norway (part of scandinavia) trip in may/june

Many take the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki and then take another ferry over to Tallinn.

Then fly Tallinn to Oslo where you start your Norway in a Nutshell (train and ferry) to Bergen.
Air Baltic and Norwegian Air Shuttle fly the route for under 60 Euros on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Otherwise, Air Baltic is about 85 Euros.

We found the most beautiful people we've ever seen in Bergen--tall, very blonde and sweet.

From Flam take the four-hour ferry through three fjords —including the Sognefjord—to Balestrand, where you can overnight and then continue to Bergen in four hours by ferry.

Gothenburg isn't really feasible as a day trip from Stockholm as the train takes around 3 hours each way. So you will spend six hours travelling. Gothenburg is worth at least an overnight stay.

It would be more logical to go from Aero to Gothenburg on day 8 and stay in Gothenburg before travelling on to Stockholm.

We were in Denmark in September and travelled by train and bus. On some routes the buses are more comfortable than the trains and just as fast. We used Flixbus between Aarhus and Copenhagen and it was cheaper, faster and more comfortable.

Day 8 Aero to stockholm (long travel day) Day 9 Day trip to gothenburg
Day 10 Stockholm to visby (early train) Day 11 Visby to stockholm
(early train)

This makes no sense at all. Have you actually looked at a map of the area you plan to visit?

Ærø to Stockholm will be a full day of travel, no matter how you do it. Gothenburg is not what I would call day trip distance from Stockholm. You can do it, but it's 3 hours one way meaning a lot of time spent on the train and very little time actually spent in Gothenburg. It would be a better idea to do it as an overnight stop between Copenhagen and Stockholm or between Stockholm and Oslo.

Also, going back to Visby from Stockholm? A better option is to travel from Ærø to Kalmar, spend the night there and the next day take the ferry to Visby.

Day 16 Night train to Tallinn

I assume you mean night ferry. If you still insist on a night train, look at a map. Even better would in my opinion be to travel from Visby to Tallinn, then to Finland and from Finland take the overnight ferry to Stockholm. And after you're done in Stockholm travel to Oslo via Gothenburg.

We used Flixbus between Aarhus and Copenhagen and it was cheaper,

If you buy the tickets the same day that is probably true, but buy them in advance and you can get the train tickets pretty cheap.

faster

No. The fastest Flixbus departures between Århus and Copenhagen take 3:25. The fast trains do it in 2:45. Even if the train has to take a bit of a detour, it is hard for a 100 km/h bus to beat a 180 km/h train.

and more comfortable.

De gustibus non est disputandum, but the train offers bigger seats and more legroom.

thanks everyone, obviously this itinerary is very much a work in progress and after your comments and more research, there were some things off about it that I tried to fix. I tried to incorporate what people suggested. Does something like this seem good? I can also add days/citiesif recommended. Obviously nothing is booked or finalized yet.

Day 1 Arrive Copenhagen

Day 2 copenhagen

Day 3 copenhagen

Day 4 copenhagen

Day 5 helsingor

Day 6 Roskilde, Odense, Ærø (sleep in Ærøskøbing) (straight from Rick’s itinerary, will be carrying my bag all day which wont be fun)

Day 7 Aero

Day 8 Aero to kalmar

Day 9 kalmar to visby

Day 10 visby

Day 11 Visby to tallinn

Day 12 tallinn

Day 13 tallinn

Day 14 tallinn to helsinki (earliest ferry)

Day 15 helsinki (overnight ferry to Stockholm)

Day 16 stockholm

Day 17 stockholm

Day 18 stockholm

Day 19 stockholm to gothenberg (late afternoon train)

Day 20 gothenberg

Day 21 gothenberg to Oslo

Day 22 Oslo

Day 23 Oslo

Day 24 Oslo

Day 25 Oslo to Flam

Day 26 Flam to Balestrand

Day 27 Balestrand to Bergen

Day 28 Bergen

Day 29 Bergen to stavenger

Day 30 Pulpit hike

Day 31 Kjerag hike

Day 32 Stavenger flight out

Did this fix the problems? Again, let me know if days or cities should be added. Thanks

I wouldn't travel Flam-Balestrand-Bergen if it means you don't get to take the Flam-Gudvangen ferry through the Naeroyfjord, which may well be the case, because I think there's only one ferry per day between Flam and Balestrand. Balestrand is by all accounts more attractive than Flam, but the Naeroyfjord is the most dramatic section of fjord in that part of Norway. It's a shame, but Balestrand is awkward to reach. I'd argue that if you aren't going to rent a car so you can drive around the area north of the Sognefjord while you're staying in Balestrand (since bus service is extremely infrequent), you may be better off just staying in Flam.

The ferry from Balestrand to Bergen spends a lot of its time traveling through wide parts of the Sognefjord, which others have said feel a lot like just being on a river. (I haven't taken that ferry myself.) From all I've read, the Naeroyfjord ferry to Gudvangen plus Gudvangen-Voss bus (scenic though the very best part of the route is no longer accessible due to road damage) plus Voss-Bergen train is more scenic than the express boat from Balestrand to Bergen. You need to weigh the advantage of staying in less-touristy Balestrand against the better scenery you'll have as you travel on to Bergen by sticking with Flam. If you add another night or two in that area, you could include a visit to Balestrand, but the infrequent Flam-Balestrand ferry schedule is going to be an issue.

Edited to add: Demand for lodging in places like Flam (especially) and Balestrand exceeds supply, and Visby is worse. It would be prudent to get something reserved for those two areas ASAP. Be sure it's refundable in case you make further tweaks to your plans, but try to pin down those two parts of your itinerary quickly.

The new plan looks much better! But Roskilde, Odense and on to Ærø in a day will be a bit much. And Odense really deserves more time. On the other hand I think Ærø is a bit overrated. On the other hand you can go direct to Ærø and reduce it to one night there, and add one night in Odense. That also makes the next day a not that bad travel day. Odense to Kalmar can be done in 5-6 hours with one or two changes.

Do you have any plans on how to go from Balestrand to Bergen? The outer part of the fjord is very wide and not as scenic as the inner parts. So some way of getting to Voss and then take the train to Bergen might be a better option.

Regarding lodging in Visby, yes it is popular in the summer. But may/june is not really high season. So no reason to rush to book someplace to stay. Although you should not wait until the last minute either.

Would the days around the June 6 holiday and Midsummer not be risky?

Midsummer will affect the availability of accomodation. I assumed that this trip will be before midsummer, but I might be wrong.

As for June 6th, maybe. It depends on where the OP plans to be by then.

badger, you suggest I do this, right?

Day 4 copenhagen

Day 5 helsingor

Day 6 Roskilde, aero

Day 7 Aero to odense

Day 8 odense to kalmar

Day 9 Kalmar to visby

Day 10 visby

i'll go back to the original oslo-flam-bergen plan so it'll be
Day 24 Oslo
Day 25 Oslo to flam
Day 26 Flam to bergen
Day 27 Bergen
Day 28 Bergen
Day 29 Bergen to stavenger

june 6 and midsummer are purely swedish holidays right? The current plan is to leave sweden in late may.

badger, you suggest I do this, right?

Something like that. You can also do Roskilde as a day trip from Kalmar, or half a day trip.

june 6 and midsummer are purely swedish holidays right? The current
plan is to leave sweden in late may.

June 6th is a Swedish holiday. Midsummer is celebrated all over Scandinavia.

Thanks for the info, i'll be gone by midsummers. Any other holidays or anything i should look out for? From google, it doesn't seem like it. Also, in general, is there any place i should avoid on a certain day of the week? I know in a lot of cities, attractions are closed on Mondays but i don't know if it's something i should think about or plan around.

