lauramsgarden

We are planning a Scandinavian vacation for next June. One of the parts I'm most looking forward to is seeing the Norwegian Fjords and so was initially very excited about the Norway in a Nutshell program. But the more I read about it it sounds like a lot of switching different methods of transport and dealing with a lot of crowds. I'm trying to figure out a less frantic, less crowded way to do it. I tried googling cruises but they all seem to be 10 or 14 days long which would take up most of our vacation and not really the way we like to do things. I was wondering if anyone has heard of a 2 or 3 day cruise of the fjords leaving from Oslo or even Copenhagen. I did see one private guide who spoke of a driving tour from Bergen. Has anyone tried that? or other suggestions of a non stressful way to do it. I can see the advantage of starting in Oslo and ending in Bergen, but as we seem to be utterly unable to pack light for longer trips I don't think we would want to deal with having to lug suitcases on and off trains, boats and busses oh my. So any creative suggestions? Thanks

Hnh6

Re: baggage - I've heard of luggage forwarding service in Norway though I have not used it myself (I used similar service in Japan). You can perhaps look into this if you don't want to lug suitcases around

Re: fjords w/o crowds - there is the option of going to Balestrand and doing the Fjærlandfjorden in summertime. I don't think tourists of the bus tour variety typically do this one. I wanted to do this but missed the summer schedule by a few days as I was traveling in September.

Re: Norway in a nutshell - I did NiN just a couple of week ago from Bergen to Oslo. The NiN crowd is indeed large but they didn't take away from my enjoyment of the scenery. What I ultimately didn't like about NiN is that I discovered I'd much rather be outside than sitting on a scenic train ride watching nature behind dirty train windows. In fact, we passed by several small towns on our way to Oslo and I thought to myself how I wish I could there instead (even though I've no idea if they even have anything to do there). My favorite time on NiN was the overnight in Stalheim. We went hiking near the hotel and were literally the only people on those trails. We had the whole forest to ourselves. Just my two cents in case it helps.
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historytraveler

There is a porter service. I used them on my trip several years ago. They picked up my luggage at my hotel in Bergen and it was in my room 6 days later when I arrived in Oslo. Excellent service. I traveled with just a back pack, a Osprey Porter 46. I don"t remember their name but just google to find it.

Also agree about Balestrand and the fjiord tour. In fact there are several places outside the usual NIN stops that are far from the maddening crowds. I also stayed at Stalheim.The bus stops at Stalheim but few NIN people actually stay there as most do the trip in one day. I didn't do NIN for several reasons including the crowds and very glad I didn't.

Ozgirl07

I just did a Norway tour and did NiN (end of July). It terms of crowds I generally found Norway was not like Italy or France. The number of tourists just generally felt less in comparison. The space is vast and I never felt crowded. On the ferry trip, there were basically the people of board. The Flam Rail component is very touristy but I think you can only go through this section on the train not in a car. We stayed in Songdal and there were a few different Fjords trips you could do. I would have liked more time in Voss.

Helsie

Keenly interested in this thread as I have just started planning for May 2019.

lauramsgarden

This is so helpful everyone, especially the information about alternate ideas, towns to stay in and the porter option for baggage. So a couple of other questions:
1. what is the driving like in Norway? I'm not a fan of huge super highways, or steep drop off cliffs (and I live near colorado!) For example, we loved driving in Crete - did not like Athens, loved the drive between Cordoba and Sevilla, but wouldn't have dreamed of trying to drive in Madrid. and in the US I loathe I-95, but enjoy smaller country highways.
2.and any recommendations re hotels to stay in in Stalheim, Balestrand or Songdal - we're older and don't mind spending money on somewhere nice. Thanks all

doug_stallings

I just did a cruise in Norway this summer, and aside from Geiranger, which was mobbed with tourists, the crowds were very manageable. A lot of the time it depends on how many cruise ships are in port.

There's another way to see the fjords aside from a traditional cruise. Take a closer look at Hurtigruten. You can buy point-to-point tickets and get off whenever and wherever they stop; locals use it just for transportation. You don't have to do the full trip up or down the coast, but I don't know if you can get cabins for the overnight legs if you aren't doing the full circuit. What I can't tell you is how they allot tickets in the busy summer season, but I suspect they just save some spaces for people who aren't doing the full cruise. You could always get a hotel room on shore.

menachem

I second using Hurtigruten for point to point journeys. It's public transport: you don't need the cruise package. And instead of the Fjords, may I recommend the Lofoten Islands.

