Norway ❤
Our trip to Bergen and West Norwegian Fjords.
It was a mundane Sunday morning. My husband Arun, and I were enjoying our cup of coffee. I was just wondering about our next travel destination. I wanted to do a small city getaway trip and was looking at various flights randomly. All of a sudden Arun remembered his sister always wanting to go to Bergen and he said “why not Bergen?’’ I didn’t know where on earth that was!
We slowly started doing our research and we saw some of the pictures and videos of some stunning landscapes of Norway and that’s when we actually stumbled upon the word – “FJORD”. For those of us who are less travelled, Fjord is a long, narrow inlet of the sea with steep sides or high cliffs, typically created by a glacier. We definitely wanted to see this natural wonder.
Norway is a big country and is very sparsely populated, with much of the country surrounded by mountains or thousands of islands, planning a road trip might seem a bit daunting at first. But don’t worry! We also had the same feeling. Except for the knowing the fact that Norway is expensive, both of us absolutely had no idea about what to do and where to go, however there are tons of information online for your rescue. After thorough planning mostly by Arun, on all the scenic routes and attractions we were finally ready to experience something very magical.
Day 1 Bergen
Bergen is known as the “gateway to the fjords”, and is therefore the perfect place to start exploring beautiful fjords.
We flew to Bergen from London Gatwick. It was 1.5 hours of flight. On arrival at the Bergen airport, we bought the light rail tickets also known as Bybanen which offers transport between the airport and the Bergen city center, it takes about 45 mins. The train journey gave us insights into the Norwegian design and architecture as well as the use of the modern technology. It also gave us a glimpse of some of the wooden-clad houses of the city.
To kick off our city exploration, we walked to Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen. The medieval colourful wooden buildings is UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage listed site and is definitely the highlight of the city.
Day 2 Bergen
We continued to explore the narrow charming alleyways and the pretty houses in the city, also meeting some of the local artists.
Our first main attraction of the day was supposed to be Fløibanen, a funicular railway that connects the city centre with the mountain of Fløyen. On reaching Fløibanen we saw loads of tourists queuing at the funicular entrance, most of them coming from the large ferries. To make the best use of the unusual sunny day, we decided to come back to Fløibanen later and we headed off to explore the rest of the city.
We walked along the wooden alleys of Bryggen which have become a shelter for local artists and craftspeople. There are lots of souvenir shops selling various Nordic things like sweaters, fur clothes and small gift-able items.
Around sunset, we took the funicular to go to the top of the Mount Fløyen. We relaxed for a while, enjoying the spectacular sunset views of the city and hiked our way back to the hotel.
Useful Tips:
- Bergen is a small charming city and there isn’t a lot of things to do, so if you are short on time you can limit your stay for just a day.
- It’s quick and easy to buy the Bergen light rail ticket from the Skyss ticket machine at the airport to travel to the city center and remember to validate your ticket on board the Bergen light rail in addition to buying the ticket at a terminal/kiosk. Single ticket fares for adults is around 37.00 NOK.
- Bergen is the rainiest city of the European continent. So plan to carry umbrella and rainy jackets with you always.
- If you plan to take the funicular to the top of the Mount Fløyen, it’s best to go during the evening as it’s likely to be less crowded and you can enjoy the sunset views.
- If you are into hiking and you have got plenty of time, you can climb the mountain Fløyen and walk back too. There are numerous walking paths.
- Bergen is a historic city and the best way to learn about it is by visiting it’s museums. There are various museums covering a wide range of topics.
- Bergen guide for information about Bergen Light rail, attractions , places to stay: https://www.bergen-guide.com/798.htm
Day 3 — Drive to Voss through Hardanger
Beyond Bergen, exploring Fjords is best done with a car. We hired our car from Bergen and began our drive towards Voss exploring some of the country’s fantastic landscape. Norwegian government has carefully classified the National Tourist Routes, which will take you through some of the wildest and most scenic parts of the country.
We made an unplanned stop after noticing sign indicating a waterfall on the highway and after about 5–10 minutes of walking, we reached the base of the attractive waterfall “Fossen Bratte”, with no one around us.
Within a few minutes of driving it became clear that the country is obsessed with tunnels and they are not just the average tunnels that a take few minutes to drive through. Some of the tunnels are very long and some of them are fascinating with coloured lights and even roundabouts!
