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Norway in a Nutshell: Fun on a Fjord

While Oslo and Bergen are the big draws for tourists, Norway is first and foremost a place of unforgettable natural beauty. There’s a certain mystique about the “land of the midnight sun,” but you’ll enjoy the most scenic travel thrills per mile, minute, and dollar by going west from Oslo rather than north. And the handiest way to do that on a quick visit is the “Norway in a Nutshell” package.

A series of well-organized and spectacular bus, train, and ferry connections — appropriately nicknamed “Norway in a Nutshell” — lays Norway’s beautiful fjord country before you on a scenic platter. You’ll ride the train from Oslo to a high-mountain station (Myrdal), where you’ll take a super-scenic tourist train down to the fjord hamlet of Flåm, where you’ll catch a ferry up and down two breathtaking fjords to the village of Gudvangen, where a bus is waiting to zip you scenically into the mountains, where you’ll board your train to Bergen (or back to Oslo). Whew!

Here’s the general game plan for your five Nutshell segments, from Oslo to Bergen (it also works in the opposite direction — just read these steps backwards):

1) National train from Oslo to Myrdal (5 hours, departs each morning at 6:43 — recommended, and again at 8:05 — for sleepyheads; reserve either train in advance).

2) Private train from Myrdal down to fjordside Flåm (one hour, hourly departures, generally timed for arrival of Oslo train, no reservation necessary).

3) Boat through the fjords (from Flåm to Gudvangen, 2 hours, about hourly departures, two companies, same route and cost, no reservation needed).

4) Bus from Gudvangen to Voss (40 kilometers, one hour, departures generally timed with arrival of boats, no reservation needed).

5) Train from Voss to Bergen (one hour, hourly departures, no reservation needed).

On a sunny day, the ride is one of those fine times — like when you’re high on the tip of an Alp — when a warm camaraderie spontaneously combusts between the strangers who’ve come together for the experience.

Here are photos of some of these steps, snapped during my latest trip:

2 Replies to “Norway in a Nutshell: Fun on a Fjord”

Glad to know Norway in a Nutshell is still available. We did that tour in 1978 and it was fantastic! All the sights were as beautiful as described. But Rick, you didn’t mention the bus ride up Stalheim Gorge. In ’78 it was a steep single lane with 2-way traffic, switchbacks, and a sheer drop. I recall all conversation on the bus stopped when the driver backed up to let another vehicle go by. When we got to the hotel at the top for refreshments, the driver told us we could get out to enjoy the view, but everyone just sat there, unable to move. But it was worth it>

The Stalheim road has been replaced by a tunnel. You can still drive down (one way only) but it takes a detour. Great view from the hotel terrace still though. I don’t remember what it was like in ’78, I was only born that year :)

Comments are closed.

Best of Scandinavia in 14 Days Tour

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• Enjoy Europe's best people-watching on the Strøget, tour the Renaissance Rosenborg Castle
• Explore Sweden's most striking, historically significant building: bay-and-moat-ringed Kalmar Castle.
• Drive to Ærø Island
• Opportunity to see Copenhagen's historical center on a walking tour with a local guide
• Enjoy massive walking tour through the cobbled alleyways of Stockholm's Gamla Stan (Old City), learning about its historic Stortorget Square
• Discover Sweden

What's this trip about?

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Travel themes.

• Hiking & Walking
• Transformative

Destinations

Attractions.

• Historic sightseeing
• Homestays & Cultural Immersion
• Short Cruise

Trip includes

• A small, friendly group of 24–28 people — half the size of most tour groups
• Full-time services of a professional Rick Steves guide and local experts who will make the fascinating history, art, and culture of Scandinavia come alive for you
• All tours and admissions — at no extra cost — covering at least 21 group sightseeing events, Walking tour of Stockholm including historic Gamla Stan, Vasa Ship Museum, Stockholm City Hall tour, Kalmar Castle tour, Copenhagen walking tour, Roskilde Cathedral visit, Roskilde Viking Ship Museum, Ærø Island coach tour, Ærøskøbing Old Merchants' Court visit, Oslo walking tour, 24-hour Oslo Pass covering transportation and entry to nearly every major sight, including the Norwegian Resistance Museum, Frogner Park sculpture garden, Bygdøy Viking Ship Museum, Norwegian Maritime Museum, Kon-Tiki Museum, Fram Museum, Maihaugen Open-Air Folk Museum tour, Jotunheimen scenic drive, Sognefjord cruise, Bergen walking tour, Fløibanen funicular to Mount Fløyen …and more
• All group transportation from Stockholm to Bergen
• 13 nights accommodations in memorable, centrally located hotels (two-bunk cabins on the overnight cruise)
• All breakfasts and half your dinners
• All tips for guides and driver
• Rick Steves Travel Store credit to use toward guidebooks for your trip
• Guaranteed tour price, locked in the moment you make your deposit
• Optional single supplements — this tour has a limited number of private rooms for solo travelers for an additional fee
• Tour alum discount of $50 for each tour you've taken prior to 2017
• 50% discount on a consulting appointment with our in-house experts to assist with your pre- or post-tour travel plans
• Flexibility should you need to transfer, or cancel/interrupt your tour
• Fine print: You are responsible for the cost of your drinks and free-time sightseeing. See our Tour Conditions for important details regarding everything listed above.