Most museums and other attractions provide detailed information about their hours and days of operation on their websites. It's a good plan to check there to be sure you won't have a major problem fitting in your top-priority sights on the days you plan to be in town. Although Monday is a popular day for museum closures in many cities, there are often enough outliers that remain open that day to allow you to work around the closures if you know about them ahead of time. Occasionally, checking a museum website reveals important--if disappointing--information about long-term closure of the museum for renovation, relocation, etc.

It's also useful to revisit the websites closer to your travel dates to see whether there's an upcoming special exhibition that sounds intriguing or whether a museum is about to close for a shorter period to change out a temporary exhibition. Knowing the dates of such short closures ahead of time might allow you to squeeze in a visit before the museum closes temporarily. I failed to perform that check before my visit to Helsinki, and I missed an opportunity to see a soon-to-close exhibition at Amos Rex.

The only major museum in the area you plan to visit that I know is currently closed is the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, but there may be others. The Munch Museum in Oslo has been replaced by MUNCH (located near the Opera House), and the National Gallery has closed, with its collection now incorporated into the National Museum. Depending on how old your guide book is, those changes may not be mentioned.

Badger has had better train experiences in Denmark than we had. We found the train to be terribly crowded with not enough room for luggage between Frederikshavn and Aalborg, and then Aalborg to Aarhus in September. On both legs there were quite a few people who had to stand for significant periods.

The bus trip from Bergen to Stavanger travels though some really nice scenery and includes two ferry crossings. It is best undertaken during daylight hours so you can enjoy the view. We paid extra for the upstairs panoramic seats and it was well worth it. That bus trip was a highlight of our Norwegian travels.

Rick's 3 week scandinavia itinerary has this:
Day 6: Roskilde, Odense, Ærø (sleep in Ærøskøbing)
Day 7: Ærø (sleep in Ærøskøbing)
Day 8: Ærø to Kalmar (sleep in Kalmar)
Day 9: Kalmar (sleep in Kalmar)
Day 10: Kalmar, early train to Stockholm (that's Rick's itinerary. I'll be going to visby and not stockholm)

Do you recommend that from what i currently have which is:

Day 6 Roskilde, aero

Day 7 Aero to odense

Day 8 odense to kalmar

Day 9 Kalmar to visby

What i currently have seems like it has a lot of time spent on trains every day. Where should I add days?
Speaking of which, Badger, isn't Roskilde too far away from Kalmar to do a day trip? The internet has it as a four hour train ride... what am I missing?

some other questions:
1. is there a ferry from Visby to Tallinn? or does it require a flight?
2. should i do one full day in Tallinn or two?

Badger has had better train experiences in Denmark than we had.

I also suspect I have more train experiences in Denmark…

Do you recommend that from what i currently have which is:

No, I think your plan is better. But in the end it is a matter of personal preference. However, I think Ærø gets far more attention on this website than it deserves. And making Odense a stop on the way is not doing the town justice.

What i currently have seems like it has a lot of time spent on trains
every day.

There are a lot of one night stops, true. That might not be ideal. If it's possible, you could add an extra night in Kalmar. Odense to Kalmar is a longer trip (although nowhere near as long as Ærø to Kalmar) so it can be nice to have a full day in Kalmar.

Speaking of which, Badger, isn't Roskilde too far away from Kalmar to
do a day trip? The internet has it as a four hour train ride... what
am I missing?

Sorry about that, I meant that Roskilde can be done as a day trip from Copenhagen. It's 20-25 minutes by train. Mea culpa.

1. is there a ferry from Visby to Tallinn? or does it require a flight?

No direct transportation options available unfortunately. Your options are ferry from Visby to Stockholm (Nynäshamn) and then an overnight ferry to Tallinn. Or a flight via Stockholm.

1. should i do one full day in Tallinn or two?

If you have the time, I'd suggest two days.

I added a day to Ærø and kalmar
the main day that seems like a pain is the visby-stockholm-tallinn ferry situation (is https://en.tallink.com the place to buy the ferry ticket from?) but i don't know how else to manage it since it seems getting to tallinn without a flight will take a long while no matter what.

so does this seem like a good finalized itinerary? If there's anything to take out or add now is the time to let me know!

Day 1 Arrive Copenhagen

Day 2 copenhagen

Day 3 copenhagen

Day 4 copenhagen

Day 5 helsingor

Day 6 Roskilde, Ærø

Day 7 Ærø

Day 8 Ærø to kalmar

Day 9 kalmar

Day 10 kalmar to visby

Day 11 visby

Day 12 Visby to tallinn

Day 13 tallinn

Day 14 tallinn

Day 15 tallinn to helsinki (earliest ferry)

Day 16 helsinki (overnight ferry to Stockholm)

Day 17 stockholm

Day 18 stockholm

Day 19 stockholm

Day 20 stockholm to gothenberg (late afternoon train)

Day 21 gothenberg

Day 22 gothenberg to Oslo

Day 23 Oslo

Day 24 Oslo

Day 25 Oslo

Day 26 Oslo to Flam

Day 27 Flam to Balestrand

Day 28 Balestrand to Bergen

Day 29 Bergen

Day 30 Bergen to stavenger

Day 31 Pulpit hike

Day 32 Kjerag hike

Day 33 Stavenger flight out

I still think it's a shame to miss the Naeroyfjord ferry and the bus up from Gudvangen to Voss, but a night in Balestrand does seem to dictate use of the express boat to Bergen instead. I have no quibbles with the rest of your itinerary, which seems to me (a slow traveler) very well-paced--though I haven't done the Stavanger bit.

acraven,
it's not clear to me what the itinerary would be with the naeroyfjord ferry and gudvangen/voss/balestrand. How did you organize your trip? The way i have it now seems very simple and straightforward.

Because of the very infrequent ferry service between Flam and Balestrand, I don't think it's possible for you to take the Naeroyfjord ferry and spend one night in Balestrand. At least I couldn't figure out a way to do it. RS recommends staying in Flam or Aurland for logistical reasons unless you have two nights to spend in Balestrand, and I don't think anyone on this forum who was depending solely on public transportation has opted to stay in Balestrand.

Staying briefly in Balestrand makes some other things impossible--such as taking the Naeroyfjord ferry and probably also seeing the Borgund stave church, so you have to decide whether staying in the more attractive town is more important to you than the Naeroyfjord scenery.

Overall I think it looks like a good plan.

Visby-Stockholm-Tallinn is one of those times where you really can't cheat geography and there are no ferries between Gotland and the Baltics. Buy the first ferry ticket from www.destinationgotland.se and the second from Tallink.

Thanks for all your help Badger (and of course everyone else that replied). I think I'll start booking it. I posted on another travel forum and some people had problems with the itinerary but I realize that no itinerary will ever be perfect and you can spend forever second guessing things, especially when you've never been. I'll just go with this.

It looks like a great trip to me. People are going to have different preferences. Even if everyone agreed, you might not have enough vacation time to implement their unanimous recommendation. I always have to omit places I know would be worthwhile; the more research you do, the more places are likely to end up on the cutting-room floor, because you learned about so many good possibilities and couldn't fit them in.

If you are happy with it, go ahead and start booking! Travel is all about compromise, and personal preference. And as you mentioned, no itinerary will be perfect. Ærø to Kalmar will also be a long travel day, but if you don't mind that, start booking!

I think I'll make 2 (hopefully) final changes:
1. follow acraven's suggestion and do the more traditional NIN tour that is Oslo - Flam - Bergen (with Gudvangen/Voss) and skip balestrand
2. add odense back in as a buffer between aero and kalmar. I'll be shortchanging odense but if i leave aero early on day 1 and leave odense late on day 2, I'll have a day and a half (almost).

