Alesund to Geiranger or Hjorundfjord - a few questions

Fly in and out of Ålesund. Can fly from US on one Delta/KLM ticket. Fly from there to Stockholm or Copenhagen.

Rent a car in Ålesund and drive a loop including the 2 fjords you mention (Geirangerfjord and Hjorundfjord), then north to Trollstigen, and then west back to Ålesund. Maybe 8-12 hours total driving for all 3 sites. You will need to take car ferries on both fjords to make it work but you’ll get both boat and road views this way.

There are no trains in this area. Even if there were it would be time consuming to take a train, your short visit only works by flying in and out of Ålesund. It is fine to miss the Nutshell. You will see plenty of scenery driving and taking ferries. Actually this is quite a smart way to handle a short visit.

Ålesund seems to me the Norwegian town with the most unusual architecture because new built after a huge fire in Art Nouveau style. Prettiest I would not agree.

1. From Ålesund I once used Hurtigruten ship as pedestrian to experience Geirangerfjord by ship. Too time consuming imo for your short time available. No train in Geiranger and Ålesund. I never used bus there because I was driving there woth own car.

2. Both impressions are important to best experience any fjord incl. Geirangerfjord. There is just one street through Geiranger.Follow it up to both sides and you will come to the viewpoints, such as Ørnesvingen or Dalsnibba with many points in between. There are small e-cars (emob) and also a bus tour to explore.

3. There are a lot of scenic fjords, I would not call the Hjørundfjord the most scenic although very beautiful. In my personal opinion it is not possible to substitute one fjord by another. Sure, you can see just a different beautiful fjord. The only second World Nature Heritage fjord is the Nærøyfjord. Most "dramatic" imo is driving by ship into very short Trollfjord.

4. In general I recommend to rent a car for your trip and drive the scenic route Geiranger – Trollstigen. In Geiranger use the ferry to Hellesyslt and return to drive by ship through the fjord.

5. Please read "Getting around Norway" and make yourself familiar with the train network map and the travel options.

Very important tip for visiting Geiranger: try to choose a date with no cruise ship(s) in port. See cruise call list.

Prettiest I would not agree.

The Aksla viewpoint is amazing and a famous view.

I do agree in the OP that a combination of driving and ferry views is better than water only, like taking a cruise.

Hi Andy, not a direct answer to your questions but some hopefully helpful suggestions. You are looking to cover rather a lot of ground in a rather short period of time, you risk getting a glimpse at the places that you would like to see and a more in depth experience of the various transport options.
My first suggestion is to look at where you would arrive and where you will depart from in Europe. If you haven’t booked flights yet you will have some flexibility around this and open jaw flights are a bonus in terms of time.
Then work out where you would like to go, towns and sights rather than countries. For example rather than Denmark do you really mean Copenhagen?
Then work out a logical travel plan so that you minimise back tracking and travel times. Next of course is travel times and modes of travel. It is also worth getting a bit of an idea of the frequency and timing of trains, boats and planes so that you know better what might be involved, going from place to place can easily take up a whole day.
You will then have an idea of how long you will actually have in each place and how doable your plan is. The other thing to consider is the time of year, in particular regarding daylight hours, shorter winter days can limit sightseeing.
Having been to Copenhagen and Amsterdam, I could easily spend 8 days in either of those places, using some of the time to explore outside of each city.

The Norwegian fjords are beautiful but travelling to and from them does take time and there is a lot of Norway to see in between. Everything that you have suggested looks great, but not in 3 days.
Happy planning, Helen

The Aksla viewpoint is amazing.

Agree, for this reason I added it years ago to Google Maps, before only the restaurant was listed. Years later I wrote a short article about it.

And not unique: Bergen, Molde, Svolvær, Tromsø, Eidfjord and others have similar viewpoints. Likely most famous is Reinebringen over Reine on Lofoten.

Helen made a valid point which I like to detail in two ways:

• I would reduce the 8 days to max. 2 cities plus a fjord - and this is surfacial enough for these destinations.
• Alesund means 1 more flight and more travel time compared to Bergen because BGO is better connected within Europe.

Alesund means 1 more flight and more travel time compared to Bergen

No. As I already stated, Delta/KLM have good flights to Ålesund from the US. Only one connection from either LA or San Francisco (and many US cities). LAX to Ålesund is 14-1/2 hours, same as Bergen.

Note that the Trollstigen road ( “Troll’s Ladder”) is closed and currently slated to reopen in July 2025.
That leaves the residual itinerary driving from Alesund to Geiranger (2.5 hrs.)
Then drive to the ORNESVINGEN viewpoint 5 miles outside of Geiranger before returning to take the 90-minute car ferry from Geiranger to Hellesylt. This car ferry passes the spectacular waterfalls on the Geiranger fjord. From Hellesylt continue for 2 hours on to Saebo on the Hjorundfjord. Overnighting in Saebo or another village on the Hjorundfjord leaves just a two-hour drive before completing this circuit tour and returning to Alesund.

