Exploring the best of Norway in the summer

Norway is a stunning country from tip to toe. Knowing where the start to plan a trip however, can be a little overwhelming. Indeed, the cost of visiting might also make it a rather quick one!

So kudos must go to the Norwegian travel authorities for making a visit super easy. Their extremely easy to navigate Norway in a Nutshell tours make it simple to get around and see some of the best that Norway has to offer.

The tours offer great flexibility unlike most group tours. You are in fact your own tour guide, with the tour covering and organising transport costs. There are a selection of itineraries you can tailor, to help match what you’re most interested in. You determine how much time you want in each stop, and the tour looks after the buses, trains and cruises. Too easy!

We opted for the Pulpit Rock and Norway in a Nutshell option. This would take us from Oslo, through the Flam railway, a fjord cruise through Aurlandsfjord and Naeroyfjord, a trip to Pulpit Rock and then finally onto Stavanger. Here’s our trip – also in a nutshell!

Our train out of Oslo was a 6.30am start, so it’s self explanatory to get yourself there the night prior. It’s likely you’ll be familiar with the train station already, as it departs from the same train terminal as the airport train. And so you’re off, on the famed Bergen Railway!

After catching up on a bit of the sleep we missed earlier, we awoke to take in some of the magnificent scenery along the way. In the summertime, you’ll see dramatic changes in the landscape and weather.

Your brief stop at Finse 1222, even in the middle of summer will be dusted with snow and ice. It’s an amazing sight at this time of year! Contrast that with some 20-30kms down the track at Myrdal station, you could need to strip off your jacket as the warm sun beats down. It’s a trip of contrast that is for sure!

You’ll switch trains here at Myrdal, which is the primary purpose of this cute little changeover. It’s a short changeover, just across the platform.

Along the Flam Railway you’ll be greeted with waterfalls gushing, green trees and fields, and a slowly and steeply descending train ride. As you descend, the landscape becomes dotted with colourful homes and buildings. And my favourite, the stand out red homes that contrast so well with the green landscape.

Once you arrive in Flam, you’ll have some free time to wander about. A convenience store and some restaurants are available. It’s a quiet little hub and incredibly tranquil. We hit the hot dog truck here and am unashamed to say they were amazing.

In Flam, we picked up a 3 hour cruise, which took us along the UNESCO protected fjords. It’s a slow, enjoyable journey, so you can sit back and take in the beauty of it all.

Small little towns are scattered along the fjord. Water careers down from the mountains behind with seemingly hundreds of mini waterfalls.

Once the cruise was finished, a bus transported us to Bergen. Even the roads here are spectacular with some awesome hairpin turns. Whilst we were just happy getting around on bus, for the car enthusiast, this drive could be one to put on the bucket list too.

A bit of an Instagram favourite, I was excited to get to Bergen. The big drawcard that most will be familiar with in this town is the set of buildings at Bryggen. These colourful buildings sit on the harbour providing a simple, yet beautiful scene on the harbour. The buildings house anything from souvenir stores to restaurants and a nightclub. The Christmas shop is a favourite, but beware wandering up the stairs. These old buildings have been through the ringer and aren’t always as ‘upright’ as you’d hope. The low ceilings and wonky stairways are charismatically charming!

A great place to take in the view of Bryggen is from the fish markets. Bergen does a lot of trade off their fish, and sitting down for a meal at the markets here is a great way to take in the town.

On the walkway between the fish markets and Bryggen, there are some markets selling fresh produce. Grab a cup of fruit, or if you skipped the seafood at the fish market, something cooked up fresh here.

Wandering the back streets is always a good tip in Europe. The same is true for Bergen. The streets are made up of beautiful homes, lots of windows and splashes of colour. We managed to find a cute little cafe to eat as well – Krog Og Krinkel. They pride themselves on making food like their grandmother. I can absolutely vouch for the scones in this warm retro cafe.

Catching the bus from Bergen to Stavanger is not quite as nice as the train, but having said that, is not an altogether bad way to enjoy the trip. This leg will take ~5 hours and you’ll pass through more wide and varied landscapes along the way. The bus ride was even broken up with a couple of ferry rides thrown in too! You jump off the bus when you get on the ferry, allowing you to stretch you legs and also grab something from the ferry cafeteria which is reasonably priced.

Whilst not quite as picturesque as Bergen, Stavanger still has its own charms. We spent some time wandering around and exploring its cobblestoned streets. We headed down to the harbour to enjoy the 10pm sunset. There are a suite of restaurants here serving dinner and with bands playing. It’s a great atmosphere.

The main reason for a visit to Stavanger is typically to get out and explore some of the fjords and hikes. In our case, it was the well known Pulpit Rock. We took a cruise out on the Lysefjord to take in the spectacular views of this fjord. We also got to see Pulpit Rock from below. Looking up it looks only a small jut in the rock, but is much more expansive once you get up to the top.

Now, for the experienced hiker, this hike should offer limited issues. If you’re a little undercooked however, some tips and preparation:

*Wear appropriate footwear. I don’t know how some managed this hike in thongs/flip flops! Maybe they’re a better hiker than I, but good shoes will definitely make it easier.

*Take a breather along the way. There are plenty of nice spots to stop and soak in the views.

*Take a picnic lunch and water. You’re going to invest the time to hike, you should make your midday meal a memorable one!

For some further context, my FitBit tells me on this particular day I did 32k+ steps and set my all time ‘floors climbed’ record at 155 floors. There’s a lot of walking and some steep stairs. The round trip will take around 4-5 hours with some breaks thrown in. Being summer, and a glorious day to boot, we obviously weren’t the only ones on the trail. That meant a few hold ups in different spots, but they just helped to catch our breath!

It’s an amazing view up top, but you do need to exercise caution. There aren’t any safety ropes etc. You can go right to the edge, but I’d suggest everyone use their own adult judgment as to what is safe. Photos are good, living to do another hike is better.

You’d think the return walk is easier. But I have to admit, the lactic acid had well and truly set in. My legs were jelly on the way down! So it might take you a little longer than you expect on the return. In any case, it was a wonderful sleep that night, to go with some fantastic hiking memories.

And that brought an end to our ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ tour. We flew out of Stavanger which has an international airport, so no need to loop back to Oslo. I hope you might get to experience some of the joys on Norway, no matter what season you visit.