Seeking Advice on Alesund, Bergen, Voss & Flam segment of my trip

Posted by anlesh on 07/13/25 05:20 PM

I am traveling solo to Norway in mid-September this year. I'll be spending 4 days in Lofoten Islands and then heading south to Alesund, Bergen, Voss and Flam. At least, I believe that'll be my itinerary. I'm trying to take public transportation so I can enjoy the views vs driving. I love nature and want to see as much of the area as possible, but I am trying not to repeat paths of travel which I fear may be the case. Here is my proposed itinerary and I'm looking for advice on whether I'm trying to do too much and/or my path is ill-advised.

Day 1 - Alesund; explore town and climb Mt. Aksla

Day 2 - Roundtrip Cruise from Alesund to Hjorundfjord and Geirangerfjord and Geiranger

Day 3 - Sightseeing Village and Fjord Tour to Trollstiegen (6 hours); Fly to Bergen in pm

Day 4 - Bergen; walking tour in am, Floibanen funicular in pm; stay in Bergen

Day 5 - Bergen railway to Voss; walk around town and ride Voss Gondola; stay in Voss

Day 6 - All Day guided fjord and glacier tour to Fjaerland; stay in Voss

Day 7 - Bergen railway to Myrdal then Flam Railway to Flam; arrives 10:30 am and then do zodiac Flam tour; stay in Flam

Day 8 - Take hiking tour of Naeroyfjord; stay in Flam

Day 9 - Tour of Borgund Stave Church and Stegastein (9-1pm) ; Take Sognefjord Cruise to Bergen (3:30 pm); stay in Bergen

Day 10 - Looking at Hardangerfjord in a Nutshell from Bergen to Oslo but the train ride to Oslo would be in the dark. Was wondering if I should stay somewhere along the way one night to see another town and then ride the train early the next day to see the sights back to Oslo.

I'll end the trip with a day and a half in Oslo. I'm not a big city person so that's enough for what I want to accomplish.

Would love feedback, ideas on how to streamline and general advice. I love nature and want to see and do as much as possible. If I like to be busy from morning till dinnertime. If I'm moving too much and should do more activities like kayak and hike in certain locations, let me know. Appreciate your time and ideas :)

Posted by IsleDriver

07/13/25 06:52 PM

3 posts

Sounds like a great trip! Two notes:
1) The ‘Borgund Stave Church’ is a long drive…to see a Church. We chose to skip that piece. Your time might be better spent on other things.
2) ‘Stay in Flam’ two nights: This will cost you a lot. For cheapest options, book a year in advance. We could find anything except $500/night when we looked a few months in advance. We’re staying 30 minutes drive away.
Have fun!

Posted by jmajor

07/17/25 02:06 AM

2 posts

My husband and I just returned from our 17 day trip to Norway. We did a very similar trip with the exception of Voss. We spent 5 nights on the Lofoton Islands staying in Ballstad as it was kinda the center of the island. You definitely need to rent a car while on the Lofoton Islands- you should pre-book your car rental and retrieve at the Leknes Airport. The booking companies present at that airport are: Hertz, Avis and Sixt. We booked with Avis and knowing what we know (now) we should have booked with Hertz as they have more selection of vehicles. Select a small car as the roads can be narrow and curvy. We were blessed with beautiful weather on everyday and we were there during the midnight sun. We hiked the "Ryten Mountain"- this should be a bucket list hike for all. The most beautiful hike we have done. Ever!! You will want to get to this hiking spot no later than 9:30 a.m., as parking can be an issue. The farmer charges 10NOK to park. Once it fills up the nearest area will be 2 miles (walking in to trailhead) away. The hike is awesome and it was worth the thigh burning two (2) hour climb; as the 360 degree view was spectacular. We also hiked the Reinbergener steps totally 1978 steep steps to another great view looking over the village of Reine. We did a midnight sun kayak for three (3) hours and we took a RIB boat out of Svolvaer to view the white tail eagles and tour on the Vestfjorden. If you are near Svolvaer drive 20 minutes to visit the village of Henningvaer. While on Lofoton we visited the following villages: "A"village the furthest Southern point and enjoyed the famous cinnamon buns. We walked around Reine, beautiful pictures of the harbor to be had if you walk up from the town and look down. We also had a nice lunch (after the 1978 steps) of delicious fish soup and fish and chips in Reine. We stopped and took pictures of the yellow Rorbuers at the Hamnoy Bridge and we went to three (3) beaches; the Arctic Surf beach and the two (2) beaches just 15 minutes outside of Leknes. You must go to the Viking Museum just outside of Leknes... very interesting. We loved it and were blessed with fabulous weather.

Regarding Western Norway- I would encourage you to visit the Borgund Stave Church it is amazing. It is only a 45 minute drive from Flam - while worth the effort. They also have a museum that we enjoyed. On your way to the Borgund Stave you will drive through the Laerdal Tunnel which is 15.23 miles long- the longest tunnel in the world. The tunnel has special color changing lighting (pink, purple, blue, yellow) that would make Richard Branson proud. Very cool.

While in Geiranger hike up to see the raging waterfall and do it in the morning to avoid the 9,000 people coming off of the three huge cruise ships that do it in mass in the afternoon. From the waterfall we continued hiking up the trail to the Flydalsjuvet Viewpoint. The trail is easy to find and well marked. And, if there is no fog on the mountain peaks- I recommend taking the drive to Dalsnibba (Geiranger Skywalk) ... not worth it if the peaks are consumed with fog because you will not be able to see the fjord from above.

You will love the Naeroyfjord it was our favorite. Enjoy your adventure; it is such a beautiful country. Truly mesmerizing!!!