Norway in a Nutshell, Oslo to Bergen

[sglenc]

Plans continue to change. For sure we're booked on the Star Princess for the August 13, 2006 cruise out of Copenhagen. We'd really like to work in the "Norway in a Nutshell" trip by leaving the cruise in Oslo, before the Star Princess returns to Copenhagen. Spend the night in Oslo and do the train, bus, boat, etc. trip to Bergen the next day. Perhaps spend a night in Bergan and then fly back to Oslo (probably Norwegian Air Shuttle) to take advantage of Frequent Flyer conection (not available in Bergen). Has anyone done this and can offer advice, cautions, etc.

Steve

[robthens]

Have done "Norway in a Nutshell". Below is my review.

 

This excursion includes a train ride, ferry through the fjords, bus trip and train trip back to Oslo. It is a beautiful trip!!!

 

We got a breakfast to go from the hotel (no extra charge) and got to the train station at 6:15am.

We boarded the "Bergen Train". You will have assigned seats.

 

At 11:30 we arrived at the Myrday station. We left the Bergen train and waited (with the crowd) for the "green" train going to Flam. Some had assigned seats. We did not, but we easily found seats together.

 

There was a photo stop at the Kjosefosse waterfall.

You have a short music show and the "Huldra" appears close to the waterfall.

 

The train arrives in Flam at 1:00. Go immediately to the ferry.

The best seats are upstairs. Don't be shy!

The chairs are stacked. Grab chairs and position yourself as far back as possible. Truly, it was wall to wall chairs when we left.

 

Food is available on the ferry.

 

The ferry takes you through the fjords. We were so lucky. We had crystal

clear weather.

 

At the end of the fjord cruise, go directly to a bus marked "Norway in a Nutshell".

 

The bus ride is about 2 1/2 hours. It also make a stop for a photo opportunity and rest break.

 

You then catch the "Oslo" train at the Voss station.

 

Dinner and drinks are available on the train.

 

It is a long day, but not physical.

 

Highly recommend! Hope you can work out the other details.

[elin]

We did a variation of the Norway in a Nutshell tour the "Sonjefjord Express".

I had read Robthens post (very helpful...thank you!), so I knew that our train from Oslo did not say Myrdal, but Bergen (that made it a little easier for the early morning boarding!

We then did the Flam train (were beautiful) and then boarded the boat to go through the Sonjefjord (the longest and deepest fjord). This took 5 hours and we arrived in Bergen.

This saved us some bus rides. The scenery was beautiful, the captain was great, he pulled close to the side to so we could get some photos of the waterfalls and seals. There was food on board and it was very comfortable.

We arrived in Bergen, and sadly did not have time to stay overnight, but caught the SAS shuttle to the airport and flew back to Oslo.

If you want to do the Norway in a Nutshell, you might want to look at this variation.

Have a great time, Oslo and Norway were fabulous (but expensive)!

Elin

[sglenc]

Since I started this thread, I wanted to post our actual experience. It was great!

We left the Star Princess in Oslo, instead of continuing on to Copenhagen. We needed Princess's authorization to do this. A simple letter (faxed) to them was all that was required. No fare reduction but no hassle. Booked Norway in a Nutshell on the internet and picked up the tickets in the Oslo train station the evening before the actual trip.

Getting off the Star was simple. Called the Purser and they sent someone to take our luggage to the gangway. We walked off the dock with our luggage. No customs, passport check, etc. Stayed at the Thon Opera Hotel - right next to the Central train station. We had some friends help us get the luggage to the hotel. Without the help, a taxi would have been necessary. Purchased a 24 hour bus/tram/ferry pass which made getting around Oslo easy.

 

The next morning, at 7:30 AM we checked out of the hotel. The hotel stored the bulk of our luggage. Didn't want to drag all that "cruise luggage" across Norway. We walked to the train station and at 8:11 AM left on the train. From then on, it was simple. Follow the crowds. Views of the fjords, glaciers, waterfalls, etc. were spectacular. Spent the night and most of the next day in Bergen. Loved Bergen. We flew back to Oslo on Norwegian Air's next to the last flight of the day (also booked on the internet). Arrived around 8:00 PM. We took the train (local, cheaper) back into Oslo to get our luggage. Reversed the process to get back to our hotel, near the airport. Flew home the next day.

 

Norway in a Nutshell was a real high light of our trip. Even though it required some extra effort and expense to make it work, it was worth it.

Steve