Norway with less mobile traveller

You say that she struggles with walking long distances, how long? Norway in a Nutshell should be perfectly doable, there is a bit of walking involved but not that much. Where are her grandparents from and do you want to visit that area as well? If you have 10-14 days you also have time to add a stop in Sweden between Copenhagen and Oslo.

You say that she struggles with walking long distances, how long? Norway in a Nutshell should be perfectly doable, there is a bit of walking involved but not that much. Where are her grandparents from and do you want to visit that area as well? If you have 10-14 days you also have time to add a stop in Sweden between Copenhagen and Oslo.<

She cannot walk more than a quarter-mile without needing to stop and rest. A shorter trip would be easier for her, balancing that with the travel time to get there and back, etc. She will be 79 when we take this trip. We are certainly thinking about arriving or departing from Copenhagen but will not visit Sweden this time around. My sister and I have more travel plans in our future, but this trip is our priority.

Her grandpa was from Mandal Norway, and her grandma was from Idestnip Denmark. Her mom (my grandma), came to Seattle WA when she was 2, from Norway with her folks. We would like to visit Mandal, but not an absolute requirement -- I'm seeing it is over 4 hours to drive there from Oslo.

Hi Kathy,
I know two people who spent a few days with Havila Voyages (https://www.havilavoyages.com) and really enjoyed the experience. Neither or them cruise for their travels but enjoyed getting to see so much of the country from the water. I think the trips vary between 2-12 days in duration.
I have not made it to Norway yet so I have nothing else to add except I hope you all have a wonderful time!

Even if it is not what you otherwise would choose as your mode of travel, consider a cruise under these circumstances. Keep it relatively short and simple. Most cruise lines take excellent care of novice and/or physically challenged passengers, she’ll have a temporary home on the ship without having to travel between hotels and she can see as much or as little of the port stops as she is willing and able, with tours available at any of them suitable for her capacity. For example (just to take one of many) Holland America lines has 7 day Norwegian itineraries sailing from the Netherlands next year, and they tend to have a more elderly demographic that might suit her well. Or there are other lines sailing from Copenhagen. And this can be a relatively budget friendly way to visit expensive Scandinavia also.

I have no idea how far that is.

Starting in Copenhagen seems like a good idea since there are direct flights from Seattle.

Mandal is pretty easy to reach, so there is no reason to avoid it if you want to see it. It's probably 5-6 hours by car, but the easiest way to get there is to take the train Kristiansand and then a bus to Mandal. There are also ferries from Jutland to Kristiansand which can be a good option if you're coming from Denmark.

Regarding Denmark, do you mean Idestrup? Outside Nykøbing?

Thanks @Badger. A quarter mile is about 400 meters.

And yes that was typo in the name of my great grandfathers birthplace in Denmark.

Thx for the suggestions. I’ll look into these options/suggestions.

That is a decent range after all, so I would not worry too much about it.

Idestrup is also easy to reach it you want to go there. Take the train to Nykøbing and then a bus to Idestrup. Or if you want to see the countryside as well, rent a car in Nykøbing.

Regarding Denmark, do you mean Idestrup? Outside Nykøbing?

I double-checked my Ancestry.com information and it is spelled wrong there! "Idestnip Danmark" is what Ancestry says is my great-grandmother's birthplace (I mistyped when I said great grandfather earlier). Add it to the list of mis-read cursive handwriting in old-timey geneology documents, I think ?!

And thanks again everyone -- right now we really just are collecting options and ideas, while we wait for June 2026 pricing to become available.

Wondering if the full NIN trip would be too much for mom. I think the bus portion of NIN would be difficult for her because of the on-off frequency. Do people ever do a 'half way' NIN trip? Or would that be silly to come half way around the world and not see the whole route?

An alternative idea is the 5 day/8 stop 'Sail and Rail' voyage offered by Hurtigruten, which seems like a good way to see a lot and reduce the amount of packing/unpacking/changing hotel rooms. It goes Oslo - Trondheim - Bergen - Oslo. Sitting and watching scenery from a ship / train would be right up her ally. But none of us want one of those huge super commercial cruise experiences.

Maybe we want to fly into Copenhagen, spend 2-3 nights there, then start the 5 day Hurtigruten Sail and Rail. Not sure yet how to get from Copenhagen to Oslo or visa versa. Then fly home from Oslo? Or start in Oslo and end with 2-3 nights in Copenhagen? Unsure if it will be feasible to see Mandal. Appreciate the advice. I'm still waiting for my travel books!

