Norway in a Nutshell is an iconic journey that takes you through some of the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery Norway has to offer. From the mighty fjords of western Norway to the gorgeous mountains and valleys of eastern Norway, this tour is a great way to explore it all! Plus you’ll get to take a ride on the historic Flåm railway on one of the most scenic train rides in the world. By doing a DIY Norway in a Nutshell tour, you can save a lot of money while still having an unforgettable experience. You’ll get to ride a train, take a boat and ride a bus, all while soaking in the incredible views. It is the perfect tour for someone visiting Norway for the first time to get a sampling of everything the country has to offer.
The Norway in a Nutshell experience should definitely be booked in advance, especially in the summer. It is popular year round and pre-booking is the best way you can make sure to get the prime departure time so that your one day itinerary will go smoothly. If you’re ready to start your own DIY Norway In A Nutshell tour, here’s what you need to know.
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What is Norway in a Nutshell
Norway in a Nutshell is the name a tour company in Norway gave to one of its most popular tours. The tour takes you through fjords, mountains, trains, boats and amazing scenery that allows you to see some of the best landscapes that Norway has to offer, all in one day. Now the term gets thrown around a little more casually and many people refer to the activities laid out in this post as a Norway in a Nutshell tour.
I am going to cover how to DIY the original Norway in a Nutshell tour so that you can save hundreds of dollars on your vacation.
There is no guide on the Norway in a Nutshell tour, it is simply a series of transportation tickets booked for you in a package. There is a markup for having someone else book the tickets for you. So when you book all the tickets yourself, which I will show you how to do, you save a few hundred dollars per person but get the exact same experience. In fact, you will be traveling on the same boats and trains next to people who use the expensive service.
But you can travel comfortably knowing you got the best deal.
Where Do You Go on A Norway in a Nutshell Tour Itinerary
Before we get into booking the tickets you’ll need, let’s cover what is typically included in a Norway in a Nutshell itinerary.
Gudvangen
First, if leaving from Bergen you will visit the small town of Gudvangen. There is a Viking village here that is very worth visiting if you have the time. It is run by the people who live here and they choose to live as the Vikings did. That includes living without running water or electricity in small wooden homes. They dress in traditional Viking clothing and show guests how Vikings lived hundreds of years ago. There is a guided tour through town as well as activities such as ax throwing and archery that you can try
Fjord Cruise
From Gudvangen you will take a fjord cruise through Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord. Nærøyfjord is the narrowest fjord in the world at only 150 yards across at its narrowest and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. You’ll see and possibly stop at a few small towns along the fjord that are accessible only by boat. The cruise ships are all electric ships that leave no trace. They honestly are really sleek looking.
Flåm Railway
The fjord cruise ends in a small mountain town called Flåm. Flåm is very small, and the section of town near the port is very touristy. You will find a few restaurants, a couple of souvenir shops, the Flåm railway museum and the train station.
While in Flåm I recommend spending about an hour or two to walk through the free Flåm Railway Museum and to grab something to eat. The Flåm Marina restaurant has a dock with the most AMAZING views of the fjords while you eat.
For the next part of the journey you will take a ride on the famous Flåm railway itself to Myrdal. It has been called the most scenic train ride in the world and for good reason. The one-hour ride through the mountains gives you front-row views of waterfalls, ravines and stunning green mountains. If you are going back to Bergen or are driving yourself, then be sure to book a round trip ticket on the train and you will get to ride one hour up and one hour down the mountain. Try to sit on the right side of the train on the way up, or the left side of the train on the way back for the best views, although there really are no bad seats.
One thing to keep in mind if you are riding the Flåmsbana with kids. This is a train ride with amazing scenery and the ride is 1-2 hours long depending on if it is a one-way trip or a round-trip journey for you. Your kids will probably get bored if they’re like mine. Make sure you bring a few travel-friendly activities for them to do or have a phone or iPad with a movie downloaded.
The Next Leg
From Myrdal, you can catch a high-speed train to Bergen or Oslo on the Bergen railway for the next leg of the journey. Or you can ride back down to Flåm and ride a shuttle back to Gudvangen and the bus back to Bergen. The bus stop is off the main road just a little ways up the road from the cruise port where you board the fjord cruise.
