This 10-day self-guided combines parts of the Norway in a Nutshell® train journey and a Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage. You will cruise the Norwegian coastline and deep fjords, ride the rails through charming towns and villages and explore cities like Tromsø, Oslo and Bergen. The tour package also includes a visit to the North Cape and many opportunities to see the northern lights!
A day-by-day plan to guide your journey.
Download PDFWhen you arrive at Oslo‘s Gardermoen Airport, make your way into Oslo‘s city centre. Many travellers opt to take the express train to Oslo Central Station, but we can arrange a private transfer for you (at additional cost). For those arriving early, we recommend exploring Oslo by foot, spending the afternoon at sights including the Royal Palace, Akershus fortress, Oslo City Hall, Oslo Opera House, and the Aker Brygge area. Other notable attractions include the beautiful Vigeland Sculpture Park, the Viking Ship Museum and Karl Johans street.
Spend the night in Oslo.
Get an early start and head to Oslo Central Station, where you’ll begin the Norway in a Nutshell® railway journey towards Bergen, with an overnight stop in Flåm. This train ride takes you over Norway’s “mountainous rooftops”, through charming villages like Gol and Geilo.
In Myrdal, you’ll switch trains to the famous Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana) for an incredible ride to the beautiful village of Flåm. Enjoy a relaxing day in Flåm, where you can follow one of the many hiking trails in the mountains around the village.
Spend the night in Flåm.
We recommend booking our luggage transfer for travel between Oslo and Bergen.
In the morning, you’ll board a boat to sail through Aurlandsfjord into the World Heritage-listed Nærøyfjord, the narrowest fjord in all of Europe. This is perhaps the most beautiful arm of Sognefjord, with its mighty waterfalls and small farms clinging to the steep mountainsides, which is especially beautiful in the winter months. The boat docks in Gudvangen, and from there the journey continues by bus through Nærøydalen, with its charming villages and scenic winter landscape. The bus will arrive in Voss, where you continue the tour by train on the Bergen Railway to Bergen.
Spend the night in Bergen.
Despite being an international city, Bergen, “The Capital of the Fjords”, has all the charms of a small town. Here you’ll find Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage site, along with remarkably preserved old houses, a lively fish market, cable cars offering stunning views, great museums and more. We recommend riding the Fløibanen Funicular to Mount Fløyen to enjoy the panoramic view of the city or a cable car up Mt. Ulriken to survey the winter landscape. Bergen is also known for its museums dedicated to history within trade and fisheries, architecture, musical art and contemporary art.
Spend another night in Bergen
Start the day with an early morning flight to Tromsø Airport and make your way to your hotel by bus or taxi. After settling in at your hotel, you can spend the rest of the day exploring the charming city of the "capital of Norway". Spend the rest of the day at leisure in Tromsø exploring the charming Arctic city and its various attractions, including the Polar Museum, the Arctic Cathedral and the Fjellheisen cable car.
In the evening it’s time to leave the city lights behind on a guided small group tour for chance to enjoy some of the brightest northern lights in the world.*
Spend the night in Tromsø.
* Please note that the northern lights are a natural phenomenon and sightings cannot be guaranteed.
Explore Tromsø this morning. We recommend a stroll down Storgata which is the main walking/shopping street of the city. There are numerous shops and cafes to suit all tastes. If you would like to book an optional activity for this morning, your travel consultant can arrange for excursions including reindeer-sledding and snowmobiling.
For the next leg of your journey, board the Hurtigruten ship at 18:30 for a cruise to Kirkenes. Sailing along the fjord-studded coastline, this voyage offers incredible views of Norway’s most famous landscapes along with on-board entertainment, gourmet dining and other convenient amenities. There‘s a good chance of seeing the northern lights this evening, so keep your eyes peeled.
Spend the night in Tromsø.
Today your Hurtigruten cruise makes a stop at the famous North Cape (Nordkapp). Situated at 71° north, this area is known for its beautiful landscapes and wildlife sighting opportunities. You will join a guided shore excursion to the North Cape, encountering magnificent landscapes as we cross the 71st parallel on a journey towards the northernmost point on the European continent. Here you will also have a bit of free time to explore the charming seaside town of Honningsvåg.
Spend another night on board Hurtigruten.
At 9:00 the ship arrives at Kirkenes, located about 400 km (240 miles) above the Arctic Circle in northern Norway. With just over 3,000 inhabitants, including the native Sami people. You will be transfered from the harbour to a dog-sledding tour, where you will glide along the soft white snow with a pack of friendly dogs.
In the afternoon, it's time to check in to the one-and-only Snow Hotel. There you will enjoy a drink at the Snow Bar and feast on a 3-course meal by the fireplace at the Høyloftet Restaurant before preparing for an amazing night in your special suite made of snow and ice*!
Spend the night at the Snow Hotel.
*Please note that we offer the option of choosing to stay in a private cabin instead of in an ice room at the snow hotel. Click the optional activities for further information.
Spend the morning warming up in the Snow Hotel’s sauna and enjoy a hearty breakfast. Visit the hotel‘s on-site friendly reindeers and meet some happy Huskies before travelling back to Kirkenes. However, if you are up for some optional activities, you can join tours including snowmobiling and a king crab safari.
Spend the rest of the day at leisure exploring Kirkenes including the Border Country Museum (Grenselandsmuseet), which tells the story of war and peace along the border, or the Andersgrotta Cave, a vast underground bunker that sheltered the town's residents during WWII.
