Bergen Norway in a Nutshell question

We are visiting Bergen in September, 2017 on the NCL Jade with port times from 10 am to 8 pm. NCL offers a version of Norway in a Nutshell but it omits the fjord boat portion from Gudvangen to Flam. Flam railway is also just one way. Viator had a private tour for up to 6 persons that included the boat portion with a choice of RIB or ferry from Gudvangen to Flam but they are discontinuing this for 2017. I have contacted Fjord Safari who advertises private tours to see if they will offer something similar. I think the trouble with a large group is that Norway in a nutshell with boat and train is simply not possible in one day. The private tours omit certain parts of the tour allowing for one day accomplishment. I really want to do the Flam railway and am wondering if there are any other options for cruise ship passengers.

The NCL tour is $349 pp and this is the description of the day: On this exclusive tour, you’ll see some of the most beautiful sights of Norway. Drive past Bryggen and the Hanseatic quarters before heading to the village of Voss. Here, you’ll board a train that will take you through picturesque agricultural areas and an upward journey towards the mountains. At Myrdal station, you’ll change trains and board the Flam Line that takes you down the mountain to the tiny village of Flam.

After a short break, you’ll board your coach and drive to the little village of Gudvangen From here, the road takes you up the Naeroydalen (Narrow Valley). After maneuvering the many hairpin bends of Stalheim Canyon, you’ll reach the Stalheim Hotel where a fantastic view of the valley and a delicious lunch await. After lunch, the tour continues along Opheim Lake and further on to Tvinde Waterfalls, where a stop will be made. The drive is through Voss village and via Dale back to Bergen.

Anyone done this tour in the past? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. There are a few on our roll call interested in private excursion to help defray the cost but we just can't find something that fits other than the one with NCL. Would hate to spend this amount of $ and end up with hoards of others in a rushed experience. Thanks in advance.

I have done Norway in a Nutshell twice, as an excursion from Ulvik, not off a cruise, the problem being for cruise passengers is that it is essentially public transport and subject to problems. This is how I ended up doing it twice, there was a failure on the Flam railway and so they booked it for me again. For cruise passengers I think you should only do it as an official excursion or do it as a post cruise excursion if you have a couple of days in Bergen after.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I have done Norway in a Nutshell twice, as an excursion from Ulvik, not off a cruise, the problem being for cruise passengers is that it is essentially public transport and subject to problems. This is how I ended up doing it twice, there was a failure on the Flam railway and so they booked it for me again. For cruise passengers I think you should only do it as an official excursion or do it as a post cruise excursion if you have a couple of days in Bergen after.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Would you recommend if the tour skipped the Ferry portion like the one offered by NCL above? Was the Norway in a Nutshell a tour you loved? I am torn because Bergen itself looks to be a wonderful port day however my husband has always wanted to go on the Flam railway and it looks like this would be our only opportunity. Thank you

Would you recommend if the tour skipped the Ferry portion like the one offered by NCL above? Was the Norway in a Nutshell a tour you loved? I am torn because Bergen itself looks to be a wonderful port day however my husband has always wanted to go on the Flam railway and it looks like this would be our only opportunity. Thank you

I didn't do the exact excursion you ask about. In my case, I took an excursion from Flam where we first used a motor coach to climb up thru the mountains until we eventually reached Voss. We then got on the train and took it to Myrdal, where we transferred to the Flam railway and rode it one-direction (downhill) back into Flam. It was a great day, even though it rained almost all day and our visibility was sometimes limited. Even rainy, it was clearly a beautiful and enjoyable excursion.

The one you describe sounds very nice. It will be a long day. You'll be in a bus for quite a while. But you'll also be on Norwegian trains, which probably doesn't happen all that often and is therefore a new, fun experience. And, yes, the Flam train is pretty cool. I actually couldn't see all that much because I was stuck in an inner seat and with the rainy weather it wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be. The train was VERY crowded. None-the-less, I enjoyed it.

Now, having said all these wonderful things, I will also say that my cruise also included a full day in Bergen and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring that city. The Funicular ride you can take to a lookout above the city is great. And the historic waterfront and city parks and just the streets themselves make for an enjoyable day.

I'm afraid your choice will ultimately come down to picking one of them and then never looking back on your decision. Both are going to be memorable days. One is a lot more expensive than the other and that may or may not influence you decision.

