Norway
When I Went:
August 2011 & August 2017
Itineraries:
August 2017-
Leknes & Reine in the Lofoten Islands, Ørsta, Ålesund, Loen, Bergen (2 weeks)
Transportation: plane, ferries, and car
August 2011-
Oslo, Flåm, Balestrand, Bergen (4 days)
Transportation: ferries and trains
Notes:
Norway is so beautiful.
Things are expensive! If you are able to cook, that can save you some money. But be prepared to spend a little more on food.
I don't remember the 2011 trip as well so I might have as many details.
LOFOTEN ISLANDS (4 days)
How we got there:
It was quite the journey! We flew from Los Angeles to Oslo, then flew to Bodø and connected to Leknes in Lofoten. We flew Norwegian to Oslo and Wideroe to Bodø and Leknes.
Transportation:
I recommend renting a car. While it might not be super cheap, it was a good way to get around to all the stops and the roads were easy to drive on.
Accommodations:
We stayed in an Airbnb rorbu (small red houses) in Leknes about 10 minutes away from the airport. It was so cute, cozy, and modern. It was in a secluded area along the water and was very quiet.
Activities:
I went with two friends and we went to Lofoten with the intention of going on some hikes and being out in nature. We went on some pretty crazy hikes. The main takeaway is that Norwegians are very fit compared to (Americans) so don't always trust the difficultly levels or distance in some other blogs you read.
Enough time there?
I would've loved a couple more days to see northern Lofoten, but we didn't have time.
Reinebringen hike [Reine, Moskenesøy]
Difficulty: Hard
Time: 3-4 hours round trip
This was the hardest hike I've ever done, but probably with the biggest payoff. When doing the research, the bloggers warned people of how dangerous it can be cause the 'trails' were worn down. We decided to at least check it out knowing we could turn back if we wanted to.
The trail is at the side of the road and not very clearly marked. Once you see a warning sign (lol) you know you're at the start of the trail. It was raining on and off in Lofoten so there was a lot of mud. It also lightly rained while we were on the trail. It was straight uphill for I don't even know how long. I want to say 1.5 hours. This was very much so a hike where you needed to use your hands to grip onto rocks and trees. Definitely take your breaks when you need them and pack some snacks and water.
We finally got to the top and it was such a gorgeous view. It was very windy up there though, so don't wander around the edges. We ate our sandwiches up there and took in the amazing view. We felt pretty damn accomplished for making it all the way to the top.
The way down was another story. It rained here and there which made the journey down very slippery and muddy. We had to use our hands, knees, and butts to get down. There was definitely a time where I wondered if I would slide 20 feet down. Luckily that didn't happen, but we ended up with some muddy butts as demonstrated below.
Kvalvika Beach hike [Fredvang, Moskenesøy]
Difficulty: Moderate
Time: 2-3 hours
Once again it rained on and off so the path was a bit muddy. The start of the trail was a gradual uphill climb. There were wooden planks over the muddy/watery parts. We eventually got to a downhill part that was full of a bunch of rocks. I'd say it was around 2 km until we reached the downhill part, which is not what some of the blogs tell you. Once you start the descent to the beach, you have to go over a bunch of rocks so take your time and be careful.
We ended up at an amazing viewpoint of the beach. We didn't end up going further than the pictures below. It was partially from still being sore from the Reinebrigen hike and that the weather was supposed to rain later in the day. I can imagine it was 1/2-1 km until the beach.
Haukland Beach walk [Vestvågøy]
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 1 hour
This is a very easy hike around the beach and connects to Uttakleiv Beach. The trail is flat all the way around. There are wild sheep on the trail so watch out for poop! The water at Haukland is so clear and beautiful. This was a great walk after our strenuous hikes.
We went to Uttakleiv Beach at a different time and caught the end of a pretty sunset. I believe it's the most photographed beach in Lofoten.
Ørsta/Sunnmøre area (4 days)
Ålesund (day trip)
We flew to Ålesund from Leknes and rented a car from the airport. We were lucky to enough to stay with my friend's cousins in their house in Ørsta.
Transportation:
We drove from Ørsta to Ålesund and got lucky with parking at the Fjellstua viewpoint.
Accommodations:
We stayed in Ørsta with my friend, Mike's, cousins.
Activities:
As mentioned above, we drove from Ørsta and parked at the top of the Fjellstua viewpoint. It was a bit crowded, but we got lucky.
We walked down the 418 steps to the bottom and wandered around the city. To be honest we didn't do much except walk around. The architecture of the building was pretty and fun to look at. I don't remember the name of the place, but we stopped by an outdoor restaurant and had some good fish and chips. There was rain in the forecast so we didn't spend as much time there.
Enough time there?
A few hours or half a day is probably all you need.
Lidaveten hike [Volda]
Difficulty: Moderate/Hard
Time: 2-3 hours
This was like a baby version of the Reinebrigen hike [see above]. The trail was a bit muddy because of rain from previous days. The hike was uphill a majority of the way and I would say it took about 75 minutes to get to the top. The view was gorgeous and had a panoramic view of the fjord. We spent some time up there to eat our lunch and take in the view. The way back down was a little slippery, but took less time to get down than up.
Loen/Briksdalsbreen (day trip)
Activities:
We drove 2 hours to Loen to do a few things in the area. First we went to the Loen Skylift. It was a little pricey (US$50), but the view is pretty great. You can see Lovatnet lake and Innvikfjorden from the top. We also had lunch in the restaurant with a great view.
