Norway in a Nutshell has five main segments:
- Oslo to Myrdal by train
- Myrdal to Flåm on the Flåmsbana (Flåm Railway)
- Flåm to Gundvagen by boat
- Gundvagen to Voss by bus
- Voss to Bergen by train
All of it is public transportation so you can book or buy everything yourself. We booked ours through Fjordtours because it was simpler that way. Their website walks you through the itinerary and offers different activities and overnight stops along the way. It builds your schedule as you select items. If you choose an overnight stop you have the option of booking one of their selected lodgings or booking that on your own. (We went with the latter.) If you book before train tickets are available for your route, they buy the tickets and send them to you when they are available. I would suggest going to their website and seeing how it all works even if you then decide to book the pieces on your own.
We opted to spend a night in Flåm but you can go all the way to Bergen in a single day or do more or different stopovers. We also did a cruise out of Bergen so Day 3 back to Oslo was a couple of weeks later. You can do the trip in the other direction also, from Bergen to Oslo.
Day 1: Oslo to Flåm
Our Nutshell trip began with an 8:25 AM train from Oslo central station to Myrdal. We had a little trouble staying awake on this stretch since we had to get up early to catch the train. It was very scenic with lots of tunnels.
At Myrdal you transfer to the Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana) by crossing the platform and waiting. They have you line up behind markers indicating where the doors will be. The Flåm Railway is even more scenic than the first part, and the train is older with more character. It’s also a much shorter segment.
We arrived in Flåm at 2:20 PM. We checked into our hotel — which had some interesting design elements — then went for a walk.
There isn’t a whole lot to Flåm. Some places to stay, some places to eat, some gift shops, a supermarket. The setting is gorgeous.
We did find craft beer and a place to sit outside and enjoy it, so that was good. We had dinner inside the Viking-themed brewpub.
Day 2: Flåm to Bergen
There was cruise ship in port when we arrived. We awoke to a different and even larger cruise ship. It’s amazing they can get a boat that size into the fjords. We also got a peek at the kind of boat we’ll be on today.
Our Norway in a Nutshell trip continued today with a boat trip to Gundvagen, then a bus to Voss, followed by a train to Bergen. All of that was also scenic.
If you do the Nutshell trip in a single day, as many people do, you would do all three of these segments in the afternoon. We arrived in Bergen at around 3:30 PM.
Day 3: Bergen to Oslo
It’s about 8 hours by train from Bergen to Oslo. We didn’t have to change trains so it was a relaxing trip. Just sit back and admire the scenery, basically.
That white house above is typical of many we saw: a fairly plain house with an elaborate porch tacked on the front.
Essentials
Lodging
We stayed at the Flåmsbrygga hotel in Flåm. We had a nice room with a seating area and an excellent breakfast was included. There aren’t many options in Flåm.
Dining
We had a burger and ribs at the Ægir BryggeriPub. There’s also a cafe and a restaurant. The craft beer and the food were good.
Transportation
Norway in a Nutshell basically is organized transportation. In Flåm you can walk everyhwere; it’s not that big.