You can rent a vehicle at Alesund Airport through www.AutoEurope.com. Renting a hybrid vehicle will save you money on fuel ( currently about $7-$8 per gallon) for the 160-mile journey and you won’t be compelled to figure out where and how to recharge the battery.

Here's a driving route I worked out in advance of our trip last year. Note the beginning and ending are our hotel about 30 min from Alesund. It was more or less accurate in our actual experience. Maybe on the shorter side but we had good timing with the ferries and didn't have to wait long for any. I had done in advance a few things things: 1. watched you tube videos about how the car ferries work, 2. registered our rental car with the ferry app so that it allowed us to pay automatically 3. had a reservation well in advance for the Hellesylt to Geiranger segment (that is a "tourist" ferry separate from the "regular" ferries around Norway and on our afternoon in May there were cars that did not get on our ferry because they sold out).

Storfjord Hotel to Solavågen drive (25k, 25 min) Leave 8 am to make the 15:30 ferry (that is the one we made the reservation for on Geiranger)

Solavågen to Festøya by car ferry www.fjord1.no (every 30 min, takes 20 min, earliest 8:10)

Festøya to Sæbø drive (70k, 90 min)

Sæbø to Lekneset by car ferry (every 30 to 60 min, takes 15 min)

Lekneset to Hellesylt drive (30k, 35 min) Arrive 13:00 or 14:00

Hellesylt to Geiranger by car ferry (every 1.5 hours, takes 75 min) (summer departures are 09:30, 12:30, 15:30, 18:30)

Geiranger to Eidsdal drive (25k, 30 min)

Eidsdal to Linge by car ferry (every 30-45 min, takes 15 min, latest 22:00)

Linge to Storfjord Hotel drive (60k, 60 min)

If exact driving time, and had to wait each ferry max. time, takes about 8.5 hours

If 1.5x driving time, and had to wait each ferry max. time, takes about 10.5 hours

I would rent a car in Alesund and do a loop. We did a night in one of the Hole Hytter log cabins. The view was beautiful, and we were high above the busy village.

In Alesund we stayed at Scandic Parken which is adjacent to the park where the stairs to Aksla start.

Thank you all for the very helpful suggestions! I'm going to take some time to absorb all of this and will probably be back with more questions :)

Toby - you are correct, KLM does offer a one stop (Amsterdam) connection to Alesund from SFO. I'm also researching a SFO to London round trip to see if it is more cost effective to take connecting flights from LON.

Mark - that Cruise Call List is super helpful! Based on that list, it looks like June 12, 15 and July 4 might be good days (unless cruises make last minute schedule changes) to visit Geirangerfjord.

Helen - I agree 3-4 days is not enough for Norway, but it's a choice between that and not going at all. Along the lines of what you suggest, I'm finding this forum very useful in my planning. We are probably going to drop Stockholm, but will visit Copenhagen.

Kenko - it's good to know that the Trollstigen road isn't scheduled to open till July 2025, is this the website you are referring to?: https://www.daas.visitmr.com/artikler/trollstigen-apner-14-juli-2025 There is a small chance our trip may get postponed from June to July.

Laurie Ann - thanks for the very detailed route! That is very helpful.

mnannie - the Hole Hytter log cabins and the surroundings remind me of Murren, Switzerland, our favorite village/city to visit in Europe.

I'm also researching a SFO to London round trip to see if it is more cost effective to take connecting flights from LON

Of course research if you want but flying to a city you don’t want to spend time in usually won’t make sense. 8 days is short for 2 places quite a bit apart and introducing lodging in a third place cuts down on time even more.

Also look at Star Alliance (Lufthansa/United), likely one stops are available via Frankfurt.

There is an SAS nonstop CPH>>SFO and they are in the same alliance as KLM (SkyTeam) but I can’t put KLM and SAS on the same ticket (?).

For Copenhagen lodging used https://www.all-copenhagen-apartments.com

If flying KLM substituting Amsterdam as the second destination makes a lot of sense, unless you have already visited.

It may turn out to be cheaper to connect through London as the low cost carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle start direct flights to Alesund from London Gatwick on 11 April 2025 on a Friday and Monday.
They also fly to Alesund from Oslo (with connections from Gatwick on other days).

So whether open jaw to London/back from Amsterdam with a Norwegian flight LGW to Alesund is an option to explore.

The above post refers to mine deleted by somebody, now reposted below without link to a Copenhagen apartment service (can send by PM). Frankly this is not a friendly site for newbies.

I'm also researching a SFO to London round trip to see if it is more cost effective to take connecting flights from LON

Of course research if you want but flying to a city you don’t want to spend time in usually won’t make sense. 8 days is short for 2 places quite a bit apart and introducing lodging in a third place cuts down on time even more.

Also look at Star Alliance (Lufthansa/United), likely one stops are available via Frankfurt.

There is an SAS nonstop CPH>>SFO and they are in the same alliance as KLM (SkyTeam) but I can’t put KLM and SAS on the same ticket (?).

If flying KLM substituting Amsterdam as the second destination makes a lot of sense, unless you have already visited.

Are you trying to see Ålesund/Geirangerfjord, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Amsterdam in eight days? That is doable, but very rushed.

