How to Self Book Norway in a Nutshell Tour and Save Money

Date: June 21, 2018
Location: Bergen, Norway
B.A.Livin’ Savings: $53 per person

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When I was reading about Norway, one of the items that stuck out most was doing a ferry ride through the breathtaking fjords. The one that is talked about most often is the Gudvangen to Flåm ferry. The Flåm Railway also sounded interesting, as I wanted to go up the steep section of the railway.

After looking into the options, the most popular tour that people do is called Norway in a Nutshell. However, the downsides are that: 1) it costs a lot of money, and 2) the timeline between the buses and trains doesn’t leave you much time to spend at each of the stops along the way.

We will show you how we were able to self-book a tour that covered all the same sights, but was $53 cheaper per person, and gave us more time between each bus, train, and boat transfer.

Steps to Self-Book a Tour Similar to Norway in a Nutshell

The day trip from Bergen to see the fjords involves taking a:

1. Train from Bergen to Voss
2. Bus from Voss to Gudvangen
3. Ferry (Premium) from Gudvangen to Flåm
4. Train from Flåm to Myrdal
5. Train from Myrdal to Bergen

#1 and #5: First, train tickets to and from Bergen can be purchased on the NSB website.

#3 and #4: Next, I purchased the train from Flåm and the ferry to Flåm on the Visit Flåm website. For the one-way train ticket from Flåm, I purchased the “Hike or Bike the Flam Valley” ticket. The Visit Flåm website was recently redone and it looks like one-way Flåm train tickets can now be purchased on the NSB website.

#2: This leaves the bus, which is often talked about on travel websites as being one of the hardest parts to self-book, because some options only allow you to pay in cash. I found an alternative bus that does allow you to pre-book online.

The bus options are:

1. The 950 Skyss city bus. You can check times on their website but you need to purchase a ticket with CASH from the driver, 118 Nok.
2. The NX450 Nettbuss express. You can purchase a ticket on the Nettbuss website, 89 Nok.
3. The NW162 Nor-way Bussekspress. You can purchase a ticket on the Nor-way Bussekspress website, 67 Nok. –> This is what we decided to do.

The Skyss bus will drop you off right at the dock. The Nettbuss and Nor-way Bussekspress stops at Gundvangen E16, a bus stop that is less than a ten-minute walk to the dock, as shown on the map to the right.

Timeline for Self-Booked Fjord Cruise from Bergen

The timeline that we booked as described above allowed us to visit each town. As an added benefit of booking separately from Norway in a Nutshell tours, we missed the crowds since we were not doing the exact times that are posted for the tour.

Our timeline was:

• 8:43 – 9:54: Train from Bergen to Voss
• 11:00 – 11:47: NW162 Nor-way Bussekspress Bus from Voss to Gudvangen E16
• 1:30 – 3:30 pm: Boat from Gudvangen to Flåm (Premium boat)
• 6:40 – 7:36 pm: Flåm Railway to Myrdal
• 8:25 – 10:21 pm: Train from Myrdal to Bergen

There is also a Classic boat option that is a little cheaper than the Premium boat tour we took. The Classic boat is an older boat without as much space to walk on outside. If you are interested in saving a few dollars, the Classic boat option has a slightly different timeline:

• 10:58 – 12:16 pm: Train from Bergen to Voss
• 1:00 – 1:50 pm: NX450 Nettbuss from Voss to Gudvangen E16
• 2:45 – 5:00 pm: Boat from Gudvangen to Flåm (Classic boat)
• 6:40 – 7:36 pm: Flåm Railway to Myrdal
• 8:25 – 10:21 pm: Train from Myrdal to Bergen

That would still give you time to see each town, since the towns are small. If I had noticed that timeline before booking we probably would have gone with this timeline so the day trip did not take as long.

FAQs for Self-Booking a Norway Fjord Cruise

Gudvangen to Flåm: Classic vs. Premium Boat Option

We enjoyed the Premium boat with the many places to stand and walk around outside. The inside also had nice seats and you could see a lot with the large windows. We would do the Premium boat again.

How far in advance should we self-book tickets similar to a Norway in a Nutshell tour?

As soon as you pick a day to go, book all the tickets at once. The Flåm Railway does sell out; typically all afternoon trains are sold out, but the 6:40 pm train may still be available. I booked the trip eight days in advance when I was comfortable that there would be sunny weather.

What should I wear while doing a Norway fjord cruise?

We recommend bringing layers of clothes in a small bag, along with a hat and gloves. Even in the summer it can be windy and cool on the Ferry, and you will want to be outside to take in the beautiful scenery.

Can you take your luggage on the Norway fjord cruise?

Yes, there are racks to store your luggage all along the way, whether on the bus, train, or ferry.

Photos of Our Fjord Cruise Trip

We took the train from Bergen to Voss that left at 8:43 am and got to Voss at 9:56 am. We then had time to walk around the town.

We went down by the lake before the bus to Gudvangen.

We took the NW162 Nor-way Bussekspress bus from Voss to Gudvangen E16. The bus went by a large waterfall that had many people at the bottom of it.

The bus dropped us off on the side of the main road, at the hut below. The ferry leaves from the end of the road across from the bus stop, just a quick 8-minute walk away.

From the bus stop, you can see a gas station that also has a grocery store and some hot food. There is a pedestrian bridge over the river to where the ferry leaves from, and there is a quick-service restaurant where you can order food at a counter. The food was expensive and nothing grabbed our attention so we had some of the snacks we brought.

The ferry left at 1:30 pm and got to Flåm at 3:30 pm. The fjord has steep mountains on each side and many places where water is flowing down.

In Flåm, there are a handful of souvenir stores and some cafes and restaurants. We got food at one of the quick service restaurants. In the tourist information area of the train station you can get a map of the hikes in the area. There are some that are 1-3 hours long and others that are half-day hikes. Flåm also has free WiFi that works well from the train station, and there are some benches inside.

We took the last train up to Myrdal that departed at 6:40 pm and arrived at 7:36 pm.

On the train ride up to Myrdal, be sure to sit on the right side of the train; you will get better views most of the ride. In this picture, you can see the bike path next to the railroad.

The train stops at the Kjosfossen Waterfall and everyone can get off the train for a few minutes to take pictures.

From an opening in a tunnel you can see the train tracks below on the right.

At Myrdal, the train station has one cafe. When we arrived the cafe and souvenir shop were already closed, but the train station is open, so you can sit inside and there is free WiFi.

We took the 8:25 pm train back to Bergen, which arrived at 10:21 pm. Walking back to our Airbnb, there were still many people outside and it was light out at 10:30 pm.

We enjoyed the day trip and the landscapes were beautiful.

There are also other variations that you can do such as leaving from Bergen or Oslo and going to the other city, instead of going back to where you started. Take a boat all the way from Bergen to Flåm in either direction. There are a few hotels in Flåm if you wanted to spend the night there.