On Hurtigruten, if a stretch is below 24 h in length, you don't have to book a cabin. I've seen students sleep in the panorama lounge on the couches. That would be roughing it of course. You can buy Hurtigruten tickets in any Hurtigruten port. You can book stretches online.

Hnh6

Sivle Gard Farm
Re: Stalheim hotels - there's really only the Stalheim Hotel. But there seems to be cabins you can also rent. I particularly remember the Sivle Gard Farm on one of our hikes. They are set in the middle of lovely fields and mountains, as if straight out of a postcard.

Re: Balestrand hotels - there are more choices here. They all have good ratings. The two I often see recommendations for are the Kviknes Hotel and the Balestrand Hotel.

xcountry

We drove in Norway and didn’t see any superhighways. The roads were good. A few got a touch narrow here and there but it really depends on where you are going. I commented to a tourism office employee that some of the roads must be a bit tricky in snow (we live in Canada). She said “we don’t worry about the snow on the roads, we worry about the tourists on the roads.”

historytraveler

Regarding hotel recommendations, in Stalheim there is only one hotel, the Stalheim. It's been several yers since I stayed there. Absolutely amazing setting with fabulous views, however, I found the hotel to be a bit quirky. For Balestrand, the Kvikne's Hotel is the best. Be sure and ask for a room in the main part of the building and one with a view overlooking the fjord.

Just a noe regarding my reference to crowds. Norway itself is not the overrun with visitors. My problem was with the NIN crowds on buses, the Flamsbana and the ferries. In most instances these crowds can't be avoided as I found even doing my own bookings. I as just glad that I did not have to follow the NIN crowds through out my trip.

Sberg

We did a driving trip in Norway a few years ago. We only had 5 days but we made the most of it. Driving in Norway was very easy. There is little traffic and the roads are easy to navigate. At points you drive up to a ferry, pay the fare and drive on. Very simple. We landed in Bergen and stayed a few nights. We then drove to Balestrand and stayed at the Balestrand Hotel (with a view of the fjord). It was gorgeous! We then drove up to Luster and stayed at a place called Nes Gard. It it one of my most favorite memories in all my travels. I actually had found this hotel while I was searching and planned my route so that we could stay there. It was a very smart move. While we were there we hiked out to a glacier. We also hiked up to a dam which was gorgeous (and very cold and it was August). You can have dinner right at the hotel (which is a good thing as there is really nothing else around there and the food was excellent). We then drove over the snow road into Flam. The snow road is only open in the summer. What a gorgeous drive! We had planned on driving over to the Hardangerfjord from Flam but there had been a fire in the tunnel and it was closed. We were forced to take the ferry and I must say that I enjoyed the scenery more when driving than I did on the ferry (this is part of NIN) and the crowds were pretty large both on the ferry and in Flam. This was not my favorite part of Norway. We stopped at the Stalheim Hotel to see the view. We stayed in the Hardangerfjord area for one night and then returned to Bergen where we flew to Stockholm. I think Norway is a very special place in the world and has the most stunning scenery that you will find anywhere. I will return someday and see more of the northern part of the country.

PalenQ

Tagging along for info.

Sberg

View from Nes Gard

lauramsgarden

Sberg, thank you so much - you may have just answered my biggest question. I had already thought of a night in Balestrand but hadn't heard of Luster. Did you end up spending any time in Oslo, or did you mostly stay in the countryside?

lauramsgarden

Menachem, I'm curious why you suggest the Lofoten islands rather than the fjords. We have never been to Scandinavia so this is all new to us.

menachem

Because the Lofoten Islands are simply gorgeous, the light, the landscape, it's all unbelievably beautiful. I did two quite extensive tours of Norway (and a couple of shorter visits) and I must say, after a while, all fjords start to look similar. It's just the predominant landscape, out west.

Sberg

We drove a route pretty close to this.This is the link for the snow road https://www.nasjonaleturistveger.no/...urlandsfjellet
We did not get to Oslo as we didn't have time. We only had 6 nights in Norway (2 Bergen, 1 Balestand, 2 Nes Gard, 1 Norheimsund). It was much cheaper to drop the car where we got it in Bergen. We were then flying to Stockholm to meet family so we got enough of being in a city there. We did not feel rushed and the ride was gorgeous!

HappyTrvlr

Don’t skip Oslo! It has a lot to see and enjoy and has it’s own unique feel to it. It is at the head of a fjord too..