Norway: Oslo, the Flåm Railway, the Nærøyfjord and Bergen for three generations

1. Day 1: Arrive in Oslo

   Oslo Airport Gardermoen to your hotel in central Oslo, then the Opera House

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Welcome dinner at about 6 pm
   • Stay in Oslo
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL), about 50 km north of the city, where a driver meets your family in the arrivals hall for the drive of roughly 45 minutes into the centre. We hold family rooms or connecting rooms, so grandparents sleep next door, and you have time to rest after the flight. Plan to land by about 2 pm. At about 5 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the hotel for a short, relaxed briefing: who is who, how the train day works and how your luggage travels. Then we stroll a few minutes to the waterfront at Bjørvika and walk up the sloping white roof of the Oslo Opera House, which children are allowed to climb and run on, for a view over the Oslofjord. The welcome dinner sits down at about 6 pm at a restaurant near the harbour, so younger travellers are in bed on time.

   Included

   • Private transfer from Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL)
   • Family or connecting rooms requested for each party
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Evening walk on the Oslo Opera House roof
   • Welcome dinner at about 6 pm

   Easier option: Skip the roof walk and watch from the plaza at its foot, which is level.

   Free time: Free until the 5 pm briefing

   Activity: Land by about 2 pm to rest before the briefing; the exact time is confirmed with your final itinerary. The Opera roof is a gentle slope, about 15 minutes up.

   

2. Day 2: Vigeland, two ships and a swim

   Frogner Park to the Bygdøy peninsula, the ferry back across the harbour, then Sørenga

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Oslo
   Day 2 details

   We reach Frogner Park at about 9 am, before the tour coaches, to walk among Gustav Vigeland's granite and bronze figures, from the famous angry little boy on the bridge to the tall Monolith; the large playground in the same park is the children's reward. A short drive takes us to the Bygdøy peninsula and two museums that stand side by side. At the Fram Museum you walk the decks of the polar ship Fram, which carried Nansen into the Arctic ice and Amundsen south on the expedition that reached the South Pole in 1911. Next door, the Kon-Tiki Museum shows the balsa raft Thor Heyerdahl sailed across the Pacific in 1947. Lunch is a sit-down meal on Bygdøy, then we ride the small summer ferry back to the City Hall pier. The afternoon is free: in good weather, Sørenga's sea pool beside the Opera has a shallow children's pool and lawns for grandparents.

   Included

   • Vigeland sculpture park in Frogner Park with your guide, and time at the park playground
   • The Fram Museum
   • The Kon-Tiki Museum
   • Sit-down lunch on Bygdøy
   • Ferry from Bygdøy to the City Hall pier (in season)

   Optional experiences

   • Swimming at Sørenga sea pool (free entry)
   • The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History on Bygdøy
   • The Munch museum

   Easier option: Sit out the park walk in the cafe by the main gate, and take a taxi back from Bygdøy instead of the ferry if the steps to the pier are too much.

   More active option: In the free afternoon, walk the ramparts of Akershus Fortress above the harbour, with a route from your guide.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Oslo

   Activity: About 2.5 hours on foot, on park paths and museum floors, with benches throughout. Bring swimwear and a towel for Sørenga.

3. Day 3: The Bergen Railway and the Flåm Railway

   Oslo by train over the Hardangervidda to Myrdal, then down the Flåm Railway to Flåm

   • By train
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Flåm
   Day 3 details

   We board the morning Bergen Railway train at Oslo Central Station with reserved seats together, in the family carriage if the train has one. Your suitcases go ahead to Flåm by road with our driver, so the family travels with day bags only and nobody lifts a case into a rack. The line runs west past lakes and forest, through Gol and Geilo, and climbs onto the bare Hardangervidda plateau at Finse, at about 1,222 m, where children can spot snow beside the track into July. Lunch is included, a packed lunch or from the train's cafe if it has one, and your guide brings cards and a quiz on the route. At Myrdal, after about five hours, we change to the Flåm Railway, which drops about 860 m in 20 km to the fjord. It stops at the Kjosfossen waterfall, where in summer a singer in costume appears on the rocks as the huldra of folk tales. We reach Flåm by mid-afternoon; the evening is yours.

