Day 1 – Oslo
Arrive in Oslo and transfer independently to our hotel for the next two nights, the Hotel Thon Opera, located across from the station, close to the Opera House, Oslofjord and Karl Johans Gate.
Day 2 – Exploring Oslo
Meet the rest of your group and Tour Manager today before setting off on a guided coach tour to introduce you to Oslo’s main sights. The new state Opera House is situated close to our hotel and is an impressive, award-winning example of modern architecture. During our panoramic tour, we will also see Norway's magnificent 19th century Royal Palace, and the 20th century Oslo City Hall, which is the home of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies. We are also introduced to the museum quarter at Bygdøy and the Holmenkollen Ski jump, which rises to a height of 60 meters on the outskirts of the city. From the top, you can enjoy terrific views across the city and the Oslofjord. Oslo also boasts a variety of attractive parks, and we take a stroll through the Vigeland Sculpture Park, whose 80 fascinating acres were designed by Gustav Vigeland and features 212 life-sized human sculptures. Overnight Oslo.
Day 3 – Oslo to Bergen
We travel by coach to Bergen today, stopping along the way at Fantoft Stave Church. The church was originally built around 1200 at Fortun in Sogn, a village near the eastern end of Sognefjord. In the many years since, it has been moved, reconstructed, threatened with demolition and saved, destroyed by arson, and finally in 1997, fully reconstructed in the place where it now stands.
Dinner is included this evening at a local restaurant. Overnight Bergen. (B, D)
Day 4 – Exploring Bergen
Today we enjoy a guided walking tour of Bergen. We visit the delightful Bryggen waterfront, the city's old Hanseatic trading wharf and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The historic quarter, with its charming timber houses, is the oldest part of Bergen - with some buildings dating back to the 15th century. Your afternoon is then free to continue exploring atmospheric Bergen at leisure. It is possible to see how the merchants' dwellings on Bryggen would have looked in the early 18th century at the Hanseatisk Museum, which includes rooms furnished in late Hansa style. A journey on the Fløibanen Funicular to the top of Fløyen Mountain (320 meters above sea level) provides superb views over the city. Alternatively, you could visit one of the Norwegian city's many galleries and museums. Bergen's Art Gallery exhibits a vast collection of works by local and fellow Norwegian artists, including many of the works of Edvard Munch, known for the famous expressionist work 'The Scream.' Meanwhile, the city's Science Museum provides a fascinating insight into industry and research in the area. Overnight Bergen. (B)
Day 5 – Bergen to Flåm
Today we cross Norway's incredible fjordland region, traveling through some of the country's most breathtaking landscapes on some of the most scenic train journeys in Scandinavia. The Bergen Railroad takes us 'across the roof of Norway' on Northern Europe's highest altitude line. We pass through Dale and Voss as we climb towards Myrdal. From here we continue by train on board the fantastic Flåm Railroad, a journey that takes us 12 miles from the isolated mountain station of Myrdal to the foot of the Fjord, via a multitude of twists and turns. This incredibly scenic section of the railroad provides us with stunning mountain panoramas and passes spectacular cascading waterfalls. At the end of the journey, we reach the Aurlandsfjord, a huge body of water where steep-sided cliffs rise majestically from the water's edge and climb dramatically to more than 3,000 feet above the shoreline. Located at the head of the fjord, at its southernmost point, is the fjordside village of Flåm, which occupies one of the most picturesque settings in Europe, surrounded by bare-rock cliffs, verdant forests, lush green pastures, and the serenely beautiful fjord. We stay for the next two nights in Flåm at the Fretheim Hotel. (B, D)
Day 6 – Flåm & the Fjords Cruise
This morning we board a boat on the Aurlandsfjord for a fabulous cruise. Aurlandsfjord is a 10.5 mile branch of the world's second longest fjord, the Sognefjord (126.8 miles). Together with Nærøyfjord, Aurlandsfjord is one of the most picturesque of its kind in the world. The mountains surrounding the fjords are more than 4,500 feet high in some places.
Our cruise on the fjords takes us north, pausing at Undredal, a small village and popular tourist destination along our route. The village is famous for having its human population greatly outweighed by that of its goats, at a scale of approximately 1 person to every 5 goats. For this interesting state of affairs, the village is well-known for its famous brown goat's cheese. We then leave the Aurlandsfjord, entering the Nærøyfjord. We navigate around the fjord to Gudvangen before returning to Flåm by coach for our scenic journey back to the hotel.
The afternoon is then free to enjoy Flåm, exploring the sights of the area at leisure. You may wish to visit the small railroad museum, complete with its full miniature scale replica of the old lines that once cut through this rugged area. Overnight Flam. (B, D)
Day 7 – Flåm to Oslo
We leave Flåm by rail today to journey back to Oslo, where we return to the Thon Hotel Opera. A farewell dinner is included this evening. (B, D)
Day 8 – Journey Home
Your tour ends today and you are free to make your own way home. (B)
Destination & Sightseeing
ITINERARY
