FLY-RAIL
OSLO, THE SOGNEFJORD AND BERGEN TOURING HOLIDAY
8 nights / 9 days From £ 1,710 per person
Sognefjord
OSLO • FLÅM RAILWAY • BALESTRAND • BERGEN
This luxury Norway touring holiday by train and boat allows you to experience Oslo’ s capital before embarking on an exploration of the dramatic Sognefjord. You travel on the scenic Flåm Railway and stay in the fjord town of Balestrand before taking a fjord boat to picturesque Bergen.
DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY
DAY ONE Arrive in Oslo This touring holiday of Norway’ s Sognefjord and Bergen begins with your arrival by plane into Oslo, where you spend three nights.
DAYS TWO AND THREE In Oslo You have two full days in Oslo. During your time here we highly recommend visiting the Bygdøy Peninsula, home to five national museums, including the Viking Ship Museum, Norwegian Folk Museum and the Norwegian Maritime Museum. The Fram Museum displays the strongest wooden ship ever built which still holds the record for sailing the farthest north and farthest south. Another major attraction is Akershus Castle and Fortress. Completed during the 14th century, this mediaeval castle had a strategical location at the very end of the headland and withstood several sieges throughout the ages. Guided tours of the fortress are available during the summer. As well as museums, Oslo is known for its green spaces, the most famous of which is the Frogner Park. Within this area is the Vigeland Sculpture Park, featuring more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and iron and one of Norway’ s top tourist attractions.
DAY FOUR Oslo to Balestrand by train and boat Today you embark on one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world. Leave Oslo in the early morning on a direct train service to Myrdal, the start of the Flåm railway. This incredible journey descends 2,833 ft through mountainous terrain, passing towering cliffs, chasms and cascades. Leaving Myrdal station, the train travels down into the Flåmsdalen Valley, passing through two of the 16 tunnels en route. Following your passage through the Vatnahalsen Tunnel you will find yourself on a mountainside ledge hundreds of feet above the valley floor. Trains often stop briefly in Kjosfossen, allowing you to take in the breath-taking 738-ft-high waterfall there. The journey ends in Flåm, where you have a couple of hours to explore this quiet and picturesque town before taking the boat across the fjord to Balestrand, which is your base for the next two nights. The boat journey takes you along part of the Sognefjord, giving you more breath-taking views of some of Norway’ s most spectacular scenery.
DAY FIVE In Balestrand Balestrand is situated on the northern shore of majestic Sognefjord. We highly recommend using your time here to explore the stunning scenery, and the best way to do this is by boat. It is possible to take a ferry up the Fjærlandsfjord to Mundal, where you can visit the Glacier Museum. For those interested in more active pursuits, Fjærland also offers the opportunity to hike on the glacier itself. At the top of Flatbreen, around a 3-hour hike from Fjærland, you will find the Flatbrehytta cabin and can witness beautiful views of the fjord. In the summer you can go kayaking on the fjord and for a couple of months each year river fishing is a popular activity. Other attractions include the Norwegian Travel and Tourism Museum, which follows the tracks of the first explorers and how their discoveries led to the development of the Norwegian tourism industry which we see today, and the Sognefjord aquarium, entry to which includes the rental of a rowing boat or canoe.
DAY SIX Balestrand to Bergen by boat Today you travel to your final Norwegian base of Bergen by boat, a journey of roughly four hours. The Sognefjord is the longest and deepest fjord in Norway and the second longest in the world. Upon first leaving Balestrand the mountains will press in on all sides as you stop at the town of Vik and the quiet area of Nordeide. The fjord will occasionally open up, giving you breath-taking views across the calm water with the mountains in the background, before heading into more heavily forested areas, interspersed with the occasional village and picturesque Nordic architecture. Continue through the winding narrow routes of the fjord before it opens out again as Bergen comes into view. Check in to your hotel for three nights.
104 To speak to our specialist rail holidays team telephone 01392 441250 or see www. expressionsholidays. co. uk