OskiBear

I've read up on the threads here which have been enormously helpful. I think I'm down to a few questions that I hope the community can assist with:

I'm planning on being in Norway for only a few days and want to maximize the experience (skipping Sweden to do Norway for more than a day).

My option right now is to arrive Oslo at 8pm or Bergen at 12am.

The Bergen option seems very tidy because then I'd hop on the Norway in a Nutshell trip/tour the next morning and end up in Oslo that night. I don't have to leave Oslo until 9pm the following evening.

However, a midnight arrival and early morning departure does seem tiring and I'm not excited about lugging my luggage on the trip.

If I arrive Oslo instead and start the tour there, I'll have a better night's sleep and can leave my bags in Oslo. The downside is a return to Oslo on the night train or via a flight the next day. Ideally, maybe break in the middle to have more time to explore? I'm just a bit paranoid so I do want to get to Oslo in plenty of time for my flight out

Is there a better direction in which to do the trip? I'll be there the first week of September.

Many thanks!

AlanInDC

Sounds like a lot of time on trains or other transport for a short visit. If you haven't toured Oslo before, you might consider staying there for 2 days or whatever you have. A nice little city and you already need to be there for your departing flight I enjoyed Bergen, perhaps a bit more than Oslo, as a cute, but smaller city. I did Norway in a Nutshell -- it is nice and pretty, but somehow expected more than the build-up. I'm glad I went, but i had more time--4 or 5 nights in Oslo, 1 night in Flamm, and 2 nights in Bergen.

helosc

I prefer Bergen to Oslo so to me it seems a shame to not have any time there at all.
You could consider flying from Bergen to Oslo. You might get a good view from the plane ( weather and altitude permitting ). That would save you time but then you would miss out on the train trip (and the rest of the Nutshell trip - have forgotten what it includes) which is probably your reason for the visit. It just seems you have far too little time to see both Oslo and Bergen and a long train ride.
I have been on the train from Oslo to Bergen and it's beautiful but very long.
Have a nice trip - Norway is beautiful.

TRRed

Warning: slight thread hijacking ahead . . .
Late May/early June I am planning for 6 nights in Norway, flying into Bergen and out of Oslo. Leaning toward 4 in Bergen, then NiaNs, then 2 in Oslo. I have visited both places before, but more than 10 yrs ago, and that was in late November. Interested in walking/trekking (day hiking) and probably will do some photography, more nature than otherwise.
1. Would I be better doing 3 & 3? Or 3 in Bergen, 1 along NiaNs (which location?), and 2 in Oslo?
2. On FjordTours website for NiaNs, there was a reference to baggage service being available between Bergen and Oslo, but no further information that I can see. Any idea of costs? Is the service available same day as travel (drop bags in AM, pick up at destination in PM)?
3. Especially for getting in so late in Oslo after NaiNs and a day or two later needing to leave around 8AM for the airport, it appears the hotels around the station would make the most sense. Any particular ones you would recommend (or recommend avoiding)? Several posts had nice comments about Thon Hotel Opera. I don't have any status/points with any of the chains that seem to be in Oslo or Bergen, except a small amount of HHonors that may work with Scandic. Smoke-free room is important.
4. Any recent info/recommendations on hotels in Bergen? I have seen a number of recommendations in several threads and will reread those also.

Thanks,
TRRed

helosc

2. Did you notice that you can scroll the 'luggage transport' and get a little more information? To me the service seems to be included if you buy hotels from the company and don't stay near the airports. And it gives you the e-mail address of the porter service in case you want to book your own hotels and arrange for pick up yourself.
http://www.norwaynutshell.com/en/exp...utshell/#facts

4. I like the Clarion Hotel Admiral. Staged there last autumn. The location is very good. They are doing some renovations which will be finished in May.
https://www.nordicchoicehotels.com/c...hotel-admiral/

TRRed

Thanks, helosc.

Duke787

Sorry to bump up an old thread. I booked an one of the ex-OSL tickets and got some great advice from EZEdoesit but still just trying to decide what to do.

I arrive from London on July 6th and can fly into either OSL or BGO and then depart from OSL at 645am on July 9th.