Are you actually trying to see Amsterdam or is it just because you were looking at KLM flights? You should also look at SAS that has direct flights between Copenhagen and San Francisco.

Flying to London sounds like a terrible idea. With your rushed schedule you should not waste time self connecting. And since the flights from San Fransisco land at Heathrow as far as I can tell and the flights to Ålesund leave from Gatwick that is just too much extra faff and risky in my opinion. It also means you need a UK ETA.

Note that the Trollstigen road ( “Troll’s Ladder”) is closed and
currently slated to reopen in July 2025.

"Troll Path" if you want to be correct. The plan is to open it again in July as mentioned, but from what I've read Statens vegvesen mentions that it is a plan and plans can change.

@Toby, Only the webmaster can delete a post. He would PM you if he had done that with the reason. Another long term poster has reported problems posting tonight, so that would suggest a technical issue to be investigated on Monday, rather than anything malign.
Such gremlins in the works happen from time to time.

mnannie - the Hole Hytter log cabins and the surroundings remind me of Murren, Switzerland, our favorite village/city to visit in Europe.

The setting does remind me a little of Gimmelwald minus The Eiger.

Are you trying to see Ålesund/Geirangerfjord, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Amsterdam in eight days? That is doable, but very rushed

I agree. Right now doing all of the above is a wish list with priority to Norway. If the choice is between visiting another museum or seeing natural scenery/Geirangerfjord along with some time in a unique European city like Alesund, then it's Geirangerfjord/Alesund.

We are still trying to determine (from RS books and RS forums) what will be of interest in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. I know there are lots of attractions in each of these 3 cities, but for us museums is not one of them. If Ikea had a museum in Stockholm, that would be of interest.

Hi Andy, To check on the status of the Trollstigen road which was closed north of the Trollstigen overlook earlier this year— you can check the official Norwegian government website for highway conditions: www.vegvesen.no and the government website for scenic highways: www.nasjonaleturistveger.no
The Trollstigen road with hairpin switchbacks and waterfalls north of the scenic overlook had a rockslide earlier this year with one football-sized rock crashing through a vehicle’s windshield. Luckily, there were no injuries but geologists concluded the road needs to be reinforced before it can be safely reopened. Highway 63 from the south was kept open up to the Trollstigen scenic overlook. The road north of the Trollstigen overlook in the direction of Andalsnes was closed until repairs are completed.
It usually opens in late May or early June and, knowing how diligent the Norwegians are, its reopening may well happen sometime in June before the currently announced July 14, 2025 timeframe.

We are still trying to determine (from RS books and RS forums) what will be of interest in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Amsterdam.

I recommend to use also the visitor websites of these cities, especially also the event pages.

If Ikea had a museum in Stockholm, that would be of interest.

From a design perspective forget IKEA and visit the design museum and handcraft workshops in Copenhagen. These are the places in which many of the current worldwide interior design classics were made or invented. By the way: this is one of the many detailed differences between cultures of Scandinavian countries - Scandinvian design is often functionally minimized but the Danes made iconic beauties out of it. For this reason you can still sell used Danish designed furtiture such as tables or chais from the 70s for the same price you bought them 50 years ago.

In my opinion you should remove Amsterdam from the plan in order to have a less spread out itinerary. Focus on Norway, Stockholm and Copenhagen, and maybe consider skipping one of them as well. A possible pland could be 3 nights in Norway, fly to Stockholm. Two nights in Stockholm, overnight train to Copenhagen and one night in Copenhagen (and one night on the train).

There are many things to see and do in each city, even if you don't like museums. But it's easier to give advice if you actually told what you're interested in.

Ikea has a museum in Älmhult, it can be visited as a stop between Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Andy, while in Norway, we had 4 nights in Alesund, one night in a cabin near Eidsdal ( between Geiranger and Trollstigen) and then 3 nights in Copenhagen.
I don’t know how we could have crammed in Stockholm and Amsterdam without adding more time to the trip.
The great thing is that Alesund’s Airport ( AES) has connecting flights to Copenhagen, Stockholm and Amsterdam. www.Skyscanner.com

I only brought up Amsterdam because the best flight time SFO>>AES is flying KLM which connects in AMS so makes a sublimely simple second destination to add.

Copenhagen is the second easiest, AES>>CPH is not nonstop but a nonstop return flight to SFO is available. Stockholm is hardest because it’s a connecting flight coming from Ålesund and onward to SFO.

Oslo of course makes a good second destination also. Starting in Ålesund, taking 3 or 4 days to get to Åndalsnes, then the scenic train up the valley and south to Oslo. Most people underrate Oslo but I was impressed.

Second destination:

Amsterdam or Oslo: 4 flight segments for whole trip
Copenhagen: 5 flight segments
Stockholm: 6 flight segments

I don’t think 3 places in 3 countries in 8 days is advised.

