This 7-day trip, which starts in Oslo and ends in Stavanger, takes you on the popular Norway in a Nutshell® train journey over the mountains to Bergen. Enjoy an exciting ride on the scenic Flåm Railway, catch fantastic fjord views and explore historic cities like Bergen, Oslo and Stavanger. This Norway tour package also includes a self-guided trip to the famous Pulpit Rock!
Just a few of the majestic sights you’ll take in during your trip.
A day-by-day plan to guide your journey.
When 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 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, where you will enjoy a relaxing day surrounded by steep mountainsides, roaring waterfalls and deep valleys. You can follow one of the many hiking trails in the mountains around the village, or participate in an optional activity, such as kayaking, fjord sightseeing or visit the Stegastein platform.
Spend the night in Flåm.
We highly recommend booking our luggage transfer for the travel between Oslo and Bergen.
This 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. The boat docks in Gudvangen, from where you’ll be transported by bus to Voss to board the train for the last stretch of the journey 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 and flower 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. 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.
Enjoy an early breakfast, check out of your hotel and head to the Bergen bus terminal, located in the city centre. There you will board the coastal bus, which takes you along the rugged west coast of Norway, through sweeping fjords and dotted islands to Stavanger. The bus ride includes two ferry crossings, where you can stretch your legs, visit the cafeteria and enjoy the view from the passenger deck before arriving at Stavanger.
Stavanger is the fourth-largest city in Norway is a favourite among visitors for its lively city centre, timbered old town (Gamle Stavanger) and historic harbour area. Here you can find an array of interesting museums and attractions along with great restaurants and cafes.
Spend the night in Stavanger.
Near Stavanger is the gorgeous Lysefjord, which includes the famous natural landmarks of the Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen). You will join a self-guided tour, first reaching the area by bus before embarking on a scenic 4-hour hike (approx. 6km). Starting from the Pulpit cabin, you can enjoy the wild and beautiful nature on the way to the Pulpit Rock, traversing hilly terrain with an altitude difference of 350 metres. Transportation to the starting point of the hike and back takes approx. little over one hour each way. After the hike, you will take the bus back to Stavanger.
Spend another night in Stavanger.
Please note if you prefer joining a boat tour and skip the hike , you can choose so during the booking steps online (see our optional activities).
When it’s time for your trip to come to an end, make your way to Stavanger Airport. Depending on your preferred travel method, you can take the airport bus from one of the many departure points in Stavanger’s city centre or you can take a taxi directly from your hotel to Stavanger-Sola Airport. If your flight is in the afternoon, you can choose to enjoy some last-minute shopping, visit one of Stavanger’s many museums or relax at a café, enjoying the last few moments of your holiday.
For those departing from Oslo or Bergen, we offer a train transfer back to Oslo and a bus transfer to Bergen in our optional activities. Please keep in mind you might need to book an additional night if your flight is early during the day.
For more information on timing, click on the optional activity list.
Customise your adventure with these Optional Extras.
We recommend adding your extra activities to the tour now for the best booking experience and to secure your spot, as activities are likely to sell out.
Here’s a map of your travel route, to help put things in perspective.
Don’t worry, we’ve got this covered.
We recommend that you read carefully through the following information before booking this train and cruise tour in Norway. We’ve answered the most frequently asked questions here so you know what to expect. You’ll also find more practical advice and attraction recommendations in our online Norway Travel Guide.
On a train and cruise tour of Norway, Nordic Visitor takes care of your local transportation, accommodation and excursions for a relaxed self-guided travel experience. This might include trains, cruises and/or internal flights, as specified in the itinerary.
You will follow an itinerary that’s been pre-planned and booked for you before you arrive in Norway. This means you can take advantage of Nordic Visitor’s insider knowledge while exploring at your leisure.
Ahead of your arrival, you’ll receive personalised information via email, including an itinerary, map and detailed Norway Travel Guide.
During your tour, you’ll always be able to reach us by calling our 24/7 helpline.
The transfers between your hotel and train stations or cruise ports are not included with this package. Usually your accommodation will be within short walking distance. You could also get a taxi from your hotel if you prefer.
Please wait to book flights to Scandinavia until we can confirm your desired travel dates for this tour. This is due to varying availabilities on services included in this package.
After making a booking with Nordic Visitor, it might take a few weeks to confirm your travel arrangements. We recommend booking your flights once your personal travel consultant gets in touch to confirm your itinerary.
If you have any questions about your flights and itinerary, please contact us for more details.
Yes, you can customise this tour online. During the booking process, you can add extra nights to your itinerary as well as optional day trips, excursions and upgrades.
If you have something specific in mind, get in touch with your travel consultant and they’ll create your dream trip.
This tour includes the famous Norway in a Nutshell® tour from Oslo to Bergen. This is one of Norway’s most iconic journeys. You’ll travel by train, bus and ferry, seeing beautiful landscapes of steep mountains, shimmering fjords, charming villages and scenic coastline.