What do you think?

As far as the whole trip, it'll be this:

day 1 - arrive in copenhagen
day 2 - Copenhagen
day 3 - Copenhagen
day 4 - copenhagen
day 5 - helsingor
day 6 - Roskilde, aero
day 7 - aero
day 8 - Aero to odense
day 9 - odense to kalmar
day 10 - kalmar
day 11 - Kalmar to visby
day 12 - visby
day 13 - Visby to Tallinn
day 14 - Tallinn
day 15 - Tallinn
day 16 - Tallinn to Helsinki (earliest ferry)
day 17 - Helsinki (night ferry to stockholm)
day 18 - stockholm
day 19 - stockholm
day 20 - stockholm
day 21 - Stockholm to Gothenburg late train
day 22 - Gothenburg
day 23 - Gothenburg to oslo
day 24 - Oslo
day 25 - Oslo
day 26 - Oslo
day 27 - Oslo to flam
day 28 - Flam to gudvangen ferry to voss buss to bergen
day 29 - Bergen
day 30 - Bergen
day 31 - Bergen to stavenger
day 32 - Pulpit hike
day 33 - Kjerag hike
day 34 - Stavenger flight out

Great that you added Odense back to the plan! It is worth it! Just don't leave Odense too late as it will take a couple of hours to get to Kalmar and require one or two changes.

Doing Norway in a Nutshell will certainly make the trip from Oslo to Bergen a bit easier compared to the Balestrand option.

Badger, I'm glad the changes I made were for the better. Are there any changes left to make or should i just start booking?

There are no obvious changes you should make in my opinion, so I see no reason you can start booking.

thanks so much for everything Badger, I hope one day I can repay you.

Just one quick question on rail. In general, does it seem like any type of rail pass is a good idea given this itinerary? For example, here's the scandinavian rail pass: https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes/one-country-pass/scandinavia. I'm happy to do the math myself but I figure someone here might already know the instances when it makes sense and when not. or should i just book each train separately from these websites:
denmark - dsb.dk
sweden - sj.se
norway - nsb.no

in general, should every train ticket be booked as far in advance as possible so it's cheaper or are there some trains (usually local) where there is no reason to book in advance? The trains I need to book are:
denmark - copenhagen-helsingor day trip, copenhagen-roskilde, roskilde-svendborg, svendbog-odense, odense-kalmar, (i read kalmar to visby involves bus so no train)
sweden - stockholm-gotenburg, gotenburg-oslo
norway - norway in a nutshell (oslo-flam, flam-bergen), bergen-stavenger (not sure if i should take bus, train, or ferry)

Also, as I finalize the dates, I can be june 6 in stockholm, have it be a travel day from stockholm to gothenburg or a travel day from gothenburg to oslo. Any advice on what seems best? I can't tell if it's a holiday that should be fun to be in Sweden for or if I should try to avoid it.

thanks so much for everything Badger, I hope one day I can repay you.

Just tell me where to send the bill 😀

Just one quick question on rail. In general, does it seem like any
type of rail pass is a good idea given this itinerary? For example,
here's the scandinavian rail pass:
https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes/one-country-pass/scandinavia.
I'm happy to do the math myself but I figure someone here might
already know the instances when it makes sense and when not.

This is one of those cases where you have to do the maths, but my gut feeling is that it won't save you any money for your trip and single tickets will be easier.

or should i just book each train separately from these websites:
denmark - dsb.dk sweden - sj.se norway - nsb.no

Probably, but for Norway use www.vy.no

in general, should every train ticket be booked as far in advance as
possible so it's cheaper or are there some trains (usually local)
where there is no reason to book in advance?

Copenhagen-Helsingør, Copenhagen-Roskilde and Svendborg-Odense are regional trains that can be bought the same day, for some of them you might save a bit of money if you buy them in advance, but the difference is not that much (it might be 50 instead of 70 kr), so the flexibility might be worth more. Roskilde-Svendborg and Odense-Kalmar I'd buy in advance.

Unfortunately you can't buy Odense-Kalmar in one ticket, so you need to split in i two tickets. Buy Odense-Copenhagen airport (note airport, not central station) from www.dsb.dk and for the ticket from Copenhagen airport to Kalmar you have two options. Direct regional train, or high speed train to Alvesta and change there to a regional train to Kalmar. The latter option can be booked in advance at www.sj.se and should be a bit faster, but if you miss it you've lost your ticket. If you opt for the regional train you can buy a ticket in a machine at the airport just before departure and if you miss the one you planned to take you simply take the next one.

Kalmar to Visby involves a regular bus from Kalmar to Oskarshamn, they are frequent (at least on weekdays) and tickets can be bought from the driver, but you will save a bit of money by buying in advance. Note that "in advance" when it comes to local buses means that you can buy the tickets in their app, or in a ticket machine at the bus station just before departure. Ferry tickets to and from Gotland should be bought in advance at https://www.destinationgotland.se

Stockholm-Gothenburg should be booked in advance at www.sj.se, Gothenburg-Oslo should also be booked in advance at www.vy.no, the same with the train trips in Norway. As for Bergen-Stavanger, there are no trains so your options are bus or ferry, slightly different options but both very scenic. And note that while it might be a long bus trip, there are a couple of ferry crossings along the route where you can go out and stretch your legs.

Also, as I finalize the dates, I can be june 6 in stockholm, have it
be a travel day from stockholm to gothenburg or a travel day from
gothenburg to oslo. Any advice on what seems best? I can't tell if
it's a holiday that should be fun to be in Sweden for or if I should
try to avoid it.

Short answer, it depends. We are not that big on celebrating the national day in Sweden, but there are some celebrations in both Stockholm and Gothenburg. I don't know how interesting they are if you don't speak Swedish though.

That is a lot of day in Stockholm, suggest cutting some and spend more time on coastal Norway fjords.
Bergen, Stavanger, Flam, Geiranger, Alesund and Trondheim are amazing.
Yes, do the Norway in a Nutshell for sure. Geiranger fjord is the best.

you're a hero badger. Really.

and thanks for the advice geovagriffith, I think even if i were to reduce stockholm, i'd have to add days to fit in alesund and trondheim

I recently spent 12 nights in Stockholm; I certainly wouldn't reduce the length of your stay there. It is a beautiful city with quite a variety of museums and other sights.

We did a very similar itinerary to you in August/September 2022 (except for Aero and Helsinki/Tallinn). We were in Scandinavia for 45 days and traveled exclusively by public transportation. I booked all our rail and bus trips as point to point. I looked at a rail pass but the maths didn't add up for us.

We booked all our longer trips in advance, but day trips we just bought on the day as we were a bit more flexible about dates and times than you look like you'll be. One of us is over 65 and so was eligible for discounts and when we travelled together on shorter Norwegian train trips (eg. Oslo to Lillehammer) I was entitled to the discount too!

I booked using the appropriate national railway app for each country.

You haven't said how you are getting from Bergen to Stavanger. We caught the NOR-WAY Bussekpress NW400 bus and the bus journey (4 hrs 30 mins) was one of the highlights of our trip as the scenery was spectacular and the trip included two ferry crossings.

you're a hero badger. Really.

Far from it, but I hope you have a great trip!

And no, 3-4 days in Stockholm is not too much. And if it's hard to find things to do there are many great options for day trips.

Aussie nomad, my plan is to go the same way from Bergen to Stavanger.

I won't reduce Stockholm, but should I try to fit in Alesund/Geiranger? I can just add days or take away a day from Oslo and/or Bergen. If I take an early train from Gothenburg to Oslo, it'll be four days in Oslo.