The following is considering 2 destination areas. Personally feel Oslo ranks with the other capitals. So starting with a connecting flight SFO to Ålesund:

Add Amsterdam: nonstop to Amsterdam, nonstop to SFO (2 addition planes to finish trip)
Add Oslo: one way rental to Åndalsnes and train to Oslo: connecting flight to SFO (2 additional planes to finish trip)
Add Copenhagen: connecting flight to CPH, possible nonstop to SFO (3 additional planes to finish trip)
Add Stockholm: connecting flight to Stockholm, connecting flight to SFO (4 additional planes to finish trip)

Or for Oslo, return car to Alesund, fly SAS or Norwegian to Oslo then fly home.

The Raumabahn, to Andalsnes, has 4 trains a day over its very scenic route, change at Dombas for Oslo.

The 2 car trains from Andalsnes get very busy when a cruise ship is in port - next June that is on 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11,17, 21, 22, 25 and 30.

Or, adding to above, drive all the way to Oslo and drop car there, seeing UNESCO World Heritage Site Røros on the way.

If Trollstigen is open leaving the car in Åndalsnes or Oslo works well since no backtracking required.

Worth noting that Amsterdam and Copenhagen have quick and cheap airport access, Stockholm and Oslo airports are farther out and expensive to get to.

Badger, Kenko, Toby - we are leaning towards increasing the # of days in Norway, and dropping one or more from Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stockholm. Kenko, I see that you have posted the cruise schedule for Alesund elsewhere, and am assuming it's more important to avoid the crowds in Geirangerfjord.

Mark - it would be definitely interesting to visit the Designmuseum Danmark as you suggested

isn31c - thanks for your transportation suggestions. I'd like to rent a car and drive to give us the most flexibility, but the other couple who most likely will be joining us don't feel comfortable driving in Europe. There is a small possibility that we may have to take buses/ferries from/to Alesund. My friend was looking at Norway in a Nutshell for Geirangerfjord, and it still shows that their route going over Trollstigen (which I know is outdated in light of the closure till next year).

the other couple who most likely will be joining us don't feel comfortable driving in Europe

Norway is very simple driving. The national speed limit is something like 45 mph, there is little traffic, and tunnels go under many of the mountains. Norway also uses some US style road elements, for example for highways there’s a dashed yellow center stripe (instead of white) and with the white outside edge paint stripes it’s a lot like US driving. Your friend’s comment is kind of like saying fear of driving in Manhattan should apply also to Wyoming. Besides only 1 person has to drive.

Could be wrong but hotel door to hotel door, I give it 10 hours to get from Ålesund to Stockholm, and 9 hours Ålesund to Copenhagen.

Also adding that end June it won’t get dark at night in Ålesund. There’s about 90 minutes of dusk, but no darkness. You could read, hike and take pictures all night if you wanted to. Save the eyeshades from the plane.

I agree with Toby that driving in Norway is a breeze because the speed limit is mostly 50 mph on the open mountain roads and highways which are engineered well and constantly maintained in top condition. People do not speed because the fines are so high and there are cameras everywhere.
I’d even say you’re better off driving in Norway than in San Diego!
If you do decide to stick with public transit then you should do the 7-hour Bergensbanen line from Oslo to Bergen which is considered one of the top 10 scenic rail lines in the world. If you fly into Oslo, you can leave the next morning and travel through incredible scenery that— at its highest elevation near Finse —looks like the arctic tundra.
Bergen is a fascinating town with a Hanseatic old town, a Viking castle and the Floibanen mountain funicular that goes up to Mt. Floyen for panoramic views over the city and harbor.
Fly to Alesund from Bergen ( it’s actually cheaper to fly than to take the 10-hour bus).
From Alesund there are buses taking 90 minutes to reach Geiranger. There is a 4-hour tour boat that can return you to Alesund if the timing is right, or you can make a day of it and take the boat from Alesund to Geiranger roundtrip.
There are also summertime public buses traveling from Alesund to the Trollstigen and to Geiranger before returning to Alesund.
Another nice trip is on the 2-hour bus from Alesund to Andalsnes where you can catch the 80-minute RAUMA train line through the Rauma River valley to Dombas before returning to Andalsnes in 80 more minutes by train, and then return to Alesund by bus.

There is one tour company that runs boats from Alesund to the Hjorundfjord on a limited summer schedule. There is not a lot of commercial activity on the Hjorundfjord which is one reason why it tops the list of “the most beautiful fjord” among Norwegians.
There are all kinds of itineraries in Norway you can create— they’re all good.

Worth noting that Amsterdam and Copenhagen have quick and cheap airport access, Stockholm and Oslo airports are farther out and expensive to get to.

In the case of Oslo at least that is not entirely true. If you take the local train (not the over priced airport express) there are three an hour taking 23 minutes and costing 124 NOK (about US$15) but they are also included in the city day or multi day transit pass (the airport express trains aren't).
Amsterdam Schiphol to Central is 16 minutes (so not a lot faster) but about US$6.
At Copenhagen the regional train takes 13 minutes and the metro 22 minutes, about US$4
Yes Stockholm airport is about 40 minutes by local train, but the local trains are half the cost of the Arlanda Express, and there is also the Express bus in about 50 minutes.