The first leg of the journey is from Oslo to Flåm. Then you'll be travelling from Flåm to Bergen. The duration of both days will be around 6 hours.
The connections will be announced and clearly explained in your travel documents. You will receive a ticket with all the information about transfer points and timings with your final travel documents.
You can book an optional luggage transfer for the journey. If you do this, you’ll want a backpack for your daily essentials and one-night stay. Your luggage will be waiting for you at your destination.
If you do not book a luggage transfer, you will have to carry your bags between the train, boat and bus. All connections will be within easy reach and there will be storage available for your luggage during each leg of the journey.
This package includes a coastal bus tour from Bergen to Stavanger. On this scenic journey you will travel 210 kilometres (130 miles), taking around 4.5–5 hours.
This is a great opportunity to admire Norway’s west coast as you’ll pass through fjords and islands. The bus ride includes 2 ferry crossings during which you can stretch your legs, visit the cafeteria or enjoy the view from the deck.
During this tour, you’ll have the opportunity to hike to Pulpit Rock, one of Norway’s iconic summits. Please bear in mind that it will be a self-guided hike. Nordic Visitor does include the 1-hour bus journey to and from the start of the trail.
Pulpit Rock is an 8-kilometre (5-mile) round trip, which is likely to take around 4–5 hours total. You should also plan to spend at least 1 hour at the top to have lunch and enjoy the scenery.
We recommend that you bring enough food and drink for the day. And make sure to wear hiking shoes or boots, along with appropriate hiking clothing. You’ll also need warm and waterproof layers in your daypack.
On your Norway tour, you’ll stay in accommodation that’s been hand-picked by our travel experts. We’ve partnered with local businesses and selected hotels and guesthouses based on excellent ratings, comfort and our personal experience.
During the booking process, you can select whether you want Comfort Plus or Superior accommodation. Comfort Plus usually consists of standard rooms in good quality and comfortable 3-star hotels. Superior is standard rooms in 4-star hotels combined with Superior rooms in premium 3-star hotels.
You will also be able to choose between single, double or triple rooms. Please note that in Norway room types are based on European standard sizes, which means they are smaller than in North America.
For example, a double bed often consists of 2 single beds pushed together. Twin rooms are 2 separate single beds. Triple rooms include a double bed along with an extra single bed, rollaway or sofa bed. And single rooms are often smaller than the standard double.
If you have anything specific in mind, please contact us to discuss customising your accommodation options.
By booking with Nordic Visitor, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that there’s always someone there for you throughout your trip.
For support and advice during the day, you can call our office. And if anything unexpected happens outside working hours, you can reach us on our 24/7 helpline.
During your tour, there will always be a travel expert on call to handle any unforeseen situations, such as unusual weather or events.
If you have a passport from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand, you won’t need a visa to visit Norway. This visa-free entry is valid for up to 90 days.
Visiting from another country? You can find out whether you require a visa to enter Norway on the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. Select your home country to view details. If you do require a visa, you will be directed to your local embassy website to learn about the visa requirements.
Your passport must also be valid for at least 3 months from your departure from Norway. It’s good to check your passport expiry date early in case you need to renew it.
Travelling with your kids? No problem! You'll be able to enter your children’s ages during the booking process.
For infants (0 to 2 years old), please let us know in the details if you’d like a baby cot.
For kids 3-11 years old, we’ll automatically book an extra bed for your trip.
Only you can pick the best time to visit Norway for your trip. It’ll depend on how much time you have to explore and what you want to see and do in Norway.
During the summer months, June, July and August, you’ll have the warmest temperatures and longest daylight hours of the year. This is ideal for outdoor excursions and taking full advantage of your days for sightseeing.
If you’d like to experience the top attractions with fewer visitors around then you could book a summer itinerary in May or September. These shoulder season months generally have more tour and attraction availability.
Please note that if you travel in spring, end of March through April, you’ll find that many attractions and museums are operating on reduced winter hours.
The winter months are also popular, but generally quieter. Travel to Norway at this time of year to see snowy mountains, cruise along frosty fjords and chase the magnificent northern lights.
If you head north in December and January, you could experience the polar night. At this time of year, the conditions are also ideal for winter activities such as dog sledding, snowmobiling and more.
Read more about the best time to visit Norway on our blog.
From Oslo in the south, Norway stretches hundreds of kilometres into the Arctic Circle. The country is so long that it spans the latitudes of 58°N to 81°N. For that reason, daylight hours vary greatly depending on where you’ll be visiting. That said, summer in Norway brings long days with plenty of daylight.
In the south, around Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger, you’ll experience 15–20 hours of daylight. If you visit the north, including locations such as Tromsø and Kirkenes, you can expect 20–24 hours of daylight.
In fact, within the Arctic Circle, from mid-May to late July, you’ll experience the midnight sun. This is when the sun never fully sets.
Norway’s long summer days give you plenty of time to explore. That said, you may want to pack a sleeping mask if you are a light sleeper or tend to wake up at dawn.
Find out what the daylight hours will be during the month of your visit in this guide to time and daylight in Norway.
