Advice Wanted on Norway Itinerary

Both Balestrand and Gudvangen can be reached in less time ( about half the time) from Bergen than from Alesund. From Alesund. you can take a boat or catamaran on a day trip to Geirangerfjord, widely considered to be one of Norway’s most scenic fjords. From Geiranger, the “Trollstigen” ( Troll’s Staircase) which is probably one of the most spectacular natural landscapes in Norway. The Trollstigen is about two hours north of Geiranger by car. Called the “Golden Route,” buses also make the trip from Geiranger to Trollstigen on the way to Andalsnes. From June1- September 15 there is a special Vy Express bus ( Vy Bus #25). for travelers that includes photo stops so passengers can take photos from the ORNESVINGEN Scenic Viewpoint just outside of Geiranger, and the TROLLSTIGEN scenic viewpoint.
Check the consolidator www.AutoEurope.com for car rentals. Consider renting a hybrid or electric vehicle as you’ll save quite a bit with gasoline running about $8 per gallon in Norway.

Alesund to Gudvangen looks like a longer drive than I would want on one day. The rest looks doable. Are you planning on 2 cars for 7 people and luggage?

Good point above about needing more than just one rental car as you will not be able to fit 7 travelers with all their luggage into one car. A Volkswagen “Caravelle” van could work. AutoEurope says a Caravelle holds up to 9 people. The rental cost for 5 summer days runs about $1650 out of Alesund’s airport.

I've traveled to Norway but not driven there, so I'm not sure about this, but: Alesund/Geiranger/etc. are north of the Sognefjord. Gudvangen is on the south side of the Naeroyfjord arm of the Sognefjord, then you're heading back across the Sognefjord to Balestrand. I know there are car ferries, but I don't know how frequent they are. I doubt that they're inexpensive, because nothing is inexpensive in Norway.

I don't know which side of the Sognefjord provides the easiest or most scenic (not necessarily the same thing) driving route to Bergen.

Most people who touch down in Gudvangen, I think, are there because they are taking the highly scenic Naeroyfjord ferry between Gudvangen and Flam, but you haven't mentioned doing that. And most of the people who take that ferry probably also take the Flamsbana train between Flam and Myrdal. There is a reason those excursions are so popular.

I wish you had more time, because Bergen and Oslo are both wonderful places to visit. There's nothing much in Gudvangen except the scenic excursions I mentioned in the paragraph above.

I was doing that area 4x with own cars. Driving this area is beautiful but really work. Do not plan more than 200-250 kilometres per day. The famous Norwegian fresh-air hammer makes you sleep well the first days.

With given time frame I recommend to re-plan from / to Bergen with 2 cars. Use the Norwegian scenic routes for planning and spend more time outside the car than with the other plan.

For Gudvangen and Balestrand alone Bergen is the better / closer airport. It also reduces costs because one-way rentals can be very expensive in Norway.

If you are going to explore Naeroyfjord the question is about the additional value of Geirangerfjord. Trollstigen you can replace by the south entry to Gaularfjellet which is imo much more impressive than Trollstigen. Ornesvingen is less spectacular compared to Stegastein on Aurlandfjell route.

This area has imo more and more spectacular waterfalls, e. g. Steindalsfossen which you can walk behind or Vøringsfossen.

If you plan with Flåm try to catch a day without cruise ship(s) in the port (see arrival list). Otherwise Gudvangen and Flåm can become an ugly over-crowded tourist place.

We did a 15-day self-driving tour of Norway in September. Three additional days were spent in the Oslo area. My rough suggestion for a route would be:

Alesund-Andalsnes-Trollstigen-Geiranger-Styrn and then to Balestrand or to Flam

Most ferries are part of the road system and run continuously. Our total cost for toll roads and ferries on AutoPass was $82. We rented a hybrid and got 47+ MPG. We paid a total of $246 for gas.

If you want a copy of my detailed trip report, message me, and I will send it.

Most but not all ferries are part of the road system, e. g. Gudvangen - Kaupanger or Hellesylt - Geiranger are not.
The road system ferries have also different providers, espaecially around larger cities such as Stavanger.

Thank you all for your helpful posts! I would prefer not to drive as we would either need a large van or 2 cars, but I didn't know how feasible it would be to get around strictly on trains/ferries. Based on your suggestions, I could fly to and from Bergen and completely cut out Gudvangen from the itinerary.