Independent Tour Options - Norway, Faroe Islands, Iceland

[Liz Masterson]

This Conde Nast article mentions several ports:

Flam, Norway

Torshavn, Faroe Island

Ísafjörður, Iceland

 

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/25-most-beautiful-small-towns-in-europe?fbclid=IwAR3oloYSrcbEPQtGRSTCnVcUVPBmRCEbA-3dY5aRnau19haxRDqJPRwd2PI

 

[mreasier]

We did not do this itinerary on Viking but did a similar one on Princess last year.  In the Faroe Islands I reserved a mini van and we got 12 others to go with us.  The van with driver who, while not officially a guide, was very informative cost 7,395 NOK due at departure with no deposit.  It came to about $62 per person.  We set our own itinerary  and the day was one of our best.  The site is: https://www.arcticbuss.no/en/minibus-hire  

Edited July 3, 2019 by mreasier

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, mreasier said:

We set our own itinerary  and the day was one of our best. 

 

Can you tell us more about the itinerary? What did you choose to see? And what made you choose these destinations over others? Thanks.

[mreasier]

14 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Can you tell us more about the itinerary? What did you choose to see? And what made you choose these destinations over others? Thanks.

My strategy on private tours is to go to the furthest point first and then work our way back.  It is safer just in case there is any problem.  On this tour we went to Å first.  On the way we made a quick stop at the Flakstad Church and a photo stop at one of the beaches.  Å is a fishing village at the end of the road.  We stayed there for a while and then stopped for lunch.  Trip Advisor said that Anitas in Sakrisoya had the best fish sandwiches in Norway.  We stopped there and confirmed it.  Nothing like fresh baked bread, lighted breaded fresh fish, and fresh greens all topped with shrimp.  Our next stop was Nusfjord which is an open air museum and the best-preserved fishing village in the Islands.  The final stop was in Vikten, another small village with a family-owned glassblowing company.  We watched them make glass for a while and then enjoyed the sights of the area and listened to the waves breaking on the shore.  It was a full but not rushed day and we got back to the tender dock in plenty of time.

[Liz Masterson]

Aww DRATS! I don't think I'll be able to get to Anita's! My cruise visits Bergen, Flam, Geiranger and finally Alesund... I think Anita's is too far north for me to get to. It looks fantastic! 

 

Love your idea of heading to the furthest location first and tracking back. You can always skip a stop if you are running short on time. Great tip!

[Peregrina651]

21 hours ago, mreasier said:

We did not do this itinerary on Viking but did a similar one on Princess last year.  In the Faroe Islands I reserved a mini van and we got 12 others to go with us.  The van with driver who, while not officially a guide, was very informative cost 7,395 NOK due at departure with no deposit.  It came to about $62 per person.  We set our own itinerary  and the day was one of our best.  The site is: https://www.arcticbuss.no/en/minibus-hire  

 

OOPS! I wasn't fully paying attention when I read your post last night or I would have noticed then that something was amiss. You said that you used a minivan in Faroe Islands, but the information you then proceed to give is for a tour in Lofoten, Norway.

 

Regardless, the tour sounded wonderful. You hit all the kinds of places I would like to see and if you have information to share about Faroe Islands, we would love to hear it.

[mreasier]

15 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

OOPS! I wasn't fully paying attention when I read your post last night or I would have noticed then that something was amiss. You said that you used a minivan in Faroe Islands, but the information you then proceed to give is for a tour in Lofoten, Norway.

 

Regardless, the tour sounded wonderful. You hit all the kinds of places I would like to see and if you have information to share about Faroe Islands, we would love to hear it.

Sorry about that.  I guess I had a senior brain f..t.  Somehow my feeble mind equated the Faroe Islands with the Lofoten islands.  We did go to the Faroe Islands on a different cruise in 2011.  Unfortunately, we could not find a ship's or an independent tour we found interesting enough to join.  We took a ship's shuttle up to some sort of museum at the top of the hill above Tórshavn.  We then spent a few hours walking back down the hill and explored the interesting town.  Again, sorry for the confusion.

