Norway adventure
This post is about our Norway experience. It’s not going to have any detailed logistic instructions because that’s just not my thing (I’m blessed with a very operational and logistic savvy hubs). But I will provide info on where we stayed, links to the tours, and how much our trip ended up costing us, as well as the overall experience. If that interests you, happy reading!
Going to Norway was never at the top of our must see list. I mean, it was there, like the rest of the world, but it wasn’t like a tier 1 destination. The way it came about was just so organic and really driven by us being in Madrid. It started with the idea that our family would come and visit us in August. We were focused on destinations around Spain and trying to pull together an itinerary that would make everyone happy. Meanwhile we were also hearing from everyone around us about how hot it gets in Spain in August. So we decided to pivot. Where is it cooler? Well, up north. Ok, where up north? Well, ideally someplace where the hubs doesn’t have business travel. As we perused good ole Google maps we “stumbled” upon Norway. So the hubs and I looked at each other and were like, “yeah that seems cool, let’s go there.” And this is where the story begins 🙂
After getting the family onboard (it took a tiny bit of effort only because Norway was beyond everyone’s travel horizons, not just geographically but also imaginatively), we started planning. Oslo was first on the list, only because that’s what we knew of Norway. But as we started sharing our plans with people and researching we decided to add Bergen, Alesund, and finally the Lofoten Islands. The trip architects were me, the hubs, and my mom. My mom is an amazing researcher and her recommendations are what drive a big portion of our family non beach trips. She’s the queen of finding anything and everything on YouTube. So the idea of going to Lofoten Islands came from some YouTube link my mom found.
Based on our research the fjords are THE thing in Norway (along with Trolls, which I really don’t get). So we decided to focus our trip around that.
First up was 3 days in Alesund, through an overnight stop in Oslo. Oslo was where the fam meetup was happening. At this point it’s been 2 months since we last saw each other, which is an ETERNITY considering we used to see each other every Sunday Funday. The hubs and I got to the hotel first and then sat outside anxiously awaiting the bus that was bringing the fam to the hotel. I saw the bus driving up the road, and as it pulled up I saw my mom, dad, and sister staring out the window. As the bus stopped we all ran towards each other and started hugging and squealing and shrieking and jumping up and down holding hands! LOL! It was one of the sweetest, happiest moments. (I’m tearing up as I’m writing this now…)
And this is where the trip really begins :) The next morning we had an early and quick flight to Alesund getting us in around 10am. It was a free day so we strolled the town, had a coffee and shared some baked goodies at Racoon, a local pastry shop. This was where we first encountered the local brown cheese. I know, brown cheese? But it’s quite unique and really tasty. It is slightly salty and slightly sweet and kind of tastes like salty condensed milk. It was on top of a sweet, fluffy pancake and that whole combination blew my mind. I highly recommend trying it if you get a chance!
The rest of the day was spent wandering around the town, going up to the highest lookout point, and then relaxing at the Hotel Brosundet outdoor tubs - definitely a highlight! Days 2 and 3 were tour days - Geirangerfjord cruise and Trollstigen bus tour. Both were full day (8-9 hour) tours filled with one breathtaking view after another. Cruising along the fjord is an experience not to be missed. This is a bucket list type of thing. Traveling along the incredibly smooth and clear water, seeing nothing but the stunning land masses with random, wild waterfalls, seeing the clouds nestle in between the mountain peaks - there was something so spiritual about it. It really makes you appreciate how grand the world is, which somehow washes away a lot of the day to day things we stress about. There is so much more out there than what literally faces us on the daily. In our day to day we can’t help but be consumed with all the “stuff" like dealing with Comcast, or getting angry at our neighbors for being loud/messy, or being irritated with co-workers, etc. I love how travel and seeing newness, and especially nature, puts all of that into perspective.
After Alesund we flew to Bergen and spent about 1.5 days there. The purpose of the stop was to go on another bus tour (all links for tours will be at the bottom of the post). The day of the tour was a looooong day filled with a handful of stops with beautiful views of the fjords. Looking back on it, we could've skipped Bergen. I say this only because we had other opportunities for views and we didn’t really get a chance to spend time in Bergen. Ultimately we could’ve shortened the trip by 3 days and saved about $1K. But again that’s because we were able to spend time in the other cities.
Next up, Lofoten Islands. We spent the most time here, about 4.5 days and it was my favorite part of the trip. What I remember the most was how incredibly quiet and peaceful it is everywhere. Lofoten is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up north (go ahead Google it). Not only is it north but it’s also completely remote. It is a collection of little islands with the most spectacular views anywhere you look. We stayed in Svolvaer, for no reason other than lack of hotel availability in other towns because we planned the trip in July. But it ended up being a perfect location - close enough to the airport in Leknes (about an hour drive) and close enough to the southernmost tip of the islands, A (yes that’s the name of the city. It should have a little “o” on top of the “A” but I don’t know how to do that.)