Regarding the bus portion of the NIN, if your following the traditional route, the only bus ride is between Voss and Gudvangen. The bus will make about a 15 minute stop at the Stalheim Hotel for the scenic vista. It's a short walk from the bus to the hotel lobby. There is seating available if you're mother did not want to walk out to the back terrace for the beautiful view. There is enough time for a restroom break or a peak in the gift shop. I suppose your mother could also remain on the bus during the stop if you discuss this with your driver.

If you do the NIN, break the journey with an overnight in Flåm so your mother doesn't have a long travel day. There is a Porter Service that can transport some of your luggage between your Bergen and Oslo hotels so you can travel lighter on the Nutshell. We felt it was well worth the expense.

In 2023 we took the Hurtigruten coastal ferry from Kirkenes to Bergen. It is a small working ferry that transports people, cars and goods. It is absolutely nothing like a mainstream cruise ship. There are no casinos, no shows. I'm not familiar with "Sail and Rail" tour.

Good luck with the planning. I know I was quite overwhelmed when I started looking into Norway for our trip.

You certainly could visit Mandal- a Stavanger bound train to Kristiansand then a 45 minute connecting bus journey.
I think you would need to overnight there.
Another option is to explore Denmark, and then take the train to Hirsthals for the ferry to Kristiansand, sleep there and do Mandal as a day trip.
You could then train either to Oslo, or to Stavanger. From Stavanger there is a very sçenic bus ride via several ferries to Bergen, or the daytime ferry ride to Bergen.
The Sail and Rail package- rail to Trondheim, Hurtiguten to Bergen or vv would be a very good idea.
From December there will be through Malmo to Oslo trains avoiding the change in Gothenburg. There is a frequent train from Copenhagen to Malmo.

In Seattle is your Mum a member of the Swedish Club? In spite of its name it's there for people of all Scandinavian descent. I have a standing invitation to go there because I know a member who is of Danish descent.

At Bergen the ferry from Stavanger (which started in Hirsthals and called at Kristiansand) uses the same terminal as Hurtigruten so you can make a seamless connection if you wanted to.

There is also the Copenhagen to Oslo ferry every night.

Have you considered renting a car for the Norway portion? I'm happy that was the option we chose for our trip to Norway. Although we loved just about everything in Norway, the best part was visiting the birthplaces of our ancestors. You could do a southern loop and do a day fjord trip in Stavanger.

Thanks - while we are considering car rental, it is not our first choice. Part of a vacation for me is a vacation from driving (I drive 90-min a day for work). I also think it would be a bummer to have to focus on the road and not the scenery. But it might be something we have to do to accommodate our mom's limitations. Continuing to think through all our options.

Add it to the list of mis-read cursive handwriting in old-timey
geneology documents, I think ?!

Probably, unless it's some really tiny place. But a quick internet search doesn't give many results for Idestnip.

We can't say if Norway in a nutshell is too much, you know your mum and her limits better. Although I really can't see why the bus frequency would be a problem. But there are a few changes along the route and she needs to be able to walk between trains, bus and ferry. Norway in Nutshell is a bit touristy, but it's popular for a reason. In my opinion it's a very good option to see a good selection of the Norwegian landscape in a pretty short amount of time. And many do parts of it.

The Sail and Rail option is not a bad idea, it's also a great route to see Norway. But it's also very easy to book on your own. It's a bit easier to buy it as a package, but buying it yourself will probably save you a bit of money, and will give you the option to change the route if you want.

In Seattle is your Mum a member of the Swedish Club? In spite of its name it's there for people of all Scandinavian descent. I have a standing invitation to go there because I know a member who is of Danish descent.

Thanks @isn31c No, she is not a member - and we live about 2.5 hrs east of Seattle, but she did grow up there and lived there until 2016. I'll let her know about it!

Maybe instead of doing the entire Sail and Rail we could take a different route from Bergen to Mandal? But that is likely too far/silly way to go, huh? I'm still familiarizing myself with the maps and distances.

I did see the overnight ferry option from Copenhagen to Oslo (or maybe I already mentioned it). That seems like another fun experience and one that our group would enjoy and it is on our 'short-list' of potential destinations/experiences. My sis also really wants to take the train from Copenhagen to Malmo for a day trip - this is probably one we would just do as the two of us.