[Peregrina651]

Yes, but some good will come of it.  I am sending a link to your post to a fellow member who will be doing Lofoten Islands in 2021.

[roothy123]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

Yes, but some good will come of it.  I am sending a link to your post to a fellow member who will be doing Lofoten Islands in 2021.

More info for the person going to Lofoten Islands: Hopefully the person isn't going to Leknes on a Saturday from 8 to 1, as he/she may find touring options rather limited. That was the case for us, as Arctic Guide Service and other guides weren't available, and rental cars could not be rented until 10 AM, which really cut into our touring time.  I ended up just taking one of Viking's paid excursions.  However, i enjoyed it quite a bit.  I forget what the excursion was called, but the group went to the Flakstad church and then to Sund for the fishery museum (a funky but fun place with odd collection of stuff, white lantern from Sund lighthouse, and a blacksmith).  Then it went to Nusfjord Village, a fun and photogenic place.   I think we may have also stopped briefly at a beach, but that was the least interesting of the stops.  Scenery was pretty nice, as most in Norway appears to be.  Photos are here:     https://pbase.com/roothy123/lofoten_islands_and_honningsvag&page=all

Edited July 4, 2019 by roothy123

[Peregrina651]

9 minutes ago, roothy123 said:

More info for the person going to Lofoten Islands:

 

Thanks roothy, I'll make sure he sees it.

[Liz Masterson]

Found this Tour Group on Trip Advisor. Seems like they have good reviews and some nice tours based out ot Reykjavik.    https://www.gtice.is/

 

[Liz Masterson]

So apparently Geiranger has a Norwegian Fjord Centre!

 

https://www.fjordsenter.com/en

 

 

[Liz Masterson]

I did find this link for "Fab Travel" in Iceland which does tours for cruise ships... has anyone used them?

 

https://www.fabtravel.is/en/cruise-ship-day-tours 

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Liz Masterson said:

I did find this link for "Fab Travel" in Iceland which does tours for cruise ships... has anyone used them?

 

https://www.fabtravel.is/en/cruise-ship-day-tours 

 

Company reviews on TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g189954-d4453568-Reviews-Fab_Travel-Akureyri_Northeast_Region.html#REVIEWS

 

Checking in Ports of Call/Europe, I found the following and I am now scouring it for apropos threads to add to my list of links:

 

iceland ashore and excursions

 

In any case, good to ask about tours here but the audience in ports of call is bigger and you may get more answers to questions like this there.

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by Peregrina651

[Liz Masterson]

Nice article on how Tourism is expanding in Iceland:

 

https://issuu.com/indagare/docs/digimag_coded_issu_-_indagare_fallm/62

 

 

[retiredman]

      Here we go: alive update from the Sky! Ship is absolutely beautiful. Crew is wonderful as well. The weather so far has been, shall I say, FANTASTIC! Wife and I did a independent trip to Oslo which went well. We pretty much recovered from our flight the first day but took the hop on hop off bus the second day. We were able to walk to the Opera House to take in the views. Don’t miss the bathrooms!

         Do not miss the Viking Museum. It is amazing that these relics survived in such great condition. We did the short walk to the Kon Tiki Museum and enjoyed that as well.

         The train ride to Bergen was gorgeous! A bit long at 7 hrs, but if you are travelling to Norway, do not miss it!

           It rains in Bergen 300 days of the year. We had sunny beautiful skies and degrees in the 70’s! Beautiful town. We did the included tour which was panaromic Bergen. Enough for us on the first day. Very informative.

         We arrived in Flam on Saturday. I will not bother to describe the sail in. I could never do it justice! Magnificent! Weather again has cooperated, sunny in the 70’s, low 80’s. We did the full day Flam RR to Voss. Highly recommend it! Views are incredible! Lunch at the Hotel Stalheim alone made it worth the trip. FANTASTIC! 

 

[Peregrina651]

Thank you for going live! Hope you can get fellow Roll Call members to join you in the effort --especially folks who doing different tours than you  -- and that is what we really want to hear about: the itinerary, the tours, the ports of call..

Edited August 3, 2019 by Peregrina651

[Liz Masterson]

Thank you @retiredman!