If Alesund/Geirganger worth including, how would I include it? Oslo->Bergen->Stavenger->flight to Alesund?

I won't reduce Stockholm, but should I try to fit in Alesund/Geiranger?
If Alesund/Geirganger worth including, how would I include it? Oslo->Bergen->Stavenger->flight to Alesund?

We did fjords from Alesund to Geiranger and from Stavanger to Lysefjord (below pulpit rock), but didn't do Norway in a nutshell. From Norwegians we talked to they thought that Geirangerfjord and Lysefjord had been good options and that we didn't need to add additional fjords by doing Norway in a nutshell.
Geirangerfjord was lovely but our trip from Alesund was 8 hours - there and back with two hours in Geiranger. It was very misty and raining most of the day which gave us a very authentic Norwegian experience.

We travelled from Oslo to Alesund at the start of our trip via the Rauma railway which was incredibly scenic. Alesund was a lovely town but after three days we thought we had seen enough. From Alesund we went on the Atlantic Road and then caught a ferry from Kristiansund to Trondheim and then flew to Stockholm.

We had left time to potentially do Norway in a Nutshell as a day trip from Bergen - we stayed in Bergen for four nights. However, I had caught COVID in Stockholm and was just way too exhausted to contemplate the logistics of Norway in a nutshell. We are content with the fjords we saw.

If Alesund/Geirganger worth including, how would I include it?

There are many places worth including, Ålesund is one of them. But, you can't see them all and you need to prioritize.

Should you do it you need an additional 3-4 days in my opinion.

In that case, from Oslo take the train to Åndalsnes, and then the bus to Ålesund. Spend some time in Ålesund and do a day trip to Geiranger. Then continue south along the coast from Ålesund to Bergen. Take the train from Bergen to Flåm and then continue as planned. Or, continue south from Ålesund to Balestrand/Gudvangen/Flåm and then continue as planned to Bergen, either via the Flåm railway or via Gudvangen/Voss.

I did more or less what Badger outlined in reverse (including the Flam Nutshell route rather than Balestrand). It is highly scenic. Lodging can be an issue in some of those places, especially not-too-expensive lodging. There is weather risk; you can spend quite a lot of money and see a lot of fog/mist/rain.

I think i'll add alesund and geirganger because i can spare the days. I think i'll take a day off oslo since i'll be taking an early train from gothenburg so i'll have like 2.75 days which i think will be fine and don't know if i need 3.75 days. Im thinking about Bergen though. Some people say one full day is enough and some two days. Any consensus here?

So here's the Norway part, how does it look?

Day 1 arrive oslo early

Day 2 Oslo

Day 3 Oslo

Day 4 Oslo to Alesund

day 5 Geiranger fjord

day 6 Alesund to Bergen via Flam (Is there a preference between Flåm railway or via Gudvangen/Voss?)

Day 7 Bergen

Day 8 Bergen (keep?)

Day 9 Bergen to Stavenger

Day 10 a hike

Day 11 a hike

day 12 leave

So how does it look?

Gudvangen-Voss is a bus ride. It's scenic, but not as scenic as it was before part of the road got blocked. So I'd definitely choose the Flamsbana. The bus ride's quite a bit cheaper, though.

It's hard to say about Bergen. A lot of the sightseeing RIck mentions didn't sound interesting to me at all, but I wanted to walk several picturesque neighborhoods, and I wanted to go to all the art museums. One day would have been grossly inadequate for me. Keep in mind that Bergen is quite a hilly city. You may not zip around it quite as fast as you would anticipate.

Im thinking about Bergen though. Some people say one full day is
enough and some two days. Any consensus here?

Not really, it is a matter of preference I'd say. You can certainly spend two or more days in Bergen and not be bored, but it is a matter of priorities and you can't see everything.

So here's the Norway part, how does it look?

In general it looks good. You should take the train from Oslo to Ålesund in my opinion, it takes time but is well worth it for the scenery.

From Flåm to Bergen, my vote is for the train. But you won't be able to travel from Ålesund to Bergen via Flåm in one day and need to spend a night somewhere.

so quick update, two months later
I bought all the flights, ferries, and reserved the hotels. Now just have to book the trains (and there are a lot of them).

quick question. I take a ferry from Visby to Stockholm (well 1 hour away, the stop that starts with N) and it arrives at 10:30 AM and then the ferry to Tallinn leaves at 5:30 PM (must check in by 5). Any suggestions on what I could do in Stockholm during that time period? (I'll have my bag though). I'll also be returning to Stockholm later for 3 full days.

I take a ferry from Visby to Stockholm (well 1 hour away, the stop
that starts with N) and it arrives at 10:30 AM and then the ferry to
Tallinn leaves at 5:30 PM (must check in by 5). Any suggestions on
what I could do in Stockholm during that time period? (I'll have my
bag though).

Nynäshamn! My suggestion would be to leave your bags in a locker at the station and spend a couple of hours exploring Stockholm, If the weather is nice, take a walk around Gamla stan and along Södermalm or Djurgården and get and overview of the city. Buying a 24 hour public transport ticket is probably a good idea.

Badger! So good to hear from you and I hope you're doing well! And thanks for all your help so far!

So for getting from Nynäshamn to Stockholm's central station, I assume i just follow the crowd since that's what most are doing right?

Also, let me ask you, would you happen to know if Gothenburg to Oslo should be done by bus or train? Bus is like 250 SK to start unless you splurge for a comfort seat up top with a view where it reaches 350 SK. Train is like 450 SK.

Also, for Oslo - Alesund, I know I have to take a train from Oslo to Åndalsnes, and then a bus to Ålesund. Does anyone know if both need to be done in advance?

Badger! So good to hear from you and I hope you're doing well! And
thanks for all your help so far!

Hope you are doing well too! And I also hope you write a trip report when your back, it would be nice to know if you enjoyed the trip.

So for getting from Nynäshamn to Stockholm's central station, I assume
i just follow the crowd since that's what most are doing right?

More or less, it also depends on how you plan to travel to Stockholm. There are basically two options, the buses booked through the ferry company or the commuter train. Also, once you board the ferry in Visby my suggestion is to head out on the sundeck, that way you get a nice view of the town as you leave.

Also, let me ask you, would you happen to know if Gothenburg to Oslo
should be done by bus or train? Bus is like 250 SK to start unless you
splurge for a comfort seat up top with a view where it reaches 350 SK.
Train is like 450 SK.

That is one of those questions even the ancient greeks argued about :-). Joking aside, it used to be the case that the train is a bit more comfortable and the bus is a bit faster. But, recently the Follo line opened meaning that the trains are now a few minutes faster than the buses. And Vy has replaced the very nice Class 73s on the route with the not quite as nice Class 74s. So the difference is even less now,

Also, for Oslo - Alesund, I know I have to take a train from Oslo to
Åndalsnes, and then a bus to Ålesund. Does anyone know if both need to
be done in advance?

I don't think you need to book the bus in advance.

anyone ever take the direct night bus from oslo to alesund? There is one that leaves at 10:23 PM and arrives the next day at 5 AM and is direct with no transfers.

The train is 7:56 AM to 1:28 PM oslo to andalsnes and then you take the bus to alesund that arrives at 3:47 PM.

The night bus is a little cheaper. It seems like the night bus might be worth it unless the day ride is scenic. Anyone have any experience?

I have not taken that bus, but sitting up all night on an overnight bus would be my last choice; I did it several times when I was in college, and it was miserable. I'd rather fly. And I hate flying in the middle of a trip.

I think the trip must certainly be scenic, just from looking at the route on ViaMichelin, but we need to hear from someone who has driven it to be sure.