I'll have a ~20-22kg piece of checked luggage (this is the tail end of a 2 week holiday) that I have to take into consideration. I have it down to these options and was hoping someone with experience could tell me whether I'm crazy and overly ambitious or if one of these makes the most sense

1) Fly into BGO on July 6th and then take the Sognefjord NIAL from Bergen to Oslo on July 7th. I'd have to use the porter service and then would likely stay in downtown Oslo (AirBnB in all likelihood) and take an early morning train out to OSL on July 9th

2) Fly into BGO on July 6th and then take the Sognefjord NIAL from Bergen to Oslo on July 7th. I'd have to use the porter service and then would likely stay in downtown Oslo (AirBnB in all likelihood) and take an early morning train out to OSL on July 9th

3) Fly into OSL on July 6th and get a 3 night AirBnB in Oslo. Do the Sognefjord NIAL starting in Oslo on July 7th, do an overnight in Flam area on July 7th, complete trip on July 8th and then hop on train to OSL airport. Stay at Park Inn ($100 USD with orbitz code) and crash until flight next morning

4) Fly into Oslo on July 6th and do a 2 night AirBnB in Oslo. Do the regular NIAL that leaves Oslo on July 7th and 6am and returns around 11pm. Check out of AirBnB early afternoon on July 8th and head to airport and crash at Park Inn ($100 USD with Orbitz discount code right now) so no need to get up super early on July 9th.

Any input would be welcome - I don't have a good sense of how ambitious this is so if it seems crazy let me know.

chrisljo

Is flying SAS from LHR an option? In that case you can route LHR-OSL-BGO, and allow some extra time to leave your luggage at the Park Inn (Email them before and ask).

Duke787

Hmm I hadn't even thought of that. Good call! I'll email and see if that's something feasible.

LHR - OSL - BGO is the routing SAS is offering me anyway to BGO and it looks like I can force it to a longer stopover via Google Flights without it costing me anything extra ($157 for the OW)

If the Park Inn won't accommodate, I think I've settled on just doing a cheap AirBnB near Oslo City Center Train Station and taking the night train back from Bergen and paying the extra 900 NOK to have a sleeper. It seems that if I book it all separately instead of NIAL I can save about 1000 NOK which essentially pays for the sleeper.

ksu

If you do the LHR-OSL-BGO trip, you probably will have to pick up your luggage and recheck it at OSL in any case (LHR is AFAIK not one of the origins that allow direct transit of INT-DOM luggage yet).

If Park Inn doesn't want to hold your luggage (or you don't want to make the 5 min walk each way), OSL has a manned left luggage office at the arrivals floor. Turn left after exiting arrivals, it is at the end closest to Park Inn (i.e. the opposite end from the train station). The cost for a suitcase is NOK 101 for 24 hours, or NOK 326 for a week.

TRRed

Random thoughts and comments as a prior visitor to both:
Weather being equal, personally I would spend more time in Bergen than Oslo, but I like the nautical atmosphere, etc.
This is the porter service I used last year with no issues when I did NIAN: http://www.porterservice.no/Individuals.html
That time of years, the days will be really long, so take that into consideration.
Given the fast airport express train in Olso from the station to the airport, I am not sure you save much time by staying at the Park Inn at the airport as opposed to the Scandic or others by the station (depending on starting point, walk to the Park Inn is probably around .5km).

Duke787

Thank you this is really helpful! Maybe I'll put an overnight bag together and spend 2 nights in BGO and then just pick up the bags from the luggage office on July 8th

Thank you - I'll take a look at that porter service as well and for your insight on the station.

There seem to be a few AirBnB's right near the Oslo City Center Station as well and I have a $100 AirBnB gift card from the $50 off $100 AirBnB Amex promo last winter. Perhaps I'll just use that and grab the train up on July 9th instead of staying at the Park Inn.

ksu

Be aware that the distances within Oslo S to the Airport Express Platforms are quite comparable to the distance from Park Inn at the airport to the airport proper. Even though Scandic Byporten is within the station complex, count on a five minutes walk to the train platforms. The two closest hotels to the Airport Express platfoms are the Comfort Grand Central (within the old station building) and the Thon Hotel Opera.

Duke787

Ah okay cool thank you!

One last question for the collective. I'm trying to decide between the Bergen to Flam cruise on the Sognefjord (looks to be ~5 hours long) or doing a shorter cruise from Gudvangen to Flam and then taking the train from there.

Both cost roughly the same (the student rate which I qualify for on the Sognefjord cruise is 395 NOK and the Gudvangen to Flam cruise costs 315 NOK for the timing that would work to sync up with the trains back to Oslo S).

TRRed

I think I did the one with the shorter cruise. I don't recall the train ride from Voss to Bergen being that memorable. However, the bus ride from Gudvangen to Voss was interesting, a windy mountain road that was narrow and one way in places going downhill. Starting from Bergen, it seems like you would have a better chance to see some sea creatures. None of those boats that I have been on are that fancy, nothing like a cruise ship. They have food and drink service and places inside and out to sit. So consider whether doing that sort of boat ride for 5 hours would be of interest you. Weather could make a difference also, but you probably have to commit long before you would have any idea what the weather that day was likely to be.