If it were me, I'd probably pick the Voss/Flam excursion simply because I love to do a variety of things and to get out away from the ship. Maybe if you're lucky, it will return you to Bergen with enough time to explore the city for an hour before having to get back to the ship. It's a tough choice. Both are good options.

I couldn't find your cruise on NCL's website to see what other ports you visit. If you're visiting another long fjord port, then I wouldn't worry about missing the boat portion of that excursion. While they are all beautiful, they are also all very similar. Hopefully your ship is venturing down a fjord at one of the other ports.

I didn't do the exact excursion you ask about. In my case, I took an excursion from Flam where we first used a motor coach to climb up thru the mountains until we eventually reached Voss. We then got on the train and took it to Myrdal, where we transferred to the Flam railway and rode it one-direction (downhill) back into Flam. It was a great day, even though it rained almost all day and our visibility was sometimes limited. Even rainy, it was clearly a beautiful and enjoyable excursion.

 

The one you describe sounds very nice. It will be a long day. You'll be in a bus for quite a while. But you'll also be on Norwegian trains, which probably doesn't happen all that often and is therefore a new, fun experience. And, yes, the Flam train is pretty cool. I actually couldn't see all that much because I was stuck in an inner seat and with the rainy weather it wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be. The train was VERY crowded. None-the-less, I enjoyed it.

 

Now, having said all these wonderful things, I will also say that my cruise also included a full day in Bergen and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring that city. The Funicular ride you can take to a lookout above the city is great. And the historic waterfront and city parks and just the streets themselves make for an enjoyable day.

 

I'm afraid your choice will ultimately come down to picking one of them and then never looking back on your decision. Both are going to be memorable days. One is a lot more expensive than the other and that may or may not influence you decision.

 

If it were me, I'd probably pick the Voss/Flam excursion simply because I love to do a variety of things and to get out away from the ship. Maybe if you're lucky, it will return you to Bergen with enough time to explore the city for an hour before having to get back to the ship. It's a tough choice. Both are good options.

 

I couldn't find your cruise on NCL's website to see what other ports you visit. If you're visiting another long fjord port, then I wouldn't worry about missing the boat portion of that excursion. While they are all beautiful, they are also all very similar. Hopefully your ship is venturing down a fjord at one of the other ports.

Thank you so much. The cruise leaves September 11, 2017. 14 night. The itinerary looked good so I placed a deposit prior to doing much research. Then a couple weeks ago Delta had airfare that was just too good to pass up, non refundable of course so I went ahead and purchased- am now locked in for the cruise. Now I'm doing a little research on ports and realizing I'm actually a little too late on booking private excursions in some ports.

Ports of Call:Southampton, Cruising, Bergen, Alesund, Lerwick, Cruising, Reykjavik, Reykjavik, Akureyri, Cruising, Kirkwall, Invergordon, Edinburgh/Newhaven, Cruising and Southampton.

My husband is starting to like cruises a little more. Booking a couple private excursions or just renting a car and getting away a couple port days are very rewarding to him. He's always fantasized about going on a train trip vacation- a little too much PBS travel watching. The NCL Norway in a nutshell will probably be one of the vacation highlights.

Any suggestions on the other ports for this cruise are greatly appreciated.

The ship excursion is very scenic and the price doesn't seem excessive, Norway is outstandingly expensive. There is the risk of poor visibility but it is fantastic scenery and if you will have no opportunity to do it as a land excursion then I would do it, if the cost isn't too much of an issue!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We did Norway in a Nutshell from Flam 6 years ago. Full day with extensive coach trip, full lunch in Voss, then trains back to Flam.

The day was fantastic and was about $140.

The price for the NCL trip sounds very expensive.

You can walk from your ship to the Bergen train station (probably about a mile), then take the train from Bergen to Myrdal, change to the Flamsbana for the 1 hour ride to Flam, grab some lunch and take the scenic ferry ride to Gudvagen. There is a bus that meets the ferry and takes you on the scenic drive described in your ships tour and leaves you at the Voss train station for the return to Bergen. It would be a full day but it would include the very scenic ferry ride thru the fjord and be about 1/2 of what the ship is charging.

Alternatively you could take a boat from Bergen to Flam then ride the Flamsbana back to Myrdal and change to the train back to Bergen. Not sure about times that boat would run in September, but you're could check.

