hurtigruten trip, incredible scenery but it isn't cheap. You could look at wideroe flights direct to the Lofotens. Mind binding scenery and still a good chance of the Aurora.

You mention budget.

Are you aware Norway is one of the most expensive places on the planet. Many living costs are double those in the EU or US!

Yes, if you're on a budget better to head for the Baltics - Tallinn, Riga (love Riga) and Vilnius. But if you want the outdoors Norway would surely be better.

I vote for going to Oslo, spending a few days there and then going to Copenhagen or Stockholm. I've been to Scandinavia multiple times and enjoyed Copenhagen & Stockholm very much. Or, as several people have mentioned, stay in Norway and do the Norway in a Nutshell trip to see some of the great scenery. The fjords really are amazing and sounds like they'd be up your alley! Perhaps you could stay overnight in a fjord and do some hiking.

I've done the northbound Hurtigruten trip (6 days) and if you don't want to devote the time/money to this full trip, you can use Hurtigruten the way the locals do - as a means of getting between various coastal towns.

For me, the highlights of Oslo are Vigeland park, Akerhus fortress (including the Resistance Museum), the Radhus and the Opera House. Two days would be fine for the city.

KW, Thursday:

We found Oslo to be a welcoming town for four dsys...on to Bergen on Norway in a Nutshell "tour" and a four days in beautiful Bergen and vicinity. We had reservations on a Hurtigruten vessel on sort of a "hop on hop off" version. We booked two days from Bergen via Geranger fjord and Alesund to Trondheim, spent a day and night there before re-boarding another Hurtigruten to Bodo via the Svartisen (Black Ice Glacier) optional trip...small boat (15 people), a short hike to the Lodge with spot on views of the unique glacier.(seems that "local passengers" are quite common on Hurtigruten voyages...though meals not included, but a very good "reasonable" cafe' on board for the locals. On this basis, cost for meals in the dining rooms are stratospheric.

Later that day, we took the arranged bus to Bodo. We did not reboard as we planned to spend a day and night in Bodo, rent a car and take the auto ferry to the Lofotens (I fully agree with the poster above extolling the beauties of the Lofoten chain..like another planet) Driving three days from the southern tip (village of "A") to Svolvaer with many stopovers at picturesque towns along the way, including a mock Viking village. We took another car ferry to the mainland and drove the next few days to Narvik and on to Tromso which we also found interesting and comfortable for a visit (it was August).

Backtracked to Narvik to drop the car and take the overnight sleeper train to Stockholm. Norway was slightly less than a full month. We had two of our close friends with us, so splitting the driving was helpful( and restful!).

KW..."Amateur pics" below will hopefully provide you with an introduction to Norway. We went on to spend a week in Sweden and another in Denmark. All in all, an illuminating and most memorable journey.
stu

Emi, these pics will help to give you a peek at Norway. I would suggest that you plan on the N-I-N Oslo to Bergen and spend time in each city, and perhaps a visit to some place on the fjords like Balestrand. Have a good one: Stu

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...uHk6iIgbSEgAE#

emi...there are two handsome fjords that are part of the N-I-N.

Stu

Most of those photos look very familiar!

Loved Trondheim, great new huge pool complex on the docks.

Lofotens just don't seem real, can't understand why more people aren't aware of them.

we rarely came across any other travlers while in the Lofotens, even at the viking village...they need better PR. We loved the South Pacific white-sand beach at Ramberg....surreal. Imported the sand from Tahiti???

Stu

The other aspect is how different an experience they are depending on the season. We were there two weeks ago and it was a very Artic type adventure.

With 24 hours of daylight and mild weather, summer would be a very different experience.

Thanks Stu.

As I said, am looking forward to the scenery, but not, alas, to the prices. May have to give up wine while there.... Also, public transport only.

The buildings in Alesund don't look very Art Nouveau to me, what did you think?

Here's some infrmation on the art nouveau movement in Alesund:

Art Nouveau was also popular in the Nordic countries, where it became integrated with the National Romantic Style. Good examples are the neighbourhoods of Katajanokka and Ullanlinna in Helsinki, Finland, as well as the Helsinki Central railway station, designed by the architect Eliel Saarinen. As in Germany, Jugendstil is the prevailing term used for the style. The Norwegian coastal town of Ålesund burned in 1904, and was rebuilt in a uniform Jugendstil architecture, kept more or less intact to the present.

The foremost examples of Art Nouveau architecture (Jugendstil) in Norway are found in Ålesund, which was rebuilt after a major fire in 1904, while the style was particularly relevant. A representative Ålesund jugend is the former Svaneapoteket (Swan Pharmacy). Today, the Jugendstilsenteret is located in this building. It should have been applied in 1908. Apothecary Øwre was a member of the council and the presidency in Ålesund, and after that the pharmacy was adopted also mayor in the years 1909–1910. He chose the architect Hagbarth Martin Schytte-Berg (1860–1944) to draw and construct the new pharmacy.[37] The architect was one of the leaders in the effort to restore Ålesund after the fire. His other works include Skien Church (1887–1894) and Fagerborg Church in Kristiania (Oslo) (1900–1903).

KW..one of the Rough Guides on Norway show the exact photo of the harborside buildings as an example of Alesund's art nouveau "rebuilding"..I always think of Gaudi and that crowd as the forerunners of art nouveau. My brotherinlaw who is a noted associate of the late Walter Gropius always spoke of the movement in Alesund...personally, I'm architecturally challenged! Anyway, go to Alesund, a delightful town.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9Ib4JyeM6b...Photos+526.JPG

KW: These are some of the harborside art nouveau buldings.

Emi, I hope you can get to Alesund.

Thanks stu. There are several varieties of Art Nouveau. My preference is for the French (see Nancy). Also Austria, some of southern Hungary, western Romania. This doesn't seem to be the same type. Still, will be glad to check it out in person.

If I recall, Hurtigruten does not give a very long stop in Alesund, other than the fact that it's split. After a short stop, the ship goes on to explore Geiranger Fjord, then stops back at Alesund for about a little more than an hour. My memory may be in error, but this is the way I described it in my journal. As I posted earlier, we enjoyed the Black Ice (Svarteisen) excursion.

According to the current schedule for the summer the ship arrives in Alesund at 8:45 am and leaves for the fjord at 1:25 pm. Of course, I suppose you could choose to spend the whole day in Alesund, it doesn't leave for good until 7:00 pm.

If you're in Oslo, don't forget its Fjord and Archipelago. Gorgeous. Bigdøy is nice too: Ferries depart from Radhuset stop.