European Diaries- Bergen-Flam-Oslo

Still under the spell of last night magic, we woke up early to catch our flight to Bergen. Our talks were centered about  Aurora . All of us had the satisfactory happy smile on our faces. The whole purpose for which we planned our trip was a success. It was a mission accomplished feeling.

 Bergen:

             After a rocking flight (literally), we landed in Bergen. Life is a good balancer. After 3 days of perfect holiday, we were welcomed in Bergen by rains.

• Buses outside the airport go to city center. You can buy tickets when you board.
• Bergen Railway Station/Bus Station has lockers to keep your luggage.
• Bryggen Wharf is walking distance from the city center.
• There are lot of restaurants/cafe around the Wharf.
• It is called as the postcard city and truly so. In perfect weather, one can simply roam and explore the city.

Flam:

• It is a small charming village, in the Bergen-Oslo stretch.
• Bus runs from Bergen to Flam (Bus No 450) and the journey is picturesque.You can book bus tickets from here-Bus Tickets.   
• The Flam Hostel is a good budget property. It has a common kitchen and bunker beds. They have their own small grocery shop from where you can buy.
• There are good restaurants near the Flam station, but they were closed when we reached (around 9 pm).In the morning we ate at Toget Cafe.
• The village has eye catching spots and they have made it tourist friendly. There are benches near the river where you can sit and enjoy the view.
• The Flam ferry terminal, bus station, train station are all nearby. There is museum and souvenir shops around.

 Fjord tour:

• During winters, Naeroyfjord is operational. From Flam, bus drops to Gudvangen and from Gudvangen we took the ferry back to Flam.
• This is an area that has been named one of the most beautiful fjord landscapes in the world and is on the UNESCO world heritage list.
• To be honest, I expected it to be exceptional, but I found it ok. The mountains were not snow covered, neither was it green. So it dint look, the way it looked in pictures. I am sure it will better during summer or peak winter. Nonetheless, it is a good experience when you come in between the two mountains.

It was the only fjord tour we could take. There are numerous beautiful fjords and tour available to do in summers.

Fjord Tour Booking

Flamsbana Railway:

• One of the most beautiful steepest train journeys in the world. It starts at Flam and ends at Myrdal.
• In 55 minutes from the sea level you reach at the mountain level.
• You pass through various waterfalls, small villages and snow covered mountains.
• They halt at one of the station, where one can alight for pictures.
• The train timings coincide with the Bergen-Oslo train timings from Myrdal.
• Flam Railway Booking

Bergen-Oslo Rail 

• From Myrdal, we took the train to Oslo. It is a recommended route and rightly so
• The journey is spectacular and relaxing.
• We bought the Minipris ticket. I would suggest to take the journey in daylight ,as by 8.30 pm it becomes dark and cannot see the views.

Bergen Rail Booking 

        We reached our Hotel in Oslo, by late night. This was our last night in this gorgeous country. Norway is an alluring place .It is bestowed with stunning beauty. Not just the scenery but the Norwegians are a bunch of lovely and friendly people. I have not met such honest people in the travel industry. Norway is extremely high on happiness index. It reflects in the behavior of its local. They say Norway is an entirely different country during summers. I wish to come back again ,to experience the different magnificent fjords and to mingle with the amazing locals.

My previous collection:

Tromso-Aurora Borealis

Lyngen Alps-the-chase-begins

Oslo -A-quickie-in-Oslo

Planning -Planning-the-trip