Spend the night in Kirkenes
After an incredible time in Norway, it's time to bid farewell to Norway. Your tour will conclude in Kirkenes, where you will make your way back home.
Note: If you need assistance with flights from Kirkenes, or booking pre or post-nights in Oslo before and after your holiday in the North then please contact us for details.
Don’t worry, we’ve got this covered.
These pictures may be small, but Norway’s mountains & fjords are massive.
Sleep soundly, in the accommodation type of your choice, and wake up ready to enjoy another day of exploration.
This is your trip, what are you interested in doing?
We recommend that all Nordic Visitor travellers read through the following information about our self-guided tours, travelling with the Hurtigruten cruise ships, staying overnight at the Snow Hotel, the terms and availability, and other useful information for your travels.
The minimum age for this tour is 7 years old.
Due to fluctuating vacancy aboard the cruise portion of this tour, we advise you to contact us to confirm availability on your desired travel dates before booking other components of your travels (e.g. flights).
OUR SELF-GUIDED TOURS
This is an independent, self-guided tour. All accommodation, flight, train and cruise tickets (as specified in the itinerary) will be pre-booked by Nordic Visitor, but travellers are ultimately responsible for getting to hotels and to any train, airport or ferry departure points by the specified times.
All planned activities (as specified in the itinerary) will be pre-booked by Nordic Visitor. For each planned activity, you can expect a different tour operator and guide, and you will have free time between activities. Nordic Visitor works with a small group of handpicked suppliers that are highly rated and deliver excellent service that meet our high standards.
DOMESTIC FLIGHT BETWEEN BERGEN AND TROMSØ
Included in the package is a domestic flight between Bergen and Tromsø. Most dates are available with direct flight but in the case that it is not available, we will book you on a flight connecting in Oslo to the north. The flights departing from Bergen are often early morning flights, so please be advised that it can mean that check-in at the airport can start at 06:55. Your travel consultant will choose the best option for your itinerary and travel dates.
DOG SLEDDING
The tour in Kirkenes takes about 2 hours, travelling 10-12 km, where you will be driving in pairs, one driver and one passenger, switching places half way. No experience is required. Warm clothing and equipment will be provided on location for the activity.
HURTIGRUTEN CRUISE
The cruise includes cabin accommodation (unspecified cabin with windows/port holes) with private facilities, and breakfast is included. All ships have restaurants, a cafeteria, laundry room, WIFI and on-board activities. The Hurtigruten coastal voyages are not like conventional cruises as there are 11 different ships that vary in size and age that sail the Norwegian coast on different dates We are unable to offer guaranteed cabin numbers for port-to-port and short voyages (less than 5 nights). You can disembark the ship in ports where the stop is for more than 30 minutes.
THE SNOW HOTEL EXPERIENCE
You will be spending one night at the Snow Hotel in one of their amazing ice rooms. Included with your stay at the Snow Hotel is transfers to/from the hotel, a hotel tour, dinner and a visit to the ice bar.
For those who prefer not staying in an ice room at the Snow Hotel, there is the option of staying in a small cabin, which are comfortable and warm including an amazing panoramic window and lounge where you can feel comfortable while looking for the northern lights. Please select this option from the optional activity if you prefer switching to a cabin.
NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL® WINTER TOUR
Included in this package is the famous Norway in a Nutshell tour, from Oslo to Bergen, where you will travel by train, bus and ferry among scenic landscapes and charming villages which are especially lovely in the soft winter light. Transfer points and connections are easy to find and clearly marked or announced. Here is the information regarding the estimated departure time along with the approximate duration of the journey.
Journey to Flåm:
• Departure from Oslo Central Station: 08:25 - Arrival in Flåm Village: 13:55
• Duration: 5 Hours 30 minutes
Journey to Bergen:
• Departure from Flåm: 09:30 - Arrival in Bergen: 14:57
• Duration: 5 hours 30 minutes
There are places to store your luggage whether you are travelling by bus, train or ferry. Be aware that if you do not book in advance optional luggage transfer, you have to carry your luggage yourself from train to bus to boat etc.
NORTHERN LIGHTS & WINTER TRAVEL
Travelling in the winter season in Norway is highly recommended and very enjoyable. You will get a chance to see the snow covered landscape, and it‘s not as cold as one would think. For more information about weather conditions, please refer to our Norway travel guide.
In northern Norway, northern lights activity is strongest between mid October to early April. Auroras can only be seen at night if the sky is clear and there is solar activity. Please note that sightings cannot be guaranteed. For more information about northern lights, please refer to the travel guide.
Some of the optional activities are dependent on weather conditions. In the unlikely event that an activity is cancelled due to weather, an alternative will be offered.
WHAT TO PACK
DEPOSIT PAYMENT
As this tour includes railway tickets and non-refundable services, we charge upon booking a 50% non-refundable deposit. For more information - click here
CURRENCY RATE
All bookings are charged in Euros (EUR). Prices displayed in other currencies are indicative only and based on the daily exchange rate. Therefore, conversions from EUR to other currencies will fluctuate from day to day.
AFTER BOOKING WITH NORDIC VISITOR
After booking your package with Nordic Visitor, you will be contacted within two working days by one of our travel consultants, who will serve as your dedicated contact person for all of your travel needs before, during and even after your holiday. Your travel consultant will provide you with details about your booking and your remaining payment (if not paid in full). You will also receive more information about what to expect during your holiday.
Whether you have a single question or a special request, we're here for you.
