Oslo, Flåm, Bergen and the Hardangerfjord in 11 Days

Over the mountains by train, through the fjords by boat, then cider in the orchards

11 days4 stops

Original illustration

At a glance

Eleven days across southern Norway from Oslo to the west coast fjords. Two nights in Oslo, the Bergen Railway and Flåm Railway to two nights in Flåm, a Nærøyfjord boat and train to three nights in Bergen, then a rental car to three slow nights on the Hardangerfjord before flying home from Bergen. Best from late May to early September.

By the Honeymoon Huts editors · How we research

This 11 day Norway honeymoon follows the classic route from Oslo to the western fjords, then slows down at the end. You spend two nights in Oslo, two in Flåm on the Aurlandsfjord, three in Bergen and three on the Hardangerfjord. Fly into Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL), which has nonstop service from the New York area. Fly home from Bergen Airport Flesland (BGO) via a European hub.

The first half is car-free. The Bergen Railway crosses the mountains from Oslo, the Flåm Railway drops to the fjord past waterfalls and an electric boat glides through the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord before a bus and train bring you to Bergen. Only for Hardanger do you rent a car, because the cider farms, waterfalls and old hotels are spread along the shore.

Pack a real rain jacket. Bergen gets some rain on more than half the days of a typical year. The fjords look their best with cloud lifting off the walls anyway. Every stop has a sauna, a spa pool or a fire.

The route

Best months: Late May to early September, with mid to late May for orchard blossom
Trip length: 11 days
Budget: About $300–650 a night for two in historic fjord hotels and city boutiques (approximate)

Day by day

Days 1–2: Oslo

The Flytoget express train reaches Oslo Central Station in about 20 minutes. Many US flights land in the morning, so leave your bags, walk the harbor and save museums for day two. Stay by the water in Tjuvholmen or Aker Brygge, where The Thief is a favorite with couples for its art and fjord views.

On the first evening, book a private floating sauna in the harbor and jump into the fjord between rounds. Book a few days ahead in summer. Then walk up the sloping marble roof of the Opera House at sunset, the romantic moment of the city stop.

On day 2, visit MUNCH and climb to its upper floors for one of the best views in the city, then stroll Vigeland Park. In the afternoon, ride metro line 1 to Holmenkollen for the ski jump and walk down to Frognerseteren for apple cake on the terrace. Partners who would rather swim can take a public ferry to Hovedøya with a picnic.

Days 3–4: Flåm and the Nærøyfjord

Day 3 is a train day of about six to seven hours. The Bergen Railway climbs from Oslo across the mountains to Myrdal, where you switch to the Flåm Railway for the last hour down to the fjord, through spiral tunnels and past Kjosfossen waterfall. Book seats ahead for summer. You arrive in time for dinner at the Ægir brewpub, a multi-course menu matched with house-brewed beers in a Viking-style hall.

Flåm is busy by day when cruise ships call and empty by evening, so do the famous things early or late. On day 4, kayak the Nærøyfjord with a guide from Gudvangen, where the walls rise straight up and the narrowest stretch is only about 250 meters across. Or hike the short, steep path to Brekkefossen for a view over the village.

At sunset, after the buses have gone, take a tour or taxi up to Stegastein, a wooden platform jutting out roughly 650 meters above the Aurlandsfjord. Watching the light drain from the valley is the romantic moment here.

Days 5–7: Bergen

Ride the quiet electric sightseeing boat from Flåm through the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen, then the bus to Voss and the train to Bergen. This is the second half of the Norway in a Nutshell route. It takes most of the day. Bergen's center is compact, so walk to your hotel near the harbor.

On day 6, walk Bryggen early, before the shops open, when the leaning wooden passages are empty and smell of tar. Ride the Fløibanen funicular to Mount Fløyen and follow easy trails to the lake at Skomakerdiket. Later, take the light rail to Troldhaugen, Edvard Grieg's lakeside villa, for a lunchtime piano recital in summer.

