Day-by-day programme of this 11-day itinerary across The south-western fjords.
Day 1 â Arrival in Oslo
Landing in Oslo, the modern, green capital of Norway, overlooking its fjord. A first stroll between the Opera House and the Aker Brygge harbour.
- âïļ Oslo â Aeroporto di Oslo-Gardermoen (OSL)
- ð Oslo Opera House â The Oslo Opera House is the symbol of the modern city: an iceberg of white marble and glass on the fjord, whose sloping roof you can walk all the way up for the view. From here a walk along the renewed harbour leads to Aker Brygge and the Akershus fortress. Oslo combines Scandinavian design, museums and nature within reach. In the evening you dine along the waterfront. Tomorrow the Viking treasures and the great museums.
- ðĻ Comfort Hotel Xpress Youngstorget â Centro, Oslo
Day 2 â Oslo, museums and sculptures
A day among Oslo's treasures: the Bygdoy peninsula museums with the Viking ships and polar expeditions, the famous Vigeland park and the Munch museum.
- ð Bygdoy â The Bygdoy peninsula gathers Oslo's best-loved museums: the Viking Ship Museum (with the original thousand-year-old vessels), the Fram (the ship of Nansen's and Amundsen's polar expeditions), Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki and the open-air folk museum. It is a plunge into Norway's exploring, seafaring soul. It is easily reached by ferry from the centre. In the afternoon, sculptures and art.
- ð Vigeland Park â Vigeland park is an open-air museum unique in the world: over 200 bronze and granite sculptures by the artist Gustav Vigeland, depicting the cycle of human life from birth to death, culminating in the famous Monolith of intertwined bodies. It is free and always open, much frequented by locals. Nearby, the new Munch museum holds 'The Scream'. In the evening, your last in Oslo. Tomorrow one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world, to Bergen.
Day 3 â The Bergen Railway
One of the world's most scenic train journeys: the Bergen Railway crosses the snowy Hardangervidda plateau to Bergen, the gateway to the fjords.
- âïļ Oslo â Bergen â Stazione di Bergen
- ð Bryggen â Bryggen is the soul of Bergen: the row of colourful wooden houses, ochre, red and white, lined up on the wharf, a legacy of the Hanseatic League and a UNESCO site. Behind the facades hide narrow wooden alleys, craft workshops and galleries. Bergen, surrounded by seven hills, is the 'gateway to the fjords' and one of the most beautiful cities in Norway (though rainy). You dine on fish in the market. Tomorrow the city from above and its surroundings.
- ðĻ Citybox Bergen â Centro / Bryggen, Bergen
Day 4 â Bergen, the city of seven hills
A day in Bergen: the Floyen funicular for the panoramic view over the city and the fjords, the fish market and the wooden alleys of the centre.
- ðŊ Floyen Funicular â The Floibanen funicular climbs in a few minutes up Mount Floyen, at 320 metres, from which you enjoy a magnificent view over Bergen, the harbour and the surrounding archipelago of fjords and islands. At the top, easy forest trails start, among ponds and goats. Back in the city, you immerse yourself in the fish market (Fisketorget), tasting salmon, king crab and fish soup. An afternoon among the museums and alleys. Tomorrow the magic of Norway in a Nutshell towards the fjords.
Day 5 â Norway in a Nutshell: the fjords
The highlight day: a cruise on the Naeroyfjord, a UNESCO site among the narrowest and most spectacular fjords, and the legendary Flam railway, one of the steepest in the world.
- ðŊ Naeroyfjord â By a scenic train to Voss and then a boat you sail the Naeroyfjord, the narrowest arm of the great Sognefjord and a UNESCO site: rock walls a thousand metres high plunge into dark green water, among waterfalls, farms clinging to the slopes and absolute silence. It is one of the most beautiful fjords in the world. You disembark at Flam, from where the most spectacular railway in Norway departs. Nature here is majestic and untouched.
- ðŊ Flam Railway â The Flam railway (Flamsbana) is one of the steepest and most spectacular rail lines in the world: in an hour it climbs 865 metres of altitude through tunnels carved in the rock, sheer mountains and the Kjosfossen waterfall, where the train stops to admire it. It is a masterpiece of engineering set in fairy-tale landscapes. You return to Flam, a village at the head of the fjord, for the night. Tomorrow you continue overland to the Geirangerfjord.