Hi again acraven! I know what you mean. I have taken many night buses in recent years and while they are not ideal and the sleep isn't great, sometimes it's worth it if you get extra hours at the destination so I'm not as inherently averse to them as other travelers may be. Here I'll be arriving at Alesund at around 5 AM instead of 3:47 PM. Granted, I'll have my bag which I'm not sure what I can do with (if i take the bus, i'll check with the lodging what time they "open"), but the sun will already be out by then. As for if the extra 11 hours are "worth" the night bus, I of course don't know since i've never been alesund or traveled this route.

Well, if you've been OK-ish with other night buses, that's a different story. A day in Alesund was very worth it to me. The city is known for its Art Nouveau architecture, the result of a disastrous fire in 1904.

There's a tourist office at Skatelukaia 6. The internet suggests it's only open on weekdays at this time of year but I'd expect the hours to expand in the coming months. You'll be arriving well before it opens, though, so I'd suggest printing or downloading a map of Alesund to take with you. Google Maps would be better than nothing, but this looks helpful: https://ontheworldmap.com/norway/city/alesund/alesund-tourist-map.html. I don't know that it will print well, however.

This list is from my 2019 pre-trip notes:

The tourist office might offer a walking tour.

Art Nouveau walk (allow at least 1 hr.) cribbed from some guide book: Start at Lorkenstorget, square at bridge between two halves of city center. Walk up Notenesgata and turn left on Skansegata, beautiful waterside path. Turn around at T.O. at Skateflukaia and return to bridge. Cross bridge and turn right on Apotekergata. Continue along Molovegen (once seedy, now with galleries). Walk along pier to lighthouse for town views.

Jugendstilsenteret (Art Nouveau Center), Apotekergata 16: Includes impeccably preserved pharmacy interior. From Jun 24 daily 1000-1600; otherwise closed Mon. www.jugendstilsenteret.no

Kunstmuseet Kube (Kube Art Museum), Apotekergata 16: Contemporary art and design. From Jun 24 daily 1000-1600; otherwise closed Mon. www.kunstmuseetkube.no

Aalesunds Museum, Rasmus Ronnebergsgate 16: Town museum, covering Jugendstil rebirth and WWII German occupation. Excellent photography throughout and 15-min subtitled film. Don't know that it's open regularly.
www.aalesunds.museum.no/

Alesund Kirke, Aspegata/Kirkegata 22: Build 1909; inspired by medieval architecture. Frescoed interior and notable stained glass. Hours vary; generally open Mon-Fri 1000-1400. More likely to be open if cruise ship is docked. Entry fee. www.kirken-aalesund.no

Atlanterhavsparken (Aquarium): One of Europe’s best. Probably daily 0900-1700 in Jun.

Kongens Gade: Pedestrian street, heart of town.

There are also side trips possible--probably a good idea if you have good weather and don't like Art Nouveau architecture. I assume it goes without saying that these would not be inexpensive.

• Cruises from Alesund to Geirangerfjord (I think multiple options exist by boat.)

• Bus tours to Geiranger via Trollsteigen.

I doubt that you'll be much interested in hopping back on a bus later in the day, but I wonder whether there'd be a shortish out-and-back public bus trip that would give you a chance to see some of the scenery to the east in the daytime.

thanks so much acraven, you and badger are so incredibly helpful, not just in this thread but i can't tell you how many times i researched a question and one of you provided the answer in a different thread, even from years ago. What a wonderful impact you have made on people's travel experiences, I really appreciate and am sure everyone else does as well.

by the way, the next day I'm planning on doing the fjord in a nutshell that inclued geirangerfjord and trollsteigen though i have read conflicting information on when trollsteigen "opens". I'll be there on June 18.

Night buses are not my cup of tea either. I can endure them if needed, but would prefer not to. It is certainly an option, but it would not be my recommendation. Isn't the scenery a big reason for visiting Norway? In that case I'd suggest you take the trip during the day to be able to enjoy the scenery. Especially the last part of the train journey to Åndalsnes is very scenic in my opinion.

though i have read conflicting information on when trollsteigen
"opens"

It depends on the weather. Checking the official website, it is expected to open on May 10th, but that might change.

scenery is definitely my main reason for visiting Norway!

The next day I'm going to book the "Geirangerfjord in a nutshell" tour which, as you probably know, is a boat from alesund to geirangerfjord, then a bus through trollstigen to andalsnes and then another bus from andalsnes to alesund. My thinking was that the scenery at the last part of the train from Oslo to Andalsnes would be similar to the scenery from the two andalsnes bus rides that are part of the geirgangerfjord nutshell tour, so maybe more time in Alesund would be worth the night bus. Also, some of the sites that acraven mentioned will not be open when i'm there (they open june 24, i'm there june 17/18). So maybe arriving at 4 PM with the day train/bus will still give me enough time to wander alesund (assuming im not exhausted) since there will be light out until midnight.

I also still haven't figured out if from alesund i should take the ferry to bergen (which leaves at like midnight or 1 AM after i get back from geirangerfjord nutshell tour) or fly the next day. I should make a decision already!

I spent two separate nights on the Hurtigruten ferries and found the cheapest category of cabin very small, naturally, but comfortable enough. The Geirangerfjord detour from Alesund gave me a full day to hang out in one of the lounges with huge windows. The view was very good. I guess my luck was close to average on that part of the trip; the weather was bad enough to severely affect the view on the way into the fjord, but it cleared up very nicely on the way back out.

I've read positive comments about the food on the Hurtigruten ships, but I think I only consumed Wasa crispbread, cheese and perhaps some fruit.

the boat left Alesund after midnight right? How did you spend the time until it left?

My thinking was that the scenery at the last part of the train from
Oslo to Andalsnes would be similar to the scenery from the two
andalsnes bus rides that are part of the geirgangerfjord nutshell
tour, so maybe more time in Alesund would be worth the night bus.

Maybe not that similar, I don't know where the Geirangerfjord tour takes you. But probably scenic. And in the end it is up to you to decide.

Traveling northbound the ship left Alesund at 7:30 PM. I had 24-25 hours in Alesund before moving on to Trondheim. I wouldn't have minded a bit more time, but staying an extra day would have been more time than I needed, and Norway is so expensive that I tried to be more efficient than usual.

Edited to add: I went to the Art Nouveau Museum, KUBE (contemporary art museum) and the Alesund Museum. I don't remember whether I made it to the church, which keeps irregular hours. I also walked all the streets I had time for, admiring the Art Nouveau architecture.

hi again, a couple of quick questions in case someone knows the answer

1. i'm trying to book the "geirangerfjord in a nutshell" tour independently. It consists of a ferry from alesund to geirganger which i was able to find independently. Then it's a bus from geiranger to andalsnes through trollstigen. The problem is all the buses i find for that start June 26. I'll be there june 17-18. The Norway in a nutshell site lets me buy it for my dates but i can't find an independent site that lets me do that. Any one know what website i need to go to or what i'm missing?

2. i'm not seeing a way to buy skyss bus tickets in advance. Can it only be bought on the bus? Can't they sell out?

I didn't use any land transportation west of Andalsnes, so I'm only speculating.

Perhaps the bus that's part of the Geirangerfjord-in-a-Nutshell route is a tour bus, rather than a public bus.

I know I took at least one Skyss bus during my trip; I think it was the one from Flam to Borgund and back (a route that only runs in the summer, incidentally). That was definitely a pay-on-the-bus situation (almost certainly by credit card). How likely your bus would be to sell out, I just don't know. No one has ever reported sell outs or standing passengers on the Norway-in-a-Nutshell buses from Gudvangen to Voss, but that's an entirely different area with, perhaps, more consistent demand. They probably have more buses on that route.

