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Alternatives to staying in Flam for NIN

Posted by (Watertown, MA, USA) on

I want to say thank you, first of all, to all the people who provided feedback on my request for help on my itinerary for this summer!

In the end, the suggestion to fly into Tromso was great - it just took quite a while to figure out how to get tickets there. We ended up booking via Delta for $670/person and then flying home from Oslo on frequent flyer miles (plus a few hundred $ each for taxes at Heathrow, but it was still the best option).

Now we have a bit more time for NIN and we would like to do it across two days, but I have additional questions:

  1. If we split it across two days, can we still use a luggage transfer service? Even if we had to bring one overnight's worth of hand luggage with us, it would help to pick up our big bags at the end
  2. Are there other cities to stay in along the route besides Flam? For one, it's very expensive if we can even find anything. The other issue is that it seems to be towards the end of the NIN route, so the trip from Bergen to Flam would still feel rushed.

I am hoping to finish booking this week. We will definitely use the official NIN booking instead of doing it ourselves. It's hard for me to keep track of which dates whatever routes open for tickets, and having the peace of mind that the agency is going to get it to all work smoothly is worth a fair bit of money to me.

TIA!

Posted by
2867 posts

You can still use Porter Service, but check with your hotel first to make sure that they are ok with holding your luggage for a day. That should not be an issue, but you need to give them a heads up.

The most recent NIN tour that we did was this past August. We went from Oslo to Stavanger to Bergen an then back to Oslo. We had a few nights in Stavanger, which we loved. I know it is not halfway or anything, but it was a really nice place and from there we went kayaking as well as to Flor & Fjaere which was a highlight for us!

Posted by
731 posts

Voss would be another option for a base. There are a few hotels within walking distance
of the Voss train station, and from there you can get to either Bergen or Oslo without
connections. The bus part of the NIN starts in Voss, at least it did.

Seems like you could stay in Voss one night, check out and leave some bags at the hotel,
do NIN, come back the next day and pick up your bags, and then get on a train to the next
stage. But, from Flam, NIN is easily done in a day.

Posted by
3424 posts

Are there other cities to stay in along the route besides Flam?

Transfer station Myrdal has also a few hotel capacities.

So does Gudvangen have at end of Nærøyfjord (bus shuttle to Flåm).

Posted by
34 posts

I'm glad you were able figure out the flights into Tromsø.

In 2023 we did a DIY Nutshell from Bergen to Oslo with an overnight in Flåm. We had no problem using the porter service for our bags

Unless there is something specific you want to see or do in Voss, I don't think I would stay there.

NIN is all about the journey. There is something to see all along the way on the train from Bergen to Voss, the bus to Gudvangen, the ferry to Flåm. The next day would be your journey from Flåm to Myrdal and on to Oslo.

If you do overnight in Flåm, you would have time to take the minivan tour to Stegastein or kayak on the fjord, mountain bike down the trail, hike.

Have you looked at Flåm Camping and Hostel. Very basic, but reviews say it is clean and fine for the price. I believe several forum members have stayed there.

Posted by
28689 posts

I stayed in a private room with ensuite bath at the Flam hostel. It was comfortable, but the decor was extremely basic, as expected.

Time-wise, Flam is near the midpoint of the NiN route. When you leave Flam you'll still be 5.5 to 7.5 hours from Oslo via the Flamsbana to Myrdal and the mainline train to Oslo. The Voss-Gudvangen bus and the Naeroyfjord ferry segments will already be behind you. Flam is a lot closer to Bergen than to Oslo, so most of the train time is east of Flam.

Posted by
1672 posts

We, a family of 3 adults, stayed at the Flam Hostel in 2015 for one night. We were given a dorm room on the top floor with about 6 beds but we were the only ones in it. We rented the linens and did not have a private bath or WC. Both were on the floor below. Everything was neat and tidy and it was fine for one night. Since we had come from a hostel in Solvorn we had bread, cheese and cold cuts for breakfast. If taking your own bags it's a longish walk from the main transportation and restaurant area to the hostel.

Posted by
40 posts

Thanks all! We ended up booking a night in Gudvangen. I don't know that it will be all that exciting, but it seemed like it made the most sense. I was so worried about not finding anything; I just wanted to get it set.

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