Standout Summertime Norway Shore Excursions

[FoggyEthan]

Hello! I'm asking for excursion recommendations like so many before, but specifically Summertime Norway excursions that really stood out as special or unique, not just "it was nice". And not just Viking tours but also private and independent. Sometimes an excursion might not jump out at me, but if it is something special or unique to a place then it's worth it anyway.

 

We'll be sailing all of Norway with Viking, from Oslo to Svalbard. So pretty much any recommendations in Norway would be great. Also Skagen, Denmark. 8-)

 

Thanks!

-- Ethan

 

[KrisD28]

Ethan - what ports will you be stopping in? We did a 13 day fjords cruise last summer and had a fantastic time.

[FoggyEthan]

32 minutes ago, KrisD28 said:

Ethan - what ports will you be stopping in? We did a 13 day fjords cruise last summer and had a fantastic time.

 

Almost all of them. Two weeks in Norway, only 1 sea day. Name any shore excursions that stood out to you!

[Breckski]

What cruise are you on - Oslo to Svalbard?  Just curious as we're doing Bergen to Reykjavik which stops in Svalbard this year and wasn't aware of another option. 

 

We've done Norway before, and your question is almost impossible to respond to in any meaningful way without knowing your interest.  I can tell you what I like, but that may not be of interest to you.  Our two favorites were a self-hike to the top of a ski resort in Alta (I think) and time with the Huskies in Tromso (I think).  On a winter trip we caught a minor league hockey game.  But again, this is what we like and may not interest you.

 

 

 

 

[Frenchberet]

We did Into the Midnight Sun.  Our favorite excursions were the Husky Trek in Tromso, Sea Fishing in Lofoten, and King Crab Safari in Honningsvag.  Nice itinerary, have fun!

[FoggyEthan]

53 minutes ago, mwike said:

What cruise are you on - Oslo to Svalbard?  Just curious as we're doing Bergen to Reykjavik which stops in Svalbard this year and wasn't aware of another option. 

 

We've done Norway before, and your question is almost impossible to respond to in any meaningful way without knowing your interest.  I can tell you what I like, but that may not be of interest to you.  Our two favorites were a self-hike to the top of a ski resort in Alta (I think) and time with the Huskies in Tromso (I think).  On a winter trip we caught a minor league hockey game.  But again, this is what we like and may not interest you.

 

 

 

 

I'm doing a back-to-back, Amsterdam July 29 to Bergen Aug 5, then on to Reykjavik Aug 19. So yes, that cruise, but combined with the the first cruise it touches all of the Norwegian coast except I guess the far north where the coast goes east-to-west. 

 

As to my interests, what I'm asking for is for any stand-out items, "best in class", "unique". Even if it isn't my specific interest, it might be of interest if it is something truly special. And yes, of course, every fjord is beautiful, all the bus tour drives up from a fjord are amazing, etc. But even so one could say that some specific excursions are the cream of the crop.

 

So I guess I'm asking everyone for their own subjective opinion on which excursions were unforgettable, rather than just highly recommended.

 

And I guess I shouldn't be glib about stopping everywhere, so here's the list:

 

Skagen (Denmark)

Oslo

Kristiansand

Stavanger

Flam

Bergen (x2)

Gerainger

Narvik

Lofoten/Leknes

Tromso

Honningsvag

Svalbard (x2)

 

I know what I'm going to do in Iceland, so I'll leave those off. 8-)  I missed Vigur Island the first time, and don't intend to make the mistake twice.

-- Ethan

 

[FoggyEthan]

43 minutes ago, Frenchberet said:

We did Into the Midnight Sun.  Our favorite excursions were the Husky Trek in Tromso, Sea Fishing in Lofoten, and King Crab Safari in Honningsvag.  Nice itinerary, have fun!

 

Thanks for the favorites! I'm thinking about a husky trek for one of our two days in Svalbard. Do you think the one from Tromso might be better in some way? Did you get to eat the crab at the end of the safari?

[Frenchberet]

27 minutes ago, FoggyEthan said:

 

Thanks for the favorites! I'm thinking about a husky trek for one of our two days in Svalbard. Do you think the one from Tromso might be better in some way? Did you get to eat the crab at the end of the safari?

We visited Svalbard on another cruise, “Norway & Iceland’s Arctic Explorer, but didn’t do the huskies there so can’t comment.  The husky excursion in Tromso was really nice.  We toured the facility, met the dogs, then took them (actually, they took us) on a hike.  Fun.  We did a similar husky excursion out of Tromso in the winter (Midnight Sun) and went dogsledding.  It was magical! 
 