During the summer months, you can expect fairly stable weather in Norway. That said, because the country spans such a large distance from north to south, temperatures are likely to vary depending on your location.
For example, the west coast is usually warmer thanks to the Gulf Stream, while the far north is usually cooler.
The months of June, July and August boast the warmest weather of the year. In Oslo, you can expect average temperatures around 16°C (61°F), with potential highs of 20–25°C (68–77°F). In Bergen, it is closer to 13°C (55°F) and in the north, around Tromsø, you can expect temperatures around 10°C (41-50°F)
It’s also good to know that weather conditions are often changeable in Northern Europe, so you should come ready for sun, rain and wind. For more information on the local climate, read the page Norway weather conditions.
Please note that sightseeing is dependent on weather and road conditions. This means that your itinerary might need to be altered if these conditions are not favourable during your visit.
Summertime is the most stable time of year in Norway. That said, you should still be ready to experience all seasons in one day. Especially if you will be spending a lot of time outdoors, you’ll want to pack for a combination of weather conditions.
Bring lighter clothes for the warmer, sunny days, and extra layers for chilly nights in the mountains or for taking in the view from cruise ship decks.
Here is an essential summer packing list for your trip to Norway:
An umbrella can also come in handy. If you are a wildlife watcher, you may wish to bring binoculars.
For more information, check out this Norway packing list.
When you travel with Nordic Visitor, breakfast at your Norway accommodation is always included. For the rest of your meals, the amount of spending money you need will depend on the standard of restaurants you decide to go to.
That said, we recommend budgeting between 100–400 NOK for lunch per person, each day. Dinners at casual restaurants might cost between 500–1,000 NOK. Meanwhile, at upscale restaurants, you can expect to pay 1,500 NOK or more. This does not include the cost of alcoholic beverages.
It’s best to book as soon as you can to secure your preferred travel dates. Once you have picked your tour, check the availability calendar to see which months are open for booking. Then, select the date you want and complete your booking.
We recommend waiting for a confirmation from your travel consultant to ensure your travel dates are available. You’ll then be able to purchase your flights with confidence.
If you like to plan well ahead, you’ll find that it’s possible to book many tours for the following year. And if you have any questions or need advice, you can always contact us.
After booking your tour package online, you will be contacted within 2 business days by your own dedicated travel consultant. They will be your point of contact for all your travel needs before, during and even after your trip.
We aim to complete bookings within a few weeks. During this time we take care of booking your accommodation, activities, and transport, confirming all parts of your journey. Once this is done, your travel consultant will provide you with all the details of your trip.
When we get back to you might depend slightly on how far ahead you’ve booked your travels and other tours running at the time.
No need! Nordic Visitor is already working on offsetting the estimated carbon footprint of your package. We’ve partnered with an environmental fund in Iceland to carbon offset all our tours.
Carbon offsetting your international flights is not included, but we highly recommend you look into possibilities with your airline or directly through a local environment fund.
If you have any questions before your trip, you can get in touch with our Norway travel experts. The live chat option is useful for getting a quick reply as someone answers live every day during office opening hours.
Once you’ve booked, we’ll provide you with a travel guide packed full of local tips and top attractions for your visit. You can also check out our online Norway Travel Guide where we’ve compiled useful information about topics, including:
After you have booked your tour, it will only take a few days to confirm its availability. But it may take a few weeks to create your itinerary and book everything.
Once your trip details are finalised, we’ll send you e-copies of your travel documents. This will include your personalised itinerary, our Norway Travel Guide and your service vouchers. We recommend printing your tickets and vouchers to bring with you to Norway.
When you depart may depend on the time of your return flight. Check out early if you’re heading to the airport for a morning flight. On the other hand, if you’re flying home later in the day, you might like to enjoy a leisurely day or visit one more attraction.
You will usually need to check out from your room around 10–11 AM. If you’re staying in town longer, you will be able to store your luggage at the hotel reception. Simply return later to collect your bags before making your way to the airport.
All bookings are billed in Euro (EUR). Prices displayed in other currencies are indicative only and based on the daily exchange rate. This means conversions from EUR to other currencies will fluctuate from day to day.
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.
I had the best service from Nordic Visitor. The itinerary was self-explanatory and I did not have any issues with my travels. Thank you very much.
Booking this trip with Nordic Visitor made the entire experience easy and stress-free.
Flåm was our favorite destination! We could have passed on Stavanger, felt like too much time here. Hike was more challenging than I realised for sure.
I added in various additional stops and spent nearly three weeks in Norway. All handled very well for my wife and I.
The website and communication made planning and paying for the trip easy and intuitive. The available documentation and guidance was spot on, and we had no problems making transitions and having a great time. Thank you for the expert help online and by phone when one of our party was injured. We checked off a bucket list item and your team made this happen.
Sleep soundly, in the accommodation type of your choice, and wake up ready to enjoy another day of exploration.
Our best price per person when booking for two.
214EUR
EUR
Whether you have a single question or a special request, we're here for you.
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