Traveling order advice for Copenhagen, Oslo and Bergen

You are late.

CPH - OSL: ferry DFDS
OSL - Bergen (include Flåm): train by Vy or package by NiN
BGO . CPH; flight

Number of nights and which sights depend on interests. Check visit-websites of cities.

Copenhagen - there are things to see in the city, but also worthy day trips outside the
city (Roskilde, Fredericksborg Palace, Louisiana Museum), so you will need to do some
homework to decide what is best for you. Also all the side trips are easily doable via
public transport, but you need to learn how to navigate it.

Oslo - I think most of the sights are within the central city (am including the nearby museum
district in this).

Bergen - the waterfront area is nice, but here is where you might want to take a fjord cruise.

As has been implied here, the means of transport between each city is a large factor. You
can easily spend two days just transiting, and Norway in a Nutshell is most of a day as well.
So, as is generally the case, you have less time than you think you do.

this short journey

This isn’t really a short journey, in distance anyway.

I hope you have a ticket home directly from Bergen and don’t have to reposition back to Copenhagen for the return ticket. If you haven’t bought a ticket fly CPN>>BGO then home from Oslo.

I guess 4 nights Copenhagen
3 nights Oslo
2 nights Bergen
is a good split.

From Bergen to Oslo (or vice versa) most scenic is the Norway in a Nutshell route, a combo of trains, bus, ferry.

Depending on availability, you can purchase a package through FjordTours or you can put it together yourself.

Here's more info Norway in a Nutshell .

Re-reading and noting that OP is flying home from CPH and needs to get back there from wherever,
I think skipping Bergen all together, and doing NiN for a day instead, may be worth considering.

Going to Bergen and then doing a multi-ticket return BGO-CPH and CPH-home will need to be
timed well to avoid risk depending on the normal factors at CPH.

If the flights are in stone, then I would suggest booking a flight from Copenhagen to Oslo.

• 3 nights Oslo
• Norway in a Nutshell package or DIY to Bergen
• 2 nights Bergen
• 4 nights Copenhagen

Thanks all the suggestions. I better start planning as soon as possible.

You don't wanna miss your return flight so to avoid a self-connection with many hours of wasted margin, it's better to do Copenhagen last. So I would start with a flight CPH-BGO or CPH-OSL if you skip Bergen. It's risky too of course but still affordable for most to buy a new ticket if it fails.

Hi all,

Try self book NIN. Based on all postings I I read so far, there are four legs getting to Bergen. (leg #1) Oslo to Flam by Train with connecting train [The Flam Railway] at Myrdal station. It is one train ticket purchased at Vy website. (Leg #2) Ferry/ Fjord cruise on Naeroyfjord-Two hour Fjord ferry cruise from Flam to Gudvangen . (Leg #3) Bus ride from Gudvangen to Voss- one hour 15 minutes. Bus ticket can be purchased from the driver or in advance? (Leg #4) Train from Voss to Bergen, ticket also to be purchased at Vy website but as a separate ticket, cannot combine with leg #1 . Is my reading correct?

Questions:
Leg #1 - What is name train station at Oslo I should choose? There are many on "Where from" dropdown list.

Leg #2 - What is name of ferry company I should buy ferry ticket from? If the ferry close the Flam station? How much time I should allocate in between the leg #1 arrival time and ferry departure time? Do you recommend to spend time Flam for sightseeing before the two hours Fjord cruise on Naeroyfjord heading the Gudvangen? Do you recommend to spend a night Flam? If yes, please share some hotels that you know that easy to prepare for leg #3.

Leg #3 - I read the bus #950 schedule run pretty frequent from Gudvangen to Voss, Correct?

Leg #4 - I DON'T want to catch last train from Voss to Bergen, What would be the ideal time arriving the Voss?

This is like a Single person relay. if I mess up one leg then rest are screwed. I sincerely thank you for all you taking time to response!!

For starters, you are booking your rail tickets on vy.no site. Many of us have had problems with the website accepting US credit cards. In 2023 I paid with my PayPal account when it wouldn't take my cc.

1) Oslo S to Flåm

2) Norway's Best for the fjord ferry. You really only need a few minutes from train to ferry.

