Alesund and Geiranger - help wanted

We’re on our first trip to Norway this coming summer, and would like some help/advice in planning our shore excursions in Alesund and Geiranger.

In Alesund (12 hours) we plan to rent a car and spend the day driving around the area.

Our tentative route is Alesund-Liabygda-Eidsal-Linge (ferry)-Geiranger-Eidsal-Linge (ferry)-Valldal-Gudbrandsjuvet-Trollstigen-Stigfossbrua Bridge-Troll Wall-Tresfjord-Alesund. Total drive 327km/6hours (Google maps). This would give us plenty of time for stops, and hopefully enough time to visit the sights of Alesund. The drive to Geiranger would primarily be to visit the Eagle Band and Flydalsjuvet lookouts.

A trip to Mt Dalsnibba would add 1½ hours to the drive, and maybe not leave enough time for Alesund.

Any comments on the planned route (and improvements/alternatives) would be welcome.

In Geiranger we realistically have a maximum of 8 hours, and see two options.

(1) Hike from Geiranger. We love hiking and know there are many short hikes in the area. We have the Geiranger Hiking Routes & Info map. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

(2) Take the 13:45 hop-on bus tour to Mt Dalsnibba and Flydalsjuvet. This would give us several hours for hiking in the morning.

We'll be on Celebrity Infinity. The only ship in port at Alesund. The Artania arrives in Geiranger 2 hours before Infinity leaves.

We’re not sure if our plans make the most effective use of the 2 days, but we’re hoping that more knowledgeable folks will help us out. Thanks

You sure have planned a hectic day. It might be doable but this is not a day I would do myself. To much driving, to stressful.

The way I calculate the drive is like this:

Ålesund - Geiranger 2 hrs.

Geiranger-Trollstigen (top of the mountain) 1.5 hrs but more like 2.

Trollstigen to Trollveggen 1hr.

Trollveggen to Ålesund 2 hrs.

Total of 6.5/7 hrs drive minimum. This is without stops.

Flydalsjuvet 30 minutes.

Trollstigen mt. and view point 1 hr.

Trollveggen Mt. 1 hr

In Geiranger you should spent a minimum of 2 hrs without Mt. Dalsnibba.

There are so many beautiful places along the way you would want to stop and spend a little time at. This is not calculated in the driving time. I would say those unscheduled stops adds another hour to your day.

Pick up and deliver rental car to/from ship would add another hour at the most.

I would recommend you to do Ålesund and Trollstigen/Trollveggen while in Ålesund. You may also do the islands of Godoy with Alnes lighthouse.

Then do Mt. Dalsnibba and hiking while the ship stops in Geiranger.

Why would you drive to Geiranger if the ship stops there the next day??

Maybe you are planning on staying overnight at a hotel in the area and join the ship in Geiranger??

Am I missing something?

If you are planning on a night at a hotel there are a few good hotel and route options available.

Thanks for the informative response. This is exactly what we were hoping for. We're new to cruising and find Cruise Critic an excellent resource.

We were thinking our plan was possibly too much for 1 day, but after planning a route via Trollstigen etc. it looked like we would have plenty of extra time. We didn't really know how many stops we would make.

We're not planning to stay overnight in Geiranger. As mentioned, this was an afterthought. The idea came after reading somewhere that the stretch of road between Geiranger and Eidsdal was particularly pretty. This would have been our only chance to see that particular part of the country - no autos available for rent the day we are in Geiranger.

Thanks again.

Anytime:)

The scenery between Geiranger and Eidsdal is pretty but nothing exceptional compared to other vistas you will see your cruise.

The nicest part of the stretch is at the mountain part where for a few minutes you drive in a sort of a canyon. The lake is also pretty - Thats about it.

You didnt say when you are visiting the area but in Valldall you should stop and purchase their strawberries and raspberries. They sell them at stalls along the road. They tast the best:)

Also, in Geiranger there is a chocolate shop with the best and most interesting and freshest flavors of chocolate.

In Geiranger we realistically have a maximum of 8 hours, and see two options.

(1) Hike from Geiranger. We love hiking and know there are many short hikes in the area. We have the Geiranger Hiking Routes & Info map. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

(2) Take the 13:45 hop-on bus tour to Mt Dalsnibba and Flydalsjuvet. This would give us several hours for hiking in the morning.

When are you visiting? The road up to Mt.Dalsnibba doesn't always open until later in the season. I think it was closed on our early-June port call.

Regardless, I would definitely play this one by ear, because unless the weather is very clear, you won't get much of a view from Dalsnibba, because it will be veiled in clouds.

Flydalsjuvet is lower, so you'll have a view even if it's cloudy. I believe it's possible to walk over to Flydalsjuvet from Vesterås Gard, and I was planning to try it last time I was in port, but I was visiting with my older parents, who needed a bit more time for the hike up and down from the farm.

Regarding the other short hikes, I was a bit disappointed with Storseter waterfall, because the hike up was mostly mountain scenery rather than fjords. I would have rather spent that time getting to one of the overlooks. I've done the hikes to Løsta and Vesteråsfjellet, and both were very nice.

The trailhead for Vesterås Gard begins behind the Hotel Union, across the road from the Fjord Center. The simplest way to get to it is to follow the main road away from the waterfront (which can be a little busy with tour buses) and then take the pedestrian shortcut below the church. (It's also possible to cross the bridge to Geiranger Camping, climb the hill in the residential area on that side of the river, and cross back across the river just before the hotel, but that route is a little harder to find. It's much easier to find those footpaths heading downhill.)