   Included

   • Bergen Railway from Oslo to Myrdal, reserved seats together
   • Flåm Railway from Myrdal to Flåm, with the stop at Kjosfossen
   • Lunch on the train
   • Your luggage carried ahead to Flåm in our vehicle

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Flåm

   Activity: About six hours of rail travel in all, broken by the change at Myrdal and the Kjosfossen stop; trains have toilets and room to stretch. Keep a warm layer in each day bag for the plateau.

   

4. Day 4: The Nærøyfjord, a Viking village and Undredal

   Flåm by boat through the Aurlandsfjord and the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen, then Undredal and back to Flåm

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Flåm
   Day 4 details

   We take the first morning boat out of Flåm, at about 9 am, before the cruise-ship passengers fill the decks, and sail up the Aurlandsfjord into the Nærøyfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord listed by UNESCO in 2005 with the Geirangerfjord. Walls rise more than 1,000 m from the water, the fjord narrows to about 250 m, and there are goats, waterfalls and farms with no road to spot; there is an indoor saloon for anyone who gets cold. After about two hours we land at Gudvangen and walk into the Njardarheim Viking village, a reconstructed settlement where children can try archery and axe throwing under supervision and everyone can sit by a fire in a longhouse. Our van takes us to Undredal, a village of about a hundred people, to taste its brown and white goat's cheeses and peek into the tiny stave church, then a sit-down lunch. We are back in Flåm by about 4 pm, with a quiet hour before an early family dinner.

   Included

   • Fjord cruise from Flåm to Gudvangen through the Aurlandsfjord and the Nærøyfjord, on an early sailing
   • The Njardarheim Viking village at Gudvangen
   • Goat's cheese tasting in Undredal and a look into the stave church
   • Sit-down lunch in Undredal
   • Dinner in Flåm at about 6 pm

   Optional experiences

   • Fjord kayaking from Flåm with a local outfitter (minimum age set by the outfitter)

   Easier option: Stay on the boat's indoor deck, and sit by the longhouse fire at the Viking village instead of the games.

   More active option: Walk the steep path from Flåm up to the Brekkefossen waterfall, about an hour and a half return, for a view down the valley to the fjord.

   Free time: From about 4 pm free in Flåm

   Activity: About 1.5 km on foot in the Viking village on grass and gravel. Bring a warm, windproof layer for the open deck.

5. Day 5: Stegastein, the Lærdal Tunnel and Borgund

   Flåm to Aurland and Stegastein, through the Lærdal Tunnel to Borgund stave church, and back to Flåm

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Flåm
   Day 5 details

   A start at about 9:00. We drive ten minutes to Aurland and up the hairpins to Stegastein, a platform that juts out about 650 m above the Aurlandsfjord, a short level walk from the car park; we aim to be there by about 9:45, before the midday coaches. Then comes the part children remember: the Lærdal Tunnel, 24.5 km long and opened in 2000, where three caverns lit in blue and yellow break the drive. Count them on the way through. At Borgund we visit the stave church, built of wood around 1180, with dragon heads on its roof ridges, and the visitor centre beside it explains how it was made. Lunch is a sit-down meal nearby, and we are back in Flåm by about 2:30 pm, about 150 km and two and a half hours of driving in the day, no leg longer than an hour. The afternoon is free, with an active and an easy choice.

   Included

   • Stegastein viewpoint above the Aurlandsfjord
   • The Lærdal Tunnel
   • Borgund stave church and visitor centre
   • Sit-down lunch near Borgund or in Lærdal

   Optional experiences

   • Bike hire in Flåm for the valley road

   Easier option: The free afternoon by the fjord shore in Flåm, or the free Flåm Railway Museum by the station, both short and level.

   More active option: Hire bikes in Flåm and ride the old Flåm valley road up to Berekvam station and back, about 20 km and a steady climb, with your guide; children's bikes and seats are available to hire.

   Free time: From about 2:30 pm free in Flåm

   Activity: Under an hour on foot in the morning, on level paths. The tunnel takes about 20 minutes to drive.