Did you do the meet and mingle?

Thank you so much for posting! 

 

You have me reconsidering the Flam rail trip. I was thinking it might be too much railroad after spending the 7 hours on the Bergen Rail.

 

 

 

[Liz Masterson]

@cvgrammy posted this on another thread and said it was okay for me to put it here.

 

Great Report on Bergen with a Walking Tour!

Wouldn't it be cool if it was done up on audio like Rick Steve's does? @cvgrammy I think you might have found a niche! ❤️

 

Thank you @cvgrammy!

 

We went to Bergen a title over a year ago.  Darling town!

Bergen, known as the "Gateway to the Fjords," is Norway's second-largest city. 

We traveld in May and had warm beautiful weather...NO rain!  woo hoo!

 

We came in one day before we were to board the ship.  Stayed at: Thon Hotel Bergen Brygge (walked to the ship)  By the time we got to the hotel we were tired but walked to the wharf and had a fantastic shrimp lunch/dinner outside with a cold beer.  We then walked a couple of blocks and went straight to the Funicular (we were told if it is sunny it is a must do as not sunny often)  SPECTACULAR!  Just sat and looked at the extraordinary view!  Very relaxing, took pictures.

 

Woke up, ate breakfast and did "my walk".  Perfect!  Went back, got luggage and boarded ship.

 

Top things to see:

 

1.    Mount Floyen & the Funicular (Floibanen): Go before cruise ship tours as the cruise ship groups cut to the front of the line. If the line between the lake and Fish Market were the base of an isosceles triangle, at the apex of the triangle would be the station for the Floibanen Funicular, which climbs more than 1,000 feet to the peak of Mt. Floyen. Magnificent views of Bergen and the other six mountains that frame the city, as well as the fjords beyond. Don’t go when the weather turns bad or rains as not much to see! 

2.    Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf: walk & wander through the wharf and down its historic, wooden alleys.

 

3.    Fish Market: in Bergen is one of Norway's most visited outdoors markets. The Fish Market sells seafood, fruit and vegetables. Open: 8:00- 23:00
  

Where You're Docked: 
The cruise port is within walking distance of Bryggen and Bergen Town Centre.

 

Good to Know:
It rains quite a bit in Bergen, and it can be especially chilly by the water, so be sure to pack layers.

 

Shopping: 
Everything is expensive! Wool sweaters, troll dolls, contemporary tableware, silver and ceramics. These can easily be found in Bryggen (historic wharf area) and in the cross streets running southwest perpendicular to Olav Kyrres Gate.  For true quality two stores: OLEANA: STRANDKAIEN 2A  BRYGGEN; The flagship store of this famous Norwegian design shop is full of gorgeous, colorful wool sweaters. BERLE BRYGGEN: BRYGGEN 5  BRYGGEN; This clothing and souvenir store stocks the complete Dale of Norway collection of sweaters and cardigans, as well as trolls, pewter, down duvets, and other traditional knitwear and souvenir items.

 

My Walking Tour:

Historic Bergen
Start: The Fish Market. Finish: West Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts.
Time: 1 hour

 

1. Fish Market: From here, walk west along the Strandkaien, hugging the harborfront on your right side, making a small detour inland at the Strandkaien's end. Within a block, at an angular jog in the avenue known as the Strandgaten, you'll see the solid, partially fortified walls of:

 

2. City Wall Gate: This gate was originally built in 1550 as a checkpoint in a once-continuous wall that surrounded Bergen. Today it stands isolated amid the newer buildings and broad avenues that surround it on all sides. From here, walk west along Strandgaten, noting the many shops that line the street on either side. Within about 5 minutes you'll reach:

 

3. Nykirken: Noteworthy features of this church are the Danish-inspired, mansard roof from around 1761, the copper-capped baroque spire, and its location overlooking the entrance to Bergen's harbor. From here, walk steeply uphill for a block along the Nykirkeallmenningen, and turn left onto the narrow confines of the cobble-covered Ytre Markeveien, noting the antique wood-sided houses on either side. Walk 4 short blocks to the Kippersmauet, and then turn left, walking down a steep, cobble-covered alleyway where, at nos. 23 and 24, there was a disastrous fire in 2001.  Now retrace your steps uphill back to the Ytre Markeveien, and then turn right onto the big square (Holbergsallmenningen), originally conceived as a firebreak. Cross the wide boulevard (Klosteret) and walk east for 1 short block, turning right (sharply downhill) on the impossibly narrow cobble-covered alleyway identified within a few steps as the:

