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Oslo-Bergen, Bergen-Oslo: How to take the Flam Train?


QShip
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Am planning 12 day cruise for Sept or Oct.  We will be taking the train both ways between  Oslo and Bergen and want to include Flam train ride.  Would you suggest it for the beginning of our adventure, or after the cruise? Is it possible to incorporate it into one of the regular trips and still make it to the destination on the same day?  How would one accomplish this, can we purchase a combined ticket?  If we cannot (or should not) do it all in one day how should we arrange where to stay overnight (Flam or Myrdal)?  We have fairly open schedules, and all suggestions are welcome.

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I have no knowledge of the Flam train ride but will make other comments 🙂 We've already done the NB RT (and adored it). We flew Norwegian Air into and out of Bergen. But in April we're dong the 6 day NB only to Kirkenes. Again we flying Norwegian Air but this time into Oslo. Two days there and then the train to Bergen. Two days in Bergen. Then the cruise. And other stuff that means nothing to this convo. But what about your flying into Oslo and out of Bergen or the other way. It's a seven hour trip which while it's supposed to be glorious, do you really want to do it twice? Just a thought. PS: The cruise is just glorious.

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You may want to look at Norway in a Nutshell, which includes other scenic options between Oslo and Bergen (including the Flam train). It can be done in a day, I would do it after the trip so you are not stressed out to miss the ship if anything goes haywire (it shouldn't, and usually doesn't). Also when daylight hours tend to diminish, doing it from Bergen to Oslo ensure that you see all the scenic parts in daylight.

https://www.norwaynutshell.com/original-tour/

If you just want to take the train ride to Flam and back, book tickets for Bergen-Flam and for Flam-Oslo on the website vy.no  (tickets available 90 days in advance). You will have to change train at Myrdal.

So I would do : Oslo-Bergen direct by train at the start, and Bergen-Oslo by NiN or with the side trip to Flam at the end.

 

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Excellent idea. I would dot prior to your voyage (due to longer days) and you should include an overnight stay in Myrdal, Flåm or Gudvangen - an option is also the bus from Gudvangen or Flåm to Bergen rather than the train.

You can buy Norway in a Nusthell as a package but also buy the individual element like the train, bus, boat trip through Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord as Well as hotel at the web. With an overnight stay you might Also have time to visit Undredal.

Get more Inspiration here. Many different options.

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Hallasm and Sarnia: Excellent guidance, thank you very much.  Had not yet found Norway in a Nutshell and it looks like a very good way to accomplish what we want. May even allow us to follow Clo's suggestion.

 

Clo: I have been looking at Norwegian Air and would like your opinion.  Their reviews are all over the map, with some very happy and some not so much.  Many of the complaints deal with indifferent, or even rude, customer service. What was your experience, and how recently did you fly?  Is it worth paying for their premium product from the U.S. (it looks like it would not apply to the shorter European leg)?

 

 

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24 minutes ago, QShip said:

I have been looking at Norwegian Air and would like your opinion.  Their reviews are all over the map

Yes, they have very mixed reviews.
I belong to those who do not have good experience with Norwegian Air and I do not fly with them anymore.  Have experienced very long delays - as they are not part of an alliance they do not have the option of rerouting passengers in the event of cancellations or technical problems. They have also suffered by the grounding of the 737 MAX.
They have recently had severe financial problems and have been close to bankruptcy. However, the financial situation has improved significantly and a whole new management has managed to improve regularity by cutting down on the network.
 Premium Class is only available on transatlantic routes - not in Norway or Europe.

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Though it is only tangential to the topic, I have also found that Norwegian Air prices are different in dollars vs. euros.  From the states round trip in premium the dollar quote is $185 more than in euros.

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On 1/23/2020 at 6:25 AM, QShip said:

Hallasm and Sarnia: Excellent guidance, thank you very much.  Had not yet found Norway in a Nutshell and it looks like a very good way to accomplish what we want. May even allow us to follow Clo's suggestion.

 

Clo: I have been looking at Norwegian Air and would like your opinion.  Their reviews are all over the map, with some very happy and some not so much.  Many of the complaints deal with indifferent, or even rude, customer service. What was your experience, and how recently did you fly?  Is it worth paying for their premium product from the U.S. (it looks like it would not apply to the shorter European leg)?

 

 

Sorry, I didn't see this. We adored Norwegian but we did do the Premium which is their not-quite-business class. The seats don't like flat but recline quite a bit and there's a let rest. The food and beverages were good also. I've talked to two people who traveled in economy and hated it. Oh, we were on them March '19 and will be on them again this April. And probably in Sept. They have had financial problems but seem steady. And were they to close up we'd get a refund on our credit card and could rebook.

