Day and I recently went to Norway with our friends K & J. J turned 50 this year, and celebrations began in June with a trip to Norway. The celebrating would continue in California in July, and will end in September with a trip to Amsterdam.
K has orchestrated and planned the entire summer/fall birthday extravaganza, beginning with Norway, and has done an awesome job. The itinerary for Norway was perfect, in my opinion. Some destinations are easy, Rome, Tokyo, Prague or Venice for instance, your entire vacation could be spent in the city. You could have no plans at all, wing it, wander about (I’d always schedule a food tour though) and have a glorious time. Norway however, may not be so easy. There’s a lot to do and see, and it could be a bit overwhelming. K, got Norway right.
She got the itinerary right, she kinda had a brain fart with the length though. She had us flying in on a Tuesday and leaving on Sunday. I’m not sure what that was all about, I would have liked to have had Saturday, Sunday and Monday as well, so keep that in mind. Well, let’s get started.
Oslo, the capital city
We flew into Oslo, the capitol of Norway. Oslo is like most other metropolitan cities, big, busy, there are sights to see, museums, and plenty of restaurants. How much time you spend there depends on how much you enjoy big cities, you could easily spend the week there if you wanted.
We stayed at an AirBnB, which was nice, but I can’t remember the name. Between AirBnB’s, Bed and Breakfast’s and a whole range of hotels, options are limitless.
As with any other major European city, public transportation is fantastic, so you don’t need a rental car. We use public transportation wherever we can. I think it adds to the experience of immersing yourself in the culture (Day likes the money we save on the rental car).
We went to the Viking Museum, which was pretty good, had a fantastic dinner at Maaemo, a two star Michelin restaurant, and as usual, went on a food tour. There is plenty more to do, but we were only there 3 days, 2 nights, and 2 of those days were travel days. One more day would have been enough for me, but I was eager to get to Flam.
Oslo to Flam by train
From Oslo, we took a commuter train to Myrdal, and then from Myrdal to Flam on the Flam Railway. As I said, K did all the planning, including booking the trains, so I know little, but here is a good place to start.
The train from Oslo to Myrdal is nice (get the first class seats). It’s a long train ride (about 4.5 hrs), but the scenery is spectacular, and that’s what a visit to Norway is about, right? The train is comfortable, there are complimentary refreshments, wifi and charging stations for your phone, so sit back and enjoy.
Once you get to Myrdal, change trains. It’s the same platform, so it’s incredibly easy, just wait for the old historic Flam train to show up, and jump on. Keep in mind, you want to be on the lefthand side, if you’re facing the direction it came from, to get the best views. The train makes one stop along the way, for tourists to get a closer look and photos of the Kjosfossen Waterfall. Sorry for the lack of photos, it was pouring rain the entire trip, and my photos didn’t come out that great.
“The Flåm Railway is considered to be one of Norway’s most important and spectacular tourist attractions. Every year, this amazing railway line attracts visitors from around the world and in 2014 Lonely Planet named it the world’s most beautiful train journey…”
Not my words, but certainly my sentiment.
Flam
Flam, wow, just wow! Flam is a tiny village in southwestern Norway, in an area known for its fjords. It sits at the end of Aurlandsfjord, a branch of the vast Sognefjord.
It was pouring out once we got off the train, and we hightailed it to our lodging. By the time we finished checking in the rain had stopped, we went outside, and my jaw hit the floor. The views were incredible, beautiful, stunning.
Flam is small, but there’s something there for most everyone. There are plenty of places to stay, from hostels and AirBnB’s to a pretty fancy hotel. We chose something in the middle, the Flamsbrygga.
There’s hiking for the hardcore to the novice. Flam is small, but spread out a bit, so plenty to explore. There’s a great waterfall to checkout, and tons of photo opps for you photographers. For food, there’s a small outdoor market with a few street food vendors, some nice restaurants and anything inbetween.
If you’re a hardcore hiker and love the outdoors, you could be there for weeks. If you’re just looking to relax, look at pretty scenery, two or three nights might be enough. This is where K had her brain fart, we were there for just one night (I would have liked at least one more night). We came in on the train, stayed the night, and left the following afternoon on a ferry.
Ferry ride from Flam to Bergen
Take a ferry from Flam, through the fjords, to Bergen, there’s not much left to say. The ferry is public transportation, so on it’s way to Bergen, it stops to pick up commuters in the most picturesque towns and villages, throughout the vast Sognefjord. The ferry ride is an absolute “must do,” the scenery is amazing all the way to Bergen.
Bergen
Said to be established in 1070, and once the capital city of Norway, in the thirteenth century, Bergen is pretty historic. Oslo was nice, but I like old.
Bergen is on Norway’s southwestern coast. It’s surrounded by mountains and fjords, including Sognefjord, the country’s longest and deepest. Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen, features colorful wooden houses, it’s a main tourists attraction and is included on the UNESCO’s World Heritage list. In the port area, the lively fish market also offers fruit, flowers and crafts. For hiking, panoramic views of Bergen and photo opps, take the Floibanen Funicular up Floyen Mountain.
That’s our trip to Norway, in a nutshell. I think (other than being short a few days) it’s the perfect itinerary. Fly into Oslo and spend a few days there. Take the train to Flam. Spend a few days in Flam, and then take a ferry to Bergen. Spend a few days in Bergen, from there you’ll have to get back to Oslo to fly out. We flew back to Oslo and spent another night there.
I loved Norway, and would go back in a second. There’s so much to see and do there, this post barely scratches the surface, but it’s a decent start. I hope this post inspires you to: explore, dream, discover and travel to, Norway.
Luv ya,
Curly