   

6. Day 6: Waterfalls to Bergen, then Fløyen

   Flåm to Gudvangen, Stalheim, Tvindefossen and Voss, then Bergen and Mount Fløyen

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Bergen
   Day 6 details

   We leave Flåm at about 9:30 through the tunnels to Gudvangen and climb to Stalheim for a coffee and the view straight down the Nærøydalen valley. A little further on, Tvindefossen falls in steps right beside the road, a two-minute walk from the car park, close enough to feel the spray. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Voss, then the longest leg of the day, about an hour and three quarters, brings us into Bergen at about 3 pm: about 170 km and three hours of driving in four short legs. After check-in we ride the Fløibanen funicular up Mount Fløyen, 320 m above the harbour. At the top there is a big playground, a troll forest trail with carved trolls in the trees, and, in summer, canoes for hire on the small Skomakerdiket lake, while grandparents take the terrace with the view over the city and the islands. Dinner tonight is your choice; your guide can book an early table.

   Included

   • Stalheim viewpoint over the Nærøydalen
   • Tvindefossen waterfall
   • Sit-down lunch in Voss
   • The Fløibanen funicular up Mount Fløyen and back, with time at the playground and troll forest

   Optional experiences

   • Canoe hire on Skomakerdiket lake on Fløyen (summer)

   Easier option: Stay on the Fløyen terrace by the funicular station, with coffee and the view.

   More active option: Walk down from Fløyen to the city instead of taking the funicular, about 45 minutes on a wide gravel path and steep lanes.

   Free time: Evening free in Bergen

   Activity: Short stops on level ground; about 1 to 2 km on Fløyen on gravel trails.

   

7. Day 7: Bryggen and the Bergen Aquarium

   Bryggen, the fish market and the harbour to the Bergen Aquarium at Nordnes

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Bergen
   Day 7 details

   We walk to Bryggen at about 9 am, before the cruise-ship groups arrive, for a guided walk of about an hour through the old Hanseatic wharf, listed by UNESCO in 1979. German merchants traded dried cod from northern Norway here for centuries, and children can look for the carved figureheads and the narrow wooden passages behind the harbour front, rebuilt after the fire of 1702. We pass the fish market, then follow the harbour about 20 minutes on foot to the Bergen Aquarium at Nordnes, or take a short taxi for anyone who prefers. Inside there are penguins, sea lions and the fish of the Norwegian coast, and we time the visit for a feeding. Lunch is at or near the aquarium. The afternoon is free: AdO arena's pools and slides, the VilVite science centre, or a rest. The farewell dinner sits down at about 6 pm.

   Included

   • Guided walk of Bryggen at about 9 am
   • The Bergen Aquarium
   • Sit-down lunch at or near the aquarium
   • Farewell dinner at about 6 pm

   Optional experiences

   • Swimming at AdO arena (pools and water slides)
   • The VilVite science centre
   • The Ulriken cable car

   Easier option: Taxi between Bryggen and the aquarium, and a seat in the aquarium's cafe between feedings.

   More active option: Ride the Ulriken cable car in the free afternoon and walk the ridge path at the top, about an hour.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Bergen

   Activity: About 2 hours on foot in the morning, on cobbles and uneven wooden walkways. Bergen's indoor options cover a wet afternoon.

   

8. Day 8: Bergen and home

   Bergen to Bergen Airport Flesland

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast
   Day 8 details

   The last morning is free for a final breakfast without hurry, the fish market as the stalls open, or a slow walk up the steep lanes of the old wooden quarters above Bryggen, where white and yellow houses lean together over cobbled alleys. Check-out is usually by noon, and the hotel keeps your bags until it is time to leave, so families with later flights can make one more trip to the Fløyen playground. Our driver takes everyone to Bergen Airport Flesland (BGO), about 20 km south of the centre and roughly 30 minutes by road, with child seats for the ages booked. We set the transfer times when we confirm your flights, so you can book whichever flight suits your family, and earlier flyers go first. Your guide comes with you and says goodbye at the terminal. If you would like longer in western Norway, we can book extra nights in Bergen.

   Included

   • Private transfer to Bergen Airport Flesland (BGO)

   Free time: Morning free in Bergen

   Activity: Book any flight from Bergen Airport Flesland (BGO); a flight after about noon leaves the morning free.

   

Wildlife and weather: Mid-June to August brings the longest days (in late June the sun sets after 10:30 pm in Oslo and Bergen), daytime temperatures often in the high teens to low twenties °C, open-air pools and summer services at Kjosfossen and the Viking village, and the busiest cruise calendar in Flåm and Bergen. Waterfalls are fullest in June with the snowmelt, and snow can lie beside the track at Finse into July. Rain is likely in Bergen on some days in any month.

• Oslo2 nights
• Flåm3 nights
• Bergen2 nights