You can walk from your ship to the Bergen train station (probably about a mile), then take the train from Bergen to Myrdal, change to the Flamsbana for the 1 hour ride to Flam, grab some lunch and take the scenic ferry ride to Gudvagen. There is a bus that meets the ferry and takes you on the scenic drive described in your ships tour and leaves you at the Voss train station for the return to Bergen. It would be a full day but it would include the very scenic ferry ride thru the fjord and be about 1/2 of what the ship is charging.

 

Alternatively you could take a boat from Bergen to Flam then ride the Flamsbana back to Myrdal and change to the train back to Bergen. Not sure about times that boat would run in September, but you're could check.

Thank you. I will check timetables for train/ferry. I think adding the ferry cut the times a little too close for comfort DIY in case something goes awry. Wonder if it would be less time, and still enjoyable, to just take train from Bergen to Myrdal, Flåm line, lunch in Flåm and then return the same way and still have some time to see Bergen? I signed up for the NCL Norway in a nutshell but have plenty of time to cancel for a refund if I can figure an alternative.

We are visiting Bergen in September, 2017 on the NCL Jade with port times from 10 am to 8 pm. NCL offers a version of Norway in a Nutshell but it omits the fjord boat portion from Gudvangen to Flam. Flam railway is also just one way. Viator had a private tour for up to 6 persons that included the boat portion with a choice of RIB or ferry from Gudvangen to Flam but they are discontinuing this for 2017. I have contacted Fjord Safari who advertises private tours to see if they will offer something similar. I think the trouble with a large group is that Norway in a nutshell with boat and train is simply not possible in one day. The private tours omit certain parts of the tour allowing for one day accomplishment. I really want to do the Flam railway and am wondering if there are any other options for cruise ship passengers.

 

The NCL tour is $349 pp and this is the description of the day: On this exclusive tour, you’ll see some of the most beautiful sights of Norway. Drive past Bryggen and the Hanseatic quarters before heading to the village of Voss. Here, you’ll board a train that will take you through picturesque agricultural areas and an upward journey towards the mountains. At Myrdal station, you’ll change trains and board the Flam Line that takes you down the mountain to the tiny village of Flam.

 

After a short break, you’ll board your coach and drive to the little village of Gudvangen From here, the road takes you up the Naeroydalen (Narrow Valley). After maneuvering the many hairpin bends of Stalheim Canyon, you’ll reach the Stalheim Hotel where a fantastic view of the valley and a delicious lunch await. After lunch, the tour continues along Opheim Lake and further on to Tvinde Waterfalls, where a stop will be made. The drive is through Voss village and via Dale back to Bergen.

 

Anyone done this tour in the past? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. There are a few on our roll call interested in private excursion to help defray the cost but we just can't find something that fits other than the one with NCL. Would hate to spend this amount of $ and end up with hoards of others in a rushed experience. Thanks in advance.

We did a cruise on the NCL Star that stopped in Bergen and was supposed to stop in Alesund in 2014. NCL wanted $299 pp for that Norway in a nutshell tour. I really wanted to do the tour, but the cost was outrageous.

I tried to find a private tour, but was not successful.

We missed Alesund due to a Hurricane and I had booked a Path of the Trolls tour that NCL wanted $199 pp for. I had 40 people on the tour and the cost was $60 pp. Unfortunately, I missed it because the port call was cancelled.

I did find an excellent walking tour of Bergen that was quite good.

We did a cruise on the NCL Star that stopped in Bergen and was supposed to stop in Alesund in 2014. NCL wanted $299 pp for that Norway in a nutshell tour. I really wanted to do the tour, but the cost was outrageous.

 

I tried to find a private tour, but was not successful.

 

We missed Alesund due to a Hurricane and I had booked a Path of the Trolls tour that NCL wanted $199 pp for. I had 40 people on the tour and the cost was $60 pp. Unfortunately, I missed it because the port call was cancelled.

 

I did find an excellent walking tour of Bergen that was quite good.