Renting a car for a day trip to Mandal does seem like the most sensible way to see it. I read in Europe through the Backdoor that Stavanger is not all that impressive, considering the other options Norway has to offer.

I liked the Sail and Rail idea due to the simplicity of a 'package' and having lodging in the same place for 4 nights (I think, sleep on train and boat). We still need to figure out so much of this trip's itinerary and logistics!

Based on RS advice, and knowing my mom tires easily, our initial rough itinerary so far:
3 nights in Copenhagen (flying from SEA)
Activities in/around/from Copenhagen could include:
- Take the train to Nykøbing and then a bus to Idestrup. Or, rent a car in Nykøbing - to see hometown of great-grandmother)
- Sis and I take train to Malmo for a day adventure. My mom and daughter stay in Copenhagen for short sight-seeing around town.
- Viking Museum - we all really want to see a Viking museum.
- Overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo
2 nights in Oslo
- Activities TBD
- Need to figure out how/where and if it is realistic that we can see Sognefjord - I am unsure if that is that is part of the Hurtigruten sail and rail trip, as I need to read more of the details about that.

5 day/8 stop 'Sail and Rail' voyage offered by Hurtigruten: Oslo - Trondheim - Bergen - Oslo
Fly home from Bergen or Oslo?

Still unsure best way to fit a day trip to Mandal to see great-grandfather's hometown into this...

Kathy, how many days do you have for the Norway portion of your trip.

Consider the following:

• day 1 After arrival in Oslo, taxi to the train station and travel to Kristiansand by direct train. Pick up a rental car. Mandal or Kristiansand 1 nt.
• day 2 Take direct train to Stavanger. 1 nt Stavanger
• day 3 Either bus or ferry to Bergen, 2 nts Bergen
• day 4 Day in Bergen
• day 5 Norway in Nutshell: train to Voss, bus to Gudvangen, ferry to Flåm, 1 nt Flåm
• day 6 Norway in Nutshell: train to Myrdal & Oslo, 2 nts Oslo
• day 7 Day in Oslo

This will give you beautiful scenery, both mountains and fjords, as well as visiting your great grandfather's hometown. The only driving is the 35 miles between Kristiansand and Mandal each way. And keeps you from spending full days traveling.

There is also an overnight ferry between Kristiansand and Bergen.

The Sogneford is not part of the traditional Norway in a Nutshell itinerary or The Hurtigruten Sail and Rail.
The boat trip from Flam to Gudvangen covers part of the Aurlandsfjord and the Naeroyfjord- both of which are arms of the Sognefjord.
To cover the whole of the Sognefjord, also the Lustrafjord, the remainder of the Aurlandsfjord and part of the Naeroyfjord you would need to take the afternoon Flam to Bergen direct boat, run by Norled.
You could get off that boat at Balestrand, overnight there, then next day do the Fjaerland Fjord and Boyabreen Glacier cruise, reboarding the Bergen bound boat afterwards.
That is a recognised connection and is a well known day trip from Bergen. The two boats berth adjacent to each other at Balestrand.

You can see the timetable for bus #200 Kristiansand to Mandal, every 30 minutes M-F, hourly Sa and Su on the Agder Kolllektivtraffik website.

Sail and Rail is day train Oslo to Trondheim, overnight hotel, voyage to Bergen, overnight hotel, next day train to Oslo direct.

Oh the way back the Bergen to Kristiansand ferry leaves at 1400, and arrives at Kristiansand at 1325 next day. Nice time to get to Mandal for overnight.

Oslo-Kristiansand-Mandal-Stavanger-Bergen-Oslo seems like a good option and would be my suggestion as well. But there is no need to rent a car to go to Mandal, there are frequent buses that take you from Kristiansand to Mandal in around 40 minutes. And don't underestimate Stavanger, it's a charming city in my opinion.

Any particular reason you sister wants to take a day trip to Malmö? There is nothing wrong with Malmö, it's a great city to visit. But for a general tourist I think Lund, Ystad or Helsingborg are better options. And if you want to see a Viking museum, Foteviken outside Malmö could be a good option, https://www.fotevikensmuseum.se/en

Badger, I suggested the rental car out of concern for Kathy's mother. But, you are correct, a car is not needed.