It looked like you could also explore the area behind the restaurant. There's also an option to get up to the skylight area via ferrata if you're into it that.
Afterwards we drove to Jostedalsbreen National Park to see the Briksdal Glacier. It was sprinkling on and off on our way to the glacier, but it was a very easy walk there.
A short drive from the park was Lovatnet lake. It was beautiful and calming. I didn't get to kayak on the lake which I would've loved to do if we had more time/the sun wasn't going to set soon. I have seen this place on Instagram a lot so it was on my bucket list to visit.
Enough time there?
One more day in this area (Jostedalsbreen National Park and Lovatnet) would've been great.
Bergen (3 days)
Transportation:
We drove from Ørsta to Bergen, which was about a 6.5 hour drive including one ferry ride. Roads were easy to drive on, but not many lanes.
Accommodations:
We stayed at an Airbnb that was a 10-15 minute walk from the city. There was a really nice view of the fjord from the living room.
Activities:
It rains a lot in Bergen so make sure to be prepared for that! It rained a little bit both times I was there in 2011 and 2017.
To get a good view of the city, take the Fløibanen funicular up to Mount Fløyen. There are a couple of different entrances. We took the one off one of the walking paths near our Airbnb. You can save yourself money by walking back down to the city from the top. It's all downhill so it's easy and takes maybe 15-20 minutes.
On top of Mount Fløyen, there are some hikes you can do and a small little body of water. Not sure it was big enough to be a lake. There were also goats roaming around and you can get right up next to them. There's a shop and restaurants at the top if you get hungry.
In the main part of town, going to Bryggen is a must. The colorful houses are fun and if you want through the alleyways, you'll find some shops. There is also a fish market during the day right along the harbor. I can imagine it might be a little pricer since it's in the main part of town. If you walk a little further, there is another building with some indoor restaurants.
Near Bryggen is the Bergenhus Fortress. We just walked around the area for 30 minutes (it's free), but there wasn't as much to do.
Walk further away from the city and there are museums and Lille Lungegårdsvannet (small lake). Byparken is right next to the lake and there is a cute gazebo you can look at.
Food:
Godt Brød - there are a few locations. We had coffee and a pastry.
Bar Barista - We were craving waffles so this was the spot! We had a waffle and coffee/tea. It's very decorative inside as you can see from the pictures.
Ruccola - We had to make dinner reservations. This restaurant was recommended to us by our Airbnb host and it was really good. I had fettuccine carbonara and tiramisu for dessert.
Mandalay Sushi & Burmese - This is a 5-10 minute walk from Bryggen on a small side street. I don't remember what dish I got specifically, but there's all sorts of asian dishes including sushi.
Pygmalion - a street or two from the harbor. Yet again I don't remember what I had (haha), but they have some savory and sweet pancakes here. Staff was friendly and we were able to sit on the patio since the weather was nice,
MIX Bryggebuen AS - this is just a convenience store, but they had soft serve ice cream (softis) and it is freaking delicious and cheap. We had it many times throughout our stay in Norway. I personally loved the crushed Oreo cookies, but also had chocolate powder when they were out of Oreos. I didn't like it as much cause I inhaled some of the powder!
Enough time there?
Three days was enough, but 2 would definitely be doable.
Oslo (1 day)
*Disclaimer: This trip was taken in 2011 and I don't remember the details as much.
Transportation:
We (my family and I) flew into Oslo from Copenhagen. We took a bus to get to the city centre. Within the city, we walked and use the train/tram.
Activities:
The Vigeland Park (Vigelandsparken) - this was the most memorable thing we did in Oslo. I remember the park being pretty big. There were gardens/flowers and many random, playful statues. We had fun walking around and mimicking some of the poses.
Royal Palace (Det Kongelige Slott) - to be honest, I don't remember much about this except walking around the area.
Holmenkollen- this was where many skiing competitions were held. Not sure what they do with it now, but their website says they have some activities up in this area.
Aker Brygge- I cannot find pictures of it, but I know we passed by Akershus Fortress. We had a view of the harbor (Aker Brygge).
Enough time there?
We had one day here and it wasn't enough. I can imagine 2-3 days being suitable.
Flåm/Balestrand (1 day)
*Disclaimer: This trip was taken in 2011 and I don't remember the details as much.
Transportation:
I believe we took the train to Myrdal and from there we got on the Flåmsbana railway to Flåm. We took a boat to Balestrand where we stayed one night. Afterwards we took another boat along the Sognefjord to Bergen.
Activities:
The train ride is the activity ;) It was the most beautiful train ride I have ever been on. I still have images of going down the valley and seeing the bright green grass with colorful houses.
At some point in the ride, we stop at a platform in front of the Kjosfossen waterfall. A woman comes out, music starts playing, and she starts lip-syncing. It was pretty odd, but also very memorable!
At Myrdal, we took a boat cruise on the Sognefjord until we got to Balestrand. It's a very quiet town along the fjord. We stayed at Balestrand Hotel which was a short walk from the water. We discovered that the owner of the hotel was a couple that lived in Berkeley, CA during the off season and in Balestrand in the summer!
There is St Olaf's Church which I read was where they got the name for Olaf the snowman in Frozen. Haha.
Overall, not a ton of things to do, but it's quiet and peaceful. You can walk around the whole town and hear a pin drop.
The next morning we got back onto a boat and started the journey to Bergen.
Enough time there?
Yes, one day was good.
