Hello all,
I am planning a 2 week trip to Norway and Stockholm in September.
After researching on all the many stunning options we could go in Norway, I have narrowed it down to Oslo, Tromso, Bergen and exploring the Fjords. I decided to leave Lofoten islands, Trondheim, Alesund and Stavanger for next time.
We are flying into Oslo and leaving Stockholm.
Day 1: Arrive Oslo at 7am, take 10am flight to Tromso, arrive 12noon. Explore Tromso, early rest to recover from jet lag (from 33 hour total travel time from Melbourne)
Day 2: Explore Tromso + Norther Lights tour in evening
Day 3: As above
Day 4: As above
Day 5: As above
Day 6: Take 2pm direct flight to Bergen, arrive 4:30pm. Explore Bergen
Day 7: Full day to explore Bergen
Day 8: Depart Bergen on Fjords cruise (Hardangerfjord or Sognefjord), stay overnight at Balestrand or Solvorn
Day 9: Depart Balestrand/Solvorn for the Norway in Nutshell towards Oslo
Day 10: Full day to explore Oslo
Day 11: Depart Oslo 8:30am flight, arrive Stockholm 9:30am. Explore Stockholm.
Day 12: Full day to explore Stockholm
Day 13: Full day to explore Stockholm
Day 14: Depart Stockholm
Does this itinerary sound intuitive in regards to order of stops? I wasn't sure if we should explore Oslo first for 2 days, then fly to Tromso, spend a few days there, fly to Bergen and then do the Norway in Nutshell backwards to Oslo. I didn't want to do the NiN in 1 day as I felt it might be exhausting and would rather spend a bit more time enjoying the Fjords. What do you think?
A few questions I have:
1) Would you suggest staying at Bergen for 2 nights and do day trips out to Hardangerfjord or Sognefjord, before departing on the Norway in Nutshell, instead of staying 1 night in Bergen and 1 night in Balestrand?
2) What day trips could we do from Bergen or Balestrand?
3) Would you recommend staying overnight in Flam, Balestrand or Solvorn?
4) For the NiN journey, which train journey is the most scenic? Is it the one from Voss to Bergen? The reason for asking is, on Day 9 above, if we left Balestrand for Oslo, we would be skipping the Voss to Bergen train ride completely, and didn't want to miss it if it's the most scenic train ride.
5) I considered the Hurtigruten cruise, but I wanted to save this for our next trip to Norway, to cover off the other attractions in Norway.
6) It's a bit confusing reading all the different day trip possibilities on Fjordtours and Norway in Nutshell websites, which Fjord trips would you most recommend seeing?
7) Are there any parts of the itinerary where I have allocated too much or too little time for?
Would greatly appreciate feedback. Thanks
By the way, I understand that going to Tromso last means more darkness, but I have checked the sunrise/sunset times and 10 days difference is only about 30 minutes difference, I have contacted the tours and they have said it shouldn't make too much difference. Going to Tromso at the start of our trip (2nd Sep) will be during the new moon, whereas leaving it last it will be close to the full moon, with brighter skies.