The first word we associate with Norway is “expensive”! Is Norway really that expensive? Yes, it is! A hamburger from McDonald cost Euro 8-12. Our plan of eating cheap dashed after knowing this. TT
Basic information of Norway
Norway is a Scandinavian country with approximately 5.2 million people. Many people actually want to visit Norway at least once in their life time although it is rather expensive.
The currency in Norway is the Norwegian Krone (NOK). It is not advisable to use Euro in Norway as it is generally not acceptable in most restaurants and shops in Norway.
Norway’s official languages are Nowegian and Sami. But, as they can speak English well, it is not a problem for tourists. If you don’t speak English, um……
The electrical outlets in Norway uses the Europlug which has two round prongs. If you are traveling from the U.S., you will likely need either an electricity transformer or adapter for your devices to use the 220 volts of electricity that come out of the wall outlets.
Best time to visit Norway
It really depends on what you are interested in. If you are interested to see the Northern lights and spending Christmas in Norway, November to March is therefore your choice. However, if you are the sort who enjoys hiking, prefers mild temperature, love the fall colors, September and October is clearly most suitable for you.
July is the best month but also the worst because of holiday crowds. Locals and foreigners all flock to Norway because the weather is the most amazing and all sea activities are open for us to enjoy.
If you want to avoid the summer crowds, June and September would be your best bet.
Norway itinerary
This tour to Norway in Europe itinerary is especially great for:-
- those who love nature
- love Norway Fjords
- Experiencing the Midnight Sun
- Love hiking
- Those traveling with elderly parents
Overview of Norway itinerary
- Day 1: Arrive in Oslo
- Day 2: Myrdal / Flam / Balestrand
- Day 3: Fjaerland
- Day 4: Naeroyfjord / Gudvangen / Voss
- Day 5: Bergen
- Day 6: Alesund / Geiranger
- Day 7: Trondheim
- Day 8: Bodo / Lofoten Islands
- Day 9: Risoyhamn / Finnsnes
- Day 10: Tromso
- Day 11: Oslo
- Day 12: Oslo
- Day 13 : Home sweet Home
Where we stay
- Oslo
- Balestrand
- Bergen
- Tromso
Day 1
Arriving in Oslo
Oslo is the capital city and the most populace city in Norway. It is home to museums, parks, a royal palace and galleries. Most sights are accessible on foot from the centre. Norwegian trade, banking, industry, and shipping are located in Oslo. Oslo Harbor is the largest, as well as the busiest, in the country.
Comfort Hotel Xpress Central Station
The hotel we stayed in Oslo is called Comfort Hotel Xpress Central Station. This hotel is excellent as it is located 1 min away from Karl Johans Gate shopping street, 5 mins away from Oslo opera house and 2 mins to the Oslo train station. A very convenient and clean hotel for a comfortable stay in Oslo Norway.
Day 2
Myrdal
Myrdal is a remote mountain station where we took the famous Flåmsbanen (The Flam railway), the train which starts at 860 meters in Myrdal, to Flåm. Flamsbanen is the world’s most breathtaking railway journey. It is about 20km long. This railway opened in 1942. The train passes through 20 tunnels and takes you to the waterfall of Kjosfossen. The whole journey takes about 50 minutes.
Flamsbanen
Cafe Rallaren, Myrdal Station
This station has a café, Cafe Rallaren, serving delicious cakes, sandwiches, porridge, soup etc. They even have bike rentals from 1st June to 30th September for those interested to cycle to Flam. The bike ride is approximately 2 hours.
Flam Tourist Centre
The final destination of Flamsbanen from Myrdal stops at Flam. Flam is a village in Sogn og Fjordane county. This is where we took our ferry to Balestrand. Flam is one of the most visited places in the Western Fjords because of Flambanen, cruise to the Nærøyfjord, as well as sightseeing boats to Gudvangen.
The tourist centre of Flam is right at the station where the Flamsbanen stops. The Flam tourist centre has all the information you need to enjoy your time in and around Flam. You can get maps, buy tickets and even do some shopping at the souvenir mall located next to it. If you are hungry, there is also a café, Furukroa, close to the end station of the Flam railway.
Balestrand Norway
Balestrand is a municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Balestrand.
Kviknes Hotel
This pleasant fjord town welcomes scores of tourists because of its landmark Kviknes Hotel. Moreover, thanks to its wonderful light and beautiful nature, artists from all over the world have traveled to Balestrand for inspiration. These visitors left their mark on the architecture of the many villas in Balestrand. And, the Kviknes Hotel housed a large collection of paintings by these artists who have visited and stayed at the hotel.
Kringsja Hotel
We arrive in Balestrand on the express boat from Flåm. You can also choose to arrive from Bergen. We stayed 2 nights at a family run hotel called Kringsjå Hotel. This hotel overlooks the Sognefjord. The view from the hotel is really fantastic. The whole area is quiet and you can just wonder around the area on foot.
Day 3
Full day cruise to Fjaerland
On the third day, we joined a cruise to Fjaerland which departed from Balestrand. You can sign up for this tour here. It is a full day tour so you can just relax and enjoy the wonderful scenary.
