Norway Aug 2022 (Oslo, Bergen, & Norway in a Nutshell Tour)

 Norway Aug 2022 

Oslo, Bergen, & Norway in a Nutshell Tour

OSLO, NORWAY

BERGEN, NORWAY

ITINERARY: Visit the itinerary with tour links HERE: Itinerary for Oslo & Bergen, Norway Aug 2022

PHOTOS: See photos here: Norway Instagram

TRANSPORTATION: Norway has a great public transportation system

• Train/Bus: Train/Bus/Metrorail is very easy to use and connects between cities.
• VY Train App: download this app to use for trains/Metrorail. Must use PayPal - does not accept international credit cards.

• Flight:
• Flew into Oslo airport from Helsinki. Large airport that can be difficult to navigate if departing. The airport is about 45 min - 1hour away from city center so have to take a train into the city (or pay an expensive uber); do not take the flytoget train as it is more expensive.
• Bergen Airport was smaller and much easier to navigate. Our Metrorail ride took about 45 minutes from city center but dropped off right in front of the airport and security was a breeze.

• Taxi/Rideshare: Avoid in Norway - too expensive. Public transportation is excellent and buy through the VY App.

HOTEL: We stayed right next to the train station in both cities which was great as it was easy to get to our hotels walking with luggage. HIGHLY RECOMMEND STAYING NEAR THE TRAIN STATIONS

• Thon is a big Norwegian chain hotel and has many locations throughout both Oslo and Bergen; we were really impressed with the breakfast there.
• The breakfast at Zander K was not as good, but the hotel was still in a great location and the rooms were nice. Both of these hotels were booked through the Chase Portal and we did not run into any issues.

PAYMENT METHODS:

• CASH: Krone is the official currency of Norway. You do not need to carry any local cash.
• CREDIT CARDS: Credit Cards were accepted everywhere we went to. Make sure and get cards with No Foreign Transaction Fee.

SAFETY: Norway was extremely safe; take common safety precautions when traveling

• Emergency Phone # is 112

WHAT TO BRING:

• Print color copies of passport to carry in wallet
• Converter: Need to have a plug converter

LANGUAGE: Norwegian is the primary language, but everyone speaks full English as well. We did not meet anyone there that was unable to converse in English.

RANDOM TIPS:

• Download Google maps offline for any city you will be visiting
• Download WhatsApp to communicate with tour guide/groups
• Both cities were very easily walkable. Bergen does have poor pavement in certain areas so it may be harder to navigate, but overall, we were able to manage well.
• Visit during the summer as the weather can be too cold otherwise; Oslo was in the 50s F on the morning we visited, but warmed up as the day went on; Bergen was in the low 70s throughout our stay.
• Avoid going on any holidays!
• Be aware that Norway is very expensive.
• Buy your metro/train tickets ahead of time through the Vy app and have ready on your phone

FOOD:

• Food is expensive.
• Within Oslo and Bergen, it was easy to find vegetarian/vegan options. The Norway in a Nutshell day was harder as the small towns that they stop in doesn't really cater to a vegetarian/vegan diet (and is overpriced!) so we just brought packed lunches those days.
• Best water is tap water! Bring reusable water bottles

Tofu Dish in Oslo

Homemade PBJ Sandwiches

Daily Pot in Bergen

OSLO RECOMMENDATIONS:

1) Take a free Oslo walking tour (Pay-what-you-wish). This was OK, but they still provided a great framework for what to see in the city and then we were able to double back later in the day to see the locations we were most interested in.

2) Nobel Peace Center ($12 euros /pp)- a museum dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize; a must for historians and they have guided English tours that are included in the cost of the ticket.

3) Oslo City Hall (free entrance) - Beautiful place lined with murals. They give out the Nobel peace prize here.

Oslo City Hall

4) Vigeland Park - Frogner Park - a little outside of city center but easy to get to via the metro. A very artistic feeling park with sculptures throughout.

Vigeland Sculpture Park

5) Oslo National Opera House - walking on the rooftop (free) of the Opera House is a great place to view the sunset over the water.

Opera House

BERGEN RECOMMENDATIONS:

1) Take a free Bergen walking tour (Pay-what-you-wish): Quick way to see all the major sites

Downtown Bergen

2) Norway in a Nutshell Transportation ($200/pp) - Absolute must! One of the most scenic train rides/bus rides/cruises in the world with breathtaking views throughout. This is not a tour, but a series of transportation routes bought in one quick website.

• Its much easier to buy the Norway in a Nutshell ticket through the company. There is a way to buy all the tickets separately online and save some money, but we wanted to save the headache of having to coordinate all that and just bought directly through the website which provided all our tickets as downloadable pdf's. 

Norway In a Nutshell Tour

• Also recommend buying the Stegastein viewpoint ($36 euros/pp) audio guide tour via bus from Flam (can buy it at the Flam tourist center) for another great view of the Fjords.

  

  Stegastien Viewpoint

3) Floyen Funicular (Bergen) ($7.50/pp euros one-way) - great view of the city of Bergen along with the coastline; recommend going up on the Funicular and then walking down back into the city (About a 45 minute walk down)

4) Bergens Famous Fish Market (Bergen) - not great for eating for us vegetarians/vegans, but fun to walk through and they do sell some vegetarian/vegan friendly items.

5) Spend half a day just wandering around on the streets. Walk past the university area towards Nordens park - so beautiful!!

6) Take the Oslo-Bergen train: regarded as one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. Buy through the VY Train App. Must use PayPal - does not accept international credit cards.