Norway in a Nutshell

we just arrived in Bergen today after doing the Nutshell route over 2 days. I was a bit leary that it might be too touristy and was over rated. My concerns were certainly not grounded in reality. It was an incredible 2 days. No words to describe how magnificent the scenery was. Interestingly enough the much touted Flam railway was probably the least impressive leg of the journey. We loved the rail trip from Oslo to Myrdal and we enjoyed the Myrdal to Flam leg but felt it was dwarfed by both the high passes before Myrdal and the ferry ride from Flam to Gudvangen. We are glad we stayed overnight in Flam it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the long daylight hours walking about admiring the incredible scenery. The ferry ride from Flam to Gudvangen was probably the most beautiful boat ride I have ever taken. It alone would make the trip worthwhile. We had a little snafu with the bus from Gudvangen to Voss but ended up taking the public bus all the way back to Bergen through even more beautiful country.

One thing that made the trip MUCH easier was using the Porter Service Norway. They met us promptly as promised in Oslo and transported our luggage to Bergen so all we had to take with us was a backpack. It would have been a LOT of hassle to each be lugging a large suitcase on and off trains, buses and a ferry. Luggage was waiting at our hotel this afternoon when we arrived. The cost was very reasonable and I would recommend the service to anyone doing the Nutshell route pre or post cruise!

Thank you for the feedback!

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The single day Norway in a Nutshell tour we did from Flam is still the highlight of our cruise trips.

A truly memorable day and excellent value for Norway.

How do you arrange the Porter Service Norway? We are flying into Bergen after a cruise from Stockholm. We have two nights in Bergen then the Norway in a Nutshell to Oslo. That honestly was my biggest concern, carrying the bags for my wife and I.

Is there adequate luggage storage area on the bus, boat, etc? I don't think our hotel in Bergen can accept delivery from the porter service.

anyone with experience taking luggage with them on Norway in Nutshell? we will be doing Oslo to Bergen precruise in Sept.

anyone with experience taking luggage with them on Norway in Nutshell? we will be doing Oslo to Bergen precruise in Sept.

Did the nutshell on my own while on a 2 week trip to Norway and Sweden 2 years ago. We did Bergen to Oslo with an overnight in Flam. Train Bergen to Voss was standard European with place to store luggage both overhead and at ends of car. Most concerned about the bus because you could not make reservations, but realized the train man asked about how many were going to the ferry and they made sure enough buses were available. Standard tourist buses with lots of storage capacity underneath. Only held onto our carryons.

Short bus to ferry walk and loads of space on car deck for stacked luggage . Again we held on to our carryons. Both major inns in Flam were short walk from ferry dock as was the Flam railway stop. Finally you have to transfer to main line at Myrdal which has plenty of overhead luggage space. Do make reservations for Myrdal to Oslo as you need an assigned seat and it sells out.

DW and are 70 and 69 now so 2 years younger then and found luggage to be no problem for this trip

anyone with experience taking luggage with them on Norway in Nutshell? we will be doing Oslo to Bergen precruise in Sept.

We cruise with carry-on luggage, two pieces each, one large and one small. We did the two day Norway in a Nutshell with luggage and had no trouble at all. You do have to hoist bags onto train cars, but platforms were not difficult to maneuver. If you have very large luggage, 28" or larger heavy bags, it might be a problem. There are other tourists onboard the train with hefty backpacks and luggage. It really is determining what you are able to manage.

thanks so much for the feedback. I was concerned about storage space, not so much the handling the luggage

thanks so much for the feedback. I was concerned about storage space, not so much the handling the luggage

We kept our luggage at our feet on the train. There was not good storage near our seats. Many of the more modern trains in Norway and Sweden had better luggage storage. Our Norway in a Nutshell was part of a combination land trip and Hurtigruten cruise. We used trains for our land travel - always on time, very efficient and comfortable.

I am trying to figure out whether to fly into Bergen or Oslo for our cruise next summer. The main reason I was going to Oslo was to take the train from Oslo to Bergen. We do not have time to do the full Nutshell. Is it worth going out of our way to simply take the train from Oslo to Bergen?

I am trying to figure out whether to fly into Bergen or Oslo for our cruise next summer. The main reason I was going to Oslo was to take the train from Oslo to Bergen. We do not have time to do the full Nutshell. Is it worth going out of our way to simply take the train from Oslo to Bergen?

If you're going to be cruising among the fjords (sailing out of Bergen sounds like you'll be doing a Hurtigruten trip?), you'll be seeing the fjords from the ship, so that part of the Nutshell trip is less crucial. I very much enjoy the rail trip on its own, so my vote would be that yes, it is still worth it (assuming you're traveling during daylight hours, which traveling in the summer you likely are). I like to watch out the window as the scenery transitions from city to suburb to farmland to forest, and then eventually you're up above the treeline with views of the surrounding mountains and maybe a glimpse of glacier around Finse.

If you're going to be cruising among the fjords (sailing out of Bergen sounds like you'll be doing a Hurtigruten trip?), you'll be seeing the fjords from the ship, so that part of the Nutshell trip is less crucial. I very much enjoy the rail trip on its own, so my vote would be that yes, it is still worth it (assuming you're traveling during daylight hours, which traveling in the summer you likely are). I like to watch out the window as the scenery transitions from city to suburb to farmland to forest, and then eventually you're up above the treeline with views of the surrounding mountains and maybe a glimpse of glacier around Finse.

Thank you for offering your opinion. We will do our best to fit the train into our itinerary. It sounds like the kind of trip we'd really enjoy. We leave from Bergen on a Viking Ocean trip.

