Norway in a Nutshell

Our time in Norway was going to be short, essentially all day Saturday through early Tuesday morning. I had heard and read wonderful things about Bergen, Norway and the nearby fjords. After a bit of research, I decided on the Norway in a Nutshell tour, which has about 5 or 6 different options, but does provide for a good foundation.

The Norway in a Nutshell website is pretty complete. I would have preferred a 'build your own option,' but in the end, managed to deviate slightly from the preprinted schedule.

Norway in a Nutshell puts together some 'popular' itineraries and times for catching the train, boat or bus. Once you book your trip, for about $175 per person for 10-12 hours of entertainment, you will receive a summary pass and two train tickets; however your summary pass really serves as the 'ticket' as everyone looks at it. The summary pass is printed on a ticket similar to an airline ticket or boarding pass. It will say:
Train: Bergen - Myrdal
Train: Myrdal - Flam
Boat: Flam - Gudvangen
Bus: Gudvangen - Voss
Train: Voss - Bergen

You also get a little timetable to follow. There are several other options that aren't printed, so it is possible to deviate from the preprinted schedule a bit. Here's a sample.
Train from Bergen - 8:40
Arrive in Myrdal - 10:55
Train from Myrdal - 11:00
Arrive Flam -11:50
Boat from Flam - 3:10 ... there is also a 1:20 boat
Arrive Gudvangen -5:20
Bus from Gudvangen - 5:45 ... there is an earlier bus
Arrive Voss - 7:00
Train from Voss - 7:20 ... there is also a 5:53 train
Arrive in Bergen - 8:45

You could easily spend 2-3 hours in Flam walking around and shopping. The Voss train station is within walking distance to the city center and a beautiful lake, so you could also spend an hour or so there (just not on Sunday).

Flam has some really cute shops. There is an 'outlet' on the 2nd floor of one of the shops that has very nice and very reasonably priced Norwegian sweaters (about $125-150). I couldn't make up my mind and didn't buy one....and kept saying, I should have bought one in Flam. In the end, I bought a Fosse sweater in Bergen, for the low price of $200.

A few pictures from our tour on Norway in a Nutshell...

The pictures don't do the Norwegian landscape justice. The surroundings were absolutely breathtaking, serene, and tranquil.