With the exception of Stockholm the differences in travel times and costs are so small in the grand scheme of things that I wouldn't see that as an influence in route. And even Stockholm is not a big barrier unless you want to make it so.

I'd like to rent a car and drive to give us the most flexibility, but
the other couple who most likely will be joining us don't feel
comfortable driving in Europe.

If there are four of you in total you will fit in a regular car and only one person has to drive, so that should not stop you.

My friend was looking at Norway in a Nutshell for Geirangerfjord, and
it still shows that their route going over Trollstigen (which I know
is outdated in light of the closure till next year).

I think your friend has misunderstood something, Norway in a Nutshell is a popular route from Oslo to Bergen (or v.v.) via Myrdal, Flåm, Gudvangen and Voss. It doesn't go anywhere near Geirangerfjorden or Trollstigen.

People do not speed because the fines are so high and there are
cameras everywhere.

That is also something to keep in mind when driving, the fines are high. And not just for speeding but also for other offences like ignoring stop signs, driving in a bus lane, not giving way to pedestrians, using your phone while driving etc. The amount varies of course but a fine can be up to almost 16 000 NOK (€1350).

If you take the local train (not the over priced airport express)
there are three an hour taking 23 minutes and costing 124 NOK (about
US$15) but they are also included in the city day or multi day transit
pass (the airport express trains aren't).

Good point. In Oslo the local train is pretty good and in my opinion it's hardly worth paying twice as much only to save a few minutes.

I think your friend has misunderstood something, Norway in a Nutshell is a popular route from Oslo to Bergen (or v.v.) via Myrdal, Flåm, Gudvangen and Voss. It doesn't go anywhere near Geirangerfjorden or Trollstigen.

Badger, this is what my friend was referring to: https://www.fjordtours.com/en/norway/tours/unesco-geirangerfjord-in-a-nutshell The website which offers the popular NIN tour clearly hasn't been updated to show that Trollstigen is closed in the Geirangerford Nutshell tour.

There will be 5 of us in a rental car from Alesund to Geirangerfjord. I see two routes to Geirangerfjord from Alesund, one which includes the Linge to Eisdal ferry, and the other includes the ferry from Hellesylt to Geirangerfjord. Is it a good idea to take these different routes going/coming? Also once we arrive in Geirangerfjord, there are 60 and 90 minute fjord cruises for additional cost. Is it necessary to take one of those cruises, or does the ferry from Hellesylt to Geirangerfjord give you kind of the same view?

After we visit the viewing platforms for Geirangerfjord, I am assuming we can visit the overlook for Trollstigen before returning to Alesund.

Our tentative plan is : Day 1 arrive evening in Alesund from SFO
Day 2: Sightseeing in Alesund
Day 3: Geirangerfjord and possibly Hjorundfjord
Day 4: TBD
Day 5: Alesund to Andalsnes by bus, then the Raumabahn train as suggested to Dombas and the Dovre railway to Oslo
Day 6: Depart from Norway

We definitely want to take a scenic train ride in Norway. Just to provide a perspective, the most scenic train ride that we have taken is from Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen via Lungern in Switzerland. Will be interesting to see how the Raumabahn/Dovre train ride will compare with the one we took in Switzerland.

Ålesund: a whole day is a lot. It takes a couple hours to walk through then there’s the lookout. It’s a half day kind of place.

It’s a shame to spend only a night in Oslo, it’s an interesting mix of older and modern and the seafront is quite long.

Your tour link to the northern “nutshell”: They are borrowing the term but not really using it correctly. Their tours are multi day, the real nutshell is a few hours.

FWIW: the highway follows the same river that the Raumabahn train does, so the train scenery is not unique to the train, the highway works too.

Also: The Rampestreken is a steep 90 minute climb leaving on foot from Åndalsnes.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/kcgPXrjHK8aPqj4SA

Ålesund: a whole day is a lot. It takes a couple hours to walk through then there’s the lookout. It’s a half day kind of place.

I don't agree. For a starter this is partly jet lag recovery day. But there is also the aquarium (the Atlantic Ocean Park), the Jugendstilsentret (the Art Nouveau Museum), the Sunnmøre Open Air Museum and several other museums in the town.
There is also the Rødven Stave Church on the way to Andalsnes. I don't know how you get there by public transport (the hapless Rome to Rio gives you a route that involves a swim across the fjord). I went there on a cruise ship excursion from Andalsnes (being unusually lazy for me) but by car it is easy (or taxi, at a price, from Andalsnes)

It’s a shame to spend only a night in Oslo, it’s an interesting mix of older and modern and the seafront is quite long.

It is, but if it is all the time you have it's all you have. I know someone who spent 5 days there in 2023, the same again in 2024 and going again this year. Personally I would fit in a few out of town trips such as Lake Mjøsa (long been on my radar) especially the white swan of Lake Mjøsa (an old paddle steamer) or out well off the tourist trail down the coast towards Skien and Telemark , but certainly Oslo would reward a long stay.

Your tour link to the northern “nutshell”: They are borrowing the term but not really using it correctly. Their tours are multi day, the real nutshell is a few hours.

