Can help with Ålesund & Norwegian Fjords:-)

[Dryce]

The Flam train can get very busy - particularly in the morning. There can be more than one cruise ship in port.

 

You can prebook a return up and down on the same train at http://www.visitflam.com:

 

https://www.visitflam.com/en/sightseeing/attractions/flamsbana-the-flam-railway/

 

If you buy your ticket onlline then you just use the printout to get on the train - you don't have to queue at the ticket office to exchange it.

[I-Cruiser]

I apologize if this has already been discussed. We just booked a Norway voyage and I was wondering if the train from Flam ever gets entirely booked by the cruise lines? Is it always possible to get a seat on our own or with a CC group?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Seems like you got a great answer😄

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app.

[Bette And Bill]

As we head into winter and the short days I want to share this sunset picture which I took at 430 pm earlier this week.

 

 

Beautiful picture. I love sunsets, looking forward to our trip in July.

[Ssislandgirl]

Hello again Lars,

I hope I can look to you for assistance in finding the best car rental location in Andalsnes. We are planning on driving from A via Trollstigen to Geiranger and back during our 9 hrs stay in port in June. I reserved a car with Avis at their Øran West location, which is about a 1.5 km walk from the dock. It is obviously doable, but we would prefer to get a car from the location closer to the train station. Unfortunately I can not find any email or contact for this location or the Hertz location. Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you so much

Regards

Petra

[I-Cruiser]

Hello again Lars,

I hope I can look to you for assistance in finding the best car rental location in Andalsnes. We are planning on driving from A via Trollstigen to Geiranger and back during our 9 hrs stay in port in June. I reserved a car with Avis at their Øran West location, which is about a 1.5 km walk from the dock. It is obviously doable, but we would prefer to get a car from the location closer to the train station. Unfortunately I can not find any email or contact for this location or the Hertz location. Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you so much

Regards

Petra

 

Hi Petra,

Hertz i located at Romsdalsgata (Romsdalsroad) 5 and its a 10 minute walk from the cruise pier as you will see from the map.

https://www.google.no/maps/dir/Togkapellet,+Jernbanegata,+6300+%C3%85ndalsnes/Hertz+Bilutleie+%C3%85ndalsnes,+Romsdalsvegen+5,+6300+%C3%85ndalsnes/@62.5666761,7.6890913,322m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x461409763b57a77d:0x89491509846fbaeb!2m2!1d7.691634!2d62.567458!1m5!1m1!1s0x4614097658eae9a7:0xcd31d6e3c9bbe23c!2m2!1d7.690861!2d62.565385

 

(Could not find a street name for the cruise pier so the map starts at the trainstation which is located a few minutes walk from the pier)

 

Phone number to Hertz: 00 47 71 201 444 or 95 161 399

Fax: 00 47 71 212 704

Email: hertz.molde@hertz.no

 

Hertz in Åndalsnes is just a small satellite office hence the email is for the office in Molde.

 

Actually Avis is closer from the pier. Approx 5 minute walk.

https://www.google.no/maps/dir/Togkapellet,+Jernbanegata,+6300+%C3%85ndalsnes/Avis+Bilutleie+%C3%85ndalsnes,+%C3%85ndalsnes/@62.5671468,7.6870743,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x461409763b57a77d:0x89491509846fbaeb!2m2!1d7.691634!2d62.567458!1m5!1m1!1s0x461409725628d6cb:0xe2713c78d2367757!2m2!1d7.687777!2d62.566773

 

Its not going get closer than this.

You could ask Avis/Hertz to deliver at the pier.

Åndalsnes is a very small place so the rental offices are very easy to find.

