My husband and I are planning 4 days in Norway next month (mid September, 2014) for part of our honeymoon. We are going from Bergen to Oslo, via the Nutshell. Based on Rick Steve's advise, and many posts in this forum, we would like to stay in Balestrand.
Here is our tentative plan:
Sunday Sept 14: Arrive in Bergen by plane, stay 1 night,
Monday Sept 15: Express boat from Bergen to Balestrand, say 2 nights,
Tuesday Sept 16: Day excursion to see Naeroyfjord (QUESTIONS),
Wednesday Sept 17: Connect with Nutshell from Balestrand to Flam, via the Aurlandsfjord, then Flamsbana Train, end on Oslo,
Thursday Sept 18: Oslo
The traditional Nutshell route from Bergen to Oslo takes you through Voss and the Naeroyfjord. However, detouring up to Balestrand means that we miss the Naeroyfjord portion of the route. Based on numerous reviews, and accepting that ALL the fjords will be stunning, the Naeroyfjord sounds like it is a "not to miss" site and we really want to make sure that we get to see it.
Questions: If we stay in Balestrand 2 nights and dedicate the middle day there (Tuesday) to an excursion, is there a ferry route that would take us from Balestrand through the Naeroyfjord to Gudvangen? I can't find a direct ferry from Balestrand to Gudvangen online, so maybe it's a combination of ferries? Is there a time table available for these? If we do this, is it best to just take the same ferry(s) back on the return to Balestrand, or take a bus/ other transporation from Gudvangen to Balestrand? Should we book this advance or make the arrangements when we get to Balestrand? We are not picky about the type of ferry/ boat, so long as we get to see the fjord.
Before we book our room in Balestrand and start booking our Nutshell transportation, I want to make sure that we can do the day excursion to the Naeroyfjord and I'm having trouble finding this answer elsewhere, so I'm hoping the experts of the RS world can help.
Thank you!