Nærøy Fjord cruise from Flam to Gudvangen in Norway
- Cat
- Jun 9, 2017
- 4 min read
Where do we even start with Norway... It's such an amazing country, we will have a series of posts about it over the next several weeks. Really, we can't say enough about it - and we weren't even there when it was warm! Although, this may have also been part of its charm - the cities and countryside were quiet and devoid of tourists. With the exception of Flam of course, which I imagine is a bit like Disney World - busy no matter the weather or season.
PRO TIP: We took a long weekend to visit this stunning country, and it wasn't long enough. If you go, spend AT LEAST a week in the southern part and another week around Alesund up to Tromso. Can't get two weeks off? No sweat, but don't plan to pack too much in. Norway has a way making you slow down to reflect on its beauty and on life.
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We flew in to Oslo and rented a car to head toward Bergen. Since our flight arrived in the evening, we booked a room at the Thoen Hotel in Nes. It was about a 2 hour drive from the airport and on the way to our destination. We did this to cut out the additional 2 hour drive we would have had to make in the morning had we stayed in Oslo.
The hotel was quaint, but we had a few issues. You can read our TripAdvisor Review here.
PRO TIP: Apparently in Norway, at least according to our hotelier at Thoen, if you are going to arrive after 5 PM, you need to phone them to let them know. Oops. We arrived at 9 PM and almost didn't get let in "because they were closed and we didn't call." The gentleman was there, and had waited up for us...and he didn't let us live it down. We were scolded in the parking lot, reminded at the check in desk, and again at breakfast the next morning. We get it. We made a faux pas and felt terrible about it. We won't do it again. And hopefully now you won't make the same mistake at all! When in doubt, call!
In the morning we drove the remaining two and a half hours to Flam. The drive there was gorgeous. We passed rugged mountains, babbling brooks, cows, went through about 100 tunnels including the longest road tunnel in the world (25 kilometers!). We arrived in Flam JUST as G had fallen asleep, so we woke him up with the enticing idea of hunting for trolls! Check out the video, it's pretty funny.
Flam is a very small town that is probably one of the most visited cities in Norway. There's a reason why. It's surrounded by amazing views of the fjords and the adorable waterfront cabins would be a dream to stay in. The Flamsbana, allegedly the world's most beautiful railway, begins here and heads up the fjord. The infamous fjord cruise starts here and heads to Gudvangen. And there are some very nice hotels on the water.
It's pretty touristy in town, but it's most definitely worth a stop.
We purchased tickets for the Nærøy Fjord cruise to Gudvangen (with the bus return option). We didn't purchase tickets online because the order would not process, and I'm glad we didn't as the timing ended up being very different than what we had planned. The price of tickets is the same online as it is in the information center, so with no savings incentive to book ahead, it makes sense to buy upon arrival. That being said, if you are coming in the height of summer/tourist season, you might not be able to get a ticket for the time slot you want. In that case, purchasing ahead may be more beneficial. Our boat was FULL despite it being shoulder season.
PRO TIP: You can start in either Flam OR Gudvangen, and I would bet the trip from Gudvangen to Flam is LITTLE less crowded. Something to think about if you don't want to book in advance.
It was a 2-hour cruise through the UNESCO World Heritage Site and a 20-minute bus ride back to your starting point. The prices are high, but it's worth every penny. It's a really unique way to see the fjords.
You can check out the cruise here.
In Gudvangen, there really isn't MUCH to do. The boat drops you off at the dock and there is a hotel with a few rooms and a shop with a restaurant. It's an old Viking town and the decor matches this theme. As of our visit, they were building cabins along the canal and were scheduled to be open by summer, but they didn't look far enough into construction for that to be a reality. However, when they are complete, it looks like a really nice, quiet place to stay. If you wanted to relax and have a good starting point for hiking, this would be a great spot to stay.
After the cruise we spent a little while flying the drone in Gudvangen (OUR FIRST FLIGHT!) and got a few decent shots. We are by no means expert drone pilots yet, and we didn't read one of the keys to great footage until AFTER our trip, so we flew a little too fast for most shots. We promise to improve as time goes on!
When the battery ran out, we packed up and drove to Bergen, arriving after 5, but since it was a major hotel, they didn't mind the late arrival (we did call ahead to make sure)!
Join us next week as we explore Bergen on foot and funicular! Oh, if you haven't signed up for our newsletter, please do so HERE today in order to be emailed notifications of new blog posts, special deals we find, and the occasional giveaway! See you next week!
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