We are thinking of doing this trip either before or after our cruise next May. Should we start from Oslo or Bergen? Do you recommend staying in Flam overnight or do it all in one day? Also, how complicated is it going from train to bus to ferry to train, etc. I don't think there is a guide to tell you where to go.

We are thinking of doing this trip either before or after our cruise next May. Should we start from Oslo or Bergen? Do you recommend staying in Flam overnight or do it all in one day? Also, how complicated is it going from train to bus to ferry to train, etc. I don't think there is a guide to tell you where to go.

I prefer the Oslo to Bergen direction, because I like the change in scenery between Oslo and Myrdal. There are more tunnels in the Voss-Bergen section, so at the end of a long day, I don't feel as bad dozing off and missing some scenery. Of course, if you did the overnight in Flåm, that would be less of an issue.

Whether you do it in one day or two depends on how much time you have and how much energy you can muster. Personally, I prefer the one long day (even if it means dozing off on the last part of the train), because I'd rather spend the extra day in Bergen.

The connections are fairly straightforward. The distances are quite small, and there are typically a lot of people doing the same thing. Just be sure to keep a copy of the timetable with you, because I've heard of people accidentally boarding the wrong ferry (which would have been clear if they'd double-checked their scheduled departure time).

The single day Norway in a Nutshell tour we did from Flam is still the highlight of our cruise trips.

 

A truly memorable day and excellent value for Norway.

I know this is a few months old, but I was going to post a new thread before finding this post.

I'm trying to decide whether I should do the single day Nutshell tour from Flam or just the Flam Railway and then find something else to do. This post seems to indicate that the full Nutshell is the way to go. Does anyone disagree? HAL doesn't seem to be offering it as an excursion. They do offer the railway (at an inflated price, of course).

Update: forget it. I just checked the Nutshell website and tickets are finally available for my date. The boat doesn't get back until 6pm, which is when my ship leaves. Very disappointing, makes me wonder why HAL didn't arrange the port timings better. Either that, or something is sold out already, since there is a 2 hour gap between our arrival and departure times in Voss (although I checked other days and they have the same gap). I thought the Nutshell was based on continous connections with only a few minutes between arriving and departing.

I guess this is why HAL isn't offering the Nutshell as an excursion. Oh well.

Sorry about Norway in a Nutshell. Hopefully, someone who is more familiar with Norway will post as to whether or not all of the schedules have been set for next summer's transportation options, since everyone who did this on our cruise really loved it.

If you are unable to do all of Norway in a Nutshell, please note that in Flam, we had a lovely afternoon visiting a goat farm,exploring the beautiful town of Undredal, and then eating local cheeses (including brown caramel goat cheese) and a delicious lunch that was organized by Flam Guide Service (http://www.fjordsafari.com). Fjord Safari's booth is located about a minute away from the Flam railway platform, so you will have no problem finding your tour. You can combine this tour with a hike and boat ride along the fjords if your group is all physically fit. It was a very pleasant and enjoyable excursion, which I would highly recommend. We traveled in May, before the goats move to their summer farms so this excursion had to be individually arranged. Flam Guide service stayed in contact with usand gave us updates as they worked to book this reservation, and they also helpfully provided car seats for our children. Our tour guide was highly knowlegdable and helpful and this tour was one of the highlights of our cruise.

I’m surprised HAL have timed a trip to miss the tour. 2 hours in Voss is normal. Its the lunch stop and you have time to have a wander round before catching a local train to Myrdal.

I’m surprised HAL have timed a trip to miss the tour. 2 hours in Voss is normal. Its the lunch stop and you have time to have a wander round before catching a local train to Myrdal.

I checked other cruises that stop in Flam (there's a "to go" website that lets you search for cruises based on a specific port) and most of them leave by 6pm.In fact, I found an Azamara cruise that has a stop from 7am-2:30pm. In our case, I suspect it's because we have "Scenic cruising Sognefjord" after we leave Flam and we don't get into Geiranger (the next day) until 11am.

Thanks for the suggestion of the farm tour. I was actually thinking of doing that in Geiranger. I'll have to check it out.

So.. I'm back :). I noticed that they changed our port time in Flam to 7am-6pm (we had been scheduled to arrive at 8am). Also, I checked the Nutshell website again and see that they now have an option that gets back at 4:55pm (via the railway the only previous option had been 6pm). I have two options, starting on the Fjord cruise - classic boat at 8am, or the premium boat at 9:45am for around $20 more per person. The cruise line (HAL) is selling an 8:15am railway excursion but they do not list the Nutshell. I'm pretty sure I'll be good with the 4:55pm return but would I be safe with the 8am boat or should I splurge for the premium boat at 9:45am? The ship's itinerary says we tender at Flam but the port's schedule shows that we dock.

I'm actually very pleased about this change since I really wanted to do the Nutshell and was very upset about the port time which appeared to make it impossible to do.

Has anyone done the P&O ships tour, Norway in a Nutshell from Flam?

I would love to hear about your experience please?

Also, where did you have lunch in Voss? I think it is at a hotel, but which one?

One thing that made the trip MUCH easier was using the Porter Service Norway. They met us promptly as promised in Oslo and transported our luggage to Bergen so all we had to take with us was a backpack. It would have been a LOT of hassle to each be lugging a large suitcase on and off trains, buses and a ferry. Luggage was waiting at our hotel this afternoon when we arrived. The cost was very reasonable and I would recommend the service to anyone doing the Nutshell route pre or post cruise!

Very interested in the Porter Service. Could you please explain a little about it? Sounds perfect for getting our luggage from Bergen to Oslo after our cruise.

Very interested in the Porter Service. Could you please explain a little about it? Sounds perfect for getting our luggage from Bergen to Oslo after our cruise.

It is a per bag rate. They pick it up and you receive it at your Oslo destination. Absolutely the best!

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