This was our long awaited and first trip to Scandinavia. I had Norway on my list to visit for the past 20 years. Two things got in my way. First, my obsession with Italy (14 trips) plus the cost of travel to Norway. We finally decided to bite the bullet as we are not getting any younger. We are 2 couples(67&77 and 72&78) traveling together. We considered going the cruise route, but decided that would be too limiting in terms of port choices and time in ports. But boy, we would have loved the unpacking once part!
We flew from Boston and got a good deal on an SAS flight with a stopover in Copenhagen so our travel Itinerary was: 3 nights Copenhagen, overnight on the DFDS ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo; 2 nights Oslo; train to Myrdal-Flamsbana to Flam; 1 night Flam; Ferry from Flam to Bergen; 3 nights Bergen; Hurtigruten Bergen overnight to Ålesund; 2 nights Ålesund; rent a car at Vigra airport and drive to Atlantic Ocean Road; one night in Farstad; drive to Geiranger, ferry to Hellesyt; one night in Stranda; drive back to Vigra, drop rental car and fly to Oslo; last night in Oslo before flying home to Boston.
First Comment: Knowing what I know now, I would eliminate Copenhagen from this trip and just concentrate on Norway. Not because we didn’t like Copenhagen…we LOVED it! It deserved its own time, and I’m sure we’ll be back. We rented an air bnb in the Engholmene area known as “little Venice”. It was a great place to watch the locals stroll down to the water in their plush bathrobes and meet their friends for a quick morning dip and a chat. It was easy to take the Bus or Water Bus into town from our neighborhood. And we loved our first day with the stromma canal boat tour. It was a perfect way to see all the different neighborhoods and the architectural highlights of the city.
Now on to Norway…we took the DFDS overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo. In my opinion, this was the best way to go! Not at all what I expected from a ferry! We boarded the ferry around 2pm. The cabin was clean, comfortable & the vibe relaxing..There was a very nice cocktail bar with luxe seating and we had the best cocktail of the entire trip with a lovely charcuterie plate. Shared a pizza for dinner in one of the restaurants. Did a little duty free shopping. Wanted to go for a walk on deck, but weather didn’t cooperate. Got up early, had a nice shower, ate breakfast and remained on deck for the sail up the Oslo fjord..Absolutely great experience and one of the best bargains of the trip when you consider its your overnight accommodation AND travel cost.
We stored our luggage at the Thon Opera, which was an easy walk from the ferry, and oriented ourselves with one of the free walking tours of Oslo, which was worth what we paid for it (plus a tip) At least we were oriented to the neighborhoods. Later that afternoon, I spent a couple hours at the Munch museum and our friends met us there for drinks in the Sky Bar for a GREAT view overlooking the city and opera house. Finding a casual restaurant to sit and have dinner that didn’t cost $$$ was a challenge…particularly in the center city. Day 2 we took a ferry to Bygdøy island, took in the museums and attended a chamber music concert. A lovely spot to spend the day, especially in good weather. We ended up eating dinner at the Thon Opera Bar, which was a pleasant surprise. Price was reasonable for the quality of the food that they served. Also should mention the Thon breakfast buffets, which were AMAZING. Not like the typical American Hotel breakfast buffet.