Hi all... it's been a while since I have been on here. I miss the Rick Steves hospitality on here. (July 1-15 are our dates for reference) My wife and I are thinking about going to Norway in July. We kind of want to fly into Scotland and spend a few days there. Any recommendations on how many days to spend there? We want to see some small towns, definitely the highlands (maybe Mull) and then either go to Norway or fly to Amsterdam. She really want to go to the Van Gogh museum, then fly to Norway. How many days should one set aside to see the greatness of Norway's beauty?
We would probably not want to stay in Oslo more than a night. We want to see the fjords. Thanks a bunch!
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
We did a trip in June, 2005 that was one week in Scotland, then a KLM flight which was Glasgow-Amsterdam-Bergen (took me forever to find that flight on-line!), a week touring the Norwegian fjords with a rental car. We then flew Bergen-Amsterdam-London (KLM again.) We never went to Oslo, since our focus was the fjords. If you would like more details, just ask.
Posted by
OP
Orange, Ca
58 posts
That sounds awesome, and perfect for what we want to do.Could you send some more info please? Thanks a bunch!
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
I did a two week trip that included 2 days at Brugges, then 4 in Amsterdam and then a flight to Edinburgh where I caught a train north to Inverness. I did not fly KLM as the flight was outrageously expensive. Instead, I connected on British Airways through Stansted. It was cheaper, but a bit longer to do. But it's easy to get the airport from Amsterdam. i know it's easy to connect to Norway from Amsterdam, but I've not done it. You're packing a lot into two weeks. You could probably fly to Amsterdam, and see the museum in a day and fly out the next, but that sounds rushed for me. Can you tell us more about your interests? Are you whisky drinkers? Do you want to walk in the highlands? Are you interested in hearing some Scottish fiddle music? We can give you lots of suggestions. Mull is very nice. There are a couple of castles and there are waterfalls. In Tobermory there is a great pub, the Mish. Also, you can travel to Staffa and to Iona from Mull. And, finally there are wonderful wildlife tours on boats and you should look for otters and for eagles. Pam
Posted by
OP
Orange, Ca
58 posts
Pamela, thanks for some of your tips. The only reason actually Scotland was brought into the picture is because the best flight I found was into Scotland. I know its a perfect time of year to go too, so I figured why not stay a few days.
We would mostly want to visit quaint little towns, drink a beer or two and explore the natural beauty of Scotland. We are not big drinkers, only with meals, so I wouldn't visit somewhere based on a drink. In Amsterdam I was thinking 2-3 nights. Thanks!!
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Wow, wish I could find those flights. ; ) If you just have a few days, then think about spending one or two in Edinburgh and then two or three in the countryside. You might not want to go out to an island with limited time, but you could easily head to Inverness and explore bits of the north. Or go up the east into Aberdeenshire and visit castle and see the Cairngorms. Another favorite place of mine is Perthshire. It's not as far north, but it's beautiful scenery. I like Dunkeld because of the music pub there. Also, there are some great walks in the area. I also like Aberfeldy because of Loch Tay, the walk up the Birk's of Aberfeldy and the beautiful scenery. A bit further up the A9 is Pitlochry with the festival theater and just beyond it is Blair castle. Look at Undiscovered Scotland on the web. It's a great resource. Pam