Feedback on Norway itinerary with family for July

I would want to take the Naeroyfjord ferry between Flam and Gudvangen. You could return to Flam by bus if you had time to do that on July 11, or you could take the ferry trip, then the scenic bus ride from Gudvangen up to Voss, on July 12, the day you head to Bergen. The trains to Bergen stop at Voss. I think this is better than repeating the Flamsbana trip, nice though it is. However, it would reduce your already-short time in Bergen.

One could argue that the Naeroyfjord isn't essential since you are going to see the Geirangerfjord, but there's always a weather risk in Norway--especially western Norway. How will you feel if Geirangerfjord is really rainy and foggy on July 14? That's how it was for me on the trip into the fjord; I was lucky that the weather cleared up nicely on the way out.

It looks as if you've done good research and identified a lot of places that will be really appealing to your family. I'm more a city/museum person than an outdoorsy person, so I can't make useful comments about your other stops. But do be aware that you could hit a great deal of rain; in July Bergen gets rain, on average, one out of every two days.

German parts of itinerary look very rushed through. I deeply recommend that you look at the travel times (https://int.bahn.de/en) and what this means as rest experience time per day. Furthermore you choose the destinations with the longest waiting lanes in Germany. Be aware of ticks in Bavarian summer (esp. with kids; they can transmit pathogens, including the dangerous TBE virus,

Norway part:
In general doable.
Partly in bubbles.
Good timing for Flam (no cruisers in port)
Bad timing for Geiranger with 2 cruise ships in port. One day earlier seems better.
What does Geirangerfjord Adventures mean? Pictures from boat only??? You would miss best parts of fjord pictures.
3x OSL seems to be optimizable
Details missing about airport for Lofoten and maybe car rental
Which Eagle Safari?
In July you will have several golden hours above polar circle
Be informed that Reinebringen hike was improved by local community but it seems still to be at or little over your limit (link to hike report in German language).

Your journey will cover min. three different climate zones - so July is not July. Be aware when packing plus hiking wear (see tips).

From photographer to photographer: think of when to be where. Light is everything especially in landscape photography.

Take real good photo equipment with you; maybe rent a quality zoom lense - no smart phone pictures. Learn what you can do with your camera system

1) Yes, why are you returning to Oslo in the middle of the trip just to spend a night in the city? Makes very little sense.

And you shouldn't fly from Bergen to Ålesund, take the coastal overnight ferry instead. Saves you a bit of airport faff and gives you great views.

You should also try to include the Trondheim-Bodø train on the way to or from Lofoten. Long trip, but with some great views.

Thanks @acraven.
I am not happy with the July 13 - 14 leg due to the flight - I wasn't aware of the weather in July but that does raise even more doubts. I like your ferry suggestion and trip to Voss, let me do a bit more research.

Thanks @Markk.

Yeah, it does look little packed - is there something specific you would recommend I drop to make it more manageable? Thanks for the top on the virus - will have to see if they need to wear full sleeve clothing as precaution.

*Good timing for Flam (no cruisers in port)

Bad timing for Geiranger with 2 cruise ships in port. One day earlier seems better.

*One day earlier would imply cutting Munich trip even further when, like you mentioned, it is already tight. Not sure if there is much, I am able to do. I am assuming that it will be very crowded due to 2 cruise ships, right? *

What does Geirangerfjord Adventures mean? Pictures from boat only??? You would miss best parts of fjord pictures.

This is what I was thinking:
*Morning: Take a Geirangerfjord cruise to see the Seven Sisters Waterfalls.
Afternoon: Visit Flydalsjuvet Viewpoint or Dalsnibba Skywalk for panoramic views.
What do you think?*

3x OSL seems to be optimizable

I agree, I like some of the suggestions of @acraven to avoid multiple flights. But open to all ideas

Details missing about airport for Lofoten and maybe car rental

I have not booked anything for this leg yet but the thinking was in the Morning: Fly from Oslo to Leknes or Svolvær via Bodø (~6 hours). Would you recommend some different?

Which Eagle Safari?

Again, not yet finalized but love taking BIF pictures - will be taking my Sony A1 and 100-400mm with 1.4 teleconverter for this. Any recommendations on which Safari trip?