The Crab Safari was fantastic.  We went out on a high speed rigid inflatable boat, pulled up the crab traps, then landed on an island.  The guides gave a lecture on king crabs and explained how they were imported from Russia.  They explained the parts of the crab, then proceeded to dissect them.  We went to a Sami lavvu (tent) where the guides cooked the crabs in a large iron pot.  They served the legs and soft meat from the inside of the crab with bread, a slice of lemon, and coffee.  Plenty to eat.  A wonderful experience.  

[FoggyEthan]

4 minutes ago, Frenchberet said:

We visited Svalbard on another cruise, “Norway & Iceland’s Arctic Explorer, but didn’t do the huskies there so can’t comment.  The husky excursion in Tromso was really nice.  We toured the facility, met the dogs, then took them (actually, they took us) on a hike.  Fun.  We did a similar husky excursion out of Tromso in the winter (Midnight Sun) and went dogsledding.  It was magical! 
 

The Crab Safari was fantastic.  We went out on a high speed rigid inflatable boat, pulled up the crab traps, then landed on an island.  The guides gave a lecture on king crabs and explained how they were imported from Russia.  They explained the parts of the crab, then proceeded to dissect them.  We went to a Sami lavvu (tent) where the guides cooked the crabs in a large iron pot.  They served the legs and soft meat from the inside of the crab with bread, a slice of lemon, and coffee.  Plenty to eat.  A wonderful experience.  

I will definitely take at least one Husky excursion, although prob in Svalbard because there are only just so many options there for our 2 days. 8-)  The King Crab connection to the Sami and eating with them is something I hadn't noticed at first, thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Peregrina651]

You are in luck! My kid sister is doing Bergen to NYC and I just sent her my comments. I'm not editing before posting it; any time I say "you" remeber that I wrote this for my sister.

 

Geiranger -- we took a bus ride up to Mt. Dalsnibba, loved it but it was COLD up there. We booked with 3rd party Geirangerfjord Services for a bus ride up there (no lunch) but the same company also rents two -seater electric cars no windows, no heat -- and you two may get a kick out of driving up up the mountain.  Downside: going up there is only fun if you have a clear day and can see all the way back down to the fjord.  Regardless, if you are headed up to Dalsnibba, warm layers and warm hats are a must.

We also did the tourist boat ride as part of our Dalsnibba tour package.

BE ON DECK FOR SAILING in and out of Geiranger. Amazing scenery!!!!!.

https://www.geirangerfjord.no/english  -- ticket office is on the dock and their buses leave from a small parking lot across the street (you can watch the RO-RO ferry loading and off-loading as you wait)




Tromso -- Another fun place.

We took this tour and enjoyed it but it has a few negatives:

Portals to the Arctic
Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes 

Here are the negatives. 
1) We loved the cable car but Tromso socks in frequently so the cable car is weather dependent. We lucked out, the clouds rolled in later in the day.  IMHO, find a cab and go on your own if the weather is clear. The view is magnificent.
2). The Polar Museum was interesting but too small to be dragging tour groups through; do it your own (takes a hour or so and depending where you are docked can be walkable.
3) the Arctic Church is one of those enticing bits of architecture that is more rewarding from a distance.

If these are the things you want to see, then IMHO, do them on your own.

Otherwise, wondering around the town is interesting, especially the blending of old and new architecture.


Honningsvåg -- The appeal for us here was the idea that this was as far north as we had ever been or were likely to ever go. We lucked out and had a clear warm day.  Best souvenir here is a post card mailed home from the Nordkapp post office. Come prepared with stick on address labels; buy stamps in the gift shop along with postcards.   I know that there are ATV trips available but not sure if any go to Nordkapp. Maybe look into motorcycle rentals for a ride to Nordkapp.  Landscape here is barren, quite a contrast to what you have already seen as you worked your way north.

[janetcbl]

I would add that if there is no view from the cable car in Tromso, it is not worth the time, or expense to go up. Other interesting things in Tromso, the North Norwegian Art Museum, and Polaria.There are many good places for coffee.

[FoggyEthan]

2 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

I would add that if there is no view from the cable car in Tromso, it is not worth the time, or expense to go up. Other interesting things in Tromso, the North Norwegian Art Museum, and Polaria.There are many good places for coffee.

 

Did you try hiking around from the top of the cable car?

[Mich3554]

My only suggestion is to avoid the ATV excursion in Svelbard.  It was a disappointment in that we took the road out of town a couple miles, turned around and came back.  The ATV excursion we took in Isafjordur was much, much better.  That one, he took us to the top of a mountain, and despite the fact it rained, sleeted and snowed all the way up, and the view was totally socked in by fog, it was much better.