The way the nutshell is often done (as a bit of a tick box exercise) it is a full day, a few hours is really pushing it. But anyone who really wants to experience the Classic nutshell could (even should) easily add in at least one night en route. There are also other trademarked nutshell routes like Sognefjord in a Nutshell and Hardangerfjord in a Nutshell. All as good in their own way. The Classic route is no more 'real' than any other, just the usual well trodden route.
Doing Norway in a Nutshell in a day you don't experience Flam properly- just seeing it. You don't get to see the old valley road for instance (although parallel for much of the way with the railway it is a very different experience- either walk it or train to Myrdal then use the Flam Zipline to Kårdalen then cycle down the valley). Or they miss the Old Voss Line (now a Heritage steam railway, between Garnes and Midttun , part of the main line until bypassed by tunnels). You can also add the Rallarvegen cycling route from Finse to Flåm.
In short the Classic nutshell covers a multitude of possibilities.

And yes the Hellesylt to Geiranger ferry will cover pretty much the same ground as a fjord cruise taking you past the Seven Sisters waterfall. Last time I was down that way was on a winter cruise when the sisters were frozen- that was quite a sight.

I think of the traditional Nutshell as a 2-3 hour detour added onto the Bergen/Oslo train journey, which I assume people were taking already.

There will be 5 of us in a rental car

You will have to be picky on vehicle size and it will be expensive. Have you traveled together before? A lot can go wrong with non-tour group travel, money, restaurant selection to name a few. My sister traveled in this area with friends for a few days and the other couple was choosing top tier hotels and restaurants. It’s easy to spend $300/person per day on meals and hotels in Norway.

I have found some good reading here on traveling with companions, like this

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/how-to-avoid-traveling-with-friends-mistakes

Badger, this is what my friend was referring to:
https://www.fjordtours.com/en/norway/tours/unesco-geirangerfjord-in-a-nutshell

Geirangerfjorden in a Nutshell is not the same as Norway in a Nutshell, different route in a different area.

There will be 5 of us in a rental car from Alesund to Geirangerfjord.
I see two routes to Geirangerfjord from Alesund, one which includes
the Linge to Eisdal ferry, and the other includes the ferry from
Hellesylt to Geirangerfjord. Is it a good idea to take these different
routes going/coming?

Yes, I'd suggest taking one route to Geiranger and another back. If it was my trip I'd take the route via Eidsdal to Geiranger and the other one back.

Also once we arrive in Geirangerfjord, there are 60 and 90 minute
fjord cruises for additional cost. Is it necessary to take one of
those cruises, or does the ferry from Hellesylt to Geirangerfjord give
you kind of the same view?

In my opinion, no. The ferry to Hellesylt will give you the same views.

After we visit the viewing platforms for Geirangerfjord, I am assuming
we can visit the overlook for Trollstigen before returning to Alesund.

If it's open, I see no reason to not be able to do it.

Our tentative plan is : Day 1 arrive evening in Alesund from SFO Day
2: Sightseeing in Alesund Day 3: Geirangerfjord and possibly
Hjorundfjord Day 4: TBD Day 5: Alesund to Andalsnes by bus, then the
Raumabahn train as suggested to Dombas and the Dovre railway to Oslo
Day 6: Depart from Norway

That doesn't look like a bad plan. But I agree that another day in Oslo or Ålesund is not a bad idea. And isn31c's idea of a stop at Mjøsa is a great idea. The train from Dombås to Oslo makes several stops along the lake to can alight somewhere, catch the paddle steamer to somewhere else on the lake a board a train to Oslo.

Will be interesting to see how the Raumabahn/Dovre train ride will
compare with the one we took in Switzerland.

They are both very scenic in my opinion, although a bit different. And to be a bit nitpicking, the rail line is called Raumabanen. Bahn is German.

Happy New Year! Here’s a Loop route that will let you complete your original plan to see the Trollstigen Overlook, the Geirangerfjord and the Hjorundfjord. Departing Alesund, drive 80 minutes on Highways E136/ E39 then the 650 and finally the 63 to Valldal. These are all well-marked roads that will take you along the banks of the Nordallsfjord. At Valldal, drive north on Highway 63 to the Trollstigen Overlook. The 40-minute drive is spectacular with a stunning tundra-like landscape the last few miles before reaching the Trollstigen Overlook. . From the Trollstigen Overlook return south on the 63 past Valldal to the Linge/Eidsdal Car Ferry (15-minutes plus wait time). Then, after reaching Eidsdal drive 30 minutes to Geiranger. The Eidsvatnet (lake) valley on the way is incredibly beautiful. Five miles north of Geiranger, stop at the roadside Ornesvingen viewpoint overlooking the Seven Sisters waterfalls of the Geirangerfjord on the way. RESERVE CAR PASSAGE for this 90-minute Geiranger/Hellesylt car ferry to Hellesylt as it can completely book up. This car ferry covers the entirety of the Geirangerfjord so you will see all of the Geirangerfjord from the water. From Hellesylt, drive to Oye ( see the 1891 Hotel Union Oye) and the Hjorundfjord. From Oye, drive to take the 15-minute Lekneset/Saebo car ferry. Saebo is the only town of any size and makes a nice overnight or continue 2 more hours by car to return to Alesund. You may need to take the 30-minute Hareid car ferry to reach Alesund.
Have a great Trip!