In July you will have several golden hours above polar circle
Be informed that Reinebringen hike was improved by local community but it seems still to be at or little over your limit (link to hike report in German language).

Will research more, thanks.

Your journey will cover min. three different climate zones - so July is not July. Be aware when packing plus hiking wear (see tips).
From photographer to photographer: think of when to be where. Light is everything especially in landscape photography.
Take real good photo equipment with you; maybe rent a quality zoom lense - no smart phone pictures. Learn what you can do with your camera system*

Yes, I plan to take my Sony A1, Sony 16-35mm F2.8 II and Sony 100-400MM with perhaps Sony 50mm f1.2. With family, it is always a bit of compromise, and I always try to get the best of family fun and serving my hobby to the extent possible.

Thanks @Badger

1) Yes, why are you returning to Oslo in the middle of the trip just to spend a night in the city? Makes very little sense.
Agreed, will need to fix it - I had assumed there is no direct way to move on without returning to Oslo.

And you shouldn't fly from Bergen to Ålesund, take the coastal overnight ferry instead. Saves you a bit of airport faff and gives you great views.

I like this idea a lot - I was not aware of overnight ferries, will research on them, thanks a lot.

You should also try to include the Trondheim-Bodø train on the way to or from Lofoten. Long trip, but with some great views.
Let me read up on this, had not read about this so far but seems interesting. Something else will have to drop though.

I should have mentioned the Bergen-Alesund overnight ferry; I took it myself (Hurtigruten). Going from memory, the ship departs about 8 PM and arrives about 8 AM. I actually stayed on the ship for the trip into the Geirangerfjord, but I'm sure your option is better, because it allows you some time on land, which will offer different views. Your option may also be less expensive.

Overnight ferry cabins are available, as I understand it, to the extent they are not needed for through passengers. Don't wait too long to make those arrangements.

Thanks @acraven.

My kids usually get seasick for any sea ride over a few hours long - are the waters usually calm or do these ships go in open waters that tend to get rough? You may not know but taking a chance to see if you have any opinion.

Bergen to Alesund is usually not too bad for sea conditions as a lot of the passage is either in the Bergen archipelago or in the Lee of land. That's not to say that it couldn't happen if the weather was in the wrong quarter, but is far less likely to.
Also the first 8 hours or so is overnight, when you will be asleep anyway.
It is an old mariners remedy, which works, to cabin up, in poor conditions.
You can also take medication if the forecast is a bit lively.
The first renownedly rough part of the Hurtigruten route is the 6 hours to the north of Trondheim.

I disagree on this. At nearly all parts of the coastal route you can have severe conditions - of course less in summer than other seasons. On windy.com you can see wind and wave forecasts for along the shore.

From Bergen to Alesund only the first and the last part are with some land coverage behind islands but there is also several hours open see (along coast) included. You can track the ships courses by vesselfinder.com to see the course between Alesund and Bergen.

Captains and crews of Hurtigruten and Havila are very experienced, so I see no serious risk but at some occasions passengers might realize that they are on a smaller ship (all around 120 meters). Comparison: large cruise ships have 300 meters and more. Even in very calm land-covered sea the wind can have a high impact on the ship (see photo from May 2023).

On the other hand it is a very nice way of traveling and worth a try. It is not a long journey part.

I have had lifelong issues with motion-sickness in cars, buses, trains and boats, but I do better now as an adult.

I can only say I had no problems whatsoever on the trips from Bergen to Alesund and from Alesund to Trondheim in June 2022. I've had other ferry experiences in the past (the Channel Islands between England and France and the Aegean Islands in Greece) where I felt queasy and immediately took Dramamine; I was lucky that it took effect before I actually became sick, but it was a close call. Since the Bergen-Alesund trip is overnight, you could ask your pediatrician about giving your affected children something like Dramamine. I use the regular (not non-drowsy) formula but only take 1/2 of a tablet; even that much makes me extremely sleepy.

Thanks @isn31c, @MarkK, @acraven Really good pointers guys, thanks a lot. I will do some more research on the ferry situation - it surely is a lot more tempting than the back and forth of the flight.