[Ssislandgirl]

Hi Petra,

Hertz i located at Romsdalsgata (Romsdalsroad) 5 and its a 10 minute walk from the cruise pier as you will see from the map.

https://www.google.no/maps/dir/Togkapellet,+Jernbanegata,+6300+%C3%85ndalsnes/Hertz+Bilutleie+%C3%85ndalsnes,+Romsdalsvegen+5,+6300+%C3%85ndalsnes/@62.5666761,7.6890913,322m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x461409763b57a77d:0x89491509846fbaeb!2m2!1d7.691634!2d62.567458!1m5!1m1!1s0x4614097658eae9a7:0xcd31d6e3c9bbe23c!2m2!1d7.690861!2d62.565385

 

(Could not find a street name for the cruise pier so the map starts at the trainstation which is located a few minutes walk from the pier)

 

Phone number to Hertz: 00 47 71 201 444 or 95 161 399

Fax: 00 47 71 212 704

Email: hertz.molde@hertz.no

 

Hertz in Åndalsnes is just a small satellite office hence the email is for the office in Molde.

 

Actually Avis is closer from the pier. Approx 5 minute walk.

https://www.google.no/maps/dir/Togkapellet,+Jernbanegata,+6300+%C3%85ndalsnes/Avis+Bilutleie+%C3%85ndalsnes,+%C3%85ndalsnes/@62.5671468,7.6870743,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x461409763b57a77d:0x89491509846fbaeb!2m2!1d7.691634!2d62.567458!1m5!1m1!1s0x461409725628d6cb:0xe2713c78d2367757!2m2!1d7.687777!2d62.566773

 

Its not going get closer than this.

You could ask Avis/Hertz to deliver at the pier.

Åndalsnes is a very small place so the rental offices are very easy to find.

 

Thank you so much for all your help.

I sent an email to Hertz in Molde this morning. Hopefully they will answer! I also called Avis at the Øran West location. The gentleman said that we could pick up the car at the other location and that the closer to the cruise port location was open 24hrs as well. I hope this is correct and nothing got lost in translation. Unfortunately I can't find an email address for any of the Avis locations.

I will let you know what Hertz has to say.

Regards

Petra

[I-Cruiser]

Thank you so much for all your help.

I sent an email to Hertz in Molde this morning. Hopefully they will answer! I also called Avis at the Øran West location. The gentleman said that we could pick up the car at the other location and that the closer to the cruise port location was open 24hrs as well. I hope this is correct and nothing got lost in translation. Unfortunately I can't find an email address for any of the Avis locations.

I will let you know what Hertz has to say.

Regards

Petra

 

Anytime:)

Please let us know about Hertz.

 

I have found a phone number to Avis Åndalsnes: 47 93212401

The email to the Molde Airport office is:mol@avis.no

Maybe they can direct you to the correct email address for the Åndalsnes office.

[EnglandHolidayGirl]

Hi Petra,

Hertz i located at Romsdalsgata (Romsdalsroad) 5 and its a 10 minute walk from the cruise pier as you will see from the map.

https://www.google.no/maps/dir/Togkapellet,+Jernbanegata,+6300+%C3%85ndalsnes/Hertz+Bilutleie+%C3%85ndalsnes,+Romsdalsvegen+5,+6300+%C3%85ndalsnes/@62.5666761,7.6890913,322m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x461409763b57a77d:0x89491509846fbaeb!2m2!1d7.691634!2d62.567458!1m5!1m1!1s0x4614097658eae9a7:0xcd31d6e3c9bbe23c!2m2!1d7.690861!2d62.565385

 

(Could not find a street name for the cruise pier so the map starts at the trainstation which is located a few minutes walk from the pier)

 

Phone number to Hertz: 00 47 71 201 444 or 95 161 399

Fax: 00 47 71 212 704

Email: hertz.molde@hertz.no

 

Hertz in Åndalsnes is just a small satellite office hence the email is for the office in Molde.

 

Actually Avis is closer from the pier. Approx 5 minute walk.

https://www.google.no/maps/dir/Togkapellet,+Jernbanegata,+6300+%C3%85ndalsnes/Avis+Bilutleie+%C3%85ndalsnes,+%C3%85ndalsnes/@62.5671468,7.6870743,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x461409763b57a77d:0x89491509846fbaeb!2m2!1d7.691634!2d62.567458!1m5!1m1!1s0x461409725628d6cb:0xe2713c78d2367757!2m2!1d7.687777!2d62.566773

 

Its not going get closer than this.

