After partially rejecting it because it would be to touristy, I decided to go ahead and book a Norway in a Nutshell tour offered by Fjord Tours for one of the days I was in Bergen, and I'm really happy that I did.
You have a lot of flexibility with this particular tour - it's basically a half circle with Voss and Myrdal as the end points, both of which are stops on the Bergen railway between Oslo and Bergen. So do you want to do it as part of a trip between Oslo and Bergen, or as a round trip from either of Oslo or Bergen? Do you want to stay the night in any of the small towns the tour visits? Like I said, lots of choice. I did mine as a round trip from Bergen, even though only a couple days later I was taking the train from Bergen to Oslo. This is partially poor planning on my part, booking the Bergen to Oslo train before I even thought about this tour. But I'm almost happy it worked out that way. Doing it as part of my Bergen to Oslo journey would have meant I'd have had my large luggage and business laptop bag with me on the bus, boat, and train that comprise the loop between Voss and Myrdal. I'm glad I didn't need to struggle with that.
So - a train overland from Bergen to Voss. Nice and scenic, running along some rivers and lakes - hint, sit on the left hand side in the direction of travel, there's a bit more to see. Then you take a bus from Voss to Gudvangen, which takes you past Oppheimsvatnet, with (at least when I went) a glassy calm surface. The bus also takes you by the hotel at Stalheim. The view down the Nærøydalen is incredible, and it's right there, right behind the hotel! Some busses might stop and let you out for a bit, but mine did not. The visual you get, even from a moving vehicle, is truly spectacular. It would be worth stopping and staying at the hotel, just to sit out and enjoy this view.
Next, an amazing boat trip from Gudvangen to Flåm. This boat ride, especially on a sunny day, is spellbinding. Also be aware that at first, it'll seem as though someone is selling tickets on the last helicopter out of Vietnam, and they're doing so right beyond the railing. Tourists will push and fight for a spot on the rail, and they're not afraid to push you out of the way. It's really obnoxious, and everyone forgets how to act in a crowd and watch out for other people. But wait them out - the boat ride is a couple hours long, and eventually, they all get tired, which is when you can kind of move in to a convenient spot and snap some key photos. I should also mention that the most cost effective lunch I've hat in Scandinavia is on this boat - just under 100 NOK for a soda, a hot dog wrapped in bacon, and some chips.
Once off the boat in Flåm, you take the Flåmsbana up to Myrdal. My tour had an inexplicable 2 hour break in Flåm. Which is too much time to spend in Flåm, as where the boats dock is really just a spot where three or four identical tourist shops have set up, as well as a very large hotel. Kill time by going in to the TI and getting a map of the local hikes - you probably have time to do the shortest one, which just gets you up a bit from the shore and lets you see the area a bit better.
The train ride up to Myrdal is again, quite visually nice, along sheer cliff faces protected by snow tunnels. The train does stop to let you out at Kjosfossen, which has its own little platform in the middle of nowhere. There's no souvenir sales, no nothing. Just a place to watch the waterfall. Unfortunately, someone has cheesed it up by putting women in red dresses near the falls, dancing to bad dramatic music, to re-enact the legend of the waterfall. Apparently, there used to be creatures hidded behind the mist, luring men in like some kind of Scandinavian Siren. But this bit of tourist pandering just makes it harder to take a picture without some crazy lady in the frame.
Wrap it all up by taking the train back to Bergen from Myrdal (or on to Oslo if you have so chosen). It's worth noting that Fjord Tours doesn't provide any of this transportation, but they do coordinate it closely amongst NSB, Skyss-bus, and Fjord1 for all the transport. Everything is clearly marked, and I think connections may even be held (or at least re-booked) if things get jumbled or delayed along the way, since during the Nutshell, a significant portion of the ridership are tour members. My ticket(s) had to be picked up from a rail station - the NSB office printed it out and stapled it all inside a "Norway in a Nutshell / Fjord Tours" branded folio and handed me other branded literature, so they're obviously working in concert with Fjord Tours here. But the process was incredibly easy. They didn't confirm my booking until a couple days after I made it - because they are probably working with the various agencies to ensure room for you.
In summary? Hope for good weather (although it would be a good expeirnece I think even if it wasn't the best weather) and deal with all the other tourists. It's well worth it. read more