Help with Itinerary

It does read like an overly-optimistic AI-generated itinerary that may not be realistic. After planning and taking a trip to Norway that included planes, trains and automobiles— there were closed roads due to landslides and closed railway lines from flooding that occurred— in August!

Even during summer, the weather in Norway is an unpredictable variable that may require being flexible with your plans. Think about what you would do if on Day 3–when a full day is planned to hike glacier valleys —it’s steadily raining. Would you want to stay an extra night on the chance you could hike the next day? Or would the packed six-night itinerary with lots of driving require you to sacrifice the hiking plans because you have to keep moving along?

This itinerary requires driving more than 700 miles during 6 days, with the final day requiring more than 5 driving hours to return the rental car and then fly out of Bergen’s airport. That’s not going to be a relaxing week in Norway.

Kenko has been very gentle. I think this is an awful itinerary that will have you spending long days in the car without time to see anything.

You get off the plane and then have to drive 3 hours to Aurland. You have a lot of long drives that rely on ferry schedules. Every morning except one, you have to get up and pack and load your car to go to a new destination. And at the end you have a long drive with a ferry back to the airport to catch a flight.

If these are the places you want to visit, I would say you need at least two weeks.

Thanks of your feedback. Do you have any suggestions?

We are not locked into anything, just looking for a nice way to see the western coast of Norway. We could skip Bergen and fly to Alesund and stay up north (relative to Bergen). I did like the idea of both hiking in the national park and seeing the coast. Do you still get the impressive fjord experience if you stay up there versus down near flam and the other towns people speak about?

I appreciate the idea of not driving so much, but it doesn't seem like a place where you can just plant in one space for a home base and do day trips. Please correct me if this is wrong. It seems like we will have to rely on using the ferry's to some extent, I think? Any suggestions are welcome. As I said, we have a week, but can add more time, we will just have to shave off other parts of our trip.
Thanks

As I said, to do the itinerary you have listed, you need about 2 weeks minimum. With one week, maybe stay between Bergen, Geiranger, and Ålesund.

I'm not sure I agree that you can't stay in one place and use it as a base. Maybe not for all 7 days, but consider a few days in Geiranger and a few days in Bergen. And you can get to Geiranger by ferry from Bergen. You may not see as many different places, but what you see will be stunning, and you will be able to enjoy it at leisure.

I'd definitely plan to get back to Bergen the night before your flight.

During a 10-day visit we actually based in Alesund for five nights. From Alesund we rented a car for two days and drove to Geiranger, then saw the Seven Sisters waterfalls from the Ornesvingen Viewpoint a few miles outside of Geiranger. We overnighted on the road in a cabin on a farm outside of Eidsdal before driving north on Highway 63– a spectacular scenic highway that will take you to the TROLLSTIGEN (“Troll’s Staircase”) and the TROLLVEGEN (“Troll’s Wall”) before driving along the Romsdalen— the narrow river valley that follows the course of the Romsdal River. Highway 63 packs a lot of scenery into a journey of less than 100 miles and there is an Arctic tundra-like landscape just before arriving at the Trollstigen—one of Norway’s most stunning places.
Because we concentrated on Highway 63, we had plenty of time to see places like Valldal and Tafjord and probably drove along the shorelines of a dozen fjords along the way,
One day we took a roundtrip boat trip from Alesund to Geiranger so we could see the fjords from the water .
Oslo and Bergen had a lot of interest as well. But the real beauty of Norway is found in its natural landscapes.

Based on your other post it looks like you're planning for next summer and that you will be arriving in Norway from a relatively short flight.

You need to narrow your focus. You'll want to make stops enroute to take in the views, see waterfalls, go for a hike, breathe the air.

Flying in and out of Bergen, consider 2 nights Aurland, 2 nights Balestrand and 2 nights Bergen.

This will give you time to enjoy the views, see waterfalls and Stave Churches, cruise the spectacular Naerøyfjord, go kayaking and hiking, stop in old villages or an outdoor Folkemuseum, take a cruise to a glacier, visit the Bryggen, take in the views from Mt. Fløyen while hiking.

Or fly in and out of Ålesund. Combine several nights in Ålesund with a couple of nights on the road to explore the beautiful city, the islands, the Geirangerfjord, Trollstigen and the Hjørundfjorden. Waterfalls, lighthouses, kayaking, hiking, open air museum, views ...