We just returned from a week in Norway with my 93 yr old dad. Dad can walk short distances only. We took a walker ( collapsible metal mot fancy) and a lightweight wheelchair ( some times alley a transfer chair). For the NIN part Dad did great on trains from Oslo to Myrdal. We booked first class and I chose seats as close to door as we could get. We shipped our luggage using the luggage service Rick mentions so we had only overnight backs. Dad got on train.y son snd I handled the bags and wheelchair and walker. Luckily the train arrives in station one half hour prior to departure so we had plenty of time. AT Mrydal the conductors put ramps down for Dad to exit. On the Flamsbana we sat in front car in separate section where conductor put us. We stayed overnight in Flam at the hotel Friethelm right across from station. Perfect. The next seg.ent was stressful as the boat was cancelled so we had to adjust the bus and train. We took the 4pm Older ship ( Lady Elisabeth?) . We took a cab ( pre-ordered when we got on boat) from Gudvagen to Voss for 60 euros each. We got the taxi info from the person at the ticket center in Flam at ferry section. It was well worth it. Then train to Bergen. We enjoyed it. We find that traveling with mobility challenges needs an advance scout a d willingness to take cabs and users. We did take trams in Oslo a d Bergen. In Oslo we were unze to go to the Resistance Museum as steep ess of walk a d cobblestones were too difficult. We did Vigelamd Park using the team and wheelchair. Dad waited by the the fountain rather than going to the section with the monolith. We also did the Historical Museum which required one of us to get the security guard at .ain't entrance to open the handicapped entrance. In Bergen we were able to do the Funivular and had a drink at the Cafe. We try and plan just 2 activities and add a rest prior to dinner. Dad is very happy to enjoy a drink at the hotel bar and relax at hotel for a bit while my son and I do our own thing. You may need or want to build in downtime for your mom.

Dianejay, the cancelled ferry from Flåm to Gudvangen explains some of the mystery of a bus shortage on your trip. The Norway's Best electric ferries are scheduled to coordinate seamlessly with the buses. You may want to update your original post "Caution NiN bus..." to reflect the fact that you traveled on the Lustrabaatane ferry schedule.

I'm glad everything worked out well and you had a good trip with your father.

Another possibly interesting trip from Kristiansand is the Setelsdalbanen steam railway at Grovane, about 20 km away.
It costs 230 Kr each.
You can get there on the hourly bus route #30 if you want.

I'd never heard of it, until reading a cruise excursion list this morning, from a cruise line which puts thought into its excursions, and doesn't charge the earth for them.

From the same cruiseline, on a summer Sunday the steamship Bjoren on the Byglandsfjord - a long narrow inland fjord. There is also the Bygland open air museum. You probably do need a car to get there close to where the ship docks.
That might be interesting in a general sense regarding your ancestral story.

I know two people who spent a few days with Havila Voyages (https://www.havilavoyages.com) and really enjoyed the experience. Neither or them cruise for their travels but enjoyed getting to see so much of the country from the water. I think the trips vary between 2-12 days in duration.

Thanks @Mel! Unfortunately it does not appear that Havila goes south of Bergen, and we likely won't have time to squeeze in a trip further north on the west coast. But I am keeping this on our list of potential ideas. The company looks great and the prices seem reasonable. Trying to visit Mandal (great-grandfather's hometown) for ancestry reasons adds to our challenges in planning this trip. Thinking we will totally forego Idelstrup Denmark (great-grandma's hometown) due to time also.

But I'm open to ideas if anyone has suggestions on how we could fly from SEA to Copenhagen or Oslo (and depart from there or somewhere else like Bergen?), visit Mandal Norway and Idelstrup Denmark, AND do some part of NIN in less than 12 days without having to rent a car. With our ma moving slower than most and using a cane/walker/rascal. LOL. Probably not realistic...

We just returned from a week in Norway with my 93 yr old dad. Dad can walk short distances only. We took a walker ( collapsible metal mot fancy) and a lightweight wheelchair

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, @Dianejay! Super helpful. We are debating on what to bring vs. what to rent when we are there. We'll put mom in a wheelchair for airports, but she normally does okay with a cane and really well with a walker. I also saw a place in Oslo that rents the 'rascal' type scooters, but I need to figure out how easy it would be to get those onto boats and trains.

Another possibly interesting trip from Kristiansand is the Setelsdalbanen steam railway at Grovane, about 20 km away.
It costs 230 Kr each.

Thanks @isn31c. We will look into that also!

So many beautiful things to see, so little time to see them! It is going to be a tough "we must narrow down our list of things to do and see" discussion with the 4 of us :)

Thanks again everyone!