Julie Norway 80 Comments

Norway in a Nutshell is a scenic tour of Norway. Targeted towards travelers on whirlwind tours of Norway, this is a convenient way to see the “best of the best” of Norway in just one day.  If you only have a week in Norway and want to cruise the fjords and ride one of the world’s most scenic train rides then Norway in a Nutshell may be perfect for you.

What is Norway in a Nutshell?

Norway in a Nutshell is a packaged tour that combines a scenic ferry ride on two connected fjords (Naeroyfjord & Aurlandsfjord) and a spectacular railway journey in the mountains. Until recently, you could also ride the bus on the Stalheimskleiva for an epic view of the Naeroydalen valley from the rear patio of the Stalheim Hotel, but this ended due to high traffic on the road.

Visitors can start and end the tour in several of Norway’s most popular cities with all transportation included. For the traveler with only a limited amount of time in Norway, this tour can be very appealing.

The Naeroyfjord is one of the narrowest and most scenic fjords in Norway. With towering mountains, quaint coastal towns, and waterfalls, Naeroyfjord is definitely worth visiting. The Flåm Railway, also called Flåmsbana, has been described as the most beautiful train journey in the world (by Lonely Planet in 2014). It is a 20 km trip that connects Flåm and Myrdal and is one of the steepest routes in the world.

Norway in a Nutshell is a packaged tour that is operated by Fjord Tours. The tour can start in Oslo, Bergen, Voss or Flåm and end either where you started or at one of its other destinations. For example, in just one day, you can take a train from Bergen to Voss, a cruise on Naeroyfjord & Aurlandsfjord, take the Flåm Railway to Myrdal, and then take a train onward to Oslo. It’s a big day and it also has a big price (prices start at NOK 1595), but includes your transportation across a large part of Norway.

To read more about Norway in a Nutshell, visit their website.

Norway Timber Houses

How to Do Norway in a Nutshell on Your Own

You can piece together your own Norway in a Nutshell tour. Tickets can be purchased separately for the fjord cruise and the Flåm Railway. You provide your own transportation (so you will need a rental car), doing the scenic drives on your own. If you do not have a rental car, you should book the official Norway in a Nutshell tour.

Norway in a Nutshell on your own (with optional places to visit).

The following assumes you are arriving from Bergen or locations south of Gudvangen/Flåm (follow in reverse order if arriving from locations north or east of Gudvangen/Flåm).

Stop #1: The Stalheim Hotel

Note: The Stalheimskleiva is one of the steepest roads in Europe, complete with hairpin turns and views of waterfalls. This is a one way road that travels in the direction from the Stalheim Hotel towards Gudvangen. We have gotten reports that this road is closed due to overtourism. If that is the case, you will have to drive E16 in both directions to the hotel, or skip the view from the hotel altogether.

As you drive towards Gudvangen on E16 you first want to stop at the Stalheim Hotel. You don’t have to stay at the hotel to enjoy the spectacular view of Naeroydalen valley from its rear patio. Just walk straight through the lobby to the rear of the hotel and be ready to be amazed!

Stalheim

Stop#2: Gudvangen

From the hotel, take E16 to Gudvangen.

Now that you’ve arrived Gudvangen, if you have time, take a quick look around and then move onward to Flåm (by car: 20 km, 20 minutes drive).

Gudvangen Norway

Stop#3: Flåm

Once you are in Flåm, you can start the fjord cruise and then take the Flåm Railway. In Flåm, there is ample parking, a large gift shop, and food options available. 

Flam Norway

Stop #4: Cruise from Flåm to Gudvangen

The cruise will take you from Flåm to Gudvangen, sailing down Aurlandsfjord and Naeroyfjord. This cruise takes about 2 hours, one-way.

Naeroyfjord

This is a view of Naeroyfjord.

