Norway in a Nutshell Tour
Norway tourism has put together a package called Norway in a nutshell combining the best of Norway fjord scenery experienced through the scenic Bergen Railway, the breathtaking Flåm Railway, Fjord cruise on the Aurlandsfjord, the narrow and dramatic UNESCO-protected Nærøyfjord and cruise onward on the Sognefjord till Gudvangen; this is continued by a scenic bus ride to Voss including a detour on the steep hairpin bends of Stalheimskleiva.
As you can see there are several components and they can be
done from Oslo or Bergen or Voss with no break or as many breaks as one wants
in between…It’s not a guided tour, people with the package are
responsible for themselves and have to move on to their mode of transport on
their own. There are prompts/signs everywhere, so this should not be difficult.
We tailored this to our convenience as follows:
The Bergen Railway:
The Flåm Railway:
Fjord cruise on the magnificent Aurlandsfjord and on the
narrow Nærøyfjord:
Bus trip through beautiful scenery (including
Stalheimskleiva): Gudvangen-Voss
Train: Voss-Bergen (added for our plan)
We had bought the minipris ticket for the Oslo-Flam leg
online on the nsb site (Norges Statsbaner (Norwegian State Railways) https://www.nsb.no/en/ ). Oslo-Myrdal leg has
a discount 3 months in advance called minipris. Our plans had changed and new
plans had finalized late but still minipris tickets were available for the
early morning slot and we grabbed it. We reserved the left side seats also for
better views.
Rest of the legs (cruise split in 2 parts, bus and train) we
bought just as we entered the vehicle. This worked out as it was not peak
tourism season.
June 26, 2015 :
Glorious sunny day…6.25 am NiN train to Myrdal and then onward to
Flam. Overnight at Aurland in a fjord view rorbuer. Hike to bell farms.
Superlative views all through…
Oslo-Myrdal:
We walked the 250 m distance from our hotel to the Oslo
central train station and were at the correct platform by 6 am . The previous night we had come into the station and
did a recce, so that we won’t have any confusion in the morning. Anyway, it’s
pretty straight forward.
We were on the 6.25 am
train. The train goes on to Bergen
on a fast route in the last section, we have to get down at Myrdal and transfer
to the scenic section to Flåm on another train for our Norway
in Nutshell tour...
M.O.H in the electronic board denotes Meter over havets/ Meters
above sea.. the altitude
We had our breakfast on the train... cheese-avocado
sandwich and juice. The scenery flitting by was beautiful...
The permanent snowline in Norway is 3000 feet...Latitude. altitude and some other factors play a part ...anyways, reaching snow this soon is terrific!
The permanent snowline in Norway is 3000 feet...Latitude. altitude and some other factors play a part ...anyways, reaching snow this soon is terrific!
On this segment the train halts at a couple of scenic
stations where we can get down and enjoy the scenery.
These cottages look so awesome... what a place to live in!
First Halt was at
Haugastøl 1000 m.o.h.
Officials herd everyone in before they close the doors
and start the train after the halt!
Next Halt was at Finse.... There are few places as bleak and
remote on a railway in Europe as roadless Finse, the
highest station on Norway ’s
railways, at just over 4,000 ft.
The men on Scott’s fateful 1912 expedition trained here
(Scott was a famous British explorer who had led a Discovery expedition to the
Antarctic successfully up to latitude 82°S …his 2nd South Pole expedition in
1912 turned fatal),
In 1979 George Lucas used the area for the ice planet Hoth
in Star Wars.
Near the station is a museum about the navvies, and there is
a single, lonely hotel with its own bakery.
After 18 minutes halt, we got on the train again and
reached. There were announcements for NiN passengers to get down. We were
already near the doors with our bags.
At Myrdal, we got down and raced to the next platform where
the train to Flåm was standing and got seats in a crowded coach. Oslo-Myrdal
leg had been delayed by 20 minutes waiting around in tunnels for the other
trains to pass through. There had been humorous announcements telling us not to
worry about missing connections … the connections get informed and wait for the
previous leg to arrive!
Flåmsbana Railway (Myrdal-Flåm)
is the official site
The Flåm Railway is a masterpiece in engineering and is one
of the most exciting railway journeys in the world. Though only 12½ miles (19
km) long, it descends 2,380ft at gradients so steep that some locomotives were
fitted with four brake systems.
Flamsbana is one of the steepest trainlines in the world on
normal tracks, where almost 80% of the journey has a gradient of 55%, ie: a
rise of one meter per 18.
The twisting tunnels that spiral in and out of the mountain
are testament to the most daring and skillful engineering in the history of
Norwegian railway. It has 20 tunnels with a total length of almost 6 km (3.7
mi).