Our next stop was at “Steinsdalsfossen”, one of the most visited tourist sites in Norway. The speciality of this waterfall is that you can walk safe and dry behind it.
We were driving on the National Tourist Route Hardanger which took us through some impressive scenic fjord landscapes and this was a close encounter with the Hardangerfjord, also known as the Queen of fjords. It was very impressive and I was busy clicking pictures and videos all along the way.
Our last stop was at National Maritime Museum, which was closed so we walked around the Norheismund village before reaching Voss to check in to our Airbnb!
Useful Tips:
- Do keep an eye out for the National tourist roads and the sign boards.
- Try and visit Steinsdalsfossen, it’s not too far from the motorway and is indeed a special waterfall.
- If you want experience ropemaking, wooden boat building you can visit Hardanger Maritime Museum, which has various activities and open workshops.
Day 4 — Cruise from Gudvangen to Flam
We had a late start to the day which meant we had a lot to cram in. Our main activity for the day was to take the cruise from Gudvangen to Flam via the fjords.
On our way, we encountered another beautiful waterfall, Tvindefossen, situated along the major highway between Voss and Gudvangen. Thanks again to the National tourist sign boards.
Our next visit was to the “Stalheim Hotel”. This hotel is in a striking location on top of Stalheimskleiva, overlooking Naerodalen valley. After enjoying the incredible views from the Hotel, we drove down the steepest road with 13 sharp hairpin bends for 1.5 kms, experiencing another two stunning falls “Sivlefossen” and “Stalheimfossen”.
We boarded our cruise from Gudvangen to Flåm and we sailed through the narrow Nærøyfjord surrounded by steep mountains and continuing to the picturesque Aurlandsfjord before arriving at Flåm. This trip takes around two hours one way. It was breathtakingly a wonderful experience. A good windbreaker is highly recommended. We were glad it was sunny and we managed to capture this stunning beauty quite successfully.
Flåm is a small village sitting at the end of Aurlandsfjord and is a popular stop for major cruise ships. We spent an hour exploring local cafes and souvenirs shops before heading off to Gudvangen via the bus.
Useful Tips:
- You don’t need to stay at the Stalheim Hotel to admire the scenery below, just walk right through the lobby to the back viewing platform, it’s free.
- It’s always better to prebook the cruise or the bus journey between Flåm and Gudvangen as it’s pretty crowded during summer.
- If you’re taking the Fjord cruise, it can get quite windy and cold if you plan to stay outside in the deck, so wear a few extra layers of warm clothes.
- Take a train journey from Flåm — Myrdal — Flåm as it’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world.
- If you want travel thousand years back and experience how it was to be a Viking then visit the Viking Valley at Gudvangen.
Day 5 Undredal, Stegastein and Flotane
The plan today was to explore places in and around “Aurlandsfjord”. Our first visit was to the idyllic village of Undredal which sits just beside the fjord. As we were entering the village, we were warmly welcomed by a herd of goats. Undredal has less than 100 inhabitants, a few hundred goats and the smallest stave church in Scandinavia. It’s famous for brown goat cheese, locally known ‘Geitost’ which is still produced in a traditional way.
We stopped at Ås viewpoint for stunning views of Aurlandsfjord before driving up the steep and narrow road to reach the Stegastein viewpoint. Stegastein offers a panoramic view of the Fjords. Frankly we found the views from Ås to be more breathtaking than at Stegastein, although a lot of people were at Stegastein.
We continued to drive up on the scenic route forward towards Laerdal. We experienced something very unique. The landscape changed drastically from fjords to mountains, from lush valleys to the barren land of the high mountain. After endless hairpin drives, we reached the top of the mountain Flotane on Aurlandsfjellet with a icelandic landscape of gentle ridges, wide plains and many glaciers at our reach. This place was simply marvellous and I couldn’t stop myself from jumping with joy!
Our last attraction for the day was Vedahaugane, along Aurlandsfjellet with an infinity bench where we enjoyed the best views of the grand mountainous landscape.
Useful Tips:
- Do not miss to try out the local brown cheese, Geitost at Undredal.
- Be careful while driving to the Stegastein, the road is very narrow and warm warm clothing as it can get pretty cold up there.
- If you are not driving, you could get a tourist bus from Aurland to Stegastein lookout.
