Norway 2 weeks too much?

[tortoise18]

Anyone can share itinerary?

 

[259850]

Anyone can share itinerary?

Not too much - we spent 2 weeks last June and felt it was insufficient. It is a big country. The cities - other than Bergen - are not particularly interesting, but the nature is. You need to rent a car to get the most of the country. There are many itineraries if you search Tripadvisor. The fjord region is interesting, but for us the highlights were Lofoten and Versteralen.

I found Norwegians, more than anyone else, like everything very natural. Most hiking trails are not well marked as that's how they like it. Accommodations in smaller cabins/hotels are more affordable if you choose to make your own beds (even cheaper if you bring your own sheets!!) and clean up after yourselves.

Weather is very unpredictable - it rains a lot - and can have a profound effect on your trip.

 

[tortoise18]

Not planning to drive. How are the public transport there

 

[259850]

Outside of major cities and towns, public transport is not frequent enough just because of low population density.

It would be hard to see Norway on public transport. You can consider organized tours. Another option is to the Norway in a Nutshell route from Oslo to Bergen. It is fairly easy to book everything (trains, ferries, etc) yourself instead of paying for the travel agent.

And then from Bergen you can take the Hurtigruten cruise to the north.
https://www.hurtigruten.com/destinations/norway/
This is not a typical cruise. It is a lot more basic (and cheaper) and you can decide pretty much where to get on and off, and even spend longer in a city.

Do some research. NLB libraries have lots of guidebooks. I found Lonely Planet and Rough Guides most useful in trip planning.

 

[tortoise18]

Other than nin, what other places can i go for? I'm planning to do oslo to (3days)tromso then back to sg.

 

[apeape]

can try this website as gauge https://www.inspirock.com/ for your itinerary and where to go

 

[259850]

I did a 2 week trip but did not use public transport outside of the cities. My thoughts on main destinations:

Oslo: Nice enough city, but nothing special compared to other European cities. There are a couple of interesting museums but otherwise not much history. Eating out is expensive and not particularly outstanding. I wouldn't spend more than 2 days (1 day might even be sufficient).

Bergen: A bit more history (old warehouses along the waterfront, small and interesting museums, etc). I would say it is the most unique town/city in Norway. A nice way to end your NiN trip.

Tromso: Small, can easily see what's available in a day. Many use it as a base for Northern Lights viewing (more tour agencies, infrastructure, etc) but be aware that you need to get out of town to view the lights. Most Norwegians we met suggested picking a smaller village in Lofoten or Vesteralen (or further north) and just try your luck every night instead of going "hunting". We went in the summer so it didn't really matter.

Other towns like Trondheim, Stavanger, Alesund: Can really skip, nothing special. However, Stavanger is a base for the Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) hike, Norway's most popular, and there are many bus+ferry arrangements to get to the hiking starting point and back. There are also interesting hikes near Andalsnes. All of the above towns can be reached by bus/train.

Lofoten: The highlight of Norway and should not be missed! The main towns are Svolvaer and Leknes, but neither were as nice as some of the smaller towns and villages. Henningsvaer and Nusfjord are beautiful, but the best bet is to base yourself in Reine, in the south. Lots of organized activities, hikes, etc nearby. Indeed, Reine might also be a good base for Northern Lights; there's a very good tour operator in the village center who takes people out on RIB boats for wildlife viewing and northern lights. There are public buses (not very frequent though) that run along all the main towns of Lofoten.
https://lofoten.info/en/bus/?Article=21

Flight tickets (SAS, Norwegian and Wideroe) can be very affordable if you book early.

Norway is truly a country to be experienced rather than to be seen. I'm comparing it to places like Switzerland, where transportation infrastructure is good, and you can see beautiful sights without much effort. In Norway, on the other hand, the best sights are usually at the end of a hike! Norwegians seem to want to keep everything natural without building up too much. With the oil wealth they have, they can live like Gulf Arabs. But instead, they seem to be hardworking people living with nature.

Your initial question was if 2 weeks is too much for Norway. That really depends on your travel style. If you are a city person, then yes; you're better off adding other more interesting Scandinavian cities (Copenhagen, Stockholm) to your itinerary; after all, Oslo-Copenhagen is a lot nearer than Oslo-Tromso. But if you like hiking, nature and wilderness, then no, 2 weeks may not even be enough.

 

[tortoise18]

In terms of hiking, how do we join tours? Not sure if we can hike alone without signs.

 

[259850]

In terms of hiking, how do we join tours? Not sure if we can hike alone without signs.