The views over Sognefjord , Norway
The train has a stop at Kjosfossen, a famous waterfall on
the way
The Flåm Line passes directly in front of and over the lower part of the waterfall, which is one of the main attractions for tourists who take the Flåm Line.
The waterfall is located about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) northeast of Myrdal Station.
Its total fall is around 225 m (738 ft). We got down and enjoyed the sight of the waterfall…
SPOLIER ALERT… if you have not done this trip and
intend to do it, skip the following 4 paragraphs to save yourself a nice
surprise…
Suddenly a melodious song was heard and a pretty girl was
whirling around gracefully on the rocks beside the waterfall… after an
evocative dance she disappeared into a crevice, only to appear on another
remote rock continuing her dance and song…repeating the disappearing and
reappearing trick yet again…
She’s the legendary Huldra (a seductive forest creature
in Scandinavian folklore) who lures the unsuspecting guys with her beauty, song
and dance into the mysterious wild beyond…
Well, during the main tourist season in the summer an
actress dressed as the Huldra dances and sings in front of the waterfall as the
trains enter the station for the amusement of the tourists… when one girl sinks
out of view, another dressed in similar robes appears on a higher spot totally
giving an impression of magical movement of an ethereal spirit
The Huldra actresses are all students from the Norwegian
ballet school… we loved the unexpected performance!
Uniformed rail official wait with the crowds herd them in
when time is up.
The train journey runs through fantastic nature, past the
Rallar road, steep mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, through 20 tunnels and
offers so many viewpoints between the mountain and the fjord.
This is the old access road for the rail workers…If you walk the whole way, it's a 20 kilometre zigzag hike back down the valley beside the tumbling river
Rjoandefossen seen through the train window...
It is a waterfall in the municipality of Aurland Norway . It is located about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the village of Flåm
The waterfall is 241 metres (791 ft) tall and has three vertical falls, of which the tallest is 147 metres (482 ft). The waterfall is visible from the Flåm Line railway.
In the span of a single hour, the train takes us from the
mountaintop at Myrdal mountain station on Hardangervidda, 863 meters over the
ocean to the ocean level at the Sognefjord in Flam.
Flåm-Aurland:
Flåm is a picturesque village and has a lot of hiking and other activities. It’s a big center for cruises. There is a time table showing cruise days. We had earlier consulted it and noted that our day did not coincide with a big cruise ship docking here. We were happy to have missed the huge cruise crowds.
Our intention had been to take the
local bus from Flåm to Aurland. That bus goes up to a high
point 2 PM. If our trains
had been on time we would have made it but our first leg had been delayed by 20
minutes, so we missed this bus.
This bus is not part of the normal NiN package, so it had
left at scheduled time. The ferry which is part of NiN was waiting!
Flåm to Aurland:
Got onto the ferry. Bought tickets for the ferry from Flam
to Aurland after finding the bus was not around. Walkup prices are the same as
prebooked; only advantage of prebooking this leg is ensuring availability.
Kept our bags and hopped out, taking some pics till the guys
gestured us to get on board.
Our NiN cruise starts from Flåm, then goes onward to Aurland
… all this is on the Sognefjord: Max. length: 205 kilometres (127 mi); Max. width:
4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi). The average width of the main
branch of the Sognefjord is about 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi).
Cliffs surrounding
the fjord rise almost sheer from the water to heights of 1,000 metres (3,300
ft) and more.
Waterfalls tumbling down the green hills...
Got off the ferry from Flam at Aurland... all other people
on that ferry continued on for the full ferry trip to Gudvangen.
The hood of the ferry is coming down after lifting up so
that the floor can connect with the ramp for people disembarking/embarking...
The hood of the ferry is down at normal alignment as the ferry floats away.
We had a 2 minute walk to our cottage with awesome view of
the fjord.
Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri is located in the oldest buildings
in the village of Aurland
Situated on the shores of Aurlandsfjord, it offers wonderful
views of the surrounding mountains.
Cottages are housed in Rorbuer, traditional Norwegian
fisherman cottages, and include private kitchen facilities. We were more than
pleased with our choice of the village and the accommodation.
Our rorbuer is the fourth one in this row of cottages...
Loft bedroom... doesn't look too practical with such low ceiling...
The fjordvision hotel in a ship in front of our cottage...
Nice views from our window...
After some food, we started off on our hike to Bell
farm. There are several options to enjoy this part of the country. We missed
having a car…as I had said earlier, Our train had been delayed and so we missed
the bus to Stegastine viewpoint at 2 pm .
We asked for a taxi but the hotel girl quoted 900 nok... on earlier research
experts had said it'll be around 400-500 nok (exchange was 1 USD-9 NOK).
So we hiked on our own to the Bell farm and admired the view of the fjord from all angles.
