Monday, October 05, 2015

Visit Norway

Norway is huge but most of its wonderful sights are in the South. It is possible to cobble together a wonderful trip to Norway for just a week. Fly into and out of Oslo, spend 2 days. Take the Oslo/Bergen train to Bergen, spend 2 days in Bergen. Take the ferry up the Sognefjord to Flam. From Flam take the Flamsbana train to Myrdal and connect with the Bergen/Oslo train back to Oslo. The Sognefjord ferry takes 5 hours to complete its trip to the end at Flam. One can stay at the little villages on the way like Balestrand and continue on the next day's ferry. A stay at Flam is also possible. If you know you are going to do this trip and you know your dates, it is important to book early your Oslo/Bergen train ticket. They sell out fast. One can buy the ticket online from home. There are options to pick up the ticket from the ticket machines. You'll be given a code which after you enter it, the machine will spit out your ticket. The other great thing is if you book early you'll get one of the discounted fares. For every trip the railway sets aside a few tickets at half price which sells out fast. I was able to take advantage of this one time. But the early train from Oslo to Bergen was sold out, I had to travel by a later train and on first class because the economy tickets were sold out. The best time is June and July and you will be fighting for seats with the huge groups of Chinese tourists. They take all the train tickets and the hotels. From Bergen, if you have time, you can always take a trip on the Hurtigruten ferry or go to the Faro islands or Lofoten and even further North in Norway. The options are there for an enjoyable long or short trip!

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