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We'll meet at our Stockholm hotel at 4 p.m. for a Välkomna till Skandinavia get-together, followed by dinner and an orientation walk around our neighborhood. Sleep in Stockholm (2 nights). No bus. Walking: light.

This morning we'll dive into the sights and sounds of Copenhagen's historical center on a walking tour with a local guide. The rest of your day is free to enjoy Europe's best people-watching on the Strøget, tour the Renaissance Rosenborg Castle, visit the fanciful Tivoli Gardens or experience the counterculture of Christiania. No bus. Walking: moderate.

Breakfast is provided, but there are no group activities today. Those returning home can catch a short flight from Bergen to Copenhagen, London or other European cities for your direct flight home. Farvel!

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Dates & Availability

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Rick Steves .

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

Rick Steves Reviews & Ratings

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Tour operator, rick steves.

Our mission is to inspire, inform and equip Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable and culturally broadening. We value travel as a powerful way to better understand and contribute to the world in which we live. We strive to keep our own travel style, our world outlook and our business practices consistent with these values.

About Rick Steves

Guidebook author and travel TV host Rick Steves is America's most respected authority on European travel. Rick took his first trip to Europe in 1969, visiting piano factories with his father, a piano importer. As an 18-year-old, Rick began traveling on his own, funding his trips by teaching piano lessons. In 1976, he started his business, Rick Steves' Europe, which has grown from a one-man operation to a company with a staff of 80 full-time, well-travelled employees at his headquarters in Washington state. There he produces more than 50 guidebooks on European travel, America's most popular travel series on public television, a weekly hour-long national public radio show, a weekly syndicated column, and free travel information available through his travel center and website. Rick Steves' Europe also runs a successful European tour program. Rick Steves lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington. His office window overlooks his old junior high school.

--We research and write European guidebooks, produce a public television series and a public radio show

--We organize and lead energetic tours throughout Europe

--We sell select travel bags, guidebooks, maps, DVDs, and other travelers' supplies

--We offer travel consulting and trip planning services

--We teach do-it-yourself travel seminars

--We provide a wealth of free information about travel in Europe via our Travel Center and Website

--We travel a lot

What we don't do

--We are not travel agents, so we don't book flights, hotels, or rental cars

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• Personal Expenses
• Passport and visa expenses

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What Rick Steves Hates About Traveling Solo (And How He Avoids It)

Travel pro Rick Steves knows how to have the best trip to Europe.  He encourages people to travel through his PBS show, his guidebooks, and through his tour company Rick Steves Tours. Through all of these endeavors, he offers location-specific tips, but also tips for any destination and for all types of travel. Most of these come from his personal experiences -- and some of Steves' personal travels have been done solo. 

While more people are taking solo trips than ever before, for others, solo travel evokes mixed feelings. It can be exciting to have the freedom to do what you want without worrying about anyone else, but it can also be lonely, and some activities are designed for more than one person and can be awkward to do by yourself. Steves acknowledges that there are some cons to solo travel. "For me, a downside of traveling alone is trying to enjoy fine dinners solo," Steves explained on his website . However, he has still found ways to make this aspect of travel a bit easier.

Read more: This Is What You Should Never Do When You Travel

Solo Travelers Can Travel With Tour Companies

If you are uneasy about solo dining during your trip, you may not need to look far to find accompaniment. "If you're feeling sociable, eat in places so crowded and popular that all the tables are shared, or ask other single travelers if they'd like to join you," Rick Steves writes on his website . If you are staying in a hostel, Steves also suggests checking out the hostel's community spaces. Hostels are  a great way to meet new people who are often unique and outgoing. Maybe you can tag along with some of these adventurous folks for a meal or even just a coffee run.

Another way to avoid feeling too alone on a solo trip is by booking a trip with a tour company. "I just wrapped up 12 wonderful days in Portugal — laughing, learning, and exploring with a great group of 25 new friends," Rick Steves stated in a blog post . Sharing the exciting experiences that traveling so often brings with a group of strangers will quickly make them not seem like strangers. Of course, you'll avoid dining alone on a food tour, but even if you take a sightseeing tour, you can always invite your new friends out for dinner. "[T]hat's one of the joys of taking a tour: You have company!" says Steves.

Tour Companies Are Increasingly Accommodating Solo Travelers

While families or friend groups will often travel through tour companies, many of the people on these tours will also be solo travelers. In 2023, Brian FitzGerald of the tour company Overseas Adventure Travel reported to Forbes that half of his company's travelers are going solo. Overseas Adventure Travel is accommodating solo travelers by adding more single spaces on their group trips. Other tour companies, like EF Ultimate Break , even encourage people to sign up solo.

Some tour companies plan out everything for you -- from restaurants to activities to inner city transportation. If this is not appealing, either due to the cost or lack of flexibility, Rick Steves recommends assuaging the potential loneliness of solo travel with a group city walking tour. "You'll learn about the town and meet other travelers, too," he explains. Among the many walking tour companies with guides in multiple cities is SANDEMANs New Europe . These are free tours, but tips for the guides are encouraged. Aside from getting a group feel, walking tours can offer unique, local perspectives and a detailed history of the area.

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