Norway in a Nutshell Routes
You can start your journey from either Bergen or Oslo, your starting point will simply determine in which order you do each activity. I will be writing from the perspective of starting in Bergen. However, if you are starting in Oslo, then just know you will start at the end and do it all in reverse.
Next, you can either end in the opposite city or end in the city you started in. For example, you could do Bergen-Flåm-Oslo or you could do Bergen-Flåm-Bergen. Norway in a Nutshell can be a day trip (or two-day trip) from Bergen or a stop on your way to Oslo. With a DIY Norway in a Nutshell tour like this, you can also be as flexible as you want with the amount of time you spend on the tour.
If you have a car rather than relying on public transportation or maybe you want to take more than a day, then you have options. You can find lodging in Flåm, Gudvangen or the nearby town of Voss. This helps make a long day of sightseeing a little more manageable.
No matter where you are starting from, your day really begins once you reach Flåm or Gudvangen.
- Bergen – Oslo (Oslo – Bergen)
- Flam – Gundvagen (Gudvangen – Flam)
- Voss
More to do in Norway:
- The Best Things to Do in Bergen, Norway
- 5 Day Road Trip Through Norway (Coming Soon)
Is Norway in a Nutshell a Guided Tour
No, there is no guide on the Norway in a Nutshell tour. It is technically called a self-guided tour and really it is a collection of transportation tickets that take you through some really amazing places in Norway.
That is why when you DIY the Norway in a Nutshell tour you book the transportation tickets on your own but in the end, you get the same experience. Just for a much lower price.
How Much Does Norway in a Nutshell Cost (NIN cost vs. DIY)
So does a DIY Norway in a Nutshell Tour really save you that much money? In my case, absolutely yes!! It saved us over one hundred dollars PER PERSON to DIY it. Here is the cost comparison below.
Official Norway in a Nutshell tours can be purchased for as low as 1590 NOK per person (roughly $160 USD). However, that price actually comes around very rarely. For the dates we needed the tickets were 2535 NOK or around $255 USD per person. Which is pretty pricey!
Each leg of the trip can be booked individually and we had a car rental so we did not need transportation from Bergen to Gudvangen or from Flåm to Oslo. The booking process is VERY EASY. Simply use the links below and find the correct time you want to book.
Fjord Cruise: 585 NOK – 55 USD per person
Round Trip Flåm Railway: 680 NOK – 65 USD Per person
= 120 USD
Shuttle:
- Book your shuttle tickets at the station in Flåm. Make sure you book them as soon as you get to Flåm, don’t wait till later in the day or else it may sell out or the times won’t line up.
Bus or Car Rental
Train Tickets:
Tips for Booking Your Tour
- Decide your start and end points first. This way you’ll know whether you are booking one-way tickets or round-trip tickets.
- Book in advance because time slots will fill up especially during peak season.
- The weather in this area can be unpredictable. You should be prepared for rain, sunshine and the cold. For example, it was a warm sunny day when we started out, but it was slightly chilly in the morning, chilly on the windy boat, it was hot around noon then we had a small rain storm in the afternoon. And in the evening it cooled off again. I was grateful for my light sweater and my rain jacket!
- It saves money to book the pieces yourself. And it may feel convenient to pay the extra money to let someone else book it for you, but if something goes wrong during your tour such as a delay or a missed connection then you have to directly contact Fjord Tours, not the boat or train staff on site. This can add complexity and cause further delays at the moment.
Tips for Norway in a Nutshell with Kids
This is a great day trip to bring kids along on. You can add on hikes and more active activities if you would like but even as is they will have fun.
In Gudvangen at the Viking village, kids can take part in many of the hands-on activities and even dress up as Vikings. On the ship, there is plenty of room to walk and explore or even take a nap. We had an early morning so my toddler slept through much of the cruise.
Once we arrived in Flåm we grabbed a small lunch and checked out a souvenir shop or two. Then we stopped by the Flåmsbana Museum and the interactive school room and the trains themselves were a hit for my toddler. The train ride itself got a little boring so I would recommend bringing along a tablet or small toys for them to play with. I became a jungle gym for two hours because we didn’t have enough to do.
