I'll be travelling to Norway at the end of the month with my parents (mid 50s). We will be doing a NIN itinerary starting in Oslo. We have two nights to spend along the way, then two nights in Bergen.
We plan on doing the Nærøyfjord cruise from Flam and are also interested in kayaking and (easy-ish) hikes.
Would love to know where people would suggest for the two nights in between? It would be nice to stay in the one spot - but not if it means we miss out on something! Keep in mind that we have to rely on public transport and unfortunately will have a bit of luggage to lug around!
Also, any suggestions on where is best to kayak? I've also seen sea kayaking from Bergen is possible so would love to know if people recommend that over the fjords??
Posted by
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico
1743 posts
Your best choices on the main NiN route are probably Flåm, Gudvangen, and Voss. (I didn't make it to Gudvangen or Voss, so I can't speak to those.) Or you could head to Balestrand, which is what I did when I was there last year.
Flåm is in a lovely setting, and there are some nice hiking trails of varying difficulty. You can pick up a map from the TI. The downside of Flåm is that it is basically a transportation hub, with people -- lots of people -- transferring between the Flåmsbana, ferries, cruise ships, and buses. There's not much else there. There is a kayaking outfit there that does a variety of tours: http://www.seakayaknorway.com/.
Balestrand is on the north shore of Sognefjord. If you went there by express boat from Flåm, you'd have to backtrack to Flåm in order to continue NiN. Or you could continue on the express boat from Balestrand to Bergen (which is what I did). There is also kayaking available in Balestrand, and there are some excellent hiking trails there.
Or you could do a night in Flåm and a night in Balestrand.
Posted by
OP
London, UK (Australian)
2 posts
Thanks so much for your info. Amm I right in saying that if we did the express boat Balestrand-Bergen we would miss the Nærøyfjord?
Posted by
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico
1743 posts
If you go to Balestrand and then continue from there directly to Bergen, you will not travel through the Nærøyfjord. The boat I was on stopped at the entrance to the Nærøyfjord so we got a chance to look in, but I'm sure it's not the same.
Two options are to backtrack from Balestrand to Flåm and continue the NiN, including the Nærøyfjord, or stay one night in Flåm and add a Nærøyfjord cruise before heading to Balestrand for the second night.