WOW, the narrow naeroyfjord...Nærøyfjord, a branch of the
Sognefjord only 300 m (980 ft) across at its narrowest point...
The Nærøyfjord
Surrounded by towering mountains up to 1,700 m high, this
arm of the Sognefjord is amazingly beautiful.
The Nærøyfjord is the narrowest and best known of the many
arms of the Sognefjord. With its steep mountainsides, hanging valleys, towering
peaks, snowfields, waterfalls and small hamlets, this fjord is perhaps the most
outstanding natural attraction in Norway .
The Nærøyfjord is 20 km long, only 250 metres across at its narrowest and a mere 12 metres at its shallowest. The surrounding mountains reach heights of 1,660 metres. UNESCO has included the Nærøyfjord and the Geirangerfjord in its famous World Heritage List. The fjords have also been awarded first place in the prestigious list of the National Geograhic Traveller magazine.
The village of Aurland is picture perfect...
This is the Aurlansfjord...
We saw happy sheep grazing in the field...the area is famed for its production of goat cheese and goat farming. Curious sheep ran toward the fence, monitoring us.
We saw lovely wild flowers.
We struck a dead end and could not go upto
June 27, 2015:
Another lovely sunny day…at 8.30 am , we checked out of Aurland...in Norway
cottages/hostels provide bed linen and towels at additional fee. It comes to USD
10 per person. If it’s a long stay of a few days this seems fine, but the rate
is the same for a day or many days as they are charging for washing; if we have
several short stays in different places as will be the case in driving
itineraries and are checking out after one day, these charges mount up. We
carried 2 thin sheets, a pillow case and towel each and it worked out fine as
we saved on extra fees in 5 different places! Also a cleaning fee of USD 25
will be charged if you don’t leave the place as you found it.
I’m fussy anyways about not leaving a mess behind, and I
always take pics when we check out, so no worries!
Fjord Cruise Aurland and Gudvangen
We walked on to the pier where our ship dropped us the
previous day... it'll pick us up here for going onward to Gudvangen. The
reflection in the clear water is to die for as we are at the pier waiting for our ferry...
The boat tour between Aurland and Gudvangen winds around precipitous mountains, waterfalls and small homesteads that cling to the mountain sides.
Tiny waterfalls...
We pass by the village
of Undredal
Way up on the mountain side lies the Stigen homestead, whose
name comes from the fact that people had to use ladders (Nor. stige) to get
there
During the cruise on the Nærøyfjord we have excellent views of
small traditional farms on the mountainsides. We can see goats grazing
right beside the fjord and seals basking on rocks along the fjord
Village Dyrdal coming up…
Soon we reached the Nærøyfjord, a minor fjord branching off
from the Sognefjord, which is the world's narrowest fjord at only 250 metres at
its narrowest point. The Nærøyfjord was also added to UNESCO's World Heritage
List in 2005. From here we can view the majestic Sognefjord, the longest and
deepest fjord in the world.
Waterfalls again...
The area has been inhabited for about 10,000 years, and
farmed for almost 3,000 years. Farming is still important for people living
along the fjord today.
The Sognefjord is the second longest and deepest fjord in
the world. Snow-capped mountains tower 1800 m high above the deep fjord.
Waterfalls cascade from the ragged mountain tops and glaciers, through
deciduous and coniferous forests down to the fjord.
The well-tended cultural landscape along the fjord bears
witness to the active agriculture in the area.
Village Styvi... still accessible only by boat...
All picture post card views and the cruise boat near empty
as it’s the 1st one of the day and the tour groups have not yet
reached this destination. Truly a privilege to see enjoy this experience in
perfect weather and season with no crowds!
Bus Ride to Voss
Put our bags in the luggage boot which was open. clear signs on the post as well as on the bus.
mmm... a nice Viking... pronounced veeking... the first i is not pronounced eye but as letter e.
Talked to the driver and confirmed we can buy tickets from him and then went out for some pics.
Driver returned to his seat after a few minutes, we bought
the tickets from him paying nok and sat in the 1st seats ... great views yet
again
Some buses go straight to Voss but most take a scenic detour..we
knew this one does.
We started off on our scenic bus trip...
Enjoyed the detour to Stalheim view point, seeing the waterfall, the steep single lane road descending into the lush valley…
Train Ride Voss-Bergen:
We took the direct train to Bergen.
We had an awesome DIY tour of Norway in a Nutshell and were very happy ...here are maps to see what we covered...
is theNorway in a Nutshell video
We were driving through Hardangerfjord marked in the map above next...it's covered in the next post:
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/09/norway-trip-report-days-5-6-hardanger.html
is the
We were driving through Hardangerfjord marked in the map above next...it's covered in the next post:
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/09/norway-trip-report-days-5-6-hardanger.html
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