You could ask Avis/Hertz to deliver at the pier.

Åndalsnes is a very small place so the rental offices are very easy to find.

 

Hi Icruiser,

 

My Avis rental voucher says Andalsnes down town. Is this the same place as this map?

 

Thanks

[I-Cruiser]

Hi Icruiser,

 

My Avis rental voucher says Andalsnes down town. Is this the same place as this map?

 

Thanks

 

Yes, it is :) Åndalsnes is a tiny little town/village so everything is within easy reach.

 

Lars

[EnglandHolidayGirl]

Yes, it is :) Åndalsnes is a tiny little town/village so everything is within easy reach.

 

Lars

 

That's great, thanks so much.

 

Ann.

[Ssislandgirl]

Hello again Lars and Ann,

Have a funny story to share about the Avis car rental agency. I called them again, hoping to find a person I could communicate better with. This time I talked to a very sweet man, who told me that when cruise ships are in town, Avis will take the cars directly to the port area, so "you only have to walk about 50 m to get to your car". :) Isn't that wonderful. I also inquired about the 2 different locations for Avis. He chuckled and told me, that Åndalsnes is a very small town and the only Avis across the street from the train station is .....

The local newspaper! Avis means newspaper in Norwegian and even Google Maps must be confused. Too funny! I tried Google Street view and sure enough, no cars, but Avis Åndalsness, the news!

Thank you so much Lars for all your help and time! People like you are a rare find.

Hopefully I am not bugging you too much with all of my questions

Best regards

Petra

[I-Cruiser]

Hello again Lars and Ann,

Have a funny story to share about the Avis car rental agency. I called them again, hoping to find a person I could communicate better with. This time I talked to a very sweet man, who told me that when cruise ships are in town, Avis will take the cars directly to the port area, so "you only have to walk about 50 m to get to your car". :) Isn't that wonderful. I also inquired about the 2 different locations for Avis. He chuckled and told me, that Åndalsnes is a very small town and the only Avis across the street from the train station is .....

The local newspaper! Avis means newspaper in Norwegian and even Google Maps must be confused. Too funny! I tried Google Street view and sure enough, no cars, but Avis Åndalsness, the news!

Thank you so much Lars for all your help and time! People like you are a rare find.

Hopefully I am not bugging you too much with all of my questions

Best regards

Petra

 

:D Thats funny. Thank you for the feedback.

You stand a better chance if you use Avis Bilutleie (car rental) in the searches. I always differentiate the car rental (Avis) from newspapers (avis) by the capital "A".

Thank you so much for the kind words. You are not bugging me at all.

 

Lars

[LkMichigan beach bum]

Yes, you can rent a taxi in Geiranger to go to Mt. Dalsnibba. Since you are there May 14 the road up might/most likely still be closed. It will all depend on what kind of winter we will be getting.

I will update this thread as to when the road will open. Usually we will know less then 2-3 weeks before.

This year the road opened May 7 and statistically the road opens mid to late May. So you might be in luck.

 

If I were you I would pre book a taxi.

http://www.geirangertaxi.no/en-GB/Default.aspx

 

Lars:)

any idea what we may expect to pay using a taxi for this trip? Thanks Bev

[I-Cruiser]

any idea what we may expect to pay using a taxi for this trip? Thanks Bev

 

It will be in the US$ 150-200 region.

 

There is a tour bus/hop on-off bus from the village to Mt. Dalsnibba (return)

The price this year was NOK 290 per person (2 hours)

[pmjnh]

Hi all,

I have a question regarding rental cars in Molde. I have reserved a car with Avis at the Molde Airport. I was told by Avis that we would have to take a cab to the airport to pick up and return the car. This will be on a day that our cruise ship is in Molde. Our plan is to drive the Atlantic Ocean Road. Has anyone done this before and if so, how long a cab drive might it be from the pier to the airport? Just want to get our timing right as we plan the day.