Thanks all for your feedback!

As isn31c stated, Day 2 is jetlag recovery day for us. We could get going a little late in the morning and see the Aksla viewpoint. Then after lunch go see Hjorundfjord. If that happens, then day 4 TBD is free (day 3 is Geirangerfjord). We want to avoid driving too many hours on any given day.

Here's the issue: if everyone in our group of 5 was into hiking, we would definitely do Pulpit Rock and others. The Rampestreken looks tough for some of us. Everyone in the group likes scenic excursions and some city time (but minimal museums). Honestly, we are not into art museums, and after visiting various museums in Italy, France and Egypt, the only one that we found really, really compelling is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and various tombs excavated in the past 150 years in which tomb paintings depicting daily life and other objects 3000+ years old are in pristine condition! The question is where else can we go after Alesund, Hjorundfjord, and Geirangerfjord, and the train ride to Oslo ((if we don't want to drive the distance to Oslo) ?

We will spend at least one full day in Oslo, but are open to suggestions as to other things to see in Norway, even if we had to add a couple more days. Will investigate Lake Mjosa (we will have our carry-on luggage with us) so may need to check into Oslo hotel first. BTW, we looked at going to Lofoten, but realized that is not feasible.

we are not into art museums, and after visiting various museums in Italy, France and Egypt, the only one that we found really, really compelling is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and various tombs excavated in the past 150 years in which tomb paintings depicting daily life and other objects 3000+ years old are in pristine condition! The question is where else can we go after Alesund, Hjorundfjord, and Geirangerfjord, and the train ride to Oslo ((if we don't want to drive the distance to Oslo) ?

Tanumhede (S) for World Heritage stone carvings.

Roskilde (DK) for Vikings.

Haithabu (Germany) for Viking museum village.

Berlin, Neues Museum for Ancient Egypt. The famous Pergamon Museum is closed currently.

It sounds like you are focusing more on Norway which seems like a better use of your time in my opinion. It's great to know that you don't like art museums, but there are many other kinds of museums and some really great ones in Scandinavia. Is there anything you prefer apart from ancient history?

I wouldn't be too worried about bringing carry on luggage on the boat on Mjøsa. It is an old ship so it wasn't built with accessibility in mind, but there should be space for luggage.

Sorry I got sidetracked explaining our disinterest in museums.

It looks like we will keep the plan I mentioned before:
Day 1: arrive evening in Alesund from SFO
Day 2: Aksla viewpoint and possibly Hjorundfjord
Day 3: Geirangerfjord
Day 4: TBD Hjorundfjord ?
Day 5: Alesund to Andalsnes by bus, then the Raumabanen train as suggested to Dombas and the Dovre railway to Oslo
Day 6: Depart from Norway

We looked at the possibility of flying to Bergen or Stavanger from Oslo to see another fjord, but are not sure if it's worth making a trip there after seeing Geirangerfjord and Hjorundfjord. The only other thing we are considering is whether to break up our stay in Alesund by staying one night in Geiranger or Saebo or ?

My understanding is that it can rain on and off in early July, so the Day 4 TBD day is just slack in case we don't visit Hjorundfjord on Day 2 or Day 3. Also, even though driving is Norway is supposed to easy at low speeds, I haven't driven in Europe before and neither has my friend. So we will have to allow extra time and be cautious, especially with there being single lane roads.

Day 5 puts you into Oslo at 1448, if you don't do the Mjosa diversion.

14 minutes at Andalsnses for the change is 13 minutes more than you need. It's a shame to miss the town but you can't do everything.

Don't forget that Oslo is on a fjord, and not a bad fjord at that. You don't have a deal of time and probably other priorities in the city. But you can do fjord boat trips including on a tall ship (if she still runs) and go island hopping. There are 7 islands I can think of straight away, and all or most of the ferries are part of the city transit system, so included in the day pass.

If it is a cruise day at Andalsnes then non cruise passengers are allocated half a train car as far as Bjorli - the first stop about 45 minutes away. The rest of the train is booked out by the cruise company. I've done the whole line independently twice (on non cruise days, and early and late) and the half route off a cruise.
Yes, guilty as charged. I'm unusual in doing parts of Norway by cruise after going to them independently, not before.
The cruise pax then come back by bus. Meanwhile other pax go up to Bjorli by bus and take the train down. That continues all day.
Pros and cons to both. It's nice to see the line busy and experience the excitement and buzz on cruise days and the new trains are very nice even if I miss the old train cars, and longer trains of old.

Night (1). Alesund. (2). Alesund. (3). Drive Alesund to Sylte/Valldal then to Trollstigen Overlook. Overnight in Valldal or Hesthaug Gard Inn & cabins near Eidsdal. (4). Drive to Geiranger & take Car Ferry to Hellesylt. Continue to Saebo. Overnight in Alesund.
(5).Alesund to Andalsnes by Bus; Andalsnes to Dombas on Raumabanen Train Line, Continue to Oslo. to overnight.

