This action-packed tour includes the famous Norway in Nutshell® train journey, a short cruise along the fjord-studded coastline, Arctic traditions like dog-sledding and a chance to see northern lights in Norway’s far north! As one client raved, “I have managed to cover Norway in one trip, by travelling with train, boats, cruises, dogs, snowmobiles and flights, and never got bored”.
A day-by-day plan to guide your journey.
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For an easy and comfortable way to get to your hotel in central Oslo, we are happy to arrange a private transfer for you.
If you arrive early, we suggest buying an Oslo Pass for free travel on all public transit along with free admission to over 30 museums and attractions plus special offers on entertainment, restaurants, shops and more. The pass can be purchased at tourist information centres or at most hotels and major attractions in the city.
Spend the night at a hotel in central Oslo.
Get an early start at Oslo Central Station, where the Bergensbanen train departs for a scenic journey over the mountainous rooftop of Norway on your way to Bergen. This railway, voted as one of the best in the world, takes you through the charming villages of Gol and Geilo on your way to the Myrdal Station.
At Myrdal, switch to the Flåm Railway for an incredible 20 km ride with 900 meter descent down to the beautiful town of Flåm. Here, you’ll have free admission to the Flåm Railway Documentation Centre beside Flåm Station, where you can learn more about the engineering of the world’s steepest railway line.
From Flåm, continue by boat through the Aurlandsfjord and into the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Nærøyfjord, the narrowest fjord in Europe. This is perhaps the most beautiful part of the Sognefjord with its mighty waterfalls and small farms clinging to the steep mountainsides, bound to leave you breathless.
At Gudvangen, a bus takes you through the magnificent Nærøy Valley to Voss, where you will board the train for the last stretch to Bergen.
Spend the night at a hotel in Bergen.
We recommend that you book luggage transfer for the Norway in a Nutshell part of your travel. Your luggage will be picked up in Oslo and will be waiting for you upon arrival in Bergen. Pack an overnigh bag if you spend the night in Flåm. Price per item is €40.
After breakfast, most of the day is free to explore Bergen at your leisure. Despite being an international city, this “capital of the fjords” has kept its small town charm. Here, you’ll find the colourful old wharf of Bryggen, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its well-preserved old buildings, along with a vibrant fish and flower market, cable cars with stunning views, great museums and more.
Later in the day, board the Hurtigruten ship for your next adventure--the Norwegian Coastal Voyage headed toward Trondheim. If conditions are right, you may even be accompanied by the beautiful northern lights as you sail into the night!
Spend the night on board the cruise ship in an outside cabin.
During the night the ship makes short stops at Florø, Måløy and Torvik, and around noon the ship calls at one of Norway’s most picturesque cities, Ålesund. Here you have 3 hours to explore this city known for its Art Nouveau architecture with its lavishly decorated pastel buildings. And for a great bird’s eye view, head up to Aksla, a hill overlooking the city.
After your shore break, the cruise continues towards Trondheim with a short stop at Molde around dinner time.
Spend another night on board the cruise ship.
Arriving to Trondheim early in the morning, we suggest a nice breakfast at one of city’s lovely coffee shops before enjoying some leisure time in the “Capital of the Vikings”. Established as a Viking trading post in the 10th century, this city offers an array of historical attractions and museums.
Spend the night at a hotel in Trondheim
Head to the airport in the morning for your short flight to Tromsø, the “Paris of the North”, Northern Norway’s largest city and the region’s cultural hotspot. After checking in to your hotel in central Tromsø, enjoy dinner at one of the fine local restaurants and then head out into the wild on a guided tour to see some of the brightest aurora displays in the world.*
Spend the night at a hotel in Tromsø.
*The northern lights are a natural phenomenon and sightings cannot be guaranteed.
Your activities today in Tromsø will vary depending on the month of your travel:
1st of September – 1st of December: Northern Lights Cruise
Spend the early part of your day as you wish. In the evening enjoy a northern lights cruise. Sailing away from the city lights, the view of the aurora from the sea is brighter. Of course, the boat will stay in calmer waters so you will not have to worry about high winds or choppy waves. For extra comfort, the boat has a heated lounge with windows for viewing northern lights. On board you will get hot drinks, biscuits and a warm meal. We recommend wearing a hat, gloves, scarf and thermal layers for this cruise.
1st of December – 31st of March: Arctic Adventure
Today it’s all about nature! Head to the Tromsø Wilderness Centre, where a team of Alaskan huskies eagerly await to take you on a dog sled ride. Or if you prefer machines, you can zoom across the snow on a snowmobile. During this excursion, you will also have the opportunity to get an authentic taste of Sami culture and possibly taste some of their traditional foods. After a day of adventure in Norway’s winter wonderland, return to the city and enjoy a well-earned dinner at a restaurant of your choosing.
Spend another night in Tromsø.
After exciting week of adventures in Norway the time has come to fly back to Oslo, where you will fly onwards to your final destination.
Don’t worry, we’ve got this covered.
These pictures may be small, but Norway’s mountains & fjords are massive.
We don’t like to brag, so we’ll let our happy customers do it for us.
Overall it was a great way to see Norway when you have limited time. It was a great way to see the country from different types of transport and the excursion for the Northern Lights were great. The guide was very helpful and tried to get the best advantage points for some great pictures. The dog sledding was also a wonderful experience which we would not have missed. The dogs were so friendly and instructions on sledding clear - with a hearty reindeer and vegetable meal to warm us up after the chilly sledding! We have not hesitated to tell others of our experience and now find some friends and family have now added it to their 'bucket list'! Thank you for your continued support throughout this adventure.
Our trip was handled very professionally from start to finish and our travel consultant, Kolbrún is very patient in answering any questions we have. We enjoyed most parts of the trip and wish we had more time to stay longer. Bergen and Tromso were our favourite especially our Aurora Hunting Tour with Marcus, absolutely spot on. Overall, we had an amazing experience in Norway, couldn't ask for more. Looking forward to another Scandinavian trip and Nordic Visitor is definitely our choice of travel agent.
1. The "Norway in a Nutshell" has provided us a good perspective of Norway. 2. The combination of cruise, train, bus, and flight over 10 days gave us a compressed yet varied and comprehensive look into Norwegian lifestyle and landscape. 3. The dog sledging day tour was filled with fun and laughter, while the aurora light chasing tour was the most memorable experience. 4. Most importantly, the connections between various parts of the tour made by Nordic Visitor fit seamlessly into the schedule. 5. We truly appreciate the help and guidance provided by our two agents Helena and Kolbrun from Nordic Visitor, before and during the trip.
Sleep soundly, in the accommodation type of your choice, and wake up ready to enjoy another day of exploration.
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