Fjaerland – where glacier and fjord meet
Fjærland is the village where glacier and fjord meet. The small village is situated along the Sognefjord and has the glacier Jostedalsbreen, the largest mainland glacier in Europe.
Norwegian Glacier Museum
Fjærland Book Town and Hotel Mundal
Fjærland, with inhabitants of 300 is also the Norwegian book town, with book shops situated in old cow sheds and pigpens; there are also book shops on the ferry quay and in the Hotel Mundal. The Hotel Mundal is an old wooden building in 19th-century style still in business.
Day 4
Cruise to Naeroyfjord
After checking out from Kringsjå Hotel , we took a boat back to Flam where we joined another cruise to Naeroyfjord, a fjord featured in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Bus from Gudvangen to Voss
We cruise the fjord via a hybrid vessel at 2pm and arrived at Gudvangen around 4pm. From there, we took a bus to Voss. The bus journey took about 2hours. We spent some time sightseeing in Voss because our train to Bergen was around 7:40pm.
Train from Voss to Bergen
We reached Bergen at 9pm, and checked into Scandic Byparken, a historic Tornøgården brick building in the heart of Bergen. The hotel breakfast was really good.
Day 5
Bergen Norway
Norway’s second largest city is surrounded by seven hills and seven fjords. Bergen is a harbour town founded by Olav Kyrre almost 950 years ago. Besides the beautiful nature, Bergen is filled with colorful wooden buildings. No wonder Bergen is a big favorite among tourist.
The places to visit in Bergen are the fish market, Mount Fløyen, Bryggen and many more. Stay tuned to our next post about the city of Bergen.
Day 6
Bergen – Kirkenes– Classic Voyage North
We embarked on the Hurtigruten cruise from Bergen to Tromso. The whole journey took about 5 days. As we were travelling with our elderly parents, we decided to take this cruise so that they can enjoy themselves and relax. The cruise was way too relax!!!
It was not a cruise per say because there was no entertainment on board other than optional activities. Cabins were small but clean. The ship is more like a cargo ferry that brings food and other products to various stops along the way rather than the usual cruise with lots of fun stuffs on board. We would not recommend taking this if you are thinking to go to Tromso. Flying to Tromso would be a better choice.
The art nouveau town and fjords – Alesund
The ship sails northward, past islands and make its stop at Ålesund. This small coastal city supplies cod and cod liver oil to Europe and all over the world. The town centre was destroyed in a catastrophic fire in 1904 and rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style in just three years.
Geiranger Fjord
In summer, the ship enter the spectacular Geiranger Fjord, which is an UNESCO World Heritage site. Along the way, it passes sheer cliffs towering 800 metres high, and the Seven Sisters waterfall.
Day 7
Trondheim
Trondheim is a city on the Trondheim Fjord, in central Norway. With a population of 193,000, it is actually the third largest city in Norway. It lies on a sheltered peninsula on the southern shore of the deeply indented Trondheims Fjord at the mouth of the Nidelva (river), 23 miles (37 km) southeast of the Norwegian Sea. credit: britannica.com
Day 8
Bodo
In the morning, the ship crosses the Arctic Circle, where Bodo lies right above. In the early evening, it arrives to the stunning Lofoten archipelago.
Bodø is a city with only 50,000 inhabitants in Northern Norway. It is situated 100 km from the Lofoten Islands and over 500 km from Tromsø further north. In the Summer, the Midnight sun shines all night.
Lofoten
Lofoten, located far north of the Arctic Circle, is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten is known for distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands.
Day 9
Risoyhamn
Risoyhamn is a village on the island of Andoya. It lies by the Risoy strait, where a bridge connects Andoya with Hinnoya. Several bird colonies are found close by, including one with at least 160,000 nesting puffins. With only 203 inhabitants, this is the smallest port the ship calls.
We signed up for the optional activities to see whales as this is the place to experience the elegant 20m long, 40-tonne sperm whales. However, we were disappointed to learn later that they had to cancel because the whales were not seen around the area.
Finnsnes
Finnsnes is a small town located on the mainland in the municipality of Lenvik. Although fishing and agriculture is still important, fish farming has increased economic importance in this region. It is an important hub for transportation both on land and sea. If you heading to Tromsø and Harstad, it is just an hour away by speedboat.
There are several attractions in Finnsnes and for tourists this is the reference point when sightseeing in the region. Finnsnes has become known as the Gateway to Senja, an underrated destination place in Norway.
Day 10
Tromso
We finally arrived at Tromso after 5 days in the sea. Known as the “Paris of the North”, it is located 300km inside the Arctic Circle, on the same latitude as northern Alaska. It is the largest city in the Northern Norway.
Many people visit Tromso from September to March to see the northern lights. From 20 May to 20 July, the midnight sun makes it possible to do as the locals and participate in various activities around the clock like we did. More on Tromso in our next post.
Day 11 and 12
Oslo
We flew back to Oslo from Tromso via SAS. The flight took about two hours. We stayed at Comfort Hotel Xpress Central Station again for two nights.
Day 13
Fly Home
Though we wanted to continue our Norway trip, we had to take our flight home at 2pm.
