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Hurtigruten and Norway In A Nutshell

We are planning to do the North bound Hurtigruten voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes in August, spend the day in Kirkenes and then fly to Oslo in the evening, spend 2 nights in Oslo, then do Norway in A Nutshell from Oslo to Bergen over 3 days( with nights at Vatnahalsen in the Hoyfjellshotel for night one and in Stalheiim in the Stalheim Hotel for night 2 with arrival into Bergen at 6 PM on the 3rd day). We will then stay in Bergen for 2 nights. My concern is whether we are repeating any thing by combining these 2 tours (Hurtigruten and Norway In A Nutshell).

Also, has anyone booked air and hotels through Hurtigruten or hotels through Norway ..Nutshell, and if so, were you pleased with the process and selections?

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
Lin

Posted by
5835 posts

Depended on your gateway city. If you fly to/from Bergen, do the NIN past boat. If you fly to/from OSL, start with the NiIN and you won't backtrack.

Posted by
53 posts

For clarification, we will start Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes and then NIN from Oslo going to Bergen.

Thanks

Posted by
35 posts

Hi, Lin:

We are doing the same Hurtigruten voyage (but doing it roundtrip) and have booked the Norway in a Nutshell for the beginning of our Norway trip, and from what we have researched it doesn't seem like we are repeating anything. We have a Norwegian friend who lives in Oslo and she knows our itinerary and she didn't tell us that we were being repetitive. So, that's our two cents for what it's worth! (We are doing Nutshell in one day, though...but it still seems like it wouldn't be repetitive.)
As for hotels, I checked into using Hurtigruten but found hotels cheaper by using other online services. We didn't use them for air either.
Have fun!

Posted by
353 posts

Hi Lin,

While the scenery can be similar, these are 2 very different trips. The Hurtigruten is a cruise mainly along the coast, while Norway-in-a-Nutshell travels across Norway by train, boat & bus.

The Nutshell travels over the mountainous spine of Norway, stopping in Finse, which at an elevation of over 4,000 ft. is one of the highest railways in the world. It also incorporates a short cruise through the Lysefjord, the most scenic, inland arm of the Sognefjord.

With the Hurtigruten cruise, you are traveling on the same boat, stopping in coastal towns, cities and islands for a short time (the exceptions are Trondheim, Tromsø and Honningsvåg where you have a few hours). You will go into a few fjords along the way, such as the Geiranger fjord and the Trondheimsfjord which are beautiful, but not as small or narrow as the Lysefjord which you will see on the Nutshell.

Posted by
31 posts

Having done both these trips (although I didn't go as far as Kirkenes), I'd say they are very different. The scenery is similar in that both trips incorporate cruises through fjords and you are seeing the fjords themselves, mountains and waterfalls, but as Rich mentioned, the arm of the Sognefjord you travel through on the Nutshell trip is narrow and smaller than the fjords you go through on the Hurtigruten cruise.