Stop #5: Bus from Gudvangen to Flåm

Once in Gudvangen, you will board a bus to return to Flåm (make sure you purchase a roundtrip ticket so the cruise & bus are included). This takes about 2.5 hours for the entire round trip journey. For timetables, updated pricing, and ticket reservations for the round trip fjord cruise and return bus journey, visit the Visit Flåm website. It is highly advisable to purchase these tickets in advance.

Stop #6: Flåm Railway

Once you arrive back to Flåm, take a round trip journey on the Flåm Railway: the round trip Flåmsbana journey to Myrdal and back to Flåm. This takes 2 hours for the entire round trip journey. For timetables and ticket reservations, click here. It is highly advisable to purchase these tickets in advance.

You’ve just completed your Do It Yourself, Norway in a Nutshell tour, covering all of the same elements provided by the packaged tour.

Tips for Booking Your Tickets

Book your cruise and railway tickets in advance, they do sell out!

If your desired time slots are sold out then:

  • Consider doing the Flåm Railway before the Cruise.
  • Consider starting the cruise from Gudvangen. With a roundtrip ticket you will cruise from Gudvangen to Flåm and then a bus will take you from Flåm to Gudvangen. You can then drive yourself back to Flåm for the Flåm Railway.

Bonus! Make Your Day Even Better with these Optional Excursions

From Flåm, drive up to the Stegastein viewpoint, a scenic lookout over Aurlandsfjord. It offers a spectacular view.

Stegastein

Stegastein View

If you are travelling north towards Laerdalsoyri then you have two options; you can take either the Snow Road or the Laerdal Tunnel.

Snow Road: From the Stegastein viewpoint you can continue on Bjorgavegen (Fv243), a national tourist road known as the Snow Road. This ride was gorgeous, even in our less than ideal rainy, overcast weather. This road is typically closed from mid-October through early June due to snowfall.

Borgavegen Road Norway

Driving Norway

 

Laerdal Tunnel: From the Stegastein viewpoint you can back track down to the Aurlandsfjord and take the highway E16. This will take you through the longest car tunnel in the world, a 24.5 km (15.2 mi) long tunnel.

Laerdalstunnelen

Can’t decide between the Snow Road and Laerdal Tunnel? There is a way you can do both. Instead of booking the cruise on both the Naeroyfjord and Aurlandsfjord, you can book a car ferry from Gudvangen to Kaupanger. From Kaupanger, you have to take another car ferry (which is quick), drive towards Laerdalsoyri, and then take the Snow Road to the Stegastein viewpoint. Proceed down to Flåm for the Flåm Railway. Then as you head back north towards Laerdalsoyri take the Laerdal Tunnel. This is what we did when we were in Norway.

This alternative itinerary means you will not cruise on the Aurlandsfjord, but you will still cruise on the Naeroyfjord (the more famous of the two fjords), and you will still overlook the Aurlandsfjord from the Stegastein viewpoint. But note that this alternative option adds a lot more time to your day and any delays (two car ferries and lots of driving) could cause you to miss your Flåm Railway reservation time.

If this alternative itinerary interests you then can book the car ferry here.

Summary: Norway in a Nutshell on Your Own

Enjoy the view of Naeroydalen valley from the rear patio of the Stalheim Hotel.

Cruise Naeroyfjord and Aurlandsfjord.

Take the round trip Flåmsbana to Myrdal and back to Flåm, one of the steepest and most beautiful railways in the world.

Drive to the Stegastein viewpoint for a spectacular view over Aurlandsfjord.

Drive onward towards Laerdalsoyri via the scenic Bjorgavegen (Snow Road) or via the Laerdal Tunnel (the longest car tunnel in the world).

Useful Links:

Visit Flåm website (for booking the cruise on Aurlandsfjord and Naeroyfjord).

The Flåmsbana website (for prices, timetables, and booking your tickets in advance).

Norway in a Nutshell website (for tour options, prices, and tickets).


