Epic Norway Itinerary from North to South

Our flight route was MSP> AMS> OSLO. Given the time of year and the possibility of weather disruption, I did not want to risk the additional in country flight up to Kirkenes. This gave us an afternoon lay over in Oslo, and not enough to check off my entire list of the city but left us wanting more time to explore more.

Staying at the Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardermoen made it super easy to hop on an airplane the next morning and fly for Kirkenes. We were so early, the ticket agent hadn’t even arrived. I highly recommend the customer service and the benefits of flying SAS. Let alone the skill of the pilots, I wouldn’t want to land a plane on a snow packed runway! We had an early flight that would have us missing our hotel breakfast, buy buying into the SAS airport lounge with our ticket provided a breakfast smorgasbord!

Snowhotel Kirkenes, Sleeping in the Snowhotel Did you ever want to sleep in that snow cave you made as a kid? What about try winter camping? If you have the time, and a small spirit of adventure – I highly recommend an overnight in the Snowhotel in Kirkenes. A two night stay will allow one night in the Snowhotel and a second in the Gamme Cabins. The Lodge itself is winter wonderland – and a place to experience in the summer, too. Situated inland on it’s own fjord harbor there are activities and dog sledding for everyone. The food (and wine) are excellent!

This portion of the trip really deserves it’s own focus but a few highlights: Steilneset Memorial in Vardo, the northern most town Hammerfest, a taste of Vesteralen tour from Harstad to Sortland, a visit to the Salmon and Atlantic Road, the Nidaros Cathedral and Bergtatt Marble Mine. On our journey on the Norwegian Sea, we traveled from Kirkenes to Bergen aboard the Hurtigruten MS Nordkapp. We purchased a discounted fare on Black Friday that included Full Board, a Polar Outside Cabin with a limited view, we were snug as Polar Bears. All excursions were extra from the base fare, which basically brought us back up to a full price package.

We arrived in Bergen on a Wednesday, disembarking from the MS Nordkapp just after 3 pm. The shuttle to hotel was so very helpful as we had to navigate from one side of the harbor to the other. It would have been too far to walk with luggage. This pause in Bergen gave us a chance to stretch our legs and sleep on solid ground. Don’t get me wrong, sleeping on the MS Nordkapp was a dream! I loved the way the rolling waves rocked me to sleep.

This itinerary, like our trip is epic. It truly is a showcase of all that Norway has to offer in Winter. By now you’ll have at least one week planned with all the above ideas. Only 3 more sleeps until we complete this ultimate Norwegian winter experience. Thanks for hanging in there with me! I had visited Norway pre-covid and loved how easy Norway in a Nutshell created the perfect route from Bergen to Flåm and back via fjord or train. For this trip, I wanted to spend an extra night in Flåm to see some of the popular sites, and to enjoy the floating sauna.

Staying in Flåm, Norway is an otherworldly experience for me. Coming down from Myrdal via the Flåmsbana Train you are transported into the Aursland, dramatic fjords and mountains. Perched on the edge of the fjord is a thriving community with a bakery, a brewery and the connection point for further exploration of interior Norway.

If you’ve booked the Sognefjord or the Nærøyfjord, you’ll catch the Fjord cruise at the same docking location. In 2018 I took the cruise through the Sognefjord – amazing (and worthy of another itinerary.) On this trip we traveled through the narrow Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen. The photos speak for themselves! It was an easy trip back to Bergen and no problem taking a nap since we knew the end route! Having done some research and finding Dale along the route… we may or may not have stopped to the Dale Factory Outlet and Museum>>. Worth it! We went back to Det Hanseatiske Hotel for our final 2 nights in Bergen.

It was a beautiful sunny day for our final day in Bergen. After breakfast we went straight to the top Mount Fløyen via the Fløibanen funicular for a spectacular view of the city. Of course it was time for second breakfast at the top, and enjoyed coffee and pastries and watched parents chase their children around the playground. Mount Fløyen is great local experience and a place to relax into a local Bergen experience. At the top you’ll find many nature trails and places to explore. It’s a great walk back down through the neighborhood into Bergen Center. It was time for lunch when we were back. After a refuel we continued on to explore the History of Bryggen, simply wandering the alleys and shops. We ended our day with a fantastic dinner at Det Hanseatiske Hotel Restaurant. Our meal of local beef and french wine was the perfect ending to our epic Norway itinerary!