Snow covered perilous peaks laden heavily with Glaciers. Deep, dark coastal fjords. Stirring landscapes and torrid waterfalls. The home to some of the most beautiful UNESCO heritage sites in the world.

I definitely left my heart in Norway.

When we landed in Bergen to start our Norway in a nutshell tour, we were slightly apprehensive to say the least.
Did you know that Bergen has some of the highest rainfalls in Europe? Exactly.
Luckily for us, apart from a few days of drizzle, our week in this UNESCO heritage harbour city ran pretty smoothly.

We dined on freshly caught King crab, some with an astounding leg span of up to 5ft at the local fish market.
Clambered up mount Ulriken and celebrated under a mist shrouded Norwegian flag with a glass of red.
We slurred on hot chocolate whilst sourcing traditional Viking jewellery in the colourful wooden merchant houses of Bryggen.
We then excitedly booked our Norway in a nutshell tour of the Fjords and Flam railway.

The Tour

These iconic Fjord tours take in the best that Norway has to offer in the limited time that you have.
We chose a day trip to include the Flam railway, notorious for the title of being the most beautiful train ride in the world.
Our tour cost NOK 1220 ( Roughly 139 USD )

Bergen to Voss

We caught the train from Bergen to the pristine fresh water lakes of Voss. There were multiple photo opportunities on the way before we descended into numerous endless mountain tunnels.
After just over an hour we arrived in the astoundingly beautiful Voss. We had around 10 minutes to take in the mirror like lakes and mountainous backdrops before we boarded a coach for the hour ride to take us to Gudvangen Fjord.

Gudvangen to Flam

Our coach journey included a few scenic stop off’s including the UNESCO site of Stalheim and its perilous hairpin bends . Thundering waterfalls hundreds of feet high churned with glacier waters, whilst we descended into a lush emerald green valley.

On arrival in Gudvangen Fjord, we had a 30 minute break to grab a coffee and some snacks.
Perfect photo opportunities consisted of a Viking longboat with treacherous mountain back drops. Startlingly out of place against the calm green Fjordal waters.

We than Boarded our comfortable ship with out door seating and blankets and headed through the Fjorldlands to picturesque Flam. The cruise lasts roughly 2 hours.

Flam to Myrdal

Time for a short 45 minute lunch in the tranquil Fjord setting of Flam.
We then boarded the pretty Flam railway for the hour long train ride. One of the steepest in the world.

Word of advice. Cut your lunch short to ensure a window seat. Although both sides have unrivalled views, we were informed the right side was more highly rated.

What can I say? It lived up to its reputation in every sense of the word. Panoramic views, magnificent waterfalls, perilous drops and a steady slow ascent of up to 863 meters above sea level. If you could pack every possible jaw dropping landscape and compress it into an hour, the Flam railway is the result.

Strangely enough, some of my favourite scenery was near the end of our trip, where the snow became heavier and pretty wooden slatted villages and spare trees fought against the drifts.

On arrival in Myrdal, we changed trains for a 2 hour return trip to Bergen. Such is the magnetic pull of Norway, I planned my next trip back before I had even departed. It makes me wonder why the Vikings ever left…..

If you would like more information on the Norway in a nutshell tours, please follow the link.