If you don't get response from someone knowledgeable soon, I'd suggest trying the TripAdvisor forum.

thanks as always acraven

Then it's a bus from geiranger to andalsnes through trollstigen. The
problem is all the buses i find for that start June 26. I'll be there
june 17-18. The Norway in a nutshell site lets me buy it for my dates
but i can't find an independent site that lets me do that. Any one
know what website i need to go to or what i'm missing?

Public transportation in the area is run by Fram, https://frammr.no. If they don't have the bus it is probably a tour bus.

i'm not seeing a way to buy skyss bus tickets in advance. Can it only
be bought on the bus? Can't they sell out?

They can be bought through their app, on their website, in ticket machines and from the driver. They are regular public transportation ticket, they don't sell out.

thanks badger,
the direct geiranger-andalsnes transportation options on that website only start june 26. Prior to that all transportation goes geiranger->alesund->andalsnes. I guess i have to pay the premium and book through norwayfjords.com to be able to go june 17 or 18

quick question for those who have been in Kalmar and Visby:

for this part of itinerary
day 1 - arrive at kalmar late at night
day 2 - kalmar
day 3 - kalmar to visby
day 4 - visby
day 6 - leave visby early in day

the only oskarshamn-visby ferry on day 3 is at 9 PM. Do you think i should do that and have one full day in Visby and like 1.75 days in Kalmar or should i book the 9 PM ferry on day 2 and have 2 full days in Visby and .75 days in Kalmar?

I'd rather have the time in Visby, if I had to choose. Also, I'm frugal, and the prospect of paying for two nights in Visby and only having about 16 waking hours there sort of turns my stomach.

I agree with acraven, more time in Visby is better.

thanks so much, visby it is

Four months after my initial post... I am arriving in Copenhagen today!!! So looking forward to it!

One more quick question though, anyone know where i can store my bag in Roskilde for the day? I read the train doesnt have lockers and i think the tourist office may not be open on sundays when i'll be there (four days away). Anyone have any ideas? I might go into hotels and ask if they'll let me if i pay something.

I'm really grateful to everyone that helped me plan my trip :)

to answer my own question, accurate on May 21 2023 though i can't attest that it's accurate on any day before or after, the train station of Roskilde has luggage storage. It's 30 kroner (which I think is about 4.50 dollars or 4 euros in today's exchange rate) for 24 hours. There's no cheaper option if you're there for less time.

I think that's a good price for luggage storage, especially in that part of Europe.

The least I ever paid to store luggage back in 1972 was the equivalent of about $1 US. That would be over $7 today.

i completely agree acraven. The bag check in Coimbra Portugal last month was almost double the price and Portugal is a cheaper country than Denmark by a good amount. I was surprised by the Denmark price and had no complaints!

tomorrow I'm taking a day trip to helsingor/helsingborg and whiel helsingor has two sites i really want to see (kronberg castle and louisiana museum), I'm not sure what there is to do in helsingborg... Any one have any ideas and how much time to allocate for it?
THanks

I think we need Badger's input here. In Helsingborg I just walked (to the north) along Jarnvagsgatan from the train station and explored the historic area immediately to the east. I believe the Dunkers Kulturhus is a good museum, but I wasn't particularly interested in the topics it covers, so I skipped it.

I encountered a square with some outdoor food booths with interesting options, different from the usual. It's worth watching out for if you're hungry when you hit Helsingborg; it would be hard to miss. One booth had a sign posted, requiring cash or a transfer app of some sort.

I don't have time to write a detailed answer, but if you're visiting Helsingør, Louisiana (which is in Humlebæk and not Helsingør) and Helsingborg on the same day you don't have time for a detailed visit

Dunkers Kulturhus is not a bad idea, but it kind of depends on what exhibitions they are showing at the moment. If you find them interesting. Helsingborg also has a beutiful city hall.

Kärnan is also worth a visit, especially if you know the history. Short version: A former danish fortress built to control shipping in Öresund, together with Kronborg. When Helsingborg became part of Sweden after the Treaty of Roskilde the Swedish king had the fortress torn down. Apart the main tower which was used to fly a huge Swedish flag to show the Danes and all passing ships who ruled Helsingborg. It is said that the Danish king after that had all the windows at Kronborg facing the water sealed so that he would not have to see the Swedish flag.

And ca 5 km north of Helsingborg is Sofiero palace, former summer residence of several Swedish kings. The Palace itself is not that spectacular compared to others, but the garden should not be missed. Especially king Gustav VI and his first wife, crown princess Margareta, were both very interested in gardening so the garden is amazing in my opinion. And it was voted "Most beautiful park in Europe" in 2010, so it's obviously not just my opinion. And it should be well worth a visit now with a lot of plants in bloom.

Thanks so much for all that info badger. Karnan was definitely more interesting knowing that back story and, as an interesting tidbit, today there is a yellow and blue flag flying atop it but it's not the one i expected... it's Ukraine's!

Helsingborg's city hall is absolutely beautiful as you said and the gardens of sofiero were amazing as well. The castle was actually closed for renovations but they still charge the same price which is pretty lame! The woman who sold me the ticket didn't even tell me the castle was closed! Anyway, the garden is truly something special. In general, the gardens here and in Denmark are amazing. If future readers are ever there in mid to late May, definitely make sure to check them out. I can't imagine them being any better at any other time during the year. On another note though, i'm struck at how cold it still is here. It's freakin end of May! And if i'm complaining now, I imagine Norway will be even colder even though that's in June.

By the way I ended up doing Kronborg/Lousiana one day and then doing Helsingborg/Lund the next. It didn't seem like Lund needed a whole day so it made more sense that way with the timing.

Norway can be very pleasant in June. I had no quibbles about the temperature last year, and I arrived in Oslo on June 15, I think. I had some rain at untimely moments, but if you look at the historical averages for places like Bergen, you really have to expect that. I hope you'll be lucky.

Oops--I guess I should confess that any time I'm traveling north of the Alps, I have a set of long johns in my suitcase (or on my body). I took merino wool to Norway, so that may have had an impact on my level of comfort.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the visit to Helsingborg! Regarding flags and Kärnan, the Danes retook Kärnan shortly afterwards and hoisted a huge (7x11.5 metres) Danish flag on top of Kärnan. But it didn't take long for the Swedish army to throw them out and capture the flag, which is now the largest flag in the Swedish Army Museum's collection.

Yes, Sofiero palace is closed for renovation until 2024, but the big reason for visiting the palace is in my opinion the garden. It might be called a palace, but it is not that impressive compared to many other palaces. So you didn't miss that much in my opinion. And this might be the best time to see the garden.

But is it really that cold? I guess it depends on what you are used to. But I saw an article from NRK about the weather in Norway the upcoming weekend, 25° and sunny in the south and in the lowlands, and snow at higher altitudes. https://www.nrk.no/sorlandet/det-skal-bli-25-grader-i-sor-_-sno-i-nord-1.16424705

it's not really 'cold' at all but i want to wear a tshirt already! :)

I went to the national museum in Copenhagen and it was really interesting how the Danes kept getting into wars with Sweden and Germany and kept losing only to try again after some time. It was great going to Karnan and Malmo Castle to read about the Swedish perspective. Also amazing that Skania was assimilated to Sweden so easily. I read in Malmo Castle that back then there was no loyalty to any larger entity and the people didn't really care who they had to pay taxes to. Danish king, Swedish king, whatever. It seems like being forced to learn Swedish didn't bother them either (since it was similar enough to Danish?)

Let me ask a question. I'm going to Stockholm soon enough and as you of course know one thing tourists do is an archipelago tour or cruise. If I'm taking a ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn though, is there any reason to do an archipelago trip? Or would the beginning of the ferry to Tallinn kind of encompass the archipelago cruise?

