Norway In A Nutshell – Is it worth it?
I recently had the joy of doing the Norway
in a Nutshell tour on my way from Oslo to Bergen. It was recommended in Lonely Planet as a
great way to get into Fjord country, so I paid the hefty fee attached to the
tour and set out.
I’ll be honest, though… I was frustrated trying to book this. The website is a bit clunky and confusing. Eventually I worked out that you can book extra nights and sort out your own accommodation, which I highly recommend. I’ll get to that in a minute though.
What can you expect from the tour?
Firstly, I use the term ‘tour’ loosely. It is arranged through a company called Fjord Tours, but it’s more of a roundabout way to get from Oslo to Bergen. I know you can do other tours as well, but I think the Oslo-Bergen is the most popular.
Secondly, I don’t think it’s easy to get a bad sight of Norway. Have you seen this country? It’s a photographer’s dream. Any tour, train trip, boat ride – anything – that you do will be breathtakingly beautiful and produce top class photographs. So – is it worth it?
Choo-chooing through lush, green forests on the train
THE FIRST LEG
The first leg of the trip is the longest one. You get on a train (early!) from Oslo and it takes you up to Myrdal. You get assigned seats for this part of the journey, but you definitely want to be on the left side in the direction of travel. Both sides offer excellent views, but there is more to see on the left. We were lucky that some seats were empty in our carriage and we could flit between both sides during the journey.
The first hour or so, you’re just coasting through suburban/industrial Oslo, so there’s not too much to see. If you’re exhausted from getting up so early, you can take a nap here without feeling too guilty.
After this, things get a bit interesting! You’ll start whizzing by beautiful, lush green landscapes and get a real sense of being in the forest. Depending on the time of year you travel (I went in May) things will look a bit different, though.
My favourite part of the journey came just after the lush greenery passed by. Quite quickly, the landscape turned into a snowy desert, punctuated by small lakes and pockets of sand. If you’re a Star Wars fan – like me – you’ll want to have your camera ready for this part! Finse, the highest point above sea level on the trip, is where they filmed the scenes on Hoth, the ice planet. We were lucky that we had 20-ish minutes to hop outside and explore here, and it’s definitely worth braving the cold. It’s beautiful.
Soon you’ll find yourself at Myrdal, and you’ll jump off and change for the Flåm railway. Even if it’s summertime, you’re a fair way above sea level now, and it’s worth bringing a sweater to wear while you wait for the train.
Approaching the snowy land near Finse - what a contrast to the forest!
THE SECOND LEG
From Myrdal, you get on board the Flåm Railway. This is touted as an incredibly steep railway, but don’t expect a rollercoaster experience like I did! Most of the steep bits are through tunnel, so you’re in total darkness. No seats are assigned for this leg, and I’d recommend finding a seat on the left side in the direction of travel. There are a couple of amazing views out the right side for the first bit, but one of those you get time for a photo-op outside the train.
The Flåm Railway is quite a short journey (only about an hour), and you’re going so quickly it’s not worth taking pictures for the most part. I’d suggest sitting back and enjoying the trip to Flåm!
Kjosfossen Waterfall - a stop on the Flåm railway
THE THIRD LEG
Once you arrive in Flåm, it’s time to get on a boat through the Aurlandsfjord to Gudvangen. The boat ride takes a little over two hours, and it’s a great time to take lots of pictures of the dramatic scenery. You’re going to want to stand outside for this bit of the journey and marvel at the cliffs, the beautiful water and the little villages and boathouses dotted around the place. It’s unreal, and a perfect way to experience the magic of the fjords, especially if this is your first time seeing them. You’ll get to cruise through the UNESCO-listed Nærøfjord, which is consistently listed as a must-see in Norwegian tourist brochures.
It might be cold and windy here, so definitely bring a sweater and a rainjacket, so you’re not tempted to sit inside. There are lots of common porpoises swimming in the water here, so keep an eye out for them, too!
UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord from the ferry
THE FOURTH LEG
From Gudvangen you jump on a bus. Both sides of the bus are pretty spectacular
at different points of the journey, so you’re in for a great sight no matter
where you sit, but I recommend the left again.
The right-hand side seats seem to have the advantage at first, but
sitting on the left-hand side gives better views of the valley after the first
half an hour. There’s a section with a
series of spectacular hairpin bends that I loved, but definitely felt like a
bus shouldn’t be doing!
THE FIFTH LEG
The bus will take you to Voss, where you
begin the fifth and final leg of the trip.
You’ll get back on a train and head straight into Bergen. There are assigned seats for this part of the
journey, but hope that you’re sitting on the right-hand side! The views are really spectacular and underrated
for this part of the trip, I think. It’s
another short leg – only an hour or so – and you’ll find yourself in beautiful
Bergen! If you like, you can get dinner
in Bergen and then take the overnight train back into Oslo.
The beautiful UNESCO-listed laneways of Bryggen in Bergen
Phew!
So there’s a breakdown of the journey itself. Now, it is expensive to do the tour,
especially when you consider it’s only a one-day trip. I chose to bulk the tour out a little bit by
adding an overnight stop in Flåm… I definitely recommend adding an overnight
stay! If you’re doing it on a budget,
try your luck at finding accommodation on AirBnB before you book in with the
hotels they recommend, which are all on the pricey side. However, you do get a free FJORDCARD when you
book the tour, which gives you a discount on some hotels, as well as AVIS car
hire.
Flåm, where I stayed, also has a youth
hostel and a campground, where you can pitch a tent for around 200NOK. If
you’re either, a) stingy or, b) looking for something a bit more scenic, you
can walk for about an hour in any direction and pitch a tent. The camping laws in Norway are extremely
loose – you just need to be 150m away from a building, away from drinking water
and not on cultivated/farmland. We hiked
up to a waterfall that overlooked Flåm and found it to be a near-perfect
campsite.
Our campsite up on top of Flåm
I really loved the Norway In A Nutshell,
but it had its downsides. It did feel
very touristy, at times the bus/train/boat felt very crowded, even though we
were there before summer started. In
high summer, I’m sure the transport is even more crowded, and you might have to
book further in advance.
Two of my favourite bits of the trip were
the first and last leg, which are on the train. If you’re really pushing the
limits of your budget, the train is a fantastic compromise. If you book more than a day in advance for
the Oslo-Bergen train, you can get the minipris (small price), which is about 399NOK, as opposed to 1600NOK for the Nutshell tour. The train journey alone is still incredibly
beautiful.
Finse - a stop on the Oslo-Bergen train
Have you ever done Norway in a
Nutshell? Got any other suggestions or
anything to add?
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