Lots to consider. Thanks for offering suggestions. Looking at reworking some of it now. I will repost, and probably overshoot again, but will welcome your feedback. Thanks

Is this any better? Probably too much again. I have no perspective of what the drives are like (in terms of the ferries). How much time does this add? Appreciate all of your help

Day 1: Arrival in Ålesund- Stay Alesund
Morning/Afternoon: Arrive at Ålesund Airport - Pick up your rental car and head to the city center.
Things to do: Walk through the town unique Art Nouveau architecture, Climb the 418 steps up to the Aksla Viewpoint

Day 2: Ålesund to Hustadvika- Stay Hustadvika
Plan:
Morning: Drive northeast toward Molde]taking the Vestnes–Molde ferry. Stop at Trollkirka
Afternoon: Drive Atlantic Ocean Road; Atlanterhavsveien Stop at the Eldhusøya
Evening: Check into Hustadvika- watch sunset.

Day 3: Hustadvika to Trollstigen- Sleep near here
Plan:
Drive south toward Åndalsnes; drive the Trollstigen (The Troll's Ladder) stop at the architectural viewing platforms at the top to view the Stigfossen waterfall.

Day 4: Trollstigen to Geirangerfjord- Sleep near here (2 nights)
Morning: Drive south through Valldal and take the short Linge–Eidsdal ferry.
Go into Geiranger via the Ønesvingen (Eagle Road) viewpoint to see fjord. Check into your hotel.
In evening: Walk the Waterfall Trail (Fossevandring) from the fjord up to the Norwegian Fjord Centre

Day 5: Stay in Geiranger
Morning: Fjord sightseeing cruise or ferry to Hellesy: See Seven Sisters and "Suitor" waterfalls from the water.
Afternoon: Drive up to the Dalsnibba / Geiranger Skywalk

Day 6: Geiranger to Jostedalsbreen National Park Center (Sleep 2 nights)
Morning: Drive south via the mountainous Route 63 and Strynefjell (Route 15),
Arrive at the Jostedalsbreen National Park Centre in Oppstryn, Explore the museum to learn about glacier geology.
Evening: Relax in the quiet, majestic valley surroundings of Stryn or Loen.

Overnight: Oppstryn / Loen / Stryn area
Day 7: Glacier Hiking Day (Night 2)
Morning: Head to a nearby glacier tongue. Briksdalsbreen offers a scenic, accessible walk, or Kjenndalsbreen
Afternoon: Maybe ride the Loen Skylift up Mount Hoven for high-altitude trail walking.
Overnight: Oppstryn / Loen / Stryn area

Day 8: Jostedalsbreen to Ålesund -Sleep Alesund
Morning: Drive back north toward Ålesund via the Stranda–Liabygda ferry or the mountainous inland route.
Afternoon: Relax/explore more of Ålesund

Day 9: Flight to Stockholm
Morning: Drop off your rental car at Ålesund Airport (AES) and board your flight to Stockholm

Most of the ferries are literal extensions of the road system, and the waits were minimal for us.

I like the 2nd plan the best, although I think the first could work with some tweeting. Our trip was full of 1 night stops in that section of Norway. We didn't backtrack and had different scenery each day. We learned what areas we loved and will go back and spend more time next time.

Thanks for that perspective. A bit disappointed to not see the fishing town of Kalvag, but it is further south and doesn't sound feasible. maybe there is something along the way during our journey that resembles it. Any thoughts? We have had lovely trips to the western coast of Ireland and throughout New Zealand, and I know you can't see it all (gives you a reason to go back), but given the landscape and the coastline, this type of town seems worth trying to get to.

Your new plan is better.

Are you arriving in Ålesund after a transatlantic flight? If not, why split your nights in Ålesund? Do your 2 nights in Ålesund at the end of your trip.

Gotta say, I hate reading word for word AI generated junk.

Appreciate your feedback. I too hate AI-spit out; the travel books I used Rick Steves and Lonely planet (read and highlighted from cover to cover) informed my travel doc planning (places to stay, sites I wanted to see) and AI put it into the days. I tried to retract all the fluff they add, but clearly missed some.

As for the substance, we will fly to Oslo transatlantic overnight. And then fly to Alesund. Not sure if we will stay in Oslo for a night or try to fly to Alesund on the day we arrive. (we do not intend to spend time in Oslo-i know some will shudder). I also know that some people will have feelings about adding another flight after an overnight, but after 21 hour flight to NZ recently this will be easier, and I respect how others have different needs and ways of traveling, so there will be varied opinions about the best thing to do here. As for the 1 night at the beginning and 1 at the end. I was convinced that flying out on the day you travel through the fjords (due to weather, closure etc) is not a good idea, which is why I am adding a night at the end.