I went to the national museum in Copenhagen and it was really
interesting how the Danes kept getting into wars with Sweden and
Germany and kept losing only to try again after some time. It was
great going to Karnan and Malmo Castle to read about the Swedish
perspective.

That is a long story certainly. I don't know if it's true, but I've heard that the two countries in the world that have fought the most wars between them are Sweden and Denmark.

I read in Malmo Castle that back then there was no loyalty to any
larger entity and the people didn't really care who they had to pay
taxes to. Danish king, Swedish king, whatever.

Except the people on Bornholm. The island became part of Sweden after the treaty of Roskilde, but after a revolt on the island it was returned to Denmark.

It seems like being forced to learn Swedish didn't bother them either
(since it was similar enough to Danish?)

I wasn't really learning a new language, it was more a case of learning a new way to spell. Swedish and Danish (as well as Norwegian) aren't really different languages, but rather different standard versions of the same dialect continuum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialect_continuum#North_Germanic_continuum

Let me ask a question. I'm going to Stockholm soon enough and as you
of course know one thing tourists do is an archipelago tour or cruise.
If I'm taking a ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn though, is there any
reason to do an archipelago trip? Or would the beginning of the ferry
to Tallinn kind of encompass the archipelago cruise?

Good question, it depends on what you want to see and do and how much time you have. The ferry to Tallinn will give you a great view of the archipelago so I would not suggest a longer trip. Maybe a short one if you want to visit an island. Fjäderholmarna can be a good option, 30 minute boat trip from central Stockholm. There are some restaurants and cafés on the main island so it can be a nice lunch trip. Boat schedule and information: http://www.fjaderholmslinjen.se

I think the reason the weather seemed colder than it actually was is because sometimes the cold just sneaks up you! Like you're in the sun and everything is perfect but suddenly you're in the shade for a bit and there's some wind and suddenly you have to put all your layers back on! And thanks for the info about Bornholm. My host in Odense showed me pictures of it when she visited and when I looked it up I was shocked it was part of Denmark given how close it is to Sweden. Now I know!

I'm on my way to Gothenburg now, only 2 days left in Sweden :(
one quick question, given how i'm in gothenburg for only 2 days... should i spend time visiting the archipelago? I'm thinking Styrso given how that's the main island (i think)

Actually, while im asking questions, i'll be in flam from 10:23 AM to 3 PM. Should I spend that time trying to make it to borgund stave church? or stay in flam area? I'll probably already have seen a stave church in the folkmuseum in Oslo. I don't know if they are repetitive or if I should even try to fit in Heddal while i'm in Oslo for 3 days.

for those in the future who possibly come across this thread doing research, i went today and taking the ferry to the southern archipelago is definitely a nice time. I chose styrso and walked to donso. The ferry is the highlight. Perhaps this may be because i'm here before the tourist season really starts, but today the islands did not seem touristy at all. By the way,, If you go to the archipelago in stockholm, i would say this is similar.

A bit late now, but visiting the archipelago is not a bad idea. It is easy and cheap to get there and it is a very nice trip in my opinion. For anyone interested, a Scottish travel youtuber recently made a video on Gothenburg and the archipelago. https://youtu.be/sgC8qcEOct4?t=925

Regarding Flåm, you can make your way to Borgund, but the return bus arrives in Flåm 15:02, so do you have the time? But there are a couple of stave churches so it depends on if you're happy with one of two or want to see as many as possible.

I leave Flan at 3 PM! what a bummer that I miss it by 2 minutes... it seems like i shouldnt take the chance unless the norway on a nutshell transportation are given to not being exactly on time...

Have you ever been to the Heddal stave church by the way?

And where in Sweden are you from? What a great country! I really enjoyed my 2 or so weeks there. And there's so much left to see! though i do think i saw a lot (in order, malmo, lund, helsingor, kalmar, visby, stockholm, mora, tallberg, rattvik, falun and gothenburg). I don't know how I saw 11 places given how i spent 4 days in Stockholm and 2 days each in Visby and Gothenburg! The others were all combined. Any way, it's a great country and I encourage anyone that visits to not just go to Stockholm. In my limited time, Stockholm felt like an international city (like Copenhagen and Oslo by the way) and you don't really get a feel for Sweden by visiting that and nothing else.

That wasn't the best timed schedules I've encountered. Then you need a taxi to get back in time and that can be a bit on the expensive side. I've never been to Heddal stave church so I can't give you detailed information about it.

I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed Sweden! It sounds like you managed to see a bit of it. And I agree, just visiting the capital or largest city doesn't let you see a country. Large cities are often very international.

hmm, there is another cruise leaving Flam at 4:35 PM that arrives in Gudvangen at 6:35 PM. From there the normal tour goes to Voss and then from Voss I want to catch a bus to Odda. If I recall the Gudvangen to Voss bus can't be bought in advance (is that accurate?) Does anyone (at this point, I think Badger is the only one that reads this thread though :) know where I can access the bus schedules for Gudvangen to Voss and also from Voss to Odda? Maybe I can take the later cruise and later busses exist.

The bus from Gudvangen to Voss is just a regular bus route that can't be booked in advance. But the last bus 950 leaves Gudvangen 17:25. However, on some days Nor-Way has a later depature, so you might want to check their schedule, www.nor-way.no

The bus to Odda (as well as the regular bus from Gudvangen) is operated by the local public transportation company Skyss, so you can find the schedules and other information at https://www.skyss.no

How was the trip?

First and most importantly, I feel so bad I never did a final thank you post to you for all your help. I honestly was going to when I got back but then I had a bunch of things to take care of since I was gone so long and I never did it and it's really shameful.

The trip was great and it was largely thanks to you. I look at my initial itinerary that was the first post and my actual trip ended up being so different and again that was largely to you. I remember you telling me that my itinerary made no sense and now that I was there I completely see what you mean (Aero to Stockholm? Day trip from Stockholm to Gothenburg only to go to Visby the next day and then return to Stockholm the following day? Helsinki to Oslo? I know realize how ridiculous those were!). With your advice and guidance, the actual trip also ended up being much longer with Falun/Mora area being added in Sweden and Alesund area in Norway and Odense in Denmark. My overall favorite part was Sweden with Stockholm definitely being my favorite city and Dalarna being a great addition given how i never heard of it before I got before I got to Scandinavia.

Anyway, I'm so thankful to you!!! Without you, the trip would have been MUCH MUCH worse than it was. I would have seen much less and would have been frustrated with how things I had planned didn't actually make sense. So thank you so much!! Also, if you're ever in new york city please let me know! :)

Don't feel bad about it, life has a tendency to get in the way of things we had planned to do.

I'm happy hear that you had a great trip and that you found my suggestions helpful. And if you feel like sharing your adventure there is a Trip report-section on the forum…

your suggestions weren't merely helpful, they made the entire trip (of course acraven was incredibly helpful also. Other posters were as well but they dropped out months before the trip even started). But without you, the trip would have been about half as good so I am very grateful :)

I'd be happy to write a trip report if it would help others and they'd want to read it. It ended up being like a 49 day trip so it would be a pretty long report though!

anyway, how have you been? did you travel anywhere this summer?

dayexday, it’s so great that your trip went so well! All your careful planning helped (along with advice to help with the planning)!

I wonder, how were the Pulpit Rock and Kjerag hikes? Crowded at all? Easy or hard to do? I understand they’re popular,

Geiranger town (or any others in Geirangerfjord area) … would you have stayed in any, if you had the time? Better than Flåm and NIN fjords?

How did Ålesund rank as places on your trip? Must-see, or good but not essential, or even not in the Top 10?