 

Also, here is a list of some of the cities we will be visiting in Norway on our cruise in July. we will most likely be hiking or walking in most cities. No ship excursions. I am wondering about bicycle rentals and which cities are the most bicycle friendly as far as hills, traffic, etc. Has anyone rented bikes?

 

Alesund

 

Trondheim

 

Tromso

 

Molde (rented a car)

 

Honningsvag

 

Flam (will do the train)

 

Gerainger

 

Bergen (hiking Floyan and beyond)

 

Thanks so much for any suggestions!

[I-Cruiser]

Molde airport (Årø) is only a 10 minute drive from down town Molde.

 

 

As for the most biker friendly places on your list:

 

Alesund - Its a very compact town so easy to walk and bike. The hard part is if you would want to bike to the Mt. Aksla. You could of course walk the stairs as most do.

 

Trondheim - Is also a very biker friendly city. Its a large city so of course lots of traffic. Its flat with not much uphill biking. Trondheim actually has a bike lift:)

 

Tromso - Also easy to bike around.

 

Honningsvag - Not sure but its a very small town.

 

Gerainger - Lots of hills so you will for sure build up an appetite if you choose to bike there:) Its a very small village but very hectic in the summer.

 

I hope this helps a little.

 

Lars:)

[Ssislandgirl]

Hello again, Lars. Hope you are having a great pre-Christmas season! May I ask for your expertise again, plz?

First a few words to explain our situation. My husband and I are in our early 50's, in good physical shape ( run 3 to 5 miles a day on an incline) and we usually hike a lot on our trips. We really, really want to hike up to Pulpit Rock during our port day in Stavanger. Princess just recently changed the port times to 7am til 16:00. First I was very disappointed, because I figured that this would not allow us to do the hike. I decided to research it again and came to the conclusion that these port times are actually better for us than the previous ones. We will be in Stavanger on a Sunday. Here is my preliminary plan

 

Ship docks at 7am

Walk to ferry to Tau ~15 min

Ferry leaves at 7:30. Tidereiser actually offers a combined ticket incl a bus connection from Tau to Pulpit Rock. According to TR we would get to the Pulpit Rock Parking lot at 8:35 am and start our hike asap. We are probably faster than average hikers, but I love photography and stop sometimes very frequently to "shoot", so I am still calculating 2hrs for the hike up.

Arrival Pulpit Rock Plateau ~ 10:45am

30 to 45 min at the top

11:30 am start hike down to arrive at parking lot again at 13:30 pm

Now it gets a little complicated. Tidereiser shows no corresponding bus connections on a Sun, so we are on our own :)

I found the ferry timetables on the Nored website and found 2 possible ferry connections for us, either 14:00 or 14:40, which will take us back to Stavanger at 14:40 or 15:20, so enough time to make it back onboard by 16:00.

 

Here are my questions.

I read, that we could preorder a taxi to pick us up at the info center close to the Pulpit Rock parking lot. The taxi ride supposedly takes about 15 min to Tau and costs ~ NOK 300. Does this sound correct? Since we really want to do this hike if the weather cooperates, we don't mind the extra expense. I found a taxi company called Strand Taxi and plan on pre booking, unless you have other suggestions.

Does all of this sound reasonable? I am obviously a thorough planner( some people call it obsessive :) )I realize that the schedule is very tight, but I think we will take the chance since it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We will make sure we are taking our passports, credit cards and cash, so we don't get stranded just in case we miss the ship. I know the cruise lines do not recommend the hike, but I read a whole bunch of write-up's from people who actually did it successfully on their sometimes even shorter port stay. Have you ever done this hike?

Your expertise is always appreciated. Thanks already in advance for your input.

Best regards

Petra

Oh, 1 more thing, all the schedules I have are this years or are good til April 2015, so I am hoping that not too much is going to change for 2015

Edited December 6, 2014 by Ssislandgirl

[I-Cruiser]

Hi Petra:) I am having a wonderful pre Christmas season with just the right amount of hectic.

 

I do admire people who ventures of into the wild hiking. I know you will have a great time as long as the weather cooperates.

