Geirangerfjord in a nutshell

We did not do the Geirangerfjord in a Nutshell. But, in June 2023 we spent 3 nights in Ålesund. On our first full day we booked a roundtrip day cruise from Ålesund to Geirangerfjord to enjoy the views from the water. We did not get off in Geiranger.

The next day we took an all day tour to Trollstigen with a few additional stops and views of the Geirangerfjord from above. There were no cruise ships in Ålesund that day, so our excellent tour was in a minivan instead of a minibus or coach.

Thanks Jeanm! How did you get to Alesund, and would you mind sharing the other places you went in Norway? I’m trying to figure out how to combine Oslo, Bergen and Alesund in trip together with just public transportation. I know we can fly to Alesund from Oslo or Bergen, or take a cruise from Bergen to Alesund, but the Georangerfjord in a nutshell is appealing because of all the places/transport options.

Also can you share what companies you used for the Geiranger fjord cruise and Trollstigen tour ? Thanks again!

For the Geirangerfjord cruise, we booked the Hurtigruten ship Port to Port since we got a super price as repeat Hurtigruten customers. Otherwise I would have booked the trip with Geiranger Fjordservice with some time in Geiranger.

We booked the Trollstigen, Land of the Trollstigen tour with local trips no. The owner/driver Trond was a wonderful guide.

We spent 2 1/2 weeks in Norway without a car. We flew into Kirkenes and took the Hurtigruten Coastal ferry south to Bergen.

After 2 nights in Bergen, we did a DIY Norway in a Nutshell to Oslo via 1 night in Flåm adding the minibus tour to Stegastein Viewpoint.

After 2 nights in Oslo we flew to Ålesund for a 3 night stay, as mentioned in my first reply. It was nice staying put in Ålesund for a few nights. The town was easy to get around and we enjoyed seeing the art deco architecture.

From Ålesund we flew home to Chicago. Originally, we only had 1 connection in Copenhagen. But a schedule change required flying from Ålesund to Oslo to Stockholm to Chicago.

Vy Buss run day and night direct buses from Maloy to Oslo.

also Norled run a daily fast ferry at 0720 from Maloy to Bergen.

A more civilised time than Hurtigruten/Havila, and a bucket load cheaper.

Oslo to Andalsnes you do by train, there are seasonal buses over the Trollsteigen (,Vy bus #25 at 0900 daily) and buses Geiranger to Alesund.

Vy bus #430 run direct Alesund to Nordfjordeid and Fram run bus and ferry/bus connections - see the Vy website in the first instance

Njordfordeid to Maloy is Skyss bus #100 to Floro, then ferry to Maloy.

Thank you both! I will look into Norled for the trip from Alesund to Bergen.

Jeanm, if we are doing the train ride from Oslo to Andalsnes and bus ride from Andalsnes to Geiranger (basically the Geiranger in nutshell trip) do you think we still need to do the NiN Bergen to Flam or will it be more of the same? I chose Geiranger in Nutshell over the classic Norway in Nutshell because the scenery in the former seemed to be more spectacular, but don’t know if that is really true?

It's really difficult to answer your question. Since the only train we traveled was from Bergen to Oslo I don't know if you would find the train to be more of the same.

As regards to the fjord cruising, while the Geirangerfjord was beautiful with lots of waterfalls, I found the scenery through the Naeyorfjord more spectacular. I think it felt more intimate (notwithstanding that we were on a ferry with 100s of passengers) due to being narrower, giving more dramatic scenery.

And as I mentioned previously, we added the 2 hour minibus tour to Stegastein Viewpoint and it was great complement to the cruise.

We haven't done it yet, but we have it booked. (Oslo to Alesund)

We will go from Oslo to Andalsnes and spend one night in Andalsnes. The next day we will go to Geiranger via a bus. Then later that day we will take the ferry from Geiranger to Alesund. Then we will spend 2 nights in Alesund. From there we fly from Alesund to Bergen.

Overall, I preferred the area around Geiranger over Flam. I wouldn't do both, and I enjoyed the scenery more from high above the fjords.

Hello Serulane,

I just returned from Norway and did a similar trip to the Geirangerfjord in a Nutshell, but did it on my own, all by public transportation. I'm not sure how much time you have, but here is what I did in 12 days:

I started out with 3 nights in Oslo, then did the Norway-in-a-Nutshell trip by train, boat & bus to Bergen in 1-day. Spending 3 nights in Bergen (2 full days), then flew to Ålesund and spent 2 nights, before taking a boat cruise through the Geirangerfjord to the town of Geiranger, where I spent another 2 nights. Geiranger is very small and if there are cruise ships in town (which there are frequently), it's a bit crazy. The day we arrived, it was gray and drizzly and a large cruise ship had just arrived, dumping 5,000 people in the tiny town. We began to rethink our choice of staying there, but the next day we lucked out. For our full day in Geiranger, the clouds parted and it was a beautiful day. Best of all, the large cruise ship left early and there were no other cruise ships!

We hired a taxi (arranged through our hotel) to drive us up to several view points for fantastic views above the fjord: Flydalsjuvet, Dalsnibba and Eagle Bend (Ørnesvingen). It was expensive (around $300), but our only option, as the buses that generally go up to the viewpoints only run when there are cruise ships in town. Split among 4 of us, it well worth the cost,

The next day we took the bus from Geiranger via the recently opened Trollstigen road to Åndalsnes, which was amazing. We stayed one night in Åndalsnes, taking the gondola to the top of Ramsdalen the afternoon we arrived for fantastic views. There are quite a few hikes in the area, so if you want to do some hiking, it would be worth spending another night in Åndalsnes.

Our last day we took the train from Åndalness to Dombås and on to Oslo airport, where we spent our last night before flying home.

I recommend booking hotels and all transportation ahead (most trains and buses can be booked 2 months beforehand). The Norway in-a-Nutshell trip can be booked through Fjord Tours - www.fjordtours.com/en
Bergen-Ålesund flight via Wideroe Airlines - www.wideroe.no/en
Ålesund-Geiranger boat via Geiranger Fjord Service - www.geirangerfjord.no/en
The Geiranger-Åndalsnes bus via Trollstigen and the Åndalsnes-Dombås-Oslo trains were purchased through www.vy.no/en
I used Rick's Scandinavia guidebook for hotel recommendations in Oslo, Bergen, Ålesund and Geiranger and www.booking.com for Åndalsnes and Oslo airport.

Hope that helps!

Overall, I preferred the area around Geiranger over Flam. I wouldn't do both, and I enjoyed the scenery more from high above the fjords.<

I agree with mnannie. We found Geirangerfjord a bit underwhelming from the boat/water level, but very impressive from the two viewpoints: Flydalsjuvet and Ornesvingen that we visited. Pictures that I've seen of Norwegian fjords in marketing brochures are always taken from a high level above the fjords.

Thanks all for your responses. Rizell- I hope you have a wonderful trip! Hope you can share your impressions when you are back. Andy and Mnannie- thanks for your insight. After watching countless youtube videos of the fjords, I agree the view from up top is the more impressive view! I am not sure if the local buses actually stop at the viewpoints though. If you look at the Vybus website, it mentions the stops (from Andalsnes to Geiranger) as Åndalsnes stasjon, Trollstigen, Valldal sentrum, and Geiranger (Stranda). But then, under attractions, it lists Dalsnibba, Ornesvingen and Flydalsjuvet, but no mention that the bus actually stops there. However, I have definitely seen on this forum and others that the Vybus 25 stops at Ornesvingen as well as Trollstigen (when open during the summer).

https://www.vybuss.com/destinations/geiranger/