 

4. Knøsesmauet: You'll immediately find yourself hemmed in, somewhat claustrophobically, by the antique wooden houses of a district known as the Klosteret. It's composed of compact, impeccably well-maintained wooden houses immediately adjacent to one another. The risk of fire among the brightly painted historic buildings is a much-feared issue.  Continue descending the cobble-covered, steeply sloping length of the Knøsesmauet, bypassing brightly painted wooden houses, prefaced, in some cases, with tiny gardens. Cross over the Skottogaten and continue walking downhill. Turn left onto the St. Hansestredet. (Sankt Hanse is the patron saint of the summer solstice, often invoked in midsummer with bouquets of midsummer flowers such as the ones that adorn the sides of the houses along this street.) St. Hansestredet, within 2 short blocks, merges with the busy traffic of the Jonsvollsgaten, a wide commercial boulevard. Walk east for about 3 minutes, cross over the Teatergaten, and continue walking east along Engen, the eastward extension of the Jonsvollsgaten. On your left rises the stately looking, Art Nouveau bulk of the:

 

5. National Theater: Details to look for inside and out include life-size portrait statues of Bjørnson, author of Norway's national anthem, and Ibsen, who served as the theater's director for 5 years. (The stern and magisterial-looking granite sculpture of Ibsen, completed in 1982 and set into the lawns of the theater's eastern side, was considered so ugly that it remained in storage for many years.) On the theater's tree-shaded western side, just outside the entrance to its lobby, is a flattering likeness, in bronze, of Nordahl Grieg, often referred to as the Norwegian version of Winston Churchill because he warned of the Nazi menace before many of his colleagues in the Norwegian Parliament. -- If it's open, walk into the theater's lobby, a survivor of a disastrous fire in 1916 and of a Nazi bomb that fell directly into its lobby in 1944. Completely restored in the late 1990s, the lobby has an understated Art Nouveau style and portraits of great Norwegians lining its walls.
Now, with your back to the ornamental eastern side of the theater, walk easterly along the:

 

6. Ole Bulls Plass: Descend the gradual slope and note the grand commercial buildings that rise on either side. Broad and wide and flanked with flower beds, restaurants, bars, and shops, it was originally laid out, in an era when virtually everything that flanked it was made of wood, as a firebreak. Today it's an architectural showcase of Bergen, named after Norway's first musical superstar.  Descend along the Ole Bulls Plass, past a violin-playing statue of the musical star himself. When the street opens onto the broad esplanade known as Olav Kyrres Gate, note on the right side the turn-of-the-19th-century brick facade of the:

 

7. West Norway Museum of Applied Art: The statue of a seated male lost in thought set into a niche on the museum's facade commemorates the 19th-century painter J. C. Dahl. It was crafted by one of Norway's first widely celebrated female sculptors, Ambrosia Tønnesen. The abstract sculpture set onto the lawn in front of the museum, composed of a series of rainbow-colored concentric hoops, is in honor of Bergen-born early-20th-century composer Harald Saeverud.
 

 

[retiredman]

We have been blessed with gorgeous weather. I was told by our tour guide today that it was snowing 3 weeks ago, enough to close some of the roads we travelled.

We took the “From Fjords to Trolls” Alesund excursion from Viator and could not have been more pleased. Our start time was adjusted due to getting into port late. The decision was made to take the route a bit in reverse so we would still eat lunch around noon. Very smart. The trip started slow to get to destination but once there, OMG! The Troll road did not disappoint, the driver did a fantastic job of maneuvering up the 11 hairpin turns to reach the summit. Incredible viewpoint. Not for the squeamish, those with a fear of heights.