Day 7 is for the splurge dinner. Book a tasting menu at Bare in the Bergen Børs Hotel, or take the boat to Cornelius, a seafood restaurant on a small island about 25 minutes from the city, where the crossing is part of the evening. Walkers with a clear day can hike the Vidden ridge between Ulriken and Fløyen first.

Days 8–11: The Hardangerfjord

Pick up a rental car in Bergen and drive about two to two and a half hours to Lofthus or Utne, depending on ferry timing. This is the slow stretch of the trip, three nights in one fjord hotel with orchards on the shoreline and the Folgefonna glacier above.

On day 9, taste cider on the farms along the Sørfjord or around Ulvik, where Hardanger cider carries a protected designation. Sit in the orchard and compare dry and sweet styles. Walk behind Steinsdalsfossen near Norheimsund, where the path runs under the overhang. Then cross the stair bridge over the Vøringsfossen gorge near Eidfjord.

On day 10, fit couples can start before dawn for Trolltunga, a 10 to 12 hour hike, while others join a guided glacier walk on Folgefonna or simply use the hotel spa. Hotel Ullensvang has pools and Grieg's composing hut in its garden. On day 11, Bergen Airport is about two to two and a half hours away, so plan an afternoon flight.

Getting Between Stops

Oslo Airport to the city is about 20 minutes on Flytoget. Oslo to Flåm by the Bergen Railway and the Flåm Railway takes about six to seven hours, with a change at Myrdal. Flåm to Bergen by boat to Gudvangen, bus to Voss and train takes most of a day. The Norway in a Nutshell package bundles the trains, boat and bus if you prefer one booking. Bergen to the Hardangerfjord is about two to two and a half hours by car, including a short ferry or the Hardanger Bridge. Hardanger to Bergen Airport takes a similar time.

No car is needed until Bergen. Driving in central Bergen is restricted and parking is costly, so collect the rental on the morning you leave. Fjord roads trace every curve of the shore, so plan for slow driving with stops at fruit stands. Ferries such as Kvanndal to Utne run frequently in summer. Without a car, express buses reach Norheimsund and Odda from Bergen.

Where to Stay

In Oslo, The Thief on Tjuvholmen is a design hotel with art and fjord views. The historic Grand Hotel on Karl Johans gate is traditional and central.

In Flåm, the Fretheim Hotel is the grand old hotel of the village, with a historic wing from the 1800s. The Flåmsbrygga Hotel sits on the harbor beside the Ægir brewpub. Book early, since Flåm has only a handful of hotels.

In Bergen, Det Hanseatiske Hotel occupies old merchant buildings on the wharf at Bryggen. Bergen Børs Hotel fills the former stock exchange and has the restaurant Bare. Opus XVI is a boutique hotel named for Grieg's Piano Concerto.

On the Hardangerfjord, Hotel Ullensvang in Lofthus has been run by the same family since the 1800s, with a spa, pools and views toward Folgefonna. Utne Hotel opened in 1722 and is among the oldest hotels in Norway still in business. Brakanes Hotel sits on the shore in Ulvik.

When to Go

Late May to early September is the window. June brings the strongest waterfalls, the longest days and the full schedule of boats and trains. July and August are busiest, with frequent cruise calls in Flåm and Bergen, so book rooms and train seats early.

Mid to late May is Hardanger's signature season, when thousands of fruit trees blossom along the Sørfjord while snow still covers the peaks. Timing shifts by a week or two each year. Trolltunga is usually passable without a guide only from about mid-June.

September is calmer and often lovely, with harvest on the cider farms and autumn color creeping down the slopes. From October to April, many Hardanger hotels close or scale back and roads over the plateau can shut in storms. The Flåm Railway runs year-round, so a winter version focused on Oslo, Flåm and Bergen is possible, but the full route belongs to summer.

Budget and Booking

Norway is expensive. Plan on roughly $300–650 a night for two in historic fjord hotels and city boutiques, with Oslo and Bergen design hotels at the higher end. Meals and drinks cost a lot, especially alcohol. All figures are approximate and rise in July and August.

