We will be doing Scandinavia tour late next spring. Looking very much forward to it! Looks like flights from Bergen, where the tour ends, are very early for same day connection to US. We are thinking of flying to Amsterdam or another European connection city, staying a night or two, and then flying from there. We are in Louisville, so we always have a connection in the states, usually Newark or Chicago. Any thoughts?
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
3340 posts
Since the tour only does the cruise part of Norway in a Nutshell, and in case the weather wasn't great that day (turned out it was good), I opted to do the NiaN from Bergen to Oslo and caught a flight from there.
Posted by
Freedonia
19181 posts
You can do whatever you want after the tour. There is not rule that you have to return home right when the tour ends.
You could, technically, go anywhere you want. If you have the time, why not spend more of it in Europe since you are "already there."
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
26810 posts
If it were me I would look for a discount airline flight 90 min or less to a place that interests me and has good priced connection home as part of my RT ticket at the start of the tour; then stay as long as possible.
Posted by
Chicagoland
2423 posts
Some airlines offer free stopovers in their connecting cities. For example, Icelandair allows up to 7 days in Iceland.
Posted by
Duluth, MN🌲
12595 posts
I agree with the recommendation to check Icelandair; both for the layover offers and also because their flights don't always leave early in the morning. My daughter and I are flying Icelandair in July and taking advantage of a 7-night layover to spend in Iceland on the way there from MSP to Stockholm. BUT on the way home, we are flying out of Bergen to Minneapolis, with a layover in Keflavik and our flight doesn't leave until 3:20 pm that day. We arrive in Minneapolis at 6:20pm. I'm so thrilled that I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn for that return flight home. 😊
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6776 posts
I have a flight this September on KLM/Delta that leaves Bergen at 10:45 AM and arrives Amsterdam at 12:30, then leaving Amsterdam at 3:10 and arriving Seattle at 4:35 PM (Pacific). That's a one-long-day trip across nine time zones, yours should be a little easier though you'll likely need three flights. I chose that to avoid a crack-of-dawn departure from Bergen, I'll be at an airport hotel the night before. So you might find more options on Kayak or Google Flights.
Bergen has enough to justify at least another day there after the tour ends. But, if you have time, of course you could spend some days elsewhere in Europe, including Iceland. Icelandair would be a good choice if that interests you. So would a lot of other places. Look for a city that appeals to you and has good connections from Bergen and to your US gateway. Except for Icelandair, the layover would mean a higher airfare. I've been on several RS and other tours, and I like to spend a few days on my own before and after them, in or near the cities where they start and finish.
Posted by
80 posts
I also recommend Icelandair with a stopover in Iceland. You could spend 2-3 days, or more than a week in Iceland, it is incredible.