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I took Norwegian Air RT LAX to Oslo in 2015 and it was a great experience. There international flights between the USA and Norway are usually on 787s, and this is quite different than their inter-European flights which are more often on 737s.

 

I booked my train from Oslo to Bergen myself on-line. After my cruise, I also had prebooked my trip to Flam on-line, but in order to make it work, I had to take the first train in the morning from Bergen to Myrdal (1st ticket), then make a very short connection to the Flam train RT (2nd ticket), then a third segment from Myrdal to Oslo. It did make a long day (approximately 7AM-7PM) but it was fantastic.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We flew into Oslo on Iceland Air, spent several nights, did the Norway in a Nutshell to bergen, spent the night and boarded our ship the next day. The train, train, ferry, bus, train trip was fun and very scenic. After getting off the ship, we flew to Iceland for another 5 days. It was a great trip. 

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  • 3 months later...
On 2/23/2020 at 4:06 PM, cruisingbarb said:

We flew into Oslo on Iceland Air, spent several nights, did the Norway in a Nutshell to bergen, spent the night and boarded our ship the next day. The train, train, ferry, bus, train trip was fun and very scenic. After getting off the ship, we flew to Iceland for another 5 days. It was a great trip. 

In taking the train from Oslo to Bergen, were you able to check your luggage?  Or did you have to bring it onboard your assigned coach?

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9 hours ago, Sue from Canada said:

In taking the train from Oslo to Bergen, were you able to check your luggage?  Or did you have to bring it onboard your assigned coach?

As with every European trains you cannot check luggage at the train. Alternative is to  use a porter service like porterservice.no or eurosender . 

Just note that NSB (Norwegian Rail) baggage allowance policy states that “a passenger may take up to 30 kg of luggage, comprising a maximum of 3 items, which he/she embarks himself/herself and stows in the appropriate place”.

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14 hours ago, hallasm said:

As with every European trains you cannot check luggage at the train. Alternative is to  use a porter service like porterservice.no or eurosender . 

Just note that NSB (Norwegian Rail) baggage allowance policy states that “a passenger may take up to 30 kg of luggage, comprising a maximum of 3 items, which he/she embarks himself/herself and stows in the appropriate place”.

Thank you Hallasm.  I usually have one 26 inch suitcase, one carry-on and my purse.  Since this wouldn't be a typical cruise like I'm use to with extra clothes for nighttime dining, formals etc. I could get by with the 30kg limit.  What do you mean by stows in the 'appropriate place.'  Is this like in Canada where there is a place in the train car where people place there luggage (and we can also put a carry-on in front of our seat).

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10 minutes ago, Sue from Canada said:

What do you mean by stows in the 'appropriate place.'

“Passengers should make sure that their belongings do not obstruct aisles, entrances or occupy other passengers’ seats.”

- some trains does have a place at the entrance for luggage storage  - most trains have overhead racks for luggage.
The 30 kg is almost the same allowance as for your flights. (24 kg checked luggage and 8 kg carry on). 

And yes, for Hurtigruten the requirement for additional cloths for dinner and formal is not required - also self service laundry at most Hurtigruten ships.

Oslo - Bergen by train is a very scenic journey.

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6 hours ago, hallasm said:

“Passengers should make sure that their belongings do not obstruct aisles, entrances or occupy other passengers’ seats.”

- some trains does have a place at the entrance for luggage storage  - most trains have overhead racks for luggage.
The 30 kg is almost the same allowance as for your flights. (24 kg checked luggage and 8 kg carry on). 

And yes, for Hurtigruten the requirement for additional cloths for dinner and formal is not required - also self service laundry at most Hurtigruten ships.

Oslo - Bergen by train is a very scenic journey.

Thank you for this information.  You're very informative and I appreciate all the information you provide on this thread.

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I am pleased at the ongoing interest and great information on this thread.  We still have our slot to leave Bergen around 9/28.  Hope it happens!

 

I wonder, is there a way, and would it make sense, to ship baggage from Oslo airport to the ship so one does not have multiple 'bag drags' and the inconvenience of having the bags on the train.  Would there be a security problem?

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1 hour ago, QShip said:

I wonder, is there a way, and would it make sense, to ship baggage from Oslo airport to the ship

It’s my understanding that you can only ship luggage from hotel to hotel. Doubt that you can ship direct from airport to Cruise terminal. Check possibilities with porter@porterservice.no.

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15 hours ago, hallasm said:

It’s my understanding that you can only ship luggage from hotel to hotel. Doubt that you can ship direct from airport to Cruise terminal. Check possibilities with porter@porterservice.no.

I just checked this porter service out you suggested.  This is exactly what I need from hotel to hotel.  And the price is very reasonable.  I see that you are going to make my trip so much more easy and less stressful with all your information.

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