Hello all,

I've got 3 days+ in the Oslo area next summer, and I'm trying to figure out the best itinerary logistically. My intent is to spend 1 day in Bergen, 1 day during the Norway in a Nutshell, and 1+ days in Oslo.

I arrive into Oslo in the evening on a Wednesday. I'm thinking of taking the overnight train to Bergen that same night. I arrive into Oslo around 7 p.m. from Longyearbyen via Tromso. The overnight train for Bergen departs at around 10 p.m., so I should have plenty of time to make the train. I spend the day wandering around Bergen and overnight Bergen on Thursday. On Friday, I do the Norway in a Nutshell tour from Bergen and ending in Oslo in the evening. I spend the night in Oslo. On Saturday, I spend the day touring Oslo. On Sunday, I spend a morning touring, and leave for the US in the early afternoon. So, the itinerary looks like this:

Wed: Overnight train to Bergen; o/n Bergen
Thu: Bergen
Fri: Norway in a Nutshell; o/n Oslo
Sat: Oslo
Sun: Morning - Oslo; Afternoon - depart

Alternatively, I could do:

Wed: Oslo; o/n Oslo
Thu: Norway in a Nutshell; o/n Bergen
Fri: Bergen; Overnight train to Oslo; o/n Oslo
Sat: Oslo
Sun: Morning - Oslo; Afternoon - depart

Another alternative would be:

Wed: Oslo; o/n Oslo
Thu: Oslo
Fri: Norway in a Nutshell; o/n Bergen
Sat: Bergen, Overnight train to Oslo; o/n Oslo
Sun: Morning - Oslo; Afternoon - depart

Or, am I better of skipping Bergen altogether and just doing NIN as a day trip and spending all my nights in Oslo? I'm currently leaning towards the first itinerary, though it isn't much different than the second.

First question - can you fly home from Bergen? Rather than backtrack to Oslo you could fly from Bergen.

Defintely do the NIN tour. It is wonderful. I have been on it twice - once from Bergen to Oslo and the other Oslo to Bergen.

Think I would stay in Oslo Wed night.
NIN on Thursday and Bergen Thurs. night.
Bergen on Friday and come back to Oslo Friday night. Then you would be in Oslo on Saturday which seems to be a day when there is a lot of activity on Karl Johansgata.
Stay overnight in Oslo Saturday night and leave on Sunday.

Taking the train to Gardemoen - take the slower train - it is only a few minutes slower and half the price. You could check this out as it may have changed since I was there last which was 4 years ago.

Can't fly home from Bergen. I'm on a frequent flier award ticket, and have to fly out of Oslo. Of course, I could just buy a flight out of Bergen to Oslo, but I figured that taking the overnight train would cost about the same as an airline ticket and would also take the place of a hotel night. This is why I considered the third option.

The train trip from Oslo to Bergen is quite scenic so it would be a shame to do it in the dark.

I imagine that I'll see the scenery between Bergen and Oslo during the Norway in a Nutshell trip, though I'll miss the part between Myrdal and Voss. Otherwise, I don't see how I could do the Bergen-Oslo train trip roundtrip during the day and not drop either the day in Bergen or the day in Oslo.

IF it is not likely that in the near future you will be able to spend more time in Norway, then your itinerary is OK, not perfect, but neither are the circumstances. I see it as making the best of what you have and I think your proposed itinerary does that.

I agree that your itinerary is fine given your limited time. You should spend a night in Bergen as it is a charming town with much to offer. We did NIN from Oslo to Bergen and then took the overnight train back to Oslo a day later.