Norway in a nutshell tour is a popular tour which will take you through Norway's beautiful fjord and mountain scenery, available in all seasons. The tour comprises of train, ferry and bus ride. It can be completed in 1 day or you can have overnight stays en route, it is completely up to you.
There are two ways to book the tour: either by booking with the tour operator https://www.norwaynutshell.com/original-tour/
(price is usually around NOK 2,000 per person) or save money by booking the individual segments of the tour directly yourself.
How to book the tour DIY style:
First, you must choose where to start and end your tour. You can start your tour in Oslo, Bergen, Voss or Flam. I chose to start my tour in Oslo and ends it in Bergen.
Here's how the segments of the journey looks like:
From Oslo to Myrdal, it is a standard 5 hours train ride with seating number.
From Mydral to Flam, it is a 1 hour scenic train ride with free seating.
From Flam to Gudvagen, it is a 2 hours ferry ride through the fjords with free seating.
From Gudvagen to Voss, this 1 hour bus ride with free seating.
From Voss to Bergen, it is a 1 hour and 22 minutes train ride with seating number.
There's a direct train from Mydral to Voss, but you'll miss the scenic train and ferry ride through the fjord which is the highlight of the tour.
Where to book?
For the trains (Oslo-Flam & Voss-Bergen), you can book it at https://www.vy.no/en
For the ferry (Flam-Gudvagen), you can book it at https://www.fjord1.no/eng
The bus (Gudvagen-Voss) is the only leg you can't book online. You need to buy the ticket directly from the bus driver. You can still check the bus schedule of bus 950 online.
Word of advice: Do not bring big luggage when doing this tour. There are five segments of the journey where you need to move your luggage.
Which side to sit to get the best view?
From Oslo to Myrdal, sit on the left side although it doesn't really make much difference which side you sit.
From Mydral to Flam, sit on the right side on seat with window that can be opened (front & back of the car). Recommended by others to sit in carriage 6 which will stop directly in front of the majestic waterfalls of Kjosfossen.
From Flam to Gudvagen, climb to 3rd level and sit on the right side. If the seats are full, you can walk about outdoor to get the best view.
From Gudvagen to Voss, sit on the left side (behind the driver). Most of the waterfalls are on the left side.
From Voss to Bergen, not much view since most of the time, it's passing through tunnels and it doesn't really make much difference which side you sit.
What is the price like? (all price are indicative only in 2019, please refer to website for actual pricing)
From Oslo to Flam, I paid NOK 729 per adult. My child is free seating on my lap.
From Flam to Gudvagen, I paid NOK 495 per adult for Premium class. Classic class is slightly cheaper, around NOK 405 per adult.
From Gudvagen to Voss, I can't remember the actual price, it's around NOK 130 per adult.
From Voss to Bergen, I paid NOK 216 per adult.
In total, I spent about NOK 1,570 per adult. The price I checked from the tour operator was NOK 2,080 per adult. So there's definitely some savings if you book it yourself.
My Norway In A Nutshell tour itinery:
6.25 - 11.37: Oslo to Mydral
12.13 - 13.10: Mydral to Flam
16.00 - 18.00: Flam to Gudvagen
18.05 - 19.20: Gudvagen to Voss
19.37 - 20.59: Voss to Bergen
I took the earliest train from Oslo Central Station which departed at 6.25am.
We practically can sit anywhere we like because we had the whole carriage to ourselves.
The train has children play area.
This is the cafe area of the train. Be sure to try the hot chocolate. It's the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted.
At first, the weather was perfect.
Then it started raining.
And then it started snowing quite heavily at Finse station in September, no less!
Arriving in Mydral an hour later than the original time (11.37am) due to snow on sections of the journey.
Quickly jumped on the scenic train departing from Mydral to Flam. Didn't get to choose the seat as most seats were already occupied due to the delay.
Highlight of the train is the 5-minute stop at the powerful Kjosfossen waterfall.
It was raining and the wind was howling. But it makes the theatrical music at the waterfall much more dramatic. Watch out for the red dressed lady as Huldra (a seductive forest creature) dancing on the right side of the waterfall. Watch the video I previously posted.
My son was laughing while my hubby grimaced in the rain, haha.
There're lot of waterfalls on the way.
My original plan was to go to Stegastein Viewpoint to see the panaromic view of Aurlandsfjord from above during the time gap between 1.10pm and 4pm. However, since it's been raining heavily, I changed my plan and took the earlier ferry which departed on 2pm.
Flam Tickets and Visitor center.
It was freezing outside the ferry. So I stayed indoor with my son most of the time on the ferry.
You can order some hot drinks or snack on board.
My hubby braved the rain and stayed outdoor to see the fjord.
Of course, we also took some pictures outside while passing through the fjord.
Souvenir shops at Gudvagen.
* Take note that after getting down from the ferry at Gudvagen, you need to walk a short distance to the main highway's bus stop to wait for the bus.
We sat behind the driver. There's even baby seat available on board which is rear facing, two thumbs up!
The only problem is the last leg of the journey which has numbered seat on the train. Fortunately I managed to get 2 seats which were unoccupied and the train conductor let us pass even though we took the earlier train to Bergen on the same day.
So fret not, if you need to make some last minute change like me. As long as you complete the tour on the same day, the operator usually allow you to take the earlier/later ferry or train.
That's all, folks. Hope this posting will help you in planning Norway In A Nutshell tour. Cheers.
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