 

[janetcbl]

2 hours ago, FoggyEthan said:

 

Did you try hiking around from the top of the cable car?

Yes. It was interesting in the fog, but I wouldn’t do it again if I had a chance to experience more of Tromso. The building inside was crowded and stuffy, ‘tho the hot coffee was tasty.

[miwakaly]

On 1/6/2024 at 7:42 PM, Frenchberet said:

We did Into the Midnight Sun.  Our favorite excursions were the Husky Trek in Tromso, Sea Fishing in Lofoten, and King Crab Safari in Honningsvag.  Nice itinerary, have fun!

How demanding is the Husky Trek?  The description in My Viking Journey says you jog attached to a dog.  I'm very interested in this, but am not a jogger. 

[WanderingBrit]

We enjoyed the Herdalssetra Mountain Farm out of Geiranger - a scenic drive and very engaging Goat farm/farmers.

 

In Alesund we took our longest excursion "Mt Stranda & Troll Brewery" which is a lot of time in a coach. Mt Stranda was a bust because of low cloud and rain - rode the cable car up and turned straight around to come back again. Nice lunch at the visitor center. Troll Brewery was fine, but seen one, seen them all. The entirely electric ferry crossings were the coolest part of the day.

 

In Flam we were really looking forward to the taking the railway up and cycling down, but the rain was absolutely torrential - kept getting severe weather and flooding alerts on our phones - so we ended up just taking an expensive train roundtrip.

 

Bergen we walked into town, got absolutely soaked to the skin and came back again only to wait for an hour in dripping wet clothes because of a problem with the gangway. We'd paid for an eBike excursion but bailed because of the 55mph winds and rain.

 

Norwegian weather in August can be atrocious.

[Frenchberet]

On 3/4/2024 at 9:30 AM, miwakaly said:

How demanding is the Husky Trek?  The description in My Viking Journey says you jog attached to a dog.  I'm very interested in this, but am not a jogger. 

I’d give the Husky Trek a ‘moderate+’ rating.  You wear a belt and the dog is attached to you as you hike (not jog) through the tundra.  The huskies are energetic and strong and at times can be hard to control.  They are wonderful, friendly animals and we loved seeing where they were housed and playing with them.  

[FoggyEthan]

4 hours ago, Frenchberet said:

I’d give the Husky Trek a ‘moderate+’ rating.  You wear a belt and the dog is attached to you as you hike (not jog) through the tundra.  The huskies are energetic and strong and at times can be hard to control.  They are wonderful, friendly animals and we loved seeing where they were housed and playing with them.  

I'd thought I remembered reading that you have the option to hike without a dog of your own. Do you remember if that was an option?

[Sailor Sam 407]

We did the Bergen to Reykjavik cruise last July. Viking excursion prices were absurd. We booked many excursions, often with the same company that Viking was using, on our own and saved a bundle. It was definitely worth the time to research yourself.

[duquephart]

11 minutes ago, Sailor Sam 407 said:

We did the Bergen to Reykjavik cruise last July. Viking excursion prices were absurd. We booked many excursions, often with the same company that Viking was using, on our own and saved a bundle. It was definitely worth the time to research yourself.

 

As always.

[Frenchberet]

On 3/5/2024 at 8:57 AM, FoggyEthan said:

I'd thought I remembered reading that you have the option to hike without a dog of your own. Do you remember if that was an option?

I don’t recall that option but I suppose you could just walk along.  We shared a dog and passed him back and forth.  They told us it’s a reward for the dogs to be selected for this assignment 😊

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, Frenchberet said:

I don’t recall that option but I suppose you could just walk along.  We shared a dog and passed him back and forth.  They told us it’s a reward for the dogs to be selected for this assignment 😊

Walkies! 🐶🦮

[HUNKY]

Last summer in Svalbard some folks took an independent tour to the north coast.  Saw several polar bears - which we did not.  It was a long excursion, which I wish I took.  We took a small high speed boat to see glaciers and the coast-but NO polar bears.  😩

[FoggyEthan]

15 hours ago, HUNKY said:

Last summer in Svalbard some folks took an independent tour to the north coast.  Saw several polar bears - which we did not.  It was a long excursion, which I wish I took.  We took a small high speed boat to see glaciers and the coast-but NO polar bears.  😩

Looking around for something similar, I suspect this trip might be by "Henningsen Transport and Guiding". For our date in August I see that they have a 9am sailing that lasts 10 hours.

 

https://svalbardcruise.com/index.php/en/

 

And it's less than $250. Tripadvisor reviews are good. 70% 5-star. 

[HUNKY]

Foggy - that is most likely the excursion.  I knew it was most of the day.