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itinerary for older travelers

I hope I'm not repeating a question already answered. We are 2 older women (upper 60's) planning a 12-14 day trip to Norway this summer. We would like to get an all-around taste of Norway, see it's scenic beauty, etc. We would prefer traveling by train rather than car. What's a good itinerary?

Posted by
1443 posts

Have you looked up "Norway in a Nutshell"? There are several different things offered under this. By the way you are not "older" yet.
You'll find lots of fellow travelers who are "older" than you. But be sure to check if you are eligible for any senior discounts! Some of my friends have looked up their ancestors homes in Norway. Some of their relatives are still there after several generations and enjoyed making the acquaintance of their long lost American relatives. One interesting fact is that if a man married a woman and moved to her family farm; he took the name of the farm as his surname. Much of the genealogy is done through church records. Good luck on your trip.

Posted by
10 posts

Hi Kathleen,

Thank you for your reply. I have seen stuff on NIN but it looks like it takes just one day. Maybe I'm wrong.

Thanks also for your kind comments on "age"!

Posted by
3185 posts

You can certainly do the NIN in one day, either from Oslo or Bergen, but its nice to slow down and spend a night along the way. RS recommends Baelstrand or Solvorn, but do check out his book to get more ideas. The NIN uses bus, ferry and train. Search this forum to do the whole itinerary by public transport and read RS book.

Posted by
16893 posts

Rick's At a Glance listing for Norway summarizes the destinations covered in his Scandinavia guidebook and includes a map of rail and ferry connections for that area (not the far north). You can make a circular route between Oslo and Bergen and north of there. The southern direction is less popular, I think, unless you're headed to Denmark. Buses serve additional destinations. There are multiple ferry and bus operators, usually connected with www.visitnorway.com or just Google a route. The boat line up the coast north of Bergen is www.hurtigruten.com. Also a rail map and details at https://www.nsb.no/en/our-destinations/map-of-railway-lines. Flights between any larger cities can also make sense; www.skyscanner.com.

Posted by
103 posts

Hi

saramgc46,
My husband and I are also in our upper sixties and trying to plan a trip to Norway and Denmark. We have planned many European vacations with the help of Rick Steves guide books, but this one seems a little overwhelming. I was thinking of doing the Rick Steves tour, where all the planning is done for you. Just wanted to know if you planned your trip and how difficult it was. TIA

Posted by
10 posts

Yes, we finally planned our trip: we decided not to do the Rick Steves trip because the group size is greater than I like. I do not like to travel in a group size larger than 12 people. My friend and I are flying in to Copenhagen and will spend 3 nights there. We will then take the train to Aarhus and spend 3 nights there to tour around. From Aarhus, we fly to Oslo, again staying 3 nights. Then we take a train to do the Norway in a Nutshell and stay one night in Flam and 3 nights in Bergen. From Bergen, we fly to Stockholm and will stay 3 nights before flying home. So our trip will be about 17 days total. We will use Rick Steves travel book on Scandinavia to help determine the specific sightseeing at each location.

Good luck with your trip!

Posted by
3185 posts

We are going to Norway for 10 days this July. I too was overwhelmed by planning my own itinerary and I am an experienced traveler. So I enlisted the help of travel agency that specializes in Scandinavia. Brekke travel in North Dakota. Just google, they have a website.

Posted by
33 posts

My wife and I have planned to visit Norway, Sweden and Denmark the first part of September. Here is our plan:
1. Fly to Bergen, two days.
2. Fly to Tromso, two days. To hopefully see the northern lights.
3. Return to Bergen.
4. NIN Sogenfjord tour, overnight in Balestrand.
5. Express boat to flam, Flam Railway to Oslo
6. Train from Oslo to Gothenburg.
7. Train from Gothenburg to Copenhagen.
8. Return home.