- Some of the scenic roads around this region are closed for maintenance and during winters. So speak to the local information center before travelling.
Day 5 Ulvik, Eidjford and Vøringofossen
Norway seriously has some unspoilt charm to it. While you are just driving on some of these scenic roads you’re likely to come across areas of sheer natural beauty and the below picture is from one such place.
We reached Ulvik, a small village located in the very corner of Hardanger with a lot of apple farms around. You will find the apple-routes here, with three independent farmers professionally producing apple-cider and other tasty farmyard produce.
We then continued to drive to Eidjford through the giant mountains of Hardangerfjord along the ocean with endless waterfalls. We were surprised to find a roundabout inside the tunnel to reach the Eidjford village. We also crossed the famous Hardanger bridge which to me, resembled a bit like SanFrancisco bridge from far. We enjoyed our lunch at Quality Inn restaurant in Eidjford with an unbeatable view of the Hardangerfjord.
Our next activity was visiting the Norsk Natursenter Hardanger, where we learnt about Norwegian geology, weather, climatic conditions, local wild life etc. We also got to know about Hardangervidda, which is one of the largest plateau of its kind in Europe and the fact that Norway was originally below the equator millions of years ago. It was quite a thrilling experience to watch the panoramic film on a helicopter flight through various fjords, between high mountains and over mighty waterfalls of Norway.
Our last visit was to the majestic waterfalls called Vøringsfossen. From the parking area, we hiked for a bit to see the waterfalls. You have to be very careful while walking as this can get quite slippery and dangerous. We then drove up to the Fossli Hotel, which is around a km from route 7 and has excellent viewing platforms.
Useful Tips:
- The lunch at Quality Inn in Eidford has some good options with great scenic views and it’s not too expensive.
- Try out the local cafe “Fjell and Fjord Kafe” for a nice coffee and a Kanelboller (local name for cinnamon bun).
- If you want to learn about Norwegian history, weather and climatic conditions you must visit Norsk Naturesenter and it costs around 160 NOK per person.
- Don’t miss out on the view of the Voringsfossen from the Fossli Hotel, it’s free and be very careful, if you are planning to hike around Vøringofossen.
General information/tips for planning a trip in Norway:
- It’s easy to fly to Bergen/Oslo and to hire a car from one of these places to drive to the Fjords.
- Always keep an eye out for the national touristic sign boards on the roads, you never know what you will discover.
- Norway is expensive and is a small country so finding a lot of food options may not be easy. So it needs a bit of planning specially for vegetarians but don’t worry you will find supermarkets everywhere. A simple meal for one person could cost roughly around 250–300 NOK.
- Driving speed limit on motorways is 110 km/h and the general speed limit is 80 km/h (50 km/h in villages) if otherwise not specified.
- If you are okay with a little bit of cold and want to avoid a lot of tourists, then September could be one of the best months to visit. We went in the first week of September and it wasn’t too cold. A light jacket is needed most of the times.
- The highways and country side roads were not too busy when we went, which meant driving wasn’t too stressful.
- If you plan to do Hardangerfjord, Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord then Voss could be the best place to stay as it has relatively more options.
- Voss is the adventure capital of Norway, so if you plan to do any adventurous activities then this is the place.
- Norway is a cold country, so a lot of things are closed during winters and hence it’s important to check the websites of the places before visiting.
Useful links
- Official Norwegian site for touristic routes: https://www.nasjonaleturistveger.no/en/routes
- Official Norwegian sites for tourism: https://www.visitnorway.com
- Driving in Norway: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g190455-c110294/Norway:Driving.In.Norway.html
- Bergen & Norway in a Nutshell post: https://www.exploringcuriously.com/bergen-norway-nutshell/
- Norway Fjord Itinerary: https://fullsuitcase.com/norway-itinerary-fjords/
- Exploring Flam: https://www.exploringcuriously.com/flam-norway/
- Facebook group for any questions/information — https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScandinaviaTravel/
All in all, Norway was truly extraordinary and nothing beats the experience of soaking in all the nature, hearing the noise of a roaring waterfall, driving along the wildest and beautiful fjords, watching all those endless waterfalls as they make their way down, feeling of mighty mountains along the ocean surrounding you and visiting the idyllic villages. It was our highlight trip of the year and we both are looking forward to visiting it again soon.