More Information for Your Trip to Norway:

PLACES TO GO IN NORWAY: For a list of top experiences in Norway, don’t miss our Norway Bucket List. If you are a hiker, we also have a hiking guide with 14 epic day hikes to do in Norway. 

10 DAYS IN THE FJORD REGION: On this 10 day itinerary through the fjord region, visit southern Norway: Bergen, Geirangerfjord, and Stavanger and hike Trolltunga, Pulpit Rock and Kjeragbolten.

BEST OF THE LOFOTEN ISLANDS: For an overview of the best things to do, read our Lofoten Islands Top Ten List. Great hikes in the Lofoten Islands include Ryten, Reinebringen, Festvagtind, and Svolvaer Floya. For a big adventure, climb Svolvaergeita for one of the most unique experiences in the Lofoten Islands.

SVALBARD: Plan the perfect visit to Svalbard with our Svalbard Travel Guide. We also have articles about the best things to do in Longyearbyen, what it is like to go glacier kayaking, and how much does it cost to visit Svalbard?

EUROPE TRAVEL INSPIRATION: For more great ideas on where to go in Europe, check out our article 30 Beautiful Places to Visit in Europe and the 20 Best Hikes in Europe. You can also get more travel ideas in our 10 Days in Europe itinerary guide, which has 10 great itineraries for your next trip to Europe.

 

Planning a trip to Norway? Read all of our articles in our Norway Travel Guide.

 

Norway in a Nutshell on your own

 

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Comments 80

  1. Avatar for Amy Haralson
    Amy Haralson

    Do you know how long it takes to drive from Tyssedal to Flam in the summer? If we plan to do the hike to Trolltunga, then stay overnight in Tyssedal, google maps is telling me it is a 3 hour 21 minute drive to Flam. it also says there is a ferry (Utna Norge) on this route. I’m just trying to figure out how you were able to fit in everything on day 6 –the drive, plus the Norway in a Nutshell cruise and train ride, plus driving to the Stegastein viewpoint and snow road after. Are there roads open in the summer that are not currently open (January)?

    1. Avatar for Julie Post
      Author
      Julie

      It is a 2.5 hour drive from Tyssedal to Flam with no ferry crossings (you cross Hardangerfjord on the Hardangerbrua bridge). If you use Google maps, you can set the departure date for the summer and that can give you a different route, if there are road closures now in the winter because of snow. We stayed in Eidfjord after the Trolltunga hike which saves about 40 minutes of driving. We also did the Nutshell tour in a different order, driving to Gudvangen and taking the car ferry from here to Flam. We then rewrote how to do the Nutshell tour in this order because it works better than how we originally did it (it’s only a 20 minute drive from Gudvangen to Flam). It is a long day but in the summer you will have many hours of daylight so that is helpful. Cheers, Julie

      1. Avatar for Amy Haralson
        Amy Haralson

        Thank you Julie. I really appreciate all these details. I am embarrassed to say the reason Google was telling me over 3 hours was because I had no tolls selected! The non-toll option is the ferry, which we will not be taking 😊
        Good idea to stay in Eidfjord.

  2. Avatar for Jenny
    Jenny

    Thank you for this helpful guide. For some reason, I am having a very difficult time planning this trip. I think we will rent a car. For the day that you do Norway in a Nutshell on your own from Bergen, approx what time would you recommend we leave Bergen in the morning to begin making our way to Stalheim in order to catch the ferry and the do the train ride? We leave early August. Thank you!