We looked at the possibility of flying to Bergen or Stavanger from
Oslo to see another fjord, but are not sure if it's worth making a
trip there after seeing Geirangerfjord and Hjorundfjord.

With the limited time you have, no. It's not worth it in my opinon.

My understanding is that it can rain on and off in early July

It can always rain in the coastal parts of Norway. On average in July Ålesund sees 12 days with rain and gets a bit over 80 mm in total.

Day 5 puts you into Oslo at 1448, if you don't do the Mjosa diversion.
14 minutes at Andalsnses for the change is 13 minutes more than you need.

isn31c, I haven't had luck locating the bus schedule from Alesund to Andalsnes for July 5 (Saturday) or the 6th Sunday. Ditto for the train. On Entur, for January 5, I can see the train leaving Andalsnes @ 9:21 arriving Oslo @ 2:48 pm, which means that we would need to catch the bus from Alesund leaving @ 7:10 arriving Andalsnes @ 9:15. If the bus is delayed, we would miss the 9:21 train. Do buses/trains run more frequently in summer? I know our group won't be wild about leaving Alesund @ 7:10 am !

Also, we could spend time in Andalsnes, but would need to store our carry on bags at the station (looks like the station has lockers).

I looked up the cruise schedule for Andalsnes, and looks like they are in town July 4 and 8, with none in between, so I am assuming we should be able to get tickets for the train from Andalsnes>Dombas>Oslo. Regarding boat cruise on Mjosa, that may not be possible because of time constraints.

The answer to any delays is that this is Norway. The buses specifically run in conjunction with the trains, which is why they are on the Vy Norway website.
Personally I have always seen such services in various parts of the country run on time, as an efficient operation.
The timetable is showing slightly different times to me- https://frammr.no/_f/p2/iffbd6b29-774c-4425-82e3-f7fe2a8f671e/681-fram-ekspress-alesund-vestnes-andalsnes-fra-23122024-v15.pdf

So on a Sunday there is a bus for the mid afternoon train, on other days for the late afternoon train.

There is also an overnight bus (which you won't want) from Alesund to Oslo which calls at Andalsnes (also on the Vy website). I have a full set of printed bus and ferry timetables for every Hurtigruten port- but am struggling to locate them now (from a largely aborted plan to skip stop port to port all the way north from Bergen to Kirkenes). From memory I think there is the odd extra summer service but without the TT's can't be sure.

For the train just after 2pm from Andalsnes on a Monday to Saturday Vy tell you to catch bus #100 from Alesund to Molde then the 420 from Molde to Andalsnes- that route also has extra non rail connecting services including a connection into the night bus.

isn31c - thanks! The bus schedule is very helpful.

On a separate subject, we plan to drive from Alesund to Hjorundfjord, but I'm not seeing any local boat service in the fjord, for tourists like us. All I see are the round trip cruises from Alesund to Hjorundfjord, which cost about $85/person.

Without a cruise at Hjorundfjord, are we really going to get the same view of the fjord during the drive, or once we arrive at Hjorundfjord?

I'm doing this from online timetables, not printed ones. So I hope I have got this right as online isn't how I plan things, out of my comfort zone.

You want this web page- https://frammr.no/journey/timetables-and-line-maps/ferry/
and then 'Timetables for ferries in Sunnmore'

Ideally you will look at this in conjunction with Google maps-
but to cross from Alesund you want Ferry 1069, that connects with ferry 1049 for Hellesylt and Geiranger.

You can, of course, drive round to Hellesylt from route 1069, but that is another option.

At the bottom of that list you will also see route 1152 for Hellesylt to Geiranger

Eidsdal to Linge is route 1054 and the sensible route from Alesund to Hellesylt is route 1055.

The local ferries on the Hjorundfjord, are services 1135 and 1136, note also the contingency combined timetable if needed for the two services when only one boat is available.

Have you seen this option from Alesund?
https://www.cruise-service.no/en/all-about-the-fjords
Our Celebrity cruise is in Alesund for the day, and doesn't include Geirangerfjord but this boat/bus tour will give us a glimpse from above, which we will especially appreciate since we have sailed into that fjord on a prior cruise.

beejaybeeohio - the cost for the tour from cruise-service is very steep about $140/person for the day, $700 for our group. We plan to rent a car and will see as much as we can, weather cooperating.

isn31c - my belated thanks for those comprehensive ferry schedules! Really helps with our day planning.

@Andy Scott
Compared to the $222 pp price of the ship excursion that cruises the Hjorundfjord r/t, 1900 NOKpp ($166US) is a bargain.
Renting a car wouldn't be a bad idea if we followed the route from Alesund to Oye and then turned around and reversed course, but there are 12 of us.
Hoping that we could possibly receive a discount for our group but haven't yet received word.
And hope that you are safe in CA from the wildfires @L.A. So far our DD is okay in Culver City.