Norway with Limited Mobility

Hi mhsrmoore, have you considered flying to Oslo, taking the scenic train to Bergen, then doing a cruise in Norway? We’ve been to Norway three times and it is beautiful. A cruise would enable your brother-in- law to do an excursion or take a day off, relax, and enjoy the scenery. We like Viking but there are many cruise lines that do Norway. Just a thought.

I actually quickly looked at a cruise today and wondered if that might be a good way to go. I like the idea of doing the specific thing he wants in Norway and then embarking. I'll look more into that idea, thanks.

My close friend who has more advanced Parkinson’s did an Oceania cruise of Norway (and a bit of Denmark, Sweden) this past summer and loved it. They did a few of the shore tours but mostly enjoyed the views as the ship made its way to Tromso. It was a long time dream of hers to do and she managed.

I'll look into Oceania cruises as well then, thanks!

I was going to suggest a cruise as a good alternative with the health issues. I did a 15 day cruise last summer with Princess that went along the entire coastline and up to the Northcape. The scenery was amazing. They also offer 7 and 8 day cruises to Norway. Their price will be less than Oceania.

Norway in a Nutshell is a good option that lets you see a selection of different Norwegian landscapes, both fjords and mountains. Traditionally it starts in Oslo and ends in Bergen or v.v. but you can do a part of it if you want to return to the same city you started in. And you don't need to book it as a tour, it is done by regular public transportation and a tour boat. So you can book it on your own if you want.

I took the classic Norway-in-a-Nutshell trip last summer, spending a couple of nights in Flam because I really, really wanted to see the Borgund stave church (via once-a day bus). There's very little walking required during the Nutshell trip. The transfers from train to boat to bus, etc., are very, very easy. You're basically sitting on various forms of transportation and gawking. The scenery along the Nutshell route is fabulous (though you have to accept that weather in Norway is unpredictable, and visibility may not be perfect). I would absolutely recommend using the Nutshell route to get from Oslo to Bergen, which is the likely embarkation point for a cruise. Deviations from the classic Nutshell route do not offer better scenery.

It's not hard to book the components of the Nutshell trip yourself and save some money. I imagine you'd save at least $100 per person by doing it yourself, and you really need to do a similar amount of research even if you turn the task over to Fjord Tours--you'll need to decide which departure time you want for the various transportation legs and whether you want to spend a night or two somewhere along the way (which is likely to be expensive). The actual booking of transportation tickets is quite easy. Given that there are four of you, I'd take the do-it-yourself approach.

Bergen is an exceptionally lovely town but quite hilly away from the harbor area. Norway is expensive in general. Taxis are exorbitant, from all reports. Be careful about putting yourself in a position of needing taxis--though with four of you traveling together, the cost would be less painful. (I'm usually a solo traveler.)

I took two overnight trips on the Hurtigruten ferry, Bergen-Alesund (with daytime detour into the beautiful Geirangerfjord) and Alesund-Trondheim. I enjoyed those experiences a lot, but a traditional cruise would probably come at a lower per-day cost. (I'm no expert on cruising.) The Hurtigruten ships are smaller. Food is said to be good; I cheaped out and subsisted on Wasa crispbread and cheese. Hurtigruten spends little time in each port. The exception is the pretty Art Nouveau city of Alesund, where you can spend the entire day if you opt not to stay on the ship while it makes the detour into the extremely scenic Geirangerfjord.

@carol now retired, thanks for the info on Princess cruises. I'll look into that.

@Badger Thanks, I'm starting to think planning to do NIN on our own will be easy enough.

@acraven Thank you, this is all so helpful! If we decide on a cruise, doing NIN first from Oslo to Bergen seems like it would be a great way to do it! They do want to see the Borgund stave church and I read that was like a mile walk from where the bus drops you off. Does that one seem doable for us? If so, I'll plan it into our NIN. And thank you for the info that detouring off the normal NIN doesn't add much to the experience so I don't have to chase around that idea, haha.

I just wanted to add a bit on my taxi experiences as the OP may find them handy in the circumstances. Last there July 2023.

Yes, expensive. in Oslo, we used several. Before getting in, ask the driver if they can take you to your location and what is the fare. We wanted a standard route from the Radisson Blu to the National Museum and multiple drivers claimed they couldn’t do it. (I think they wanted a fare to the cruise ship docks.). Someone offered and was great at pointing out sites on the way.

Another day we went to Vigeland Park with no problems. Fare was higher than most cities (I take cabs a lot), but matched what a taxi fare estimate website had suggested.

Many of the drivers spoke no English. I showed them pictures of where we wanted to go.

I felt the process was more like getting a taxi in a developing country - some negotiation involved. These were licensed taxis. Each company has a different rate.

Bergen- hotel called a taxi to take us to the airport. No problems.

It sounds as if a lot of the taxi drivers are immigrants (as they are in my hometown); it's really difficult to find someone who's been through the Norwegian school system and doesn't speak English really well.

When do you plan to take this trip? As of 2022 bus service to Borgund changed in high season and there was a bus right past the church with no transfer required. I don't know what date the switchover occurs, but it was before June 21. Even with the direct bus you aren't home free. My bus left Flam 20 minutes late, so I had just enough time to see the church but no time to see the stave-church museum located at the visitor center. That was disappointing.

The bus departs from a spot in/near the large parking lot in Flam. I think there was some sort of sign. Don't expect to get any information from the "Visitor Center", which is just a ticket agency, not a tourist information office. They lied to me and denied that there was any bus service to Borgund.