    1. Avatar for Julie Post
      Author
      Julie

      If you do it as we lay it out, there are 2 cruises in the morning that leave from Flam, 9:30 and 11:30 plus some in the afternoon. 11:30 am is more reasonable from Bergen. From Bergen, it will take about 2.5 hours to drive to the Stalheim Hotel. It takes another 30 minutes to drive from the hotel/Gudvangen to Flam. Plus you’ll need about 15 minutes at the hotel for the view. I’d factor in 30 minutes of contingency time as well. That’s just under 4 hours, so you will have to leave Bergen around 7:30 am to make an 11:30 am cruise from Flam to Gudvangen (when you make the booking, just note if they have a designated meeting time before boarding the boat). Book your bus ticket back to Flam (the link we provide takes you right to the website to book the cruise and bus). Mid afternoon, book the Flam train ride. It will be a full day! I hope this helps and let me know if you have any more questions. Cheers, Julie

  3. Avatar for Seema
    Seema

    Hi,
    Thank you for the itineraries and tips. We are planning to do NiN on our own next month July 2023. We will start from Oslo and plan to stay in Flam for 2 nights. What are the public transportation options from Gudvangen to get back to Flam (as we have booked our hotel in Flam)? Also what are the activities in Gudvangen, how much time should we leave for Gudvangen. We are moderate hikers and love hiking, walking, no health issues.
    Thanks,
    Seema

    1. Avatar for Julie Post
      Author
      Julie

      Hello Seema. You can take the ferry and the bus between Gudvangen and Flam. We didn’t spend much time in Gudvangen, other than to drive up to the nearby hotel for the view and to wait in line for the ferry. I don’t know if there are any hikes in this area to do but you could do a little more online searching. Cheers, Julie

      1. Avatar for Seema
        Seema

        Thank you Julie. While staying in Flam we plan, we plan to do NiN 1 day and the other day we plan to do some activities such as Stegastine viewpoint, Brekkefossen waterfall hike, Zipline, FjordSafari , etc. Is it necessary to book these activities in Flam ahead of time or can we go purchase these activities once we are there? Basically trying to keep 1.5day in Flam open and do few of these activities on our own so we can give more/less time for each activity as per our liking. What is your recommendation?
        Thanks,
        Seema

        1. Avatar for Julie Post
          Author
          Julie

          I would book the zipline and the FjordSafari in advance, since those will have limited spaces and could sell out. They are new since our visit and look really cool (I just looked them up)…makes me want to go back to Norway! The viewpoint and hike shouldn’t need to be booked in advance. Looks like you’ll have a great time in Flam! Cheers, Julie

  4. Avatar for Mike
  5. Avatar for Shaz
    Shaz

    Greetings and thank you for this wonderful blog!!! We are planning to drive from Odda to Flam and doing norway in a nutshell on our own. Just want to make sure we still need to do the cruise and train even if we are doing the tour on our own.

    1. Avatar for Julie Post
      Author
      Julie

      If you want to do the full “Norway in a Nutshell” then yes, you should do the cruise and train ride. But if you don’t want to do the entire thing, skipping the cruise or the train ride is fine and your preference. Rather than booking one big package excursion, you will piece together all the elements and pay for the train ride and fjord cruise as separate tickets. Cheers, Julie

  6. Avatar for Alexandre Njoto
    Alexandre Njoto

    Hi,
    We are Indonesian, party of 4, 3 adults and 1 teen
    Really interested to do NIN starting from Bergen
    Planning to drive from Bergen to Flam, stay 1 night in Flam and back to Bergen
    Is it driveable/doable in approx Dec 15th (winter time) ?
    By driving from Bergen to Flam, surely will have the chance to do all the recommended stop in Stalheim and Voss, but what concern me is the driving conditions, is it really that bad?
    We will miss all the city if we take the train from Oslo to Bergen

    Thanks for your input

    Alex

    1. Avatar for Julie Post
      Author
      Julie

      That’s a great question. We have not been to Norway in December so I don’t exactly know what to expect. From what I know, conditions for the drive are really going to depend on what the weather is like while you are in Norway (whether or not it snows around the time you are there). And I’m not sure if the road to the Stalheim Hotel is open that time of year, which means that during the winter, the road to the hotel might also be closed. Aside from a snowstorm, you should be able to do Norway in a Nutshell, but might have to skip the view from the Stalheim Hotel. Cheers, Julie

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