The Flåm Marina restaurant offers paper and crayons for kids to color while you wait for your food. I highly recommend it for lunch or dinner.
More to Do in Scandinavia:
- One Day in Copenhagen, Denmark: 5 Beautiful Sights to See
- 11 Top Things to Do and See in Skåne, Sweden
- 9 Swedish Pastries and Treats You Must Try for Fika
How to Dress and Pack for Norway in a Nutshell
The first thing to consider when you are packing for Norway in a Nutshell tour is what season you are going to be in. During the summer it can be warm but it is rarely hot in Norway. And you always have to consider rain, so be sure to bring a raincoat. This is when we visited and I dressed in a lightweight dress and brought a warm sweater as well as my raincoat.
In the fall and winter, I recommend dressing warmly in warm clothes and a good winter coat, gloves and a hat. No matter what time of year you are traveling, the Norway in a Nutshell trip is worth doing, there is no bad weather, just bad clothing as they say.
The real key is to dress in layers. This way you will be prepared for every situation. The boat is VERY windy and pretty chilly so a sweater or coat is necessary. This is a very rainy region all year round, hence the raincoat. And even in the summer, you are so far north that warmth isn’t a guarantee.
Tips/about Each Leg
I don’t really love overly touristy attractions and although there are a lot of people that do the Norway in a Nutshell tour the only time that felt crowded was the train. Overall there is plenty of room to spread out and have a comfortable amount of space including on the boat ride.
The Fjord Cruise
During the fjord cruise, you’ll be riding on sleek-looking all-electric ships with three outdoor decks where you can watch the amazing scenery. If you need to sit inside the large windows ensure you won’t miss anything for a second. The boat has a small food court where you can purchase snacks or a meal. Inside there are screens throughout the ship with facts about what you are passing outside. Read a few as this is a fun way to learn some very interesting facts about the area. There are bathrooms as well so no worries there.
Flåm
Flam is a very touristy stop but it definitely has some gems. The Flåmsbana Museum is free and small but worth stopping in and the Flåm Marina restaurant has a great view of the fjords while you eat. Another thing to note, on top of the fjord cruise crowds, there are also the cruise boat crowds. The town is nearly empty by the end of the day, around 5-6 p.m.
The Flåm Railway
The Flåmsbana is green on the outside and orange on the inside with a distinct historical feel to it. There are no assigned seats and the train will be fully booked so be sure to show up early. There is a spot to line up and the closer you are to the front, the better seats you’ll get. I recommend at least 15-30 minutes early if not more.
Also, the train gets HOT, a few of the windows open to offer a breeze but that also lets in a horrible screeching sound in the tunnels. If you have space in your luggage you could bring along a handheld fan to use. Otherwise, this is a great time to take off a few layers you are dressed in.
If you are traveling with kids, have something for them to do. The 20-km-long train ride is beautiful with scenery that looks unreal but your kids will definitely get bored.
Speaking of scenery, the best scenery is on the right side at the beginning. Later the Kjosfossen waterfall is on the left-hand side of the train and you can get off to see it. We got off to cool off and the waterfall and small musical performance was cool to see.
Myrdal
Myrdal, the town at the end of the Flåmsbana, has nothing to explore. It is a tiny town with only a few houses and the railway station. From here you can continue on to Oslo, or turn around for a return trip.
DIY Norway in a Nutshell Tour
The Norway in a Nutshell tour is an amazing way to experience the incredible natural beauty of this country. With its stunning fjords, imposing mountains and verdant valleys, it’s no wonder that the Norway in a Nutshell tour has become so popular among travelers from all over the world. While you can purchase a packaged set of tickets for the self-guided tour, DIYing the Norway in a Nutshell tour is just as rewarding and more cost-effective.
When you do the DIY version of Norway in a Nutshell, you will need to purchase tickets for each part of the tour separately. This is a simple task and all the links can be found above. Whichever route you go, I know you’ll enjoy the time you get to spend exploring Norway. The fjords, mountains and clear water are an unmissable stop on a Norwegian road trip or vacation. It is one of the best things to do in Norway.
If you have any questions let me know below and I will do my best to help you!