They are on the Celebrity Infinity so either July or August.;)

We'll be visiting July 9/10. Looking forward to berries and chocolate. They just happen to be 2 of our favourite foods

Oops. Hit the wrong button.

Thanks kaisatsu for the info. We'll not prebook the Dalsnibba trip.

Løsta and Vesteråsfjellet look like a good combination. If the weather in Dalsnibba looks iffy we could then cut across to Flydalsjuvet. Then back to Geiranger for the chocolate reward:)

We'll be visiting July 9/10. Looking forward to berries and chocolate. They just happen to be 2 of our favourite foods

Excellent:) Enjoy your cruise.

If you have any other questions let me know.

Oops. Hit the wrong button. Thanks kaisatsu for the info. We'll not prebook the Dalsnibba trip. Løsta and Vesteråsfjellet look like a good combination. If the weather in Dalsnibba looks iffy we could then cut across to Flydalsjuvet. Then back to Geiranger for the chocolate reward:)

Although weather will always be an issue at Norway ports, also will be last-minute decisions not supportable because of competition/capacity?

Your Dalsnibba 2-hour coach is being/would be booked through Celebrity? At what cost? If you go through gerirangerfjordservice (click English) you will most likely see a prepurchase at $42 (with the option of adding a 1 1/2 hour fjord excursion at a discounted $22. The problem is that these two independent options have a capacity of 40. My thought is to work through ports in this manner and prepare by being both warm and dry and realizing that there may be clouds (we are betting that low clouds might at least rise by noon? My advice from natives is that there is always the exceptions and very few "rules." In Bergen and Oslo we are considering both a clear morning and a raining morning schedule? In Alesund we would like to experience the Trolls Path you describe, but even if I was full of guts (have seen the Youtube video) the driver gets to sit next to his spouse who keeps exclaiming about a view that takes the driver's eyes off of the road and oncoming buses/trucks coming out of hairpin curves -- the kind of experience I now wisely avoid at age 67! (Looking for either independent booking or gathering 24+ others to book a private ride.)

DJ:)

Although weather will always be an issue at Norway ports, also will be last-minute decisions not supportable because of competition/capacity?

 

Your Dalsnibba 2-hour coach is being/would be booked through Celebrity? At what cost? If you go through gerirangerfjordservice (click English) you will most likely see a prepurchase at $42 (with the option of adding a 1 1/2 hour fjord excursion at a discounted $22. The problem is that these two independent options have a capacity of 40. My thought is to work through ports in this manner and prepare by being both warm and dry and realizing that there may be clouds (we are betting that low clouds might at least rise by noon? My advice from natives is that there is always the exceptions and very few "rules." In Bergen and Oslo we are considering both a clear morning and a raining morning schedule? In Alesund we would like to experience the Trolls Path you describe, but even if I was full of guts (have seen the Youtube video) the driver gets to sit next to his spouse who keeps exclaiming about a view that takes the driver's eyes off of the road and oncoming buses/trucks coming out of hairpin curves -- the kind of experience I now wisely avoid at age 67! (Looking for either independent booking or gathering 24+ others to book a private ride.)

DJ:)

Personally, I think the view from Flydalsjuvet is gorgeous, so I would just plan for that and any additional activities. Since I've never made it to Geiranger on a day that was clear enough to see the full view from Dalsnibba, if I was lucky to be there on such a day I would start making the effort to find a tour or taxi for the trip. I don't think it's something I'd pay for up front, because the odds of having a clear view are quite slim. (The views in other ports like Bergen and Oslo are simply scenic overlooks - like Flydalsjuvet - so you would still have the view on a cloudy day. Dalsnibba is a mountain, so any cloudy day is likely to put the mountaintop above the clouds.)

Stairs to Aksla viewpoint in Ålesund:

The Stairs will be closed from March to November due to maintainance.

There is an alternative route but not as scenic.

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We were on the Infinity in the Fjords last year and visited both these ports. At Geiranger, one of our favourite ports, we hiked on one of the routes from Vesteras in the morning and got the bus up to Dalsnibba (excuse the spelling!) in the afternoon. We had booked in advance and were lucky to the clouds lifted just before the coach left. What few people seem to say is that the journey itself is stunning, not just the views from the top. Its quite exhilerating as you wind up the last section of the road up the mountain. Highly recommended. We took a trip to see the puffins by rib boat from Alesund. It was incredibly rough and not recommended for all but the fittest. If you are also in Flam and enjoy a walk, i'd recommend the train up, walk down option- truly beautiful scenary.

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Excellent:)

If you have any other questions let me know.

Would you be willing to comment on the weather as to temperature and precipitation forecasted for the end of August 2016? We are looking forward to visiting your city! Thanks!

Would you be willing to comment on the weather as to temperature and precipitation forecasted for the end of August 2016? We are looking forward to visiting your city! Thanks!

August is normally a nice and dry month but so far its been horrible. The forecast for next weeks calls for rain.

I really cant say how it will be at the end of August.

The temps should be 15C-17C...

Prepare for rain and fog and everything else is a bonus...

August is normally a nice and dry month but so far its been horrible. The forecast for next weeks calls for rain.

I really cant say how it will be at the end of August.

The temps should be 15C-17C...

 

Prepare for rain and fog and everything else is a bonus...

Thanks for your response! I will come prepared for whatever happens the day we are there. I'm so excited to be coming!

Thanks for your response! I will come prepared for whatever happens the day we are there. I'm so excited to be coming!

Pack to dress in layers is the best bet.

Lightweight rain coats/windbreakers...fleece...wool...