We are arriving in Oslo from Los Angeles and departing on a three-week cruise from Bergan. I’m looking on Norway in a Nutshell but have no clue which town to do overnight(s) in. I think we want to see the Geirangerfjroid for a day cruise/tour, but it looks far north of both Oslo and Bergan. Don’t know which town(s) to stay in to do that.
This would be in September, and ok with only 1 night in Oslo and 1 night in Bergan.
Thank you very much!
What time are you scheduled to arrive in Oslo on Day 1?
What time do you need to be on the cruise ship on Day 5?
Does the cruise stop in any Norwegian ports? In particular, does it stop in Alesund? If yes, how many hours will you be in port there? You might be able to get to the Geirangerfjord while your ship is in Alesund.
I think the Geirangerfjord and the Sognefjord (especially its offshoot, the Naeroyfjord) are considered Norway's most beautiful. The Sognefjord is on the way from Oslo to Bergen. It's such a classic trip that it's sold as a package deal (though you can arrange individual segments on you own if you prefer), called "Norway in a Nutshell". I've seen both fjords and wouldn't have a strong preference between them. Since the Nutshell area aligns perfectly with the rest of your itinerary and you have so little time (really just 3 non-jetlagged days), I vote for Oslo-Nutshell-Bergen.
I'd be inclined to do Oslo (2) - Flam or Aurland (1) - Bergen (1) or Oslo (2) - Bergen (2). Lots of folks do the entire Nutshell route in a single day, though it makes for a long day.
But when is your trip? Demand exceeds supply for some hotels and tourist activities in Norway during high season.
Thank you acraven! This trip isn't until September 2024, so don't have arrival and departure times yet. Typically though we arrive in the afternoon and cruises typically embark in the afternoon also. We're in our 60's so we can still hit the ground running and jet-lag doesn't bother us that much.
For this cruise we only see the port of Bergan, that's it. Do not want to travel from Oslo to Bergan in one day. Rather stop and see scenery along the way. UNLESS it makes sense to travel directly to Bergan and do day trips to see fjords from there(?)
Here’s one idea, does require doing the fjord cruise with luggage in tow:
Day 1: arrive Oslo, rest or Oslo sightseeing. Sleep in Oslo.
Day 2: Oslo sightseeing. Sleep in Oslo.
Day 3: Oslo sightseeing, then midday train to Myrdal and onward train to Flam. Sleep in Flam.
Day 4: Board fjord boat tour to Gudvangen, and then bus to Voss and train to Bergen. Sleep in Bergen.
This doesn’t give you any time in Bergen to speak of, maybe late afternoon of Day 4. If you want more time in Bergen I would suggest flying to Bergen on the night of day 2 or morning of day 3, then doing the fjords on Day 3 or 4 as a day trip and having the other day in Bergen proper. There are other ways to plan it as well if you go back through this forum.
One of my favorite trips, great memories!
With four nights I'd suggest two nights in Oslo, then Norway in a Nutshell or a variation of it to Bergen with one night along the way. And finally one night in Bergen. That is roughly what you have time for.
Although if you really want to see Geirangerfjord it can be done. In which case I'd suggest spending the first night in Oslo or Lillehammer and then take the train to Åndalsnes the next day.
I spent two nights in Flam because I really wanted to see the Borgund stave church, and public transportation necessitated being in Flam for a full day. Otherwise, one night would have been enough to break up the trip and avoid the need to start out with a really early departure from Oslo. With one night in the fjord area, Flam is the easiest place to stay, and the setting is beautiful (though the town itself is plain, and there may be a large cruise ship in port). It seems that Aurland also works, though I'm not sure anyone on this forum has stayed there.
Lodging in Flam is really, really tight. I'd recommend investigating the options, of which most or all are probably on booking.com for easy reference. Prioritize them so you're ready to reserve something (cancellable) as soon as you know your travel dates. You can do the actual booking directly with the hotel. Unless you want to be scrambling, this needs to be done way, way ahead of time--and I don't just mean in April or May. I have no idea when would be early enough; 2022 wasn't as busy a year for travel as what we're now experiencing, and I think I booked in January for July. At that point, there was almost nothing available. I ended up in a very plain private room at the youth hostel, and I was lucky to get it.
There's some really nice scenery between Oslo and Myrdal, so unless you don't care at all about seeing Oslo (nice city) and can fly straight into Bergen, I don't see any advantage to flying to Bergen and doing an out-and-back fjord trip from there. You'd be missing some nice scenery and not saving a worthwhile amount of money.
I don't know anything about the frequency of the various transportation legs you'd need to arrange if you wanted to see the Geirangerfjord instead. This would be a good time to dig into September schedules.
