I am considering booking an overnight in Voss to break up the train ride from Oslo to Bergen. I've looked at all the stops the train makes, and Voss seems to be the most things to do (I considered Finse buy there is not much there).
I'm traveling with my husband (with backpacks); we have an extra day before Bergen (which we have booked for 3 nights before heading out on a Havila BKB Cruise. (Bergen is night of arrival, then two full days).
Thanks in advance,
Voss is a good base to rent a car for a day and explore Hardanger scenic route. Skjervsfossen is one of my favorite waterfalls.
I guess Finse would make millions of money with a "Hoth" museum. Background: the ice planet Hoth scenes of "Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back" were filmed near Finse (source).
Are you familiar with Norway in a Nutshell tour from Oslo to Bergen?
True there's not much at Finse but as " the southern most artic place" is an extraordinary stop off.
I stayed at the DNT lodge and walked over to the glacier and visted the museumn at hotel 1222(?)
Hello. I am familiar with NiN but because we are taking the Havila cruise decided not to do it.
Interesting about Finse! I’m sure it’s spectacular.
I’ve decided to add another night in Stockholm to make up my “extra” night.
Thank you for the feedback.
And thank you on the tip and link about the scenic roads. Very helpful.
We took the train from Oslo to Bergen last summer. It stopped for 20 minutes in Finse so everyone could step out and admire the view.
Cynthia - I will definitely want to step out and enjoy Finse - it sounds fantastic!
Just keep in mind that most trains only stop a few minutes at Finse. Some departures make a longer stop, but 20 minutes must have been due to some delay, I don't think any departure has a scheduled stop that long.
Just saw this and am interested, too. I'm doing a Havila cruise from Bergen to Kerkenes in May, and plan to take the train to Bergen from Oslo. I'd been considering doing a side overnight trip to Flam, but really, I'm not sure if I should do that or stop somewhere else. Also, I'm not sure how to arrange the journey to accommodate this. The NIN tour is too expensive for me, so I'd prefer to skip that. Any thoughts appreciated.
@ Chilly Bean- One thing you could do is to go to Flam on the morning train, then take the Norled express ferry at 1530 direct to Bergen, arriving at 2045. This year that costs 1060 Norwegian Krone (about US$130) each way, and is booked direct with Norled.
It is express but makes a few stops at smaller ports on the way.
That would be a bit less money than Norway in a Nutshell and you avoid trying to find somewhere for the night in Flam or elsewhere, instead getting an extra night in Bergen, where there are lots of hotels- several within a very short distance of the Norled terminal.
Thanks! This is great information. I just looked at the schedules, though, and that seems like a lot of travel for one day. I've never been to Flam, so I really don't know what it's like. Is there some reason you're not recommending I stay overnight there? Would Voss be a better option?
Flam is a tiny village at the end of a fjord. A beautiful place, but tiny. That means the accommodation market is tight.
And there are a lot of comments on here about the effects of the cruise industry there.
If you stay overnight you are then on that ferry next day, or on the train back up to Myrdal for Bergen next day, or on the Norway in a Nutshell. Some people think that the NiN and the Coastal Voyage provides duplication of great scenery.
The elements of NiN onward from Flam can be booked independently but it doesn't work out a great deal cheaper. You could get off overnight at one of the other ports en route to Bergen- as some also have a morning boat to Bergen. I know someone (from the US) who did that last year, at a really well priced hostel in a lovely untouristed tiny port-then got the next morning's ferry to do a request stop for her.
But I can't remember what that port was called, and can't find her Travel Agent's itinerary from last year- it's buried too far back in my e-mails.
Maybe isn31c is thinking about Aurland?
It wasn't Aurland. It was somewhere that has never been mentioned on this forum (I looked this time last year) and which I struggled to find on Google Maps. I asked a few weeks ago , as at the time I thought it had been chosen for genealogical reasons. But booking in August last year for September last year it was just where the Seattle based TA could find that had a free bed at a reasonable price.
But it turned out to be a good 'un, anyway.
There are more obvious ports on the line of route which this forum has actually heard of, and could give you recommendations for.
Do you remember if it was the Flåm-Gudvangen boat or the Flåm-Bergen one?
I wish I could. I've been trawling through old e-mails. I've found photos from Flam, Bergen and the outbound Icelandair stopover in Iceland, and a lot else besides (not the Norway trip) but not the itinerary.
It's always interesting to see how others find a place!
I've saved this year's Iceland and Norway itinerary today so at least have that. This year they wanted to keep things simple- so just Iceland and Oslo!!
Chilly Bean - A tip a poster gave to me when I was exploring doing the NIN, prior to the BKB Havila cruise, was that the Havila cruise would more then make up for in scenic views for the NIN tour. We are staying 4 nights in Oslo, taking the train direct to Bergen, arriving in Bergen around 7 pm, then staying one more night before the cruise. I opted to not add in the Norway in a Nutshell piece crossing to Bergen because I felt we would just see enough beauty from the ship. For me, that was enough.
Hoping you get the answers you are looking for here - it's been a very helpful forum to me as well.
