The Best Way to Tour the Breathtaking Fjords of Norway

When you hear the word “fjord,” you probably picture gorgeous, tall mountains and peaceful waters, just like you see in magazines. Well guess what, it’s even more breathtaking in person. Some of the Fjords of Norway are even on the UNESCO World Heritage Sight list. These are all places that have been marked of importance to cultural or natural heritage. Hitting up as many of these places on the World Heritage Sight as I can is on my list of things to do!

It sounds like quite an adventurous, difficult trip to go to the mountains and rivers and explore the Fjords of Norway, but I just got back from an AMAZING, gorgeous AND yet surprisingly easy trip touring them. I wanted to share with you just how breathtaking the views from the Fjords are and even give you a great itinerary to follow. I found it a bit confusing to plan my trip from what I had read on the internet so I wanted to make it super simple for you to to catch all of the best spots — and in the least logistic way possible.

fjords of Norway

This trip does involve a lot of transportation, but that is a huge part of where you will see the beauty of the Fjords. Let’s start with the Norway in a Nutshell tour I did. I would not have toured the Fjords any other way. After having done a ton of research, this was the best program we found. If you do it on your own, you have to plan out everything from buses to trains to ferries, and you need ALL of those to get around. With Norway in a Nutshell, you get all of the transportation planned out for you.

Here’s a breakdown of the trip I did, which would have been so much easier if I had someone had just suggested all of this to me upfront!


Stop 1: Oslo

My trip started with a few days in Oslo, which is an easy way to start the whole tour. There are some amazing flight deals from the U.S. to Oslo happening, which has made Norway a more popular country to visit as of recently. Just about 3-4 days in Oslo were enough for me to see all of the sights, in a relaxing way. Once I had stayed there, the journey through nature really began with the first part of the Norway in a Nutshell tour — the Bergen Railway. Side note: I’m in no way paid to promote or working with Norway in a Nutshell, I just personally highly recommend it because of how affordable and easy it was to use.

The Bergen Railway between Oslo and Bergen is actually considered one of the world’s most scenic train rides and I couldn’t agree more. The views here went from stark white, snow-covered countrysides to deep, plunging views of the Fjords. I got some amazing photos on this trip. For the purpose of seeing snow and less people, I do recommend going in the colder months, November through March.

fjords of Norway
fjords of Norway

Stop 2: Bergen

Once I arrived in Bergen, I got an Airbnb and stayed for 3 days to explore. Bergen is an adorable city that has colorful houses lined up along the water. The seafood market here is to die for. It’s actually a bigger city than I realized so I definitely do recommend about 3 days here.

Floibanen Funicular

This is a train you can take to the top of Mount Floyen for sweeping views of the city.

Fish Me Fish Market

Bergen is known for their fresh fish so DEFINITELY stop in the Fish Market by the harbor. There a few casual places to eat. You really can’t go wrong with any one you pick in there. The lobsters are a great choice though and recommended by locals!

fjords of Norway

Once you’ve spent time in Bergen, you can continue on the journey via train to Voss and then take the bus (they have guides pointing you from the train to the bus) to the next destination, which is Gudvangen. This was a really, really small town with a hotel that you have the option of staying at. This is great if you’d like to stay here for a couple of nights and really enjoy the nature, however, I’d recommend staying in the next town Flam, like I did.

fjords of Norway

fjords of Norway

From Gudvangen is where you take the gorgeous ferry ride right along the waters of the Fjords. This views were insane. I took way TOO many photos here and then ran back into the cozy ferry to warm back up! This was a highlight of the trip for sure. Once the ferry took us to the town of Flam, this is where I decided to stay for a few days.


Stop 3: Flam

Flam is a SUPER small town in the Fjords, but big enough to have its own grocery store and a couple of restaurants. I stayed in the hostel, which was really like having an apartment. It was truly amazing. Otherwise, they have a few different nice hotels to choose from.

Aegir Brewery & Pub

There aren’t too many places to eat in this town, especially in the wintertime. This brewery though was not only very cozy with a fireplace in the middle, but had amazing food and drinks. The beer is made there and worth a try. And our meal was one of the best of our trip!

Stegastein Viewpoint

If you do end up staying in Flam, you absolutely, no questions asked must go to the Stegastein Viewpoint. It’s literally a manmade lookout point going far out into the Fjords. You can get tickets from Flam for a small van to drive you up the mountain to the viewpoint. It’s a quick, easy ride to get to and the BEST view you will have of the Fjords the entire trip.

fjords of Norway

Once you leave Flam, you have a quick stopover in Myrdal (I do NOT recommend staying here as there is really not much in this town). Then you can continue back on the scenic railway back to Oslo. This really rounds out an amazing trip through the Fjords of Norway. Plus, it’s all quite easy to do. You can just buy one ticket with Norway in a Nutshell. Oh and if you end up staying in a town and want to leave earlier or later, they are super flexible with changing it.

Hopefully I’ve inspired you to check out this gorgeous country!

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Contributor

Kristin Simon

Kristin Simon is a digital nomad from New York, constantly on a path to try to live her best life filled with positivity, uplifting others and inspiring them to do the same. She received her bachelor degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked in digital marketing for over 6 years. Knowing in her heart that she needed a lifestyle change, she got a remote job, left her apartment in New York City and started a life of full-time travel. Kristin documents her journeys, her experiences and her style on her blog Pink Neon Lips, Instagram and Youtube channel.

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