Best of Scandinavia - extra days at end of tour?

My wife and I are doing the same tour this summer. it will be our fourth RS tour and we always arrive at least one day before and one day after. We have never been sorry. I look forward to the answers your get.

I have never taken a Rick Steves' tour, but have traveled in Norway.

There is always more to see and do. For example, if you want more time on the fjords with a full day you could visit the Hardangerfjord with fjord villages and waterfalls:

Hardangerfjord in a Nutshell

To Rosendal on the Hardangerfjord

If you only have a half day, there's the
Mostrauman Fjord Cruise

Just outside of town is the Troldhaugen, the home of composer Edvard Greig (sometimes with summer concerts), the Fantoft Stave Church, and the open air museum Gamle Bergen.

In town you have the
KODE Museums, the Hanseatic Museum & Schøttsteune Assembly Rooms and even the Troll Museum.

Enjoy your tour!

I took this tour last year and loved it. I stayed an extra day in Bergen. I took a food tour and then enjoyed the many museums. The next day I took a very easy bus ride to the airport. The first stop was three blocks from the tour hotel, can’t remember the cost but very inexpensive and comfortable. https://www.flybussen.no/en/airports/bergen-airport-flybussen-bergen/
Have a great trip!

It’s been a while, but my husband and I stayed 1 extra day, then booked Norway in a Nutshell to get back to Oslo. I loved it. The day our RS tour crossed the fjord was overcast and drizzly. The same crossing on the NiN trip was sunny and glorious—both beautiful but different. Also the bus ride down to the fjord was beautiful and the cogwheel trip fantastic. The last leg of the trip into Oslo was “meh” but it was late enough in August that it was mostly dark. We spent the night in Oslo then flew to Venice for our next adventure.
Scandinavia was beautiful and mostly sunny and warm but not hot. We had a few rain showers but the only real overcast/drizzly day was going from the mountains to Bergen—and Bergen was fine.

Patty, what a great idea! Most flights out of Bergen that I'm finding depart at 6:40am which would make for a miserable morning. Repositioning to Oslo sounds much better. Did you do the whole trip in one day? It sounds like it since you mention it being dark in Oslo when you arrived. If I do this I think I'll leave the morning the tour is over but break it up into 2 days and spend a nite in Flåm.

And thanks to everyone else for their suggestions.

John, if you are planning to overnight in Flåm this summer, book your lodging ASAP. The limited rooms are $$$$. One budget place to consider is Flåm Camping and Hostel. They offer private rooms and cabins with and without private facilities. The rooms are basic but clean and you're a 5 minute walk to the village.

If Flam lodging is (and remains--keep checking) hopeless, the next place I'd try would be Aurland. I loved the Nutshell route when I took it (Oslo to Bergen) a few years ago in June. Be mindful of the time of year; you'll want to travel during daylight hours.

John, it took all day. We had several hours in Flam and had a fun lunch. I would do it again. We flew from Oslo to Venice and if leaving from Bergen most flights to Italy had a layover in Oslo. Our trip ended in the second half of August and the days were already getting noticeably shorter in Norway.

@acraven & @jeanm I was hoping to stay at the Flåm Camping and Hostel but they were out of private rooms and the other hotels were much more that I wanted to pay. So I reserved a room in Aurland. Searching online it's supposed to be a 10 minute or so bus ride away, although the next morning when I depart I might take a taxi back to Flåm if the buses aren't that frequent.

In the RS book he says Flåm is mainly a transit connection although it also has a train museum. And it says the fjord cruise can stop at Aurland. So what if I just got off there and then went to Flåm the next morning to continue the trip? Would I be missing much? If I went to Flåm on the cruise I think I'd need to drop my bag at the visitor center for a while to see the town, then take the bus to Aurland. So I'm trying to decide which would be better to do.

When you book your ferry tickets with Norway's Best, be sure to book from Gudvangen to Aurland. I would also let the crew know you are going to Aurland upon boarding since it is not a regular scheduled stop. Ask them what time and where you should be to prepare to disembark in Aurland.

If booking a taxi to Flåm, I suggest reserving in advance. Here's the link to Norway's Best shuttle between Aurland and Flåm with times.

If you do want to stay in Flåm, keep checking Flåm Camping and Hostel. There are cancellations and openings all the time.

Regarding luggage - Porter Service can transfer your luggage from Bergen to your Oslo hotel if you want to travel light on the Nutshell.

IMO, you won't miss much by getting off the ferry in Aurland. While it's always nice to be on the water surrounded by mountains, the Naeroyfjord is the big draw. So your only missing the last 20-25 minutes or so of the Aurlandfjord. And if cruise ships are in town, that will spoil some of the view. Spend the extra time visiting the Stegastein Viewpoint while in Aurland. The views overlooking the fjord are wonderful.