Experiencing the peace and tranquillity of Norway and the beauty of its fjords had been on my wish list for so long and my wish came true this May.
We decided to follow the Norway in a Nutshell tour which is basically a series of well-organised train, ferry and bus connections between Oslo and Bergen to allow one to explore the best of Norway. We did not attempt to do it all in one day, though one can – if short on time. Also, we did not pre-book any tickets. We followed the Bergen-Flam-Myrdal-Bergen route. If you haven’t read already, here’s my blog post about Bergen.
Norway in a Nutshell – Review
Bergen to Flam – Sognefjord
After spending a night in Bergen, it was now time to cruise through the Sognefjord – the longest and deepest fjord in Norway. We boarded the express boat at 8 am from Strandkaiterminalen near the Fish Market. It was in fact quite a long journey, almost 5 hours on the boat. However, the imposing cliffs, rugged mountains, gurgling waterfalls, pretty villages more than made up for the long journey. It is possible to get down and explore any of the villages, stay for the night and continue the tour the next day.
Sognefjord
Pretty villages along the route
One of the many waterfalls along the way.
Flam
Our destination was the lovely village of Flam. Mostly people come to Flam for a train connection, not everyone stays. We opted to stay for the night at the Flamsbrygga hotel, which is a very short walk from the pier. Our room was cosy and comfortable, and right at the corner, so we had beautiful views of the fjord from two sides of the room.
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View from the room.
After checking in, we took a bus tour to the Stegastein viewpoint. We bought the tickets from Flam tourist centre which is also where the bus departs from. During the short journey, we made our way up from Flam through winding roads to 650m above the fjord. It has a platform extending out 30m over the fjord and offering the most awe-inspiring, spectacular view of the Aurlandfjord. I could have stayed there gazing at the panoramic views forever. Sadly, we had to return to Flam!
Aurlandfjord from Stegastein viewpoint.
Taking advantage of the long summer days, we went for a walk in the late evening to explore Flam. We were done in 15 minutes. That’s how small it is. Once all the tourists leave, it gets real calm and quiet and peaceful.
Quiet evenings in Flam
The disadvantage is that there aren’t many options food-wise. There is a Coop supermarket, but vegetarians may not find much and since the text on the packaging is in Norwegian, it is really difficult to know the contents. There are few cafes and restaurants in Flam but by the time we reached each one of them, somewhere around 8:30 pm, they were out of food and were only serving drinks. So, be prepared about the timings when you are in Flam. Buying some food from Coop earlier during the day really helped!
Our hotel highly recommended us to try their Ægir Brewery. It is a Viking style microbrewery, with slate floor and wooden walls and a 9m high fireplace. The vibe was warm, cosy, bustling and loud. It felt like a completely different world altogether, considering how chilly and quiet it was outside. We spent a wonderful time in the most unexpected of places, conversing with other visitors and glad that we took up on the recommendation.
Ægir Brewery
Ægir Brewery
The next morning after a scrumptious breakfast at the hotel, we went for an easy hike to the Flam Stave Church. It was roughly around 3km away and wasn’t strenuous at all. A pretty stroll, I must say! We passed rustic Nordic houses on the way, set against the backdrop of green mountains and waterfalls. Unfortunately, the church was closed for renovation and we couldn’t see it from inside.
Flam Stave church
Flam to Myrdal – Flamsbana
Some say the Flamsbana is the most beautiful train journey in the world. I wouldn’t go that far, however, I must agree that it’s an engineering feat, to say the least. It runs on the normal gauge and almost 80% of the 20km journey has a 5.5% gradient. We bought the tickets and boarded the train at Flam station. On our way from the fjords towards snow-capped mountains, we went past roaring waterfalls and steep ravines, going through 20 tunnels! In under an hour, we were transported to Myrdal, 860m above sea level.
Rallarvegen – a mountain biking track with 21 twists and turns
Kjosfossen waterfall
Myrdal to Bergen, via Voss
We were the only two people who got off at Myrdal and all other passengers returned to Flam on the same train. Within 5 minutes, we boarded another train for Bergen from the platform across. Again we were probably the only two passengers on the train, and it was slightly surreal – very, very quiet and there was snow as far as our eyes could see. This was a complete change of scenery from Flam and also from the bubbling excitement of the fellow passengers on the Flamsbana. However, the train did get quite filled up later at Voss.
Serene Snowy peaks
The landscape changed quite a lot over the course of time till we reached Bergen. Wild mountainous terrain, white soft snowy peaks, green valleys and ravines, gushing waterfalls – we saw it all. Truly, we saw Norway in a nutshell!
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Did you find this review helpful? I would love to hear your thoughts about my review of Norway in a Nutshell tour.
Cheers,
Ameeta xx
