"Norway in a nutshell" tour

[elin]

Has anyone out there done the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour that goes from Oslo to Bergen? It is supposed to be very scenic and beautiful.

On the boat portion of it, do you go out to see the fjords? (Sorry if this is dumb question.)

Also, would you recommend staying overnight in Bergen, or flying back to Oslo (which is 1/2 the price of the train one way, and 4 hours quicker). The only concern I have about staying over is that we will be at the end of a 2 week Baltic cruise and will have a ton of luggage which I don't really want to lug on this tour as it sounds like (planes) trains and automobile (and boats and buses).

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks.

Elin

[M&T]

Bergen is one of our favorite places in the world. We love the waterfront and the quaint streets and courtyards. We haven't specifically taken the nutshell tour, but we've done the train and several fjords. I highly recommend the Geirangerfjord and the Jostedalsbreen glacier. The beauty is hard to beat.

[woodofpine]

I haven't been to Norway since I was a kid (30+ years ago) but it remains in my memory as one of the most visually spectacular places I've been. Part of the trip I did with my parents was from Bergen by rail to Voss then a bus a short distance to Ulvik on the Hardanger Fiord where we returned to Bergen by ship. The fiords north of Bergen (Sogne, Nord, Gerainger) are more famous than the Hardanger but they have nonthing on it scenically. The rail portion was the Bergen - Oslo line which was spectacular, as was the ship route returning. I recollect that on the train there were women wearing genuine native dress, even in 1971 that was pretty amazing.

 

The excursion you describe either does the Hardanger Fiord to the south of the rail line or the Sogne Fiord via Myrdal to the north. Either route is extremely impressive and is the heart of the country's classic fiord scenery. Norway is one of the few places where an organized excursion will save you a lot of logistic headaches.