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Fjord Itinerary Help!

Posted by (Boise, Idaho, USA) on

We’re planning on traveling in Norway via car in mid May. I am trying to make the best use of our time in the fjord areas once we leave Oslo. We will have 6 days for this adventure before we’ll need to start heading south towards Copenhagen. I know that road closures may still be an issue in this area in mid May so I’m looking for advice from those that may have made this journey before us. Here is my thoughts based upon research I’ve done- although my head is spinning and I’m afraid of mistakenly getting on a ferry boat to Greenland-

Day 1: Oslo to somewhere near Lom

Day 2: Lom to Geirangerfjord(up north and around via E136)

Day 3: Ferry from a Geiranger to Hellesylt and then on to Solvorn

Day 4: Solvorn to Kaupanger, ferry to Gudvangen, maybe backtrack towards Aurland and then continue towards Bergen and stay in ??

Day 5: On to Bergen

Day 6: Bergen

Any thoughts and suggestions (hotels, sights) or comments like “This will never work” are greatly appreciated-

Posted by
2231 posts

It is actually a tough program. Normally the recommendation is not to plan more than 300 km per day in Norway, especially not in Fjordland region. Driving there is an intense experience: some narrow roads with surprises, e. g. animals on roads, falling objects etc. (get full car insurance). Some tips and impressions about driving in Norway (German language, use DeepL for translations).

Also do not under-estimate the jetlag and the famous fresh-air hammer. You will know what it is at the ends of the first 3 days :-) These two things will lower your concentration. Just be aware of that and take breaks.

D1 is relaxed drive but long.
D2: be prepared to stop every 10 minutes to take pictures. Do you 15 or Gamle Strynefjell (if open)? also drive up Dalsnibba and 63 behind Geiranger. Would head over in the evening to Hellesylt already and sleep there.
D3: looong and intense driving day. You will be tired at the end.
D4: would do ferry reservation with car. First hour of ride is not so interesting but Naeroyfjord is pretty nice. Optional: take ferry Manheller - Fodnes and do Aurlandsfjell in the morning (recommended for light conditions), explore Flam and do a boat tour (without car) from Gudvangen to Flam and bus back to Gudvangen (around early afternoon). Do not miss to drive Stalheimskleiva with 18% decent before heading on to Bergen (Mybe overnight in Voss).
D5: If you sleep in Voss (e.g. lovely Store Ringheim) think of a detour to Hardangerfjord. Ferry ride to Utne is nice, also old road 550 to Jondal. From there do not miss Steindalsfossen close to Norheimsund. You will have still enough daylight to see Bergen in the evening.

So far my view.

Guess you know the scenic routes already?

Some links that might help you planning and on the tour:
https://www.mark-koenig.de/2017/07/03/daily-use-links-for-tourists-in-norway/

Posted by
5 posts

Mark- Thank you for your kind and thorough response to my question. I read through your blog about your trip to Norway and am more inspired now than ever to make sure that I have thought through every aspect of our journey. What beautiful photos and commentary! I have reviewed our route and know that many of our side trips will be based upon snow and road conditions upon arrival in May. We will already be two and a half weeks in to our trip when we arrive in Oslo so jet lag should no longer be an issue. We also live at a mile high altitude in Idaho so are use to the “fresh air hammer” but imagine that the beautiful sights will still overwhelm our senses. My reasoning for staying close to Geiranger and doing the car ferry to Hellesylt the next morning is so there were no time constraints on our travel that day i.e. ferry reservations. That plan may change once we start making hotel reservations. I have Google mapped your plan for Day 5 from Voss to Bergen including side trips. Thank you again so very much!

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