Norway in a nutshell worth it when doing cruise too?

[scrappinheather]

We are doing the HAL trip that visits bergen, eidefjord, Skoljden, and alesund. We are also doing a pre trip for 10 days to oslo, stockholm, and helsinki.

 

I am traveling with my fit but mid 70's parents and my 5 year old son. We have 3 days in oslo and was wondering is it worth it or too much to do the 12 hour norway in a nutshell tour out of oslo to see the flam railway, boat cruise, then the gundvagen bus tour and back. Too ambitious? Do We already have enough fjords with our cruise and you would skip this as too much in a day with a child? Opinions appreciated. Thanks.

 

Heather

[Eboracum_d]

Your parents might enjoy the Flam Railway but I am not sure whether the 5 year old would appreciate the day.

 

A visit to the Rural Life Museum might go down well with him. You reach that by a short ferry from the main harbour area.

 

I normally encourage people to go to the Vigelund Park but be aware that that there are well over a hundred nude sculptures which you may of may not be happy for your 5 year old to see.

[DipBrat]

Your parents might enjoy the Flam Railway but I am not sure whether the 5 year old would appreciate the day.

 

A visit to the Rural Life Museum might go down well with him. You reach that by a short ferry from the main harbour area.

 

I normally encourage people to go to the Vigelund Park but be aware that that there are well over a hundred nude sculptures which you may of may not be happy for your 5 year old to see.

 

I will leave the nude sculpture question to your own judegment, but the comment is a bit ironic as Vigelund park is one of the best places in the entire city to go with a 5 year old. A major feature of the park is a huge and wonderful playground largely made from natural materials.

[Essexlass2]

We are in our 70s and have just returned from a similar trip. I think your parents and your 5 year old would love the Flam railway as well as the boat trip and probably the whole day. Enjoy, we did! :D

[Keith1010]

If your parents are in reasonable good health they should enjoy the tour.

 

Keith

[kaisatsu]

If Norway in a Nutshell was only the Flåmsbana and the ferry through the fjords, I would suggest that you skip it since you'll be visiting the fjords anyway, and it's a long way to travel for the Flåmsbana. However, the rail trip from Oslo to Myrdal, where you board the Flåm railway is often listed as one of the most scenic in the world.

 

As with most things, this really comes down to a question of personal preferences. Does a 5-hour rail trip sound like something you would enjoy? Does it sound like something your 5-year-old would enjoy. Also, you have to make the trip back at the end of the day, which can be exhausting. It's definitely a beautiful ride, and you travel through the suburbs, then up through the forests until you're above the tree line, and eventually you catch glimpses of glaciers off in the distance. I have a few photos from when we did the trip a few years ago (we did the one-way Oslo-to-Bergen route, but everything up to the Voss-Bergen train would be the same):

http://blog.megdesk.com/norway-in-our-own-nutshell-part-1/

 

Are those three full days in Oslo? If it includes arrival and departure days, I think you'll find enough to fill your time in the city without trying to squeeze in the Nutshell trip. But if you have three full days, it might be worth considering.

 

I agree with the PP that the playground in Vigelands Park is a great destination for a young child. I know lots of local and visiting mothers who have great things to say about it. And it's convenient for the rest of you to enjoy the sculptures.

 

I know you didn't ask, but since a friend of mine visited recently and has a child about that age, here are a few more child-friendly options that I sent to her:

 

Bygdøy - The Norwegian folk museum is a nice place to walk around in good weather, and there are usually some craft and cooking demonstrations on weekends. There are lots of old farmhouses, and a lot of kids like being able to go inside and explore. The Fram arctic exploration museum has a lot of written displays along the walls, but the actual ship is in the museum and has been opened for visitors to explore. The iconic Viking Ships are also in that area, and while they might not be exciting to a 5-year-old without some background in Viking history, it's a small museum and easy to duck in and out quickly if you have an OsloPass. Lastly, the Bygdøy museum area is easily accessed via a ferry from in front of the city hall, which can be a fun little trip in itself! The ferry is covered by the normal public transportation system tickets (and by the OsloPass).

 

Norsk Teknisk Museum (http://www.tekniskmuseum.no/) - This museum is a bit of a way out of town, but they have a lot of hands-on science exhibits that are popular among families with kids.