Our guide was fantastic, informative, funny and helpful. You should not have any second thoughts about this excursion.

Luckily, what I thought would be late 8pm reservations at Manfredi’s now works just fine. Got back to the ship at 6:15, getting ready for a pre dinner cocktail!

[Liz Masterson]

I have a question.

When I took the cruise to Alaska there were tons of excursion booths set up near the pier.  Is it like that at any of the Norway ports?  Can you arrive without excursion plans and make them when you get off the ship?
 

 

[Peregrina651]

11 minutes ago, Liz Masterson said:

I have a question.

When I took the cruise to Alaska there were tons of excursion booths set up near the pier.  Is it like that at any of the Norway ports?  Can you arrive without excursion plans and make them when you get off the ship?
 

 

 

There was something in Bergen I think. In Geiranger, GeirangerFjordServices is located right on the pier and you can book then -- or rent an electric car for the day (no windows, no heater, bring hat, gloves and overcoat). I don't remember seeing anything on the pier in Alesund but that doesn't mean much. In any case, I don't remember  being inundated with choices right on the pier.

 

In Bergen, you can do the Grieg House and the Fantoft church using public transportation; I looked that up for our last trip but we never did it.  There is also a tour out to Grieg House leaving I think from the tourist info center. Mt. Flyen you can do OYO; just stand in line for tickets.

 

 

Geiranger Pier:

 

[retiredman]

20 hours ago, Liz Masterson said:

I have a question.

When I took the cruise to Alaska there were tons of excursion booths set up near the pier.  Is it like that at any of the Norway ports?  Can you arrive without excursion plans and make them when you get off the ship?
 

 

 

     l would not risk that. I know the booths you are referring to. I have seen nothing like that. Where we are today, Geiranger, there are 3 ships, including us. There is a place to buy tickets for Fjord excursions and it was bedlam.

      It was terribly overcast this morning. We did the included Eagles Bend Overlook and Panoramic Drive. Another hair raising hairpin turn drive up the mountain. Sadly, the clouds were low and we could not see much. We proceeded to the panoramic drive. Another hairpin turn road, ascending above the cloud cover. Beautiful scenery! Glacier and a mountain top lake. 

       We descended the mountain and stopped at a lookout for a great photo shoot of the Fjord. The weather had cleared up and was beautiful! Still no rain on this cruise! 

        Departing the port, the Captain did an amazing thing! He slowed the ship to allow a Costa ship to pass. Then he did a 360 degree slow turn in front of the waterfalls in the narrow fjord so everyone could get a great view that was not there in the morning! Kudos to the Captain!

[Liz Masterson]

Thanks @retiredman! When we were in Alaska we did arrange all of our excursions ahead of time... but in Juneau we snuck in an extra one, a whale watching tour booked at a booth.  It was an extra long port day.  We slept very well that night! 😄

[retiredman]

Yesterday in Torshavn, Faroe Islands we did the Golden Circle tour by M&M Tours. There was a minor mix up at the Port when the Viking personnel directed us to a shuttle bus to take us to the bus depot at the entrance of the port. We ended up having to take the shuttle back to the Ship where the M&M Tour bus was boarding . A minor inconvenience. As far as I can tell, Viking does not offer a tour as extensive. We travelled to a number of small villages situated in incredible scenic but harsh locations. Sheep and goats EVERYWHERE! The weather can change at the drop of a dime. Come prepared! We stopped at a village of maybe 30 people at the foot of an inlet, the temp my have been 42* f, wind whipping, fine, cold rain blowing, and some local is in a Speedo swimming! Picture moment for sure.

       As far as the tour, scenery was spectacular, but the tour guide (who had been a politician and talk show host), would ramble on about politics, conservative viewpoints, and every kind of hot plate topic you can think of.

       Now, I may have agreed with a lot of his positions, but I am not on vacation to listen to his ramblings. Even after someone finally protested, he just could not help himself and would drift back to politically incorrect topics! It made for a long day. It's a shame because he really knows the islands and their history. If only be would stick to that topic.

        So book at your own risk. The bus was beautiful, A nice lunch was provided, but you may get Rush Limbaugh as a tour guide!