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Fjord Tour from Bergen - Sognefjord or Nærøyfjord ?

Hi
I am planning to do a full day Fjord tour starting / ending in Bergen. I am considering the following tour by Fjord Tours called Sognefjord in a nutshell. https://www.norwaynutshell.com/sognefjord-in-a-nutshell/

The tour gives two routing options, one starting in boat and ending in train and second the other way around. Any recommendation on which direction to take?

Are there any other tours/operators you may recommend for Fjord tours (weblink will be appreciated) which gives a decent Fjord experience. ? I have read about UNESCO hertitage Fjord Nærøyfjord? Is it recommended over Sognefjord? I am nature is beautiful everywhere in Norway Fjord region but is there is a distinct advantage of one over the other? For practical reason we do not plan to break the journey for an overnight stay on the Fjord tours and would like to return Bergen within the same day.

If Nærøyfjord is recommended, appreciate links to any tour operators from Bergen.

thanks

Posted by
28128 posts

That would not be my choice. Folks who,have taken the express boat from Bergen have said much of the travel time has you in a very wide part of the fjord, which is a lot like traveling down a river. That's not the scenery Norway is famous for. The Naeroyfjord is an offshoot of the Sognefjord. It is the narrowest part of that fjord area. The Flam-Gudvangen (or reverse) ferry through the Naeroyfjord covers the most scenic part.

I'd recommend the round-trip-from-Bergen variant of Norway in a Nutshell. I think NorwaysBest.com sells that as a package, but you should be able to save a bit of money by booking the individual components yourself. These are the basic components:

  1. Regular train from Bergen to Voss. Buy from vy.no, the rail company.
  2. Public bus from Voss to Gudvangen. Pay the driver.
  3. Naeroyfjord ferry from Gudvangen to Flam. NorwaysBest.com sells tickets for one of the companies' boats.
  4. Flamsbana from Flam to Myrdal.
  5. Regular train from Myrdal to Bergen. Buy through-ticket all the way from Flam to Bergen from vy.no.

Youmust check the schedules for each of those legs carefully to be sure it all fits together. If you see issues, you can do the loop in the opposite direction instead:

  1. Regular train Bergen to Myrdal.
  2. Flamsbana Myrdal to Flam. Buy through-ticket Bergen to Flam from vy.no.
  3. Naeroyfjord ferry Flam-Gudvangen. Ticket can be purchased from NorwaysBest.com.
  4. Public bus Gudvangen-Voss. Pay driver.
  5. Regular train OSS to Bergen. Buy ticket from vy.no.
Posted by
156 posts

I did both fjords on the same (long) day self-booked (not in a tour) - not sure if the schedules still allow this as it was several years ago.

Næroyfjord is the highlight for how narrow it is, quite striking in person, so if you want to prioritize just one that is it. I enjoyed the express boat journey as well, there are many picturesque vistas along Sognefjord but there was limited outside space so if it’s the same boat and you enjoy being outside it may be crowded. People did tend to fade back inside as the day progressed.

My itinerary was:
1) First train of the day Bergen-Myrdal
2) Flamsbana train to Flam
3) Naeroyfjord cruise to Gudvangen
4) Bus back to Flam
5) Express boat to Bergen

I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I realize it is a more intense day than many would want to do.