 

The new summer schedules will not be out before approx one month before its due to start. If its a town/city route with lots of commuters the schedule might change a lot.

I checked a schedule from May to April and it looks like the departure times are the same as you have. But, schedules can change from year to year.

 

Good idea to bring credit card etc but also bring fully charged mobile phones.

 

NOK 300,- for a 15 minute ride sounds about right (plan on adding another NOK 100-150 just in case as its a Sunday and you pay extra then;))

 

I have never used the taxi company in question but I am sure they are professional.

Another taxi company is http://www.stavangertaxi.no/

I totally agree on pre booking a taxi as they can get booked up months in advance.

Also, bring the phone number to the taxi driver and company.

 

To me it sounds like you have planned a fantastic day out. The schedule might be a bit tight but doable.

 

Lars:)

Edited December 6, 2014 by I-Cruiser

[Ssislandgirl]

Thank you very much for your encouragement and help. It is sooo appreciated!

[pmjnh]

Molde airport (Årø) is only a 10 minute drive from down town Molde.

 

 

As for the most biker friendly places on your list:

 

Alesund - Its a very compact town so easy to walk and bike. The hard part is if you would want to bike to the Mt. Aksla. You could of course walk the stairs as most do.

 

Trondheim - Is also a very biker friendly city. Its a large city so of course lots of traffic. Its flat with not much uphill biking. Trondheim actually has a bike lift:)

 

Tromso - Also easy to bike around.

 

Honningsvag - Not sure but its a very small town.

 

Gerainger - Lots of hills so you will for sure build up an appetite if you choose to bike there:) Its a very small village but very hectic in the summer.

 

I hope this helps a little.

 

Lars:)

 

Thank you, Lars. This information is very helpful!

[PandRBarry]

Hello iCruiser,

 

Hoping you can clarify something for me. I booked a car with Avis (Andalsnes Car Hire). Can you please tell me if this is the address of the Avis that is very close to the cruise pier?

Aandalsnes Car Hire

Oeran Vest, Aandalsnes, 6300, Norway

 

Thank you very much.

[EnglandHolidayGirl]

Hello iCruiser,

 

Hoping you can clarify something for me. I booked a car with Avis (Andalsnes Car Hire). Can you please tell me if this is the address of the Avis that is very close to the cruise pier?

Aandalsnes Car Hire

Oeran Vest, Aandalsnes, 6300, Norway

 

Thank you very much.

 

Hi,

 

here is the answer Icruiser gave to a similar question a few posts back. Also check out the posts from #630 - 637 for more info.

 

Actually Avis is closer from the pier. Approx 5 minute walk.

https://www.google.no/maps/dir/Togka...77!2d62.566773

 

HTH

 

Ann

[PandRBarry]

Hi,

 

here is the answer Icruiser gave to a similar question a few posts back. Also check out the posts from #630 - 637 for more info.

 

Actually Avis is closer from the pier. Approx 5 minute walk.

https://www.google.no/maps/dir/Togka...77!2d62.566773

 

HTH

 

Ann

 

Thank you Ann. I did see those posts but the address in the link doesn't look like the same. I'm hoping that iCruiser can clarify the address that I gave for me. I want to make sure I'm not an the airport!

[PandRBarry]

Thank you Ann. I did see those posts but the address in the link doesn't look like the same. I'm hoping that iCruiser can clarify the address that I gave for me. I want to make sure I'm not an the airport!

 

Oops! Went back and read more closely. Seems as though there are two Andalsnes locations and that the car can be picked up at either. Think I'll doublecheck that. I ordered an automatic since the ride might be challenging to say the least. REALLY want an automatic!!:)

[I-Cruiser]

Oops! Went back and read more closely. Seems as though there are two Andalsnes locations and that the car can be picked up at either. Think I'll doublecheck that. I ordered an automatic since the ride might be challenging to say the least. REALLY want an automatic!!:)

 

Glad you found the answer. We had a bit of confusion in regards to the locak newspaper and Avis car hire:D:D