For the Norway in a Nutshell, I saw many comments saying take the train/bus etc. Has anyone rented a car from Oslo to do this? I was thinking to rent the car in Oslo and drive/park at Myrdal. Take the train/boat/etc then take scenic train from Voss back to Myrdal. Honestly, looking at all the planning for the different moving parts is daunting. I don't mind driving and have driven all over the world. I am a photographer and will often pull over to photograph and enjoy that freedom. Any ideas on this would be appreciated
Posted by
Chicago
1421 posts
Well, my uninformed opinion is that you might not get any responses, as it doesn't look
like there's any way to actually drive to Myrdal, apart from taking the drive up from Flam.
And then you'd backtrack to leave Myrdal.
The train goes places the roads cannot/do not. If you think planning NiN is daunting, just
take one of the canned tours that do the planning for you. But it's not that daunting.
There are many references online that tell you how to do it. You just need to decide
where you want to start from.
Another option is to drive to, say, Voss, and then do the regular NiN from there and
take the train back to Voss from Myrdal.
Posted by
Chicagoland
2423 posts
There are no actual roads that go to Myrdal. It is accessible by rail or by foot. You can not drive there from Oslo or anywhere else. You can not drive between Myrdal and Flåm either.
The whole point of the "Norway in a Nutshell" is to link some of Norway's natural features (mountains, fjords, waterfalls) using public transportation (trains, bus, ferry) in a single day. It is a very simple process that is done by hundreds of tourists everyday. Some do it from Oslo to Bergen in one long day. Some break the journey with an overnight or 2. You can DIY or you can buy the prepackaged tour with FjordTours.
If you're planning to rent a car you will have the freedom to travel to other scenic locations throughout Norway.
Posted by
Northern Minnesota
1073 posts
We rented a car and skipped the train entirely. The scenery is beautiful all over Norway!
Posted by
Duluth, MN🌲
12595 posts
My daughter and I are renting a car and traveling from Oslo to Bergen with various stops along the way in July, and from everything I've read and seen, the scenery is just beautiful all over, as mnannie said above. We are driving first to Morgedal, then Voss, then Balestrand and Olden, and finally making our way to Alesund. We're spending two nights there then heading to Bergen.
So if it were me, I would just drive. You can stop where you like, and you can follow the route somewhat, although as others have pointed out, you cannot drive to or from Myrdal. If you like outdoor activities, we're stopping in Gudvangen to take a kayak tour on the Naeroyfjord with Nordic Ventures, which I'm really looking forward to. The Naeroyfjord is one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway, according to many others here.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
4176 posts
And the Flamsbana train from Myrdal to Flam is considered one of the most scenic train rides in the world. If you don't care about trains then as has been suggested take another route that is accessible by car. And if you don't want to deal with details it is not that much more expensive to book NIN through Fjord tours then you don't have to stress about the moving parts. Just know that if you're going this summer you may be well out of luck as they do sell out for some days.