Yes the cost is on the high side. $155 usd for the Norway in a nutshell with the boat tour (not NCL). Problem being that that tour is 9.5 hours and we only have 10 hours total in port so not possible unless you take NCL abbreviated tour which is still 9 hours. I think they know they're the only option and so if we want it we will pay $349 pp. sounds like the price is $50 more than last year - doesn't look like the currency exchange has seen much change so it must be popular enough even at $349. It's hard to pass up such a wonderful opportunity given the rave reviews of this tour but we may just end up spending the day in Bergen. If our ship had a stop in Flåm we could at least have done the Flåm railway. Thanks. I think I read your reviews and appreciated them. -Kim

For those who have done Oslo to Bergen, or reverse. we have only time to do a one way trip starting in Bergen : should we do Bergen to Oslo or Bergen to Flam and return to Bergen? In other words is Flam to Oslo as beautiful as Bergen to Flam and return? We'll need a hotel room after the trip, then fly out the next day. (We're on Viking Star in Aprils 2018 and we'll have a whole day in Bergen, a night on the ship, then depart the next day for NIN.) Thanks!

If you want to make a long day you can do the entire NIN route in 1 day from Bergen to Oslo then you could overnight in Oslo before flying home from there. We are on the Star leaving from Bergen on 6/3 so we are doing it in the other direction (Oslo to Bergen).

If you leave Bergen very early on the train to Voss (less than 2 hours) you can take a bus from there down to Gudvagen (about an hour) where you catch the ferry to Flam (2 hours on the ferry) At Flam you can take the Flamsbana scenic train up to Myrdal (1 hour) and connect to the train back to Oslo S (about 5 1/2 hours). So it makes for a 14-15 hour day with connections. Alternatively there is a ferry that will take you directly to Flam from Bergen (about a 3 hour trip) and you can do the Flamsbana and regular train back to Oslo from there. (You miss some scenery but bypass 3 connections to simplify the trip).

If you are interested there is a Slow TV video on You Tube that is the entire train ride (all 7 1/2 hours!!) from Bergen to Oslo!! You can watch it and see which sections appeal to you most. (Guaranteed to cure insomnia :D)

So if I understand this... we could skip the train to Voss and the bus to Gudvagen by taking the ferry instead to Flam.

In Flam you take the scenic train to Nyrdal, then the train into Oslo.

Would the sceneery you say we would miss be made up for by being on the ferry 3 hours instead of the first train and the bus?

We don't mind a long journey or connections and just wonder if after arriving at Flam we could reverse course and go back to Bergen. But then it sounds like we'd miss the flamsbana- is that the cog train?- and that must be very beautiful. Or could we reverse after getting to Myrdal? Or would we want to?

We can fly home from either Bergen or Oslo. In either case we'd go right to an airport hotel for the flight out in the am.

Thanks much! BTW, you will LOVE the Star. We were on it from Venice to Istanbul in 2015...possibly their last time to port in Istanbul as while we were a few days out there was an attack in the city...

If you want to make a long day you can do the entire NIN route in 1 day from Bergen to Oslo then you could overnight in Oslo before flying home from there. We are on the Star leaving from Bergen on 6/3 so we are doing it in the other direction (Oslo to Bergen).

 

If you leave Bergen very early on the train to Voss (less than 2 hours) you can take a bus from there down to Gudvagen (about an hour) where you catch the ferry to Flam (2 hours on the ferry) At Flam you can take the Flamsbana scenic train up to Myrdal (1 hour) and connect to the train back to Oslo S (about 5 1/2 hours). So it makes for a 14-15 hour day with connections. Alternatively there is a ferry that will take you directly to Flam from Bergen (about a 3 hour trip) and you can do the Flamsbana and regular train back to Oslo from there. (You miss some scenery but bypass 3 connections to simplify the trip).

If you are interested there is a Slow TV video on You Tube that is the entire train ride (all 7 1/2 hours!!) from Bergen to Oslo!! You can watch it and see which sections appeal to you most. (Guaranteed to cure insomnia :D)

Good morning, a quick question. If you took the train from Bergen to Oslo, which side of the train would you sit on for maximizing scenery?

Also if the train schedule worked out could we leave from Bergen and go as far as the top of the Cog Rail and then turn around and take the Cog rail back down and then the reverse trip back to Bergan. It sounds like the 5-hour train into Oslo may not be the prettiest part of the journey so we're thinking maybe of doing the outbound from Bergen , going halfway and then back to Bergen. How does that sound?

Good morning, a quick question. If you took the train from Bergen to Oslo, which side of the train would you sit on for maximizing scenery?