Timing of the bus is such that you'll probably have to spend at least one night in Flam. I don't know whether you can manage to see the church without a second night there.; the ferry to Gudvangen doesn't run very often. Whether you need one night or two, you should make a reservation immediately. There's huge demand for rooms in Flam because it's so convenient for people depending on public transportation. I travel on the cheap and had few choices in Dec/Jan for a June trip.

I ended up getting a private room with bath at the Flam hostel. It was just as plain as you might imagine, but it was comfortable enough and the plumbing and hot water worked. I don't remember whether there was Wi-Fi (the website should make that clear). There are traditional hotels in Flam, but the rates will escalate as time goes on, and you could easily end up being frozen out if you don't book soon. The woman managing the hostel was very helpful; she's the one who told me there should be a bus to Borgund when the VC people denied it.

@acraven Again, very helpful info! We are wanting to go the second half of May/beginning of June. I am working on getting this figured out quickly because I have heard that about Flam and getting reservations. Thanks and I'll try to find out when the bus changes routes for the season to see if it will be going close to the church in our timeframe.

I like to open up the car option again because it allows own speed and off-the crowds and Norway is simple to navigate and drive. Little bit more ambitious around passes but everything possible, nothing dangerous because older Norwegians want to use their car too. If you are not over-ambitious it is a smooth and slow journey due to speed limits.

Maybe you plan a tour flying into Bergen stay there for two nights, then rent a car and drive around in your own comfortable speed (e. g. Hardanger scenic tour including Flam and Aurland Fjell tour). Back in Bergen you could enter Havila or Hurtigruten to "sail" up the coast line. After disembarking at which port ever you fly back to Oslo, stay there for 2-3 nights and then fly out of Oslo.

This year (2023) the bus to Borgund Stave Church ran from 24 June to 20 August- https://www.norwaysbest.com/globalassets/pdf/rutetider/rutetider-2023/bus-flam-lardal-borgund-tyinkrysset-2023.pdf

The rest of the year there is the Norway Bus Express 162 Bergen to Lillehammer bus- departs Flam at 1200, to Lo Aust arrive 1254, then a nearly half hour walk, returning at 1414.

So you would get very little time there, and the walk is far from ideal for you.

Gee, it sounds as if the day I took that bus may have been just about the first day it ran in 2022. It had appeared the connecting-bus route would give me about an hour at the Borgund church, so the non-summer schedule may have been a bit different that year. I knew I could do the walk, but I was quite concerned about the weather; precipitation always seems to be a risk in western Norway, and I figured (though I don't know for sure) the transfer point might not have a bus shelter, so I feared I could end up in a persistent downpour.

There are of course other stave churches in Norway. There's the Gol Stave Church at the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo, and there's a post-arson rebuild outside Bergen. The latter is the Fantoft Stave Church. It's accessible via the light rail line that continues on to the airport, but there's a significant uphill walk from the light rail station. Others are scattered around; it's just that the one at Borgund is especially nice, and there's the museum right there.

Fantoft Stave Church outside Bergen

Gol Stave Church at the Norwegian Folk Museum, Oslo

We rented a car for 15 of our 18 days in Norway, and I'm really happy we did. I did a trip report about it: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/norway-driving-18-days

Bummer about the Borgund Stave Church dates, @isn31c. Thanks for that info. I'll look at the other stave church options, too.

I really like the look of the Viking cruise but they have no sailings available until July. 😥

I looked at the Hurtigruten cruises but then read reviews and now I'm scared away from them.

A travel agent friend sent me an itinerary for a cruise with exoticca, but then I read reviews and am scared away from them, too. 😂

I'm thinking of pulling up my big girl panties and using these itineraries as starting points to set up a route and renting a car. Thanks for the encouragement that driving isn't so hard there. Your trip report is great, @mnannie. Thanks for linking it for me.

Here I go, off to learn more about Norway than I ever wanted to. 😄

Your trip report is great, @mnannie. Thanks for linking it for me.

You're welcome!

If you decide to drive, read up on the traffic signs. Don't speed (I read the fines can be high). Assume that you will pay for parking at many stops, so look for signs and payment machines at lots. Tolls and ferry fees are usually added automatically to the rental car's final invoice. Ferry travel is extremely easy.

The secondary roads can be narrow. 13 from Granvin down to Sand was a slow go because that section had a lot of narrow spots where we had to move over. We chose to do a few of the old roads over mountains instead of the tunnel option. Those were a bit interesting (but we loved the views and was okay for us). Stick to the main roads and driving should be fine.

I looked at the Hurtigruten cruises but then read reviews and now I'm scared away from them.

I use them for years and see advantages and disadvantages but nothing someone shall be scared of. If you share your thought on this I can provide some insight. This summer I was taking Hurtigruten 3 times with my 81 year old mother (also a bit limited in mobility) and besides the real bad coffee quality she was really happy.

@mnannie Thank you for the driving tips!

@MarkK I was not "scared" per se, but more dissuaded by the reviews I read. I think it probably depends on what you're looking for in a fjord cruise. I did get the impression the Hurtigruten is designed to be a "commuter" ferry for locals as well as a delivery system for goods, etc. So that is why there are so many stops at smaller places where they offload goods and on/off passengers, but those going through don't get off the boat. It seemed like maybe a waste of time when that isn't our purpose for it. Also, comments like one cappuccino machine for the entire boat, etc. I just ended up feeling like it's not what we're looking for.

Hi mhsrmoore,

We did a Viking ocean cruise, “Into the Midnight Sun”, that we really enjoyed. There are sailings for this itinerary available in May and June 2024. We sailed London to Bergen, then took the scenic train to Oslo and flew home from there. Check it out!

https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/into-the-midnight-sun/pricing.html#search/sfym=2024-5&sftcm=into-the-midnight-sun