Basically there are a few couple shops and restaurants in town along with a railway museum.

We traveled from Bergen to Oslo. We did spend the night in Flåm. There are also a few activities like kayaking and hiking you could do. We took this minibus tour to Stegastein Viewpoint and really enjoyed it.

Hotels are expensive and limited in Flåm. If you think you want to spend the night, book your hotel before buying any non-refundable train tickets. Take a look at Google Maps to see how far a hotel is from the dock.

3) In Gudvangen there will be lots of buses waiting for all of the passengers on your ferry. Some buses will have signage that they are for the folks who purchased the official Norway in a Nutshell package. That's not you. You can buy your ticket from the driver with debit or credit card. If you are a senior, let the driver know to get your discount.

4) The last train from Voss to Bergen leaves around 11pm. You only need less than 10 minutes to walk from bus stop in Voss to train station. So whatever works for you.

It sounds complicated, but it all goes really smoothly.

FYI There is a company called Porter Service that will pick up your luggage in Oslo and deliver it to your hotel in Bergen. We used them and it worked perfectly. Since we were spending the night in Flåm, we only carried a small backpack for 2 of us. But, don't worry, if you want to keep your luggage with you, there is space available on all parts of your route.

Good luck and have a great trip!

To add to jeanm's very descriptive post,

• it's about 4.5 hours from Oslo to Myrdal, that train ride in itself is a very nice scenic ride
• it's about 90 minutes from Voss to Bergen, I don't remember that ride as being as scenic

It will be light pretty late in Norway at the end of June. So if you leave early in the morning
(not 4am early, but say 8am early), you should have 8 or 9 hours to complete the NiN part
of your journey.

I booked my ferry tickets with Lustrabaatane. I am not 100% sure if they are a different
company than Norway's Best, but they will both do the job.

I would say that you should lay out the entire trip before you purchase any tickets, just to
make sure you have enough buffer to make the train from Voss to Bergen, and as they don't
run all that often.

The biggest difference is that one company is all electric ferries, quieter and larger windows for viewing if you're inside. But as Shoeflyer says, both will do the job.

Thank you so much for Jeanm and others taking your precious time to respond my questions. I am all set with NIN. I made all NIN travel arrangements except the bus ticket which has been mentioned in this conversation that can be easily bought from the driver (#950). I am also happy to report that my credit card accepted without a hiccup. Since I was so late into the planning, and also as a precaution, I had all necessary websites opened when making reservations (i.e., Norway Best for the 2 hours ferry and vY train). I chose the ferry time and it was held for 15 minutes for transaction completion. Then I switched back vY site to purchase the appropriate time train ticket before went back the Norway Best to complete the ferry reservation. For legs 3 and 4, I checked the bus schedule then decide on the train departure from Voss to Bergen. There are other buses besides 950 from Gudvange to Voss. Thank you again Jeanm. I am not home free though. I still need to work on regional travel, hotels and where to eat. If you have any recommendations on hotels and restaurants, please share. Much appreciated!!

With regard to the bus from Gudvangen to Voss Train Station. For the full NIN experience you want to take Bus 950. This bus stops at the Stalheim Hotel for a few minutes for a photo op. You walk through the hotel to the back terrace for a beautiful view. There's also a gift shop, cafe and restrooms available. And the driver will probably point out a few things to see along the way.

If you elect to take a different bus company between Gudvangen and Voss you will miss this stop and there will be other differences in the bus lines.

In Oslo we stayed at the Thon Hotel Opera near the train station. Great location, good breakfast, convenient for walking, bus and tram.

In Oslo we had a nice seafood dinner on the sidewalk at Fiskereit Youngstorget.

In Bergen we stayed at Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz in the old town near the harbour. Again great location, good breakfast, walkable to many sights including the funicular to Floyen.

In Bergen we had a nice dinner at Bryggeloftet.

I would suggest you try to make reservations for all your dinners in Norway so you aren't turned away. The only dinner we didn't book was at a carryout fish place in Ålesund where we ate sitting on the benches at the harbor.

We stayed at 2 other Thon hotels in Norway that were also nice. I signed up for their member's program to get a bit of a discount.

You must be so relieved to get your Nutshell journey booked. You're going to have a great time!