A Magical Long Weekend in Norway (Guide + Itinerary + Map!)
Updated: Aug 4, 2022
Norway is a big country, and while a long weekend isn’t quite enough to experience all its charm, it’s a great way to start.
We decided to follow the Norway in a Nutshell route. I highly recommend DIY’ing the tickets rather than buying them on the official website to save a chunk of money. Tips on how to go about this here.
Day 1: Oslo
I think that one day is enough to explore the main sights of Oslo. If you have a particular interest in Vigelund’s sculpture or any of Norway’s museums, you may like to spend an additional day here. Check out my guide to one day in Oslo for more.
Day 2: Oslo to Flam
Morning
Today begins a mind-blowing few days of trains, busses and boats. You’ll begin with a journey on the Bergen railway, leaving Oslo central (Oslo S) in the morning, getting you to Myrdal by 1pm. On the way, you’ll stop at a few towns including the ski resort wonderlands of Gelio and Finse. The trip takes about 4.5 hours and the scenery is the best in the second half of the ride.
That said, I couldn’t bring myself to nap even in the first half because the snow and ice was breathtaking. Our train was delayed by an hour, but don’t worry about missing your connection - the Myrdal to Flam train waits for the train from Oslo because about 90% of it’s passengers transfer from the latter.
Afternoon
At Myrdal, if you’re travelling between September to May you can expect to see snow accumulated at the station. There’s a little shop here where you can pick up lunch or a snack before boarding the famous Flam railway towards (you guessed it) Flam. The Flamsbana is said to be one of the world’s most beautiful train rides.
There are no reserved seats on this train and people tend to move back and forth to take photos on both sides. The hour long journey is also one of the steepest-gradient train journeys in the world - you’ll start 900 metres above sea level in Myrdal and end up at sea-level Flam. The train stop for 5 minutes at the Kjosfossen waterfall - in winter and spring this is less of a waterfall and more a beautiful ice mountain with small trickles of water.
If you only have two days in Norway, you can continue on to Bergen, but if you have some time I highly recommend stopping in Flam overnight.
Evening
Flam sits at the head of Aurlandsfjorden, besides the Sognefjord. It’s a ridiculously beautiful place. The sole tourist attraction is a small museum (the Flamsbana Museum), about the Flam railway and life in Flam before it was built, but the main attraction is the town itself. There are four big hotels, the Camp & Hostel, the Flam Marine (a 3 star hotel), Fretheim (a 4 star hotel) and Flamsbrygga (supposedly 3 star but its location makes it 4). We stayed in Flamsbrygga, which meant we had a priority booking for the Aegir BryggeriPub for dinner (a big bonus). Flamsbrygga was absolutely beautiful - sitting on the balcony, basking in the sun, watching the fjords is an experience I’ll never forget.
I highly recommend the Aegir BryggeriPub for your dinner in Flam. The restaurant itself is beautiful, set in a hut and built around a traditional hearth. It’s famous for its beer and the traditional Norwegian food is absolutely delicious.
Day 3: Flam to Bergen
Morning
This morning you’ll set off on a cruise through one of Norway’s narrowest fjords, Nærøyfjord. The ride takes about 2 hours giving you plenty of time to enjoy the views. The board ride does get quite cold because fjords tend to be quite exposed so I recommend bringing layers, gloves and a beanie for this part of your journey. This will enable you to stand outside and enjoy the trip to its fullest. I can honestly say that the two hours I spent on that cruise were the most scenic and breathtaking of my life. I took at least 300 photos but nothing could ever compare to the reality.
The cruise drops you off at a little outpost called Gudvangen. There isn’t a huge amount to do in Gudvangen but the views continue to be beautiful, and there’s a little cafeteria and gift shop for snacks. You’ll have about 20 minutes here before your 50 minute bus ride onto Voss.
The bus deposits you on the doorstep of the Voss train station. Since we planned the journey independently, we have ourselves an hour in Voss before our train. By now, there’s a good chance you’ll be hungry for lunch - I recommend the cafe at the Park Hotel Vossevangen for this. Note that if you only have 3 days and you stopped at Flam, you should travel onwards to Bergen immediately so you have time to explore it.
Afternoon and Evening
You’ll arrive at Bergen by about 2pm, giving you plenty of time to explore the city in the evening (assuming you’re not visiting in winter). Have a look at my guide to one day in Bergen for more.
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