northwoods2
Is there a web page for the Thon Hotel Bergen Brygge? I habe a Steves 2007 book and it only gives the e-mail address. I will also check it on TA. Prices are really high in Norway

northwoods2
You might also check out the Comfort Hotel Holberg. I found it recommended in Frommers. It is listed as #4 on Trip Advisor. I reserved it for $151. USD next July with a 4:00 p.m. cancel on day of arrival.
Location does not look as good as the Thon Bergen Brygge. I am still thinking.

I'm just back from 9 days in Norway... haven't done anything with my trip report, but I'll throw out a few random observations that may (or may not) help...

1) As a town, Flam doesn't have a ton to recommend it. It's basically just a tourist stop with a couple of cafeterias and a few hotels. If it wasn't for the incredible scenery and the railway, there really wouldn't be much to it. The main hotels in town DO NOT have the best views... especially the Freithem. If you want views, the Marina Apartments are the way to go (or the Heimley). If you stay at the apartments, you can have breakfast at the Heimley for about $15. Dinner at the Fretheim is very good (and pricey). One thing to check out is the brew pub (just beer, not food). Amazing room... just really nice.

2) The Flamsbana (Flam Railway) is nice. If you're doing Norway in a Nutshell, I'd recommend it. If you're spending more time in Norway (driving/cruising), I still haven't made up my mind out it. It's not cheap (like $120 for two people round trip). While the scenery is great, I think we saw better scenery driving the car, taking the ferry, etc. It was a nice relaxing way to spend out 1st full morning in Norway, but I'm still not completely sold.

3) Bergen is a nice town. Very walkable. We rented a nice apartment for two nights on an old cobblestone street. Good meals at Cafe Opera and Pingvinen. Fish market is very small (at least in October) and not much to recommend it. The Floyen is worth the trip up. We took the tram up, picnic'ed and walked for a few hours and then walked our way down. I highly recommend walking back down thru the neighborhoods. Lots of unique architecture, twisty windy roads, just really neat.

4) Balestrand is a nice town. Less of just a tourist haven than Flam. Stayed at the Midnes Hotel. Nice enough and nice hosts (Thanks Jon). Great common spaces in the old building, clean and neat rooms in the new part. Get a high floor with a low room number of the best view (400 is probably the best one) Very similar in design to the Balestrand (which was closed). Good (and reasonable) dinners (only game in town in October)... salmon one night, ham the other... nice breakfast spread. The aquarium in town is a nice way to spend an hour or two. Good hiking around the town.

5) Geiranger is a nice little town. Unbelievable setting especially if you come in by car (from either direction). You basically fall off a mountain (via a long switchback road) to get into town. Very nice place, but I simply can't imagine it with two or three cruise ships in town. I must be a zoo. Buffet at the Hotell Union is something to behold. If you can splurge ($200 for two people with a split of wine), it's pretty amazing. Lots of local dishes (especially seafood). We had a really nice little cabin just out of town at the Grande Hytteutleige. I'd recommend it.

6) Oslo is a really nice city. We only had one afternoon/evening and made the most of it. Did a loop of Akershus Castle, to the National Theature area, thru the park with the Royal Palace, walked some of the neighborhoods and ended up at the Vigeland sculptures at sunset (high recommended). Lots of people out... musicians on the street... just a nice town. Stayed at the Gabelshus. Nice hotel. Not cheap, but having meals provided made our last night an easy one. If I had more time, I might stay somewhere else and check out the local restaurant scene. Airport is about a 40 minute drive.

Again, sorry for the randomness of my comments... if there's anything specific I can help our with, let me know!

Hi astein12
Thanks for your post. I was about to think the thread was dead.
About Balestrand - Is it a better location on the fjord than Flam?
We will be travelling by train (on the nutshell route) from Oslo.
In Balestrand - whetre is the Midnes hotel located?
We are booked at the Balestrand and looking forward to staying there but would like
to check the Midnes for dinner options whild in Balestrand.

3)" Bergen is a nice town. Very walkable. We rented a nice apartment for two nights on an old cobblestone street"

Could you share the name and contact info for the apartment?? Was it well located?
Hotel prices in Bergen are so high! We will be in Bergen 2 nights.

Glad you enjoyed your trip.
Nannibray

The Midtnes Hotel is just about 100 years up the street from the Balestrand. It's a bit closer to the center of town and right next to the old English Church. Ask Jon (the manager/owner?) about our meal options. I think they vary based on time of year. www.midtnes.no

Balestrand vs. Flam is a tough call. The scenery at both is great. Balestrand is the nicer town in my opinion, but Flam has the railway and is probably easy to get to for the Nutshell routes (though I'm definitely not the expert on these).

In Bergen, we stayed the Kjellersmauet Gjestehus. We had the attic apartment (which isn't pictured in the layouts). You can find contact info for Sonja at www.gjestehuset.com. Bergen is a pretty small city and we liked the location. 10 minute walk to the city center, Floyen, etc. 2 or 3 blocks to the theatre area, restaurants, shopping, etc.

astein12
Thanks again. For the apartment in Bergen - I am confused by the "drawings" of the various apartments. What size is suitable for 2 persons? Does the small apartment have a kitchen? I have difficulty makiong everything out from the sketches of the web site.
The location looks fine and the exterior is pretty, but they do not show any actual pictures.
Did you reserve "sight unseen"?

I did a search on NIN and found this thread. I'm finding the information very useful. I posted earlier today about a possible alternative to NIN based upon what a hotel employee told me in Bjorli. Nothing comes up on this site when I search for that town.

I was planning travelling from Copenhagen to Bergen and staying overnight there. This may be a silly question but I'm now confused about the NIN experience. Is it necessary to go all the way to Oslo? Is the experience better in one direction versus the other? I'm trying to figure out how to do this area as well as Bjorli up by Molde because there's a snow hotel there and dog sledding and my daughter really wants to do that rather than tour a big city.

NIN can be done a a round trip from Bergen. Look up their web site.

Nannibray - I reserved sight unseen based on some other recommendations that I found online (and some of the pictures you can get by clicking on the individual rooms). They all have a small kitchen and we found it more than adequate. The one we had was definitely setup for two people (a double bed in a small bedroom) but I believe the sofa in the living area was also a pull out.

One thing to consider is that the apartments are in older houses, so they are a bit funky. Steep stairs, low ceilings, small baths... they have character, but also have quirks...

If you contact Sonja via her email address on the site, she's very helpful and can probably provide you with specific info on any of the units.

samejia
If you get Rick Steves book SCANDINAVIA (Available at the library) he describes the Nutshell routes, costs, times, etc. It gives a fairly good
understanding of NIN

Thanks, nannibray. I have been on the Rick Steves website. Good idea about the library! samejia