Well we are going Oslo to Bergen and the NSB lady and Rick Steves say sit on the left, so going in the opposite direction (Bergen to Oslo) I'd say sit on the right as you face the front of the train.

Well we are going Oslo to Bergen and the NSB lady and Rick Steves say sit on the left, so going in the opposite direction (Bergen to Oslo) I'd say sit on the right as you face the front of the train.

MHB 1757-- sorry to bug but do you think the 5 hours into Oslo by train are not that pretty? And if so, if we could work it out we'd see more beauty doing Bergen to the end of the cog train and then going back to Bergen? Thanks

Well we are going Oslo to Bergen and the NSB lady and Rick Steves say sit on the left, so going in the opposite direction (Bergen to Oslo) I'd say sit on the right as you face the front of the train.

Also, MHB, do you know the name of the 3 Hour Ferry out of Bergen that goes right to the cog rail?

Also if the train schedule worked out could we leave from Bergen and go as far as the top of the Cog Rail and then turn around and take the Cog rail back down and then the reverse trip back to Bergan. It sounds like the 5-hour train into Oslo may not be the prettiest part of the journey so we're thinking maybe of doing the outbound from Bergen , going halfway and then back to Bergen. How does that sound?

If you can fly out of Bergen a great partial nutshell loop would be train from Bergen to Myrdal (about 2 hours, pretty ride) then take the 1 hour ride down to Flam, grab some lunch, enjoy the scenery, then catch the Ferry to Gudvangen (2 hours and spectacular scenery). The bus meets the ferry there and will take you up to Voss (also very scenic - 1 hour), then you can take the train from Voss back to Bergen. It runs every hour and takes just about an hour to get back to Bergen. The only thing you would miss is the mountain pass between Oslo and Myrdal. But by going round trip from Bergen you can easily do it as a day trip and don't have to haul your luggage all over Norway with you and you still get to see some amazing scenery.

If you can fly out of Bergen a great partial nutshell loop would be train from Bergen to Myrdal (about 2 hours, pretty ride) then take the 1 hour ride down to Flam, grab some lunch, enjoy the scenery, then catch the Ferry to Gudvangen (2 hours and spectacular scenery). The bus meets the ferry there and will take you up to Voss (also very scenic - 1 hour), then you can take the train from Voss back to Bergen. It runs every hour and takes just about an hour to get back to Bergen. The only thing you would miss is the mountain pass between Oslo and Myrdal. But by going round trip from Bergen you can easily do it as a day trip and don't have to haul your luggage all over Norway with you and you still get to see some amazing scenery.

Thanks!! That's just what I was looking for and not hauling the luggage is huge.

Would you know the websites I would use to book these various conveyances? Thanks so much.

PS would we be missing the cog train?

Thanks!! That's just what I was looking for and not hauling the luggage is huge.

Would you know the websites I would use to book these various conveyances? Thanks so much.

PS would we be missing the cog train?

No you take that cog train from Myrdal to Flam (sit on the left). You can book the train portions on NSB.no. You can book the ferry tickets online. I don't have that website handy but you can google Fjord 1 ferry and Flam to find it. You just buy your bus tickets from the driver, the bus will be there to meet the ferry. You can probably book the whole route (train, ferry and bus) on norwayinanutshell.com. It costs a bit more that way but not much. I am not certain you can book that exact route there but you probably can. Their site is easy to navigate.

It will be a GREAT day trip.

No you take that cog train from Myrdal to Flam (sit on the left). You can book the train portions on NSB.no. You can book the ferry tickets online. I don't have that website handy but you can google Fjord 1 ferry and Flam to find it. You just buy your bus tickets from the driver, the bus will be there to meet the ferry. You can probably book the whole route (train, ferry and bus) on norwayinanutshell.com. It costs a bit more that way but not much. I am not certain you can book that exact route there but you probably can. Their site is easy to navigate.

It will be a GREAT day trip.

You are so kind to hang in with me! Thank you!

You are very welcome. Happy travels :)

Good morning, a quick question. If you took the train from Bergen to Oslo, which side of the train would you sit on for maximizing scenery?

Good morning, can someone who has done the train trip from Bergen to Oslo, please advise which side of the train is best to sit on for optimal/best views, please?

Thank you.

Liz