- ðĻ Flamsbrygga Hotel â Flam, Sognefjord
Day 6 â Towards the Geirangerfjord
A scenic transfer northwards, among ferries, valleys and plateaus, to Geiranger, the village at the head of Norway's most famous and photographed fjord.
- âïļ Flam â Geiranger â Geiranger, Norvegia
- ð Dalsnibba â In the afternoon you climb to the Dalsnibba viewpoint (or the Ornesvingen Eagle Bend) to admire the Geirangerfjord from above as it winds among the mountains, with the cruise ships tiny down there on the water and the waterfalls plunging from the walls. It is one of Norway's iconic panoramas. You return to Geiranger for the night. Tomorrow the fjord cruise and the spectacular Trolls' road, the Trollstigen.
- ðĻ Havila Hotel Geiranger â Geiranger, Norvegia
Day 7 â Geirangerfjord and Trollstigen
A cruise on the Geirangerfjord among the Seven Sisters waterfalls, then the climb up the Trollstigen, the spectacular hairpin Trolls' road, to Alesund.
- ðŊ Geirangerfjord â A cruise sails the Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO site and an icon of Norway: vertical walls, old farms perched on the slopes where isolated families once lived, and the most famous waterfalls, the Seven Sisters and the Suitor that 'courts' them from the other bank. The water is a deep green. It is an unforgettable experience. Afterwards, you tackle the climb towards the Trolls' road. You leave the fjord towards the coast.
- ð Trollstigen â The Trollstigen, the 'Trolls' Ladder', is one of the most spectacular roads in Europe: eleven tight hairpins climb a mountain wall among thundering waterfalls, up to a viewing platform suspended over the void. Driving it (or riding it by bus) is a thrill. From here you descend towards the coast and reach Alesund, an elegant Art Nouveau city facing the sea. You dine on fish in town.
- ðĻ Quality Hotel Alesund â Centro, Alesund
Day 8 â Alesund and the Atlantic Road
Beautiful Alesund seen from the top of Mount Aksla and the spectacular Atlantic Road, which leaps between islets on bridges suspended over the ocean.
- ð Mount Aksla â You climb (on foot up 418 steps, or by car) to the Mount Aksla viewpoint, from which Alesund reveals itself in all its beauty: the turreted Art Nouveau roofs, the harbour, the islands and the fjords fading into the horizon. The city was entirely rebuilt in Art Nouveau style after the 1904 fire. You then stroll among its elegant buildings. In the afternoon, an excursion to the Atlantic Road.
- ð Atlantic Road â The Atlantic Road (Atlanterhavsveien) is one of the most famous scenic roads in the world: eight kilometres leaping from one islet to the next on a series of bridges, including the famous Storseisundet that seems to dive into the void. When the sea is rough, the waves crash onto the asphalt in a dramatic spectacle. It is a triumph of engineering and wild Atlantic nature. You return to Alesund for the last fjord evening. Tomorrow you head south to Stavanger.
Day 9 â Towards Stavanger
A flight south to Stavanger, a lively city on the south-western coast, with a historic centre of little white wooden houses, the base for the Lysefjord and the Preikestolen.
- âïļ Alesund â Stavanger â Aeroporto di Stavanger (SVG)
- ðĻ Thon Hotel Stavanger â Centro, Stavanger
Day 10 â The Preikestolen
A hike to the Preikestolen, the 'Pulpit', a rock plateau that drops sheer for 600 metres over the Lysefjord: one of the most spectacular and famous views in all of Norway.
- ðŊ Preikestolen â The Preikestolen, the 'Pulpit', is the queen of Norwegian hikes: a trail of about 4 hours round trip (8 km) climbs among rocks, ponds and boardwalks to a perfectly flat rock plateau jutting into the void, 604 metres sheer above the Lysefjord. The view towards the fjord winding among the mountains is thrilling. You sit on the edge (carefully) for the most iconic photo in Norway. You return to Stavanger, tired and fulfilled. Tomorrow the flight home.
Day 11 â Departure from Norway
Return flight from Stavanger. The end of a journey among deep fjords, waterfalls, scenic trains and dream roads: south-western Norway.
- âïļ Stavanger â Aeroporto di Milano Malpensa (MXP)
