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Eidfjord - Recommendations for excursions?


Pilgrim212
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I have not cruised with Viking, so cannot comment on their day excursion.

 

However, I have taken the train from Flam, and you should know that the train only stops by the waterfall for about 5 minutes- so how much one can see is dependent on the weather conditions, and the number of people on the train.

 

The following video may be of interest.

 

 

Personally, I would consider the day excursion to Voss & Geilo.

 

http://www.vikingcruises.co.uk/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/viking-homelands/index.html#modal/8703631258/itineraryday/13

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The following video may be of interest.

 

 

Personally, I would consider the day excursion to Voss & Geilo.

 

http://www.vikingcruises.co.uk/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/viking-homelands/index.html#modal/8703631258/itineraryday/13

 

 

Do check out the video to get an idea of what there is to see once you lose site of the water. This recommendation seems to be a good option. We went to Flam so I haven't done this excursion. Our included excursion seemed to be a trip to no particular destination, as there wasn't much there but this looks to just seem to open a kaleidoscope of Norwegian nature that blossoms with beauty.

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This excursion is more than the Flam railway. If you use google maps from Eidjford to Flam, you will see the bus route goes through Voss, then Stalheim (which has the most famous postcard view), a stop at the Tvinde waterfall (very picturesque), and then down a steep switchback road and through tunnels to Flam. Then you take the railway up (stopping at the Kjosfossen waterfall), change to the main line railway from Myrdal back to Voss (scenic all the way), and then by coach back to the ship. There is much to see [we did a variation of this from Flam to Myrdal to Voss to Stalheim and then to Gudvangen where our ship had come to meet us] IMHO this is the best option among the Viking offerings and well worth it.

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Host Jazzbeau, I'm a tad confused. What you are describing is the excursion to Flam and not the Voss and Geilo excursion, correct?

 

 

I think you're right. He must be clarifying. We did the train trip to and from Flam with the RIB boats through Active Norway on our planned extension in Bergen after the cruise and took the included excursion while in port .

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Dauntless, we added the post stay in Bergen. Taking the train to Oslo through Viking.

 

 

Good. Let me know how that works out. I don't think you'll do the trip to Flam with Viking on the post trip but I have been wrong before. I hope you didn't think you could not get home from Bergen. If you are using Viking Custom Air, you might have been lead to think that. I hope you'll get to the statue park and the ship museum while on Oslo. If you do, think of me!

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We are sailing on the May 14th Viking Sea. We are thinking of doing a 2 day tour of St. Petersburg with TJ tours, it has great reviews on TripAdvisor. The two day tour Viking offers includes the ballet, and we just feel it is too exhausting to go for the evening program after all day sightseeing. Has anyone ever used an outside tour company while on a Viking Cruise? This is our first Viking trip.

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  • 3 weeks later...

We have used various tour companies outside Viking and there are no problems. Postive--smaller groups! quicker bathroom stops!!!

 

We will be taking the Viking Homelands trip on June 3. I would appreciate your input with any "don't miss" excursions or sights that you enjoyed. Please post or email. Thanks.

Marge

m818m@aol.com

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We are sailing on the May 14th Viking Sea. We are thinking of doing a 2 day tour of St. Petersburg with TJ tours, it has great reviews on TripAdvisor. The two day tour Viking offers includes the ballet, and we just feel it is too exhausting to go for the evening program after all day sightseeing. Has anyone ever used an outside tour company while on a Viking Cruise? This is our first Viking trip.

HI we are also using TJ's for St. Petersburg and Berlin with a group of CC people on the May 6th Homelands cruise. We based it on prior reviews on CC about TJ and trip advisor. I believe most of the Russian tour companies are the same as in what they offer but we have had great communication with TJs and they also tell you that if you pay in crisp US$ it is better than the coversion rate offered if you pay with credit card on Russian Rubles. You pay for both trips at the end of the St. Petersburg trip which sounds easy.

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  • 4 weeks later...

jiminyC_fan, I am curious as to what you have decided to do in Eidfjord. We will be on the Viking Homelands in August and have done our research and come up with a tentative plan for each port except Eidfjord. We are at a loss as to what to do there. I have read all of the posts for this port and still can't decide. Would you mind sharing how you are going to spend your time there. Thank you in advance.

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HI we are also using TJ's for St. Petersburg and Berlin with a group of CC people on the May 6th Homelands cruise. We based it on prior reviews on CC about TJ and trip advisor. I believe most of the Russian tour companies are the same as in what they offer but we have had great communication with TJs and they also tell you that if you pay in crisp US$ it is better than the coversion rate offered if you pay with credit card on Russian Rubles. You pay for both trips at the end of the St. Petersburg trip which sounds easy.

 

Taking TJs in St Pete on the 28 May Homelands cruise. Would appreciate any TJ, etc. feedback from those of you hitting the beach on the first wave.

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jiminyC_fan, I am curious as to what you have decided to do in Eidfjord. We will be on the Viking Homelands in August and have done our research and come up with a tentative plan for each port except Eidfjord. We are at a loss as to what to do there. I have read all of the posts for this port and still can't decide. Would you mind sharing how you are going to spend your time there. Thank you in advance.

 

Hi, Eidfjord was a hard port for me as well. Based on a few reviews I have read, this is what we decided to do. It is actually a quote from somewhere but I can't give proper credit to the author. This isn't the only person that recommended the walk and that is why we decided on it.

 

 

Eidfjord

This is a pretty small village at the end of a fjord that is quite unspoilt and all the better for it. The tourist office is immediately outside of the pier and we got hold of a free walking map of the area. There were two walks - red and yellow, and we did the yellow walk that followed a river (lots of white water) up to a lake and then over a small hill to return via a lane through fields and small farming hamlets. Along the way you pass by Viking graves and a nice viewpoint that overlooks the fjord. The walk took about 90 minutes and was an excellent introduction to the Norwegian countryside. Returning to Eidfjord we had a look round the village centre (two supermarkets and a couple of souvenir shops) and then back on board.

 

We decided against any fjord viewing because of this post:

 

When your ship is going to Eidfjord you eventually need to leave open sea and sail onto the fjords. Your ship will need to sail on the Hardangerfjord for about 6 hours before it arrives in Eidfjord. This is a spectacular sail in. The closer to Eidfjord you get, the more scenic it will be come. Make sure to be on the outside deck 1,5 hour before arrival and visa versa.

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jiminyC_fan,

Thank you for your response. Like you I also read somewhere about the spectacular sail-in and sail-out and also do not remember where I read it. My concern was that we are docked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. so the timings for the sale-in and sail-out are not great and that still leaves us with 12 hours in port. Maybe we will follow your suggestion for the walks, doing one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Thank you for the information and I hope you have a wonderful trip.

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jiminyC_fan, Once again, thank you for the information and the web site. Based on the sunrise and sunset times it looks like we will be able to enjoy some of the sail-in from our balcony and then enjoy quite a bit of the sail-out. Weather permitting, it may be a good night for dinner at the World Cafe, sitting outside at the Aquavit Terrace, so that we can enjoy the views. I appreciate the help. Thanks again.

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planterx2, you are so right about the timing of the sailing in and out. This timetable should make you feel a bit better. No listing for Eidfjord, so I used Bergen.

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/norway/bergen?month=6

Enjoy your trip as well.

 

One of my favorite websites. I get sunrise and sunset times for our destinations when we travel--especially when we are cruising.

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