Book in this order: Flåm and Hardanger hotels, then the Bergen Railway and Flåm Railway seats, then the Bergen tasting menu at Bare, Lysverket or Cornelius. Walk-up train tickets can sell out in summer. Hotel Ullensvang and Utne Hotel fill with Norwegian visitors during blossom weeks.

Cards and mobile payment are accepted almost everywhere. Carry a little cash for honor-system fruit stands in Hardanger, where mobile payment may need a Norwegian app. Reserve Trolltunga parking ahead in summer if you plan the hike. Save money with picnic lunches from grocery stores and splurge on dinner.

Weather and Packing

Rain is the constant on the west coast. Pack a real rain jacket and waterproof shoes with grip for wet cobblestones and fjord trails, since umbrellas lose to Bergen's wind. Carry a small dry bag for your phone on boat trips, because waterfall spray travels farther than you expect.

Flåm is drier than Bergen because it sits far inland. Summer highs in Oslo usually reach the 60s and low 70s Fahrenheit. Mountain stations on the Bergen Railway are cooler, so keep a warm layer in your day bag.

Bring swimsuits for the Oslo sauna and the fjord hotel pools. Insect repellent helps on summer evenings by the water. If you hike Trolltunga, carry proper gear, start early and expect serious elevation gain. Outside the main summer season, go only with a guide.

Dress codes are relaxed. One smarter outfit each covers tasting-menu dinners in Bergen and historic hotel dining rooms in Hardanger.

Make It Shorter or Longer

With eight days, drop Oslo and fly into Bergen. Spend two nights in Bergen, ride the Norway in a Nutshell loop in reverse to two nights in Flåm and finish with three nights on the Hardangerfjord.

With 14 days, add Geirangerfjord and Ålesund to the north. Drive from Flåm through the Lærdal Tunnel, the longest road tunnel in the world at about 15 miles. Spend two nights at Geiranger and two in Ålesund's Art Nouveau center before flying home from Ålesund Airport Vigra (AES).

With 16 days, add Stavanger and the Lysefjord after Hardanger for Preikestolen, or fly north from Bergen to Tromsø for three nights of Arctic light.

Keep at least two nights in Flåm and three on the Hardangerfjord. A day trip shows you the highlights, but the empty evenings and long breakfasts with a fjord view are the honeymoon.

FAQ

Planning this trip

Is 11 days enough for a Norway fjords honeymoon?

Yes, for the southern fjords. Eleven days covers Oslo, the Bergen and Flåm railways, the Nærøyfjord, Bergen and three slow nights on the Hardangerfjord. Adding Geiranger and Ålesund, or the Arctic north, needs closer to two weeks or more.

Is Norway in a Nutshell worth it?

For most couples, yes. It links the Bergen Railway, the Flåm Railway, a Nærøyfjord boat and the bus to Voss in one route. You can book the pieces yourself or as a package. This itinerary splits it with two nights in Flåm, so you see the village after the day crowds leave.

Do we need a car in Norway?

Not for Oslo, Flåm or Bergen, which work well by train, boat and on foot. A car makes the Hardangerfjord much easier, with cider farms, waterfalls and hotels spread along a long shoreline. Express buses and summer boats reach some villages if you would rather not drive.

What is the best month for this Norway itinerary?

June is the all-round favorite, with strong waterfalls, long days and every service running. Mid to late May brings orchard blossom in Hardanger with snow still on the peaks. September is calmer, with harvest on the cider farms. July and August are busiest because of school holidays and cruise ships.

Can we see the northern lights on this route?

Not really. In summer the nights are too light. Southern Norway is far from the auroral zone. For northern lights, plan a separate trip to Tromsø, Senja or Lofoten between September and March, or add three nights in Tromsø to the end of this route in early autumn.

Stops on this route

Norway

Hardangerfjord

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