If you're not interested in Oslo, then just head straight to Ålesund. The connection in Oslo is very efficient. Book it all on one ticket, not separate tickets.

Consider taking the airport bus to Ålesund city center and picking up your car when you're ready to leave Ålesund. The town is very walkable.

There are lots of tunnels around Ålesund. An accident could tie things up. So you definitely want to be closer to the airport at the end of your trip.

Jeanm, are you suggesting that rather than putting Oslo in as our destination when we book our flights from the states that we put in Alesund? I figured we would have to take a local airline to this point. If you think there may be transfers to Alesund, I will certainly look.

Yes. You'll save time and money. What is your home airport?

For example, I fly out of Chicago. For next summer KLM has service from Chicago to Ålesund with a connection in Amsterdam. It is currently the same price as KLM from Chicago to Oslo via Amsterdam.

SAS has service from Chicago to Ålesund via Copenhagen. Again, an easy airport to connect in , especially if you're on a single ticket.

We live in Baltimore, so can fly out of BWI, Dulles or Newark. Thinking we will fly into Norway and out of Helsinki. Icelandic Air is a hub here at BWI, so was thinking of that, but not tied to anything yet.

If you want another adventure at Geiranger, there were people on our fjord tour that got off and hiked to the farm and back to town. https://www.geirangerfjord.no/hiking-tour-fjord-farm-skagefla

I just saw the second itinerary which brought a couple thoughts to mind….
If you first go to Hustadvika from Alesund, you could continue to Hellesylt and take the one-hour car ferry to Geiranger. It’s about a one-hour drive from Hustadvika to Hellesylt’s ferry dock. Be sure you have advance reservations for the time you plan to take your car on this particular ferry, as it sells out. Rather than staying in the mayhem of Geiranger whose 300 residents can get overwhelmed by 5,000 cruise ship passengers, see the Fjord center and then drive to the ORNESVINGEN Viewpoint of the Geirangerfjord. You can overnight on the shoreline of a lake called Eidsvatnet about 20 minutes north, or near Eidsdal which is about 10 minutes further north, . Either location is far superior to the Disney-esque experience ( some might say “Kafka-esque”) of staying in overpriced and overcrowded Geiranger.

Outside of Eidsdal you can stay at “Hesthaug Gard” which has been a farm in the same family for 800 years. It currently has guest rooms and cabins. It’s high above the Norddalsfjord and has extensive hiking trails nearby. Hesthaug Gard is listed on Booking.com.
From Eidsdal— a 15-minute car ferry that requires no reservations— it’s about a 50-minute drive to the Trollstigen. Allow an hour to hike roundtrip to the viewpoint platforms and for photos at Trollstigen.

Airfares fluctuate constantly. And there will be several schedule changes between now and next summer.

Just taking a quick look at flights next June departing for Ålesund and returning from Helsinki

Both KLM and SAS have flights from Dulles with just 1 connection that are cheaper than flying Icelandair.

With Icelandair you would need to connect in Keflavik.
Icelandair is not currently flying to Ålesund. You would have to fly via Bergen or Oslo on a separate ticket. However, that could change.

It’s about a one-hour drive from Hustadvika to Hellesylt’s ferry dock.

It's closer to 3 hours.

Thanks for all this info. It's why I so appreciate the forums for all my trip planning. I know I put stay in Geiranger, but should have said in this area. Kenko-i appreciate your suggestions and much more our speed vs Disneyland, although I think we should still see this area/fjord right? Jeannm, I will definitely look into the flights from Dulles- we usually fly internationally from there, so not a big deal. Keep the info coming, really appreciate it : )

Definitely see the Geirangerfjord. Just don’t conflate the experience of seeing the fjord with the notion that the town of Geiranger is a must-see. It’s not a must-see. And due to the throngs of cruise ship passengers disembarking there, most everything costs at least double what it costs elsewhere in Norway. There are 20 visitors for every resident and the locals have had to resort to fencing off their properties and putting up “no trespassing” signs to maintain any sense of privacy.

lisa, it sounds like you're dates are flexible.

Take a look at Cruisemapper to see what ships ( and the # of passengers) will be in port during your visit. If you can time it for a day when there are no ships in town or maybe just 1 small ship vs the mega ships with 5000+ passengers your trip will be improved dramatically.

When we were in Ålesund without a car a few years ago we booked a day tour to Trollstigen. No ships were in Ålesund that day. So instead of a huge bus with 60 passengers, we had a small, intimate tour by minivan with just 5 of us including our wonderful driver/guide.