Initially we planned for another boat cruise while in Lofoten, but after the two earlier in the trip we were all boat cruised out, so we were luckily able to cancel for a full refund (the tour link will be included in the bottom). Instead, we decided to just slow it all down. We took our time driving to A(o), stopping along the way for multiple photo ops and lunch. Another day we drove to Henningsvaer to check out a coffee shop and some galleries (the Lofoten Islands have a lot of galleries considering the size and population of the area). We also took a day to hike Ryoten. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the top because there were some muddy and steep parts that made various people uncomfortable. So instead we decided to head back to the hotel to warm up with the sauna. That ended up being a memorable day for me, when I did something I never thought I would - I dipped into the intensely cold Norwegian Sea!
Let me paint this picture…..it’s about 60 degrees outside, kinda rainy and windy. Enough to make your bones chilly. The hot sauna is a separate structure, outside of the hotel. It’s basically just the sauna and changing rooms for men and women, one each. This structure is built right on the sea, and it has stairs leading into the sea. The whole sauna experience is “the” thing in Norway. First you sit in the hot dry sauna and then you cool off in the sea. Sounds quite extreme but it ended up being really relaxing. There were other Norwegianers there and they were able to swim for an extended period of time, but as a beginner I stayed on the stairs :) You do need to be a bit careful about going too far out, especially if you’re not an expert, because the water is so unexpectedly cold, your heart could go into shock. I know, I’m not selling it but I promise it ended up being an amazing experience!!
It was finally time for the last leg of the trip - Oslo. I can’t believe how fast the time went. At the beginning of the trip you’re so excited because you have two glorious weeks of travel and family - time to walk hand in hand, laugh at random things, and just be together experiencing the natural beauty of the world. But then it goes so fast, like a quick blink!
Oslo was purposefully left for the end, so we could shop, relax, maybe indulge in some spa action. Unfortunately, Oslo didn’t turn out exactly as planned. There was definitely sleeping, but not much relaxation. We all got some kind of stomach bug! And it hit all of us to varying degrees. It started with my mom on the way to the airport in Lofoten. Slowly it started taking us out one by one, LOL. I was up next….I spent all of Saturday in the hotel room sleeping, but at least I was able to experience a bit of Oslo for 1.5 days. The day of everyone’s flight home, Dmitry and my sister got it. Somehow my dad came out relatively unscathed.
There were a few things to note that didn’t get mentioned:
The food is SO expensive. I know that’s what you read everywhere but I couldn’t believe how expensive it all was. For example, a can of Coke was $6!! Thankfully breakfast was included in our hotel stays, so sometimes we even had lunch if you know what I mean ;) Dinner usually ended up costing about $50 per person. And these weren’t fancy or super nice places.
Not only is the food expensive, but the cuisine is very heavy. Yes, lots of amazingly delicious and fresh fish but also lots of bread, butter, and heavy cream. It does start to wear on your stomach if you’re not used to that type of food.
Finally the costs….it definitely was not a cheap experience. The average price for a tour/activity is about $150 per person. We ended up planning 4 excursions but only did 3 of them. For hotels we tried to balance quality and price, we ended up staying at 4 star hotels and the average price was $230 per night for double occupancy. But that included one night by the airport in Oslo, which was much cheaper than the other hotels. Excluding that it was $240 per night. We also booked our hotels in July, so I’m guessing rates could be a little better if you book further out. Getting around within Norway is time consuming by car and/or train so we chose to fly and use taxis, which is definitely the costlier option. We took 4 inner country flights - 3 of those cost about $300 each and the other was $120. Plus our flights to and from Norway. So all in all we spent $10K —> $3K on hotels, $4K ($2K per person) on transport (flights and car rental in Lofoten), $1.2K on tours/activities, and about $1.5K for food and miscellaneous. I do think costs can be cut if the trip is shortened and/or if lower quality hotels are booked. I suppose you can also book less tours and do more self driving.
Norway is one of the most unique destinations I’ve seen, and we only scratched the surface! The dramatic landscape combined with the precious family time made this one of my happiest and most memorable trips.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Logistic info below.
Hotels:
Alesund - Thon Hotel Alesund
Bergen - Hotel Norge by Scandic
Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands - Hotel Thon Svolvaer
Oslo - Hotel Thon Opera
Tours:
Geirangerfjord cruise - https://www.viator.com/tours/Alesund/Fjordcruise-Alesund-Geiranger-Alesund-3fjords3hours/d4312-188207P1
Trollstigen sightseeing tour - https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g190504-d24018665-Sightseeing_Tour_in_Trollstigen_Land_of_Trolls-Alesund_More_og_Romsdal_Western_Nor.html
Fjord and sightseeing tour - https://www.viator.com/tours/Bergen/GUIDED-TOUR-TO-NAEROYFJORDEN-FLAM-AND-STEGASTEIN-VIEWPOINT-CRUISE/d4318-210586P1
Lofoten Islands cruise (we ended up canceling this one but it looks amazing) - https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g227941-d23597609-Lofoten_Islands_Luxury_Trollfjord_Cruise_with_lunch_from_Svolvaer-Svolvaer_Vagan_L.html