You can certainly help others (including me) with your information. I’m planning an upcoming trip, too. Thanks, and again, glad this was such a fantastic trip.

Thanks so much for you kind words Cyn! Yeah, the majority of my planning was using this site and asking questions here and having kind people such as Badger and acraven donate their time and knowledge. It really is humbling how much they helped a stranger and got nothing in return (which is why it was so wrong of me to not do a thank you post at the end!)

In Norway, I hiked Trolltunga, Pulpit Rock and Kjerag. Pulpit rock was by far the most crowded but also the easiest (though I wouldn't call it super easy, there is still an incline) and had the best views. When you see images of it, the pictures really only show the famous view at the end but the hike itself is beautiful, pretty similar to Yosemite (if you have ever been). I think the appeal of Kjerag to a lot of people is that there are less people (still a good amount though) and it's much more challenging and at the end you can go on this boulder which can be a bit scary since you are very close to the ledge. Some were too scared to stand on the boulder while others took out selfie sticks and spun around on it. The views though are much less good than Pulpit Rock in every part of the hike. Even the view of the fjord at the end is a bit blocked. It's also a lot farther than Stavanger. Though it's challenging, it's still doable. There were people of all ages there. I saw someone who was in his 60s or maybe even early 70s make it up and also saw a kid in the vicinity of 8-10 years old, so it's not that hard. Kjerag is more about the hike itself and feeling like you accomplished something whereas Pulpit Rock had the better views and scenery. If you have to choose only one, pulpit rock.

As for Trolltunga, you get there from Odda which I went to from Bergen and then went from there to Stavanger. I didn't have a car so I came and left by transferring via a bunch of buses so it took some hours. It combines the difficulty of Kjerag with the quality of scenery of Pulpit Rock.

Overall, if you're going to Stavanger than Pulpit Rock is an absolute must. In fact, I don't know why anyone would go to Stavanger if they don't plan on the hike. The city itself is nice enough and I enjoyed the oil museum but there are other cities in Norway that are more appealing.

Geiranger town is very beautiful since you have a great view of the fjord and there is this mighty river flowing down one side of it. I wouldn't say there's that much to do though (i mean, you can hike up but I wouldn't say the hike gives you a better view than the one you get in the town itself or on the bus ride out.) I would only stay if you want to take it easy, have meals while overlooking the fjord, etc. It's a great place to do that. I went by myself so I didn't relax much since it would get boring fast. Make sure any tour you do includes Trollstigen. The zigzags through the valley were very cool to see. Again, I didn't have a car. If you have one, make sure you drive through it.

Geiranger town is "better" than Flam though Flam has the convenience of being along the Oslo-Bergen route. The cruise passengers overrun Flam also. There's a hike there also to a waterfall which is nice enough but there are a lot of waterfalls in the world.

I took boat rides on three fjords, Geirangerfjord, Naeroyfjord (the popular NIN one), and Lysefjord (by Stavanger that pulpit rock overlooks). Lysefjord is skippable. The appeal of Naeroyfjord is that it is narrow. The appeal of Geirangerfjord is that it does seem more majestic with the combination of snow covered mountains and waterfalls. I would try to do both fjords if you can. If you only hit one that would be fine also. A fjord is a fjord. But definitely go to one of those two.

Alesund is a pretty town but to me the main appeal of it is its ability to be a base for geirangerfjord and trollstigen. You can climb up a bunch of stairs to see the famous view of the town that's on all the postcards, but past that, it's quiet. I would call it good but not essential.

Alesund's claim to fame is its Art Nouveau architecture. If you have no special interest in that, the town is basically just a pleasant spot that might--or might not--be a convenient place to stay.

i should have mentioned the art nouveau since of course you're right in how that is what separates Alesund from other towns in the area, but on the list of european cities with art nouveau architecture I would put Alesund way down the list. I went to Riga on the same trip and the art nouveau architecture there was infinitely more impressive (to the point that the two aren't even comparable) and included many more buildings. I don't know, if someone goes to Alesund with a focus on the architecture, they might end up a bit disappointed.

In fact, I just opened two web browsers, set them up to only display images, typed in "art nouveau architecture" in one and "alesund art nouveau architecture" in the other, and the beauty and intricacy of the two are also in no way comparable to the point that you wonder how they can even be called the same thing.

Thank you so much for the additional detailed info, dayexday! Some of that is very reassuring, as my husband and I just finalized a lot of our itinerary last night, me st as big up past 11:00PM, and him until 1:00 AM. What you mention about Alesund is what I sensed. Guidebooks (not Rick Steves’ of course, as he doesn’t venture that far north) went on band on about the Art Nouveau architecture, but photos didn’t resemble anything like in Prague, so I couldn’t understand all the fuss. And other towns seem much more appealing.

We’d been planning since early this year, considering many destinations and options. Tromso, way north of the Arctic Circle, had been a key place, but its distance from farther south made flying a necessity. We hadn’t put itinerary pieces together enough to book any flights involving Tromso before last night, and it was going to cost $800 for two round-trip tickets. OK, so Tromso got dropped. Maybe we’ll return, and go there in winter, when it appears to be a more popular time, with more activities available, than in summer.

We’re flying round-trip from the USA to/from Copenhagen. We originally thought about more time touring Denmark, but wound up scrapping much of that, and will have a couple daytrips out of Copenhagen, but save the rest for (hopefully) another time, leaving more time this trip for Norway. We’d planned to ferry from northwestern Denmark to southern Norway, drive to Stavanger, and include at least Pulpit Rock. That got dropped, too, but I was curious how you found the hike … and other popular routes. Glad it was good when you went. We’re in our 60’s/70’s, but hike regularly (including today), and will be hiking in Norway, just not on those hikes, stunning and thrilling as they must be.

Again, we just finally booked some of our accommodation and flights last night, and we’re leaving in less than 3 weeks. Still have to book our rental car, which we’ve decided to pick up and return in Bergen. That was one of the challenges - there are extravagant one-way car rental drop fees, say picking up in Trondheim and returning in Bergen. Even if you pick up at one rental office in downtown Bergen and return at a different office in downtown Bergen, it’s considered a one-way rental, far more expensive than using just one office. The distances were making it hard to get one car for Geirangerfjord, then relocate and get a separate car for the “Nutshell.” But after dropping Tromso this time, it’s working out, I believe.

So, quickly, here’s what we’re doing, and I hope our visit goes as well as yours:
Days 1-4 sleep in Copenhagen
Day 5 fly to Trondheim, stay 3 nights
Day 8 Cheap flight to Bergen, stay 2 nights
Day 10 Pick up rental car, sleep in Voss
Day 11 Finish driving to Nutshell region, stay in Solvorn for 5 nights. Hiking and biking (maybe kayaking) to our hearts’ content.

Days 16-19 Still working this out, but drive up to Geirangerfjord area. Plenty more hiking to do, fjords, plus Trollstigen and other driving!

Day 20 Return car in Bergen, having circled back there, in time to catch the cheap flight to Oslo, where we have an apartment for 5 nights. My husband has a cousin there whom we’ve never met, and hope to meet her

Day 25 Fly to Copenhagen for final 2 nights, then fly home

I’m still trying to figure out Geiranger. A UNESCO world heritage place, magnificent, but population just 250, and inundated by thousands upon thousands of cruise ship and bus tourists daily in summer. How can they handle that onslaught? It’s a stunning locale, and understandably draws tons of visitors … but how can they possibly accommodate everybody? I guess we’ll find out. And, apparently after mid-September, it’s suddenly “off-season.”

Glad we can fit in Geiranger, in addition to the Nutshell fjords, although Tromso wouldn’t fit in our allotted time for this trip.

Cheers!