Extensions - Oslo: The Viking City

Oslo, the Viking city, the culture city, the winter capital, the city of rolling green hills and spectacular fjords is the capital city of Norway, aptly credited with many adjectives. The city breathes adventure with rich history pulsing through its veins.

Norway in a Nutshell Rail Tour (4 day option) - *Recommended*

From $1,150pp twin share
Voss accommodation – Fleischer’s Hotel
Bergen accommodation – Neptun Hotel
Includes: Rooms with private facilities, meals (B.L.D) as per itinerary, sightseeing as per itinerary

This is one of the most popular round trips in Norway. It takes you through some of the breathtaking scenery in the dramatic fjord lands of the south; from Oslo to the charming seaside city of Bergen. You experience the Flåm railway line, the Aurlandsfjord, the Nærøyfjord (the narrowest part of the Sognefjord) and the steep Stalheimskleivane hairpin bends.

Day 1  - Oslo – Voss
Depart Oslo in the morning and commence one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world. Travel through farmland, forest and glacier-capped mountains, enjoying magnificent scenery. (D) 

Day 2 - Voss – Gudvangen – Flam – Myrdal – Voss
Full day “Norway in a Nutshell’ sightseeing by motorcoach from Voss to the famed Stalheim Gorge with superb waterfalls on either side of a road that zigzags down to the floor of the valley to Gudvangen. A ferry carries you through the narrow Næroy Fjord to Flåm and the next stage is an ascent of the Flåm Valley by electric train, a marvel of engineering where the track twists and turns up the valley to 2800ft above sea level. From Myrdal take the train to Voss, passing through the three mile long Gravhals Tunnel on the way. (B, D) 

Day 3 - Voss – Bergen
Early afternoon train to Bergen with check in at your hotel on arrival. This afternoon is free to enjoy the character and charm of this ancient city. Take a walking tour through the old cobbled streets, visit the harbour front & famous fish markets or take funicular railway up Mt Fløyen for spectacular city views. (B) 

Day 4 – Bergen
This morning after breakfast your tour terminates. (B) 

Norway in a Nutshell (3 day option)

From $850pp twin share
Includes: Rooms with private facilities, meals (B.L.D) as per itinerary, sightseeing as per itinerary

Day 1  - Oslo – Myrdal – Flam
Depart Oslo by rail on the Bergen railway, one of the world’s most spectacular train journeys! You pass through expansive forests, secluded lakes and dizzy waterfalls. Continue on through fertile valleys and across a desolate windswept mountain plateau with a background of shimmering glaciers and eternal snows. Arrive Myrdal where you change for the train that will take you on the Flåm railway. The descent through the wild Flåm valley is often described as a most breathtaking experience. The view through the carriage window is a constantly changing panorama of sky-high snow covered mountains, thundering waterfalls and green pastures below. Frequent halts are made for passengers to enjoy the scenery, while apertures cut in the tunnels provide grandstand views en route. The longest tunnel, three quarters of a mile in length, enables the track to complete a circle inside the mountain. Flåm station shelters between steep mountainsides at the head of the Aurland fjord, an arm of the Sognefjord, cutting more than 112 miles inland. The orchards of Flåm bear witness to the warm fjord climate, and in the Flåm River, which reaches the fjord close to the station, the sea trout play and salmon leap in the summer. On arrival in Flåm proceed to your hotel for two nights accommodation staying at the Fretheim Hotel. (B) 

Day 2 – Flam
Day at leisure in Flåm located in a typical west Norwegian fjord valley. Your hotel can arrange local sightseeing trips for you (May-Sep), including a spectacular fjord cruise to the idyllic Undredal – ‘the Goat Capital’ and Scandinavia’s smallest Stave church dating from 1147; a visit to the prehistoric witches’ cauldrons at Fureberget formed during the last ice age; or to Otternes Farm Museum, a typical Norwegian farm dating from the 17th century. Alternatively you can go salmon fishing in the Flåm River, paddle in the Sognefjord or hike in the Aurland Valley. (B) 

Day 3 - Flam – Gudvangen – Voss – Bergen
This morning is at leisure for walking or relaxing in the garden of the hotel.  An afternoon departure from Flåm by ferry to Gudvangen, you will be transfered by bus and continue the journey to Voss. From Voss take the train to Bergen. Continue by train along the shores of crystal clear Hardangerfjord, with orchards and upland pastures spreading out beneath the eternal snow glittering on glaciers and mountain peaks. You’ll be thrilled at a breathtaking ascent from the magnificent Hardangerfjord through rugged Tokagjel Canyon. The train then winds downward from the Kvamskogen Mountain Plateau, along the Osterfjord and to Bergen where your Norway in a Nutshell tour ends on arrival at the railway station. (B) 

Schedules for one-way trips

Oslo – Bergen 

Bergen – Oslo