I wouldn't worry too much. The more popular ones are reasonably well marked, and usually there are other hikers. It can get dodgy only if you go off the beaten path, which is not possible if you don't have your own transport. Here are blogs of 2 very popular trails, for you to get a sense of how they look like:

https://www.thewholeworldisaplayground.com/how-to-hike-pulpit-rock-tips-guide-hiking-priekstolen/

https://www.thewholeworldisaplayground.com/kjerag-hike-norway-in-pursuit-of-kjeragbolten/

I used this website (among others) to plan things to do in Lofoten:

https://www.switchbacktravel.com/norway/lofoten-islands

We had only 3 nights in Lofoten; if I could redo the trip, I would have cut nights in the cities/towns and spent more time in Lofoten. As a result of our very short stay, we didn't end up doing the beach hikes which require a boat transfer (the boats go at different times on different days of the week). Glomtinden (#7 on the hiking page) is an example of a popular, but poorly marked trail. We ended up backtracking quite a bit. See pictures in this website:
https://hikingtheworld.blog/2016/09/26/glomtinden/

These guys were very helpful in organizing RIB boat tours:
https://aqualofoten.no/en/welcome-to-reine-in-lofoten/

 

[ksapple]

Not too much - we spent 2 weeks last June and felt it was insufficient. It is a big country. The cities - other than Bergen - are not particularly interesting, but the nature is. You need to rent a car to get the most of the country. There are many itineraries if you search Tripadvisor. The fjord region is interesting, but for us the highlights were Lofoten and Versteralen.

I found Norwegians, more than anyone else, like everything very natural. Most hiking trails are not well marked as that's how they like it. Accommodations in smaller cabins/hotels are more affordable if you choose to make your own beds (even cheaper if you bring your own sheets!!) and clean up after yourselves.

Weather is very unpredictable - it rains a lot - and can have a profound effect on your trip.

can share bergen iti ma? i will be there for 48hrs

 

[tortoise18]

Hope to see ur iti too! We r history buffs, and keen on sceneries. Though we r young but nt ohysically fit.

 

[259850]

Places we went to:

- Funicular up Mt Floyen (there are hiking trails of different difficulty starting there so you can spend as little or as much time as you like at the peak)
- Bryggen Wharf (if you like history, don't miss the very interesting Hanseatic Museum - note that the Bergen Card only gives you a discount not admission fee waiver)
- The Science Museum (this was mainly for the kids, you can skip)
- Fish market

Places we didn't go to but may be worth going if you have time:
- Cable car to Mt Ulriken
- Fantoft Stave Church - we went to the Urnes Stave Church earlier in our trip, so decided to skip this one, but you should go see at least one stave church while in Norway, and Fantoft is the most accessible.

The city center is very small most sights are within walking distance from one another or a short tram/bus ride.

There is a very nice gastropub called Pingvinen in the city, which I recommend for good local food. It wasn't as expensive as other sit down restaurants in Norway.

 

[259850]

Though we r young but nt ohysically fit.

I won't say we are physically fit either, definitely not compared to an average Norwegian. Just have to have a sense of adventure, and take things slowly. And also a very thick skin, as you see Norwegian primary school kids hiking faster than you. Lol! But just to be sure, tackle some of the longer walks in MacRitchie for a few weeks before you go...that's what I did with the kids.

One very important point that I cannot stress enough. Weather is very unpredictable, it rains a lot, even in summer. So make sure to have waterproof hiking boots and layered clothing (for different temperatures) with a waterproof shell and hood. There was a 3 hr walk we took which started with me in short sleeves, and ended with me in 3 layers. We heard this many times....there's a Norwegian saying that goes "there's no bad weather, just bad clothing".

 

[Bad kids]

We drove from Narvik to Lofoten, quite a hair raising trip. Then drove to Svolvaer stay one night. Then took ferry to Tromso. But was in March, so not hiking activities as it was not recommended in winter.

 

[Babatrvl@singnet.com.sg]

Hi,

We would be pleased to share itinerary. Kindly provide your email

 

[wind30]

Below are two articles I have written about Norway. I really loved Lofoten island, been their twice. Must go

https://flyingmummy.com/wp/2017/11/18/photography-in-lofoten-islands/

https://flyingmummy.com/wp/2017/11/22/travel-in-norway/

 

[Bad kids]

Very nice photography.

We stay in Eliassen Rorbuer too, the number 2 cabin thorbua. For Svolvaer we stayed at scandic.

Below are two articles I have written about Norway. I really loved Lofoten island, been their twice. Must go

https://flyingmummy.com/wp/2017/11/18/photography-in-lofoten-islands/

https://flyingmummy.com/wp/2017/11/22/travel-in-norway/

 

[tortoise18]

Pls email ur itis to pineappletortoise@gmail.com pls!! Thanks thanks! Pmed u, but maybe your inbox is full.

 

[tortoise18]

I'll be there for 15days. Reach on 13th leave on 29th. Stopover at helsinki airport fpr 10hrs, do u think they will allow us out of the airport to explore helsinki?

 

[tortoise18]

For now enroutr from oslo to tromso, i am thinking of this.
Oslo 2 nights, bergen 3 nights, xxx, lofoten 3 nights, tromso 3 nights.
Is this it ok? For now dunno where to go for 'xxx' i have 3 to 4 nights to spare