Norway- Oslo, Flam, Bergen 2019

Flam, view from our Air BnB

Buddy and me in Flam

We travelled to Norway in mid June of 2019. 2 adults, 1 well travelled 6 yo (Zooey) and a traveler in training at 1.5 yo (Oliver). Norway was as promised a very toddler and little kid friendly destination. All lodging offered kids cots, folks were friendly and open to children and some trains have playground cars for the kids.  For a variety of reasons if I had to pick between this itinerary and our Switzerland trip I would choose Switzerland - slightly better in terms of ease with kids, ease of travel in general and perhaps I just crafted a better itinerary for that one. However I would definitely recommend Norway overall.

9 nights, 2 adults, 2 kids.
Minimalist packing is the best!

Flam

Our preferred style of travel is to spend as much time outside as possible. With young kids, we are not huge fans of eating out and prefer as much food on the go, cooked ourselves or take out as possible though a good hotel breakfast is an exception- good to start with full bellies. We prefer nature to cities/museums any day of the week. We prefer walking as a means of transport whenever possible. We prefer rural or small town to urban.

With that in mind, if I were to do this trip again, I would skip Oslo entirely. It's a nice, clean town with friendly people and plenty to do however we are more into nature than cities, and there was nothing particularly compelling about Oslo for us. We found plenty to do and had fun but could have easily skipped. Bergen, however, while still urban had so many interesting features it was worth visiting despite our preference for nature. If you are like us, I'd recommend you skip Oslo, instead flying into and maybe also out of Bergen and using that as a starting point for going to more remote fjord towns. 

Lastly, I'd recommend the shoulder season. It gets crazy busy on the "Norway in a Nutshell" route from late June until mid August so we went mid-June and that was perfect. You could really see from the infrastructure the amount of people there are at peak season and I wanted none of that!

Day 1/Day 2 ORD--> AMS--> Oslo

We support 'on the go' napping.

Took the train from Oslo airport to Oslo city center which was easy and painless. No need to buy tickets in advance. Stayed at Hotel Guldsmeden which unfortunately was a 25 minute walk from the train. This is not a long walk for us but after 2 flights, a train, time changes etc etc, it was tough. Hotel Guldsmeden was otherwise fine and offered a nice two room "family room"- two connecting rooms and bathrooms for the same price as most hotel single room so ended up being helpful in dealing with the different jet lag schedules of the two kiddos. However I would not pay for the breakfast there (plenty of bakeries around instead), and I might look around for a different hotel given that very painful walk the first day (or look into buses etc which I'm sure are easy but at that point we were so so tired). The location was good once we arrived though- it was just that first painful day. 

Ferry to Bygdoy Peninsula

Pulling their sleds

Day 3 OSLO

Walked to Bygdoy Peninsula ferry. Explored the beach and tide pools then went to the Polar Fram and Kon Tiki museums when the rain rolled in. Def recommend Polar Fram museum- well done with multiple kids activities and can go on deck and under deck of the huge ship. Kon Tiki was great but could be skipped. We went because it was still pouring. Took the ferry back, had ice cream and played at the wharf playground, got take out dinner. 

Bygdoy Peninsula Beach

On the Polar Fram

Day 4 OSLO

Walked to the Vigeland Sculpture garden and Frogner park. This was a great full day activity for us. The sculptures are fun and interesting for ALL ages (even 1.5 was into it, putting his finger into all the babies' belly buttons) and the playground was great- we stopped there twice. Walked to the wharf for dinner then played at the "pebble beach" and mini sculpture garden down by the wharf.

Ollie loved the 'be-bos'
of all the statues

We were told this is a great biking city. There were quite a few bike paths but many of them were right along the roads and sometimes not as clearly labeled as I'd like when carting two littles. So we skipped riding. But if we had one more day we would have tried to rent and ride along the Akerselva river from Maridalsvannet lake to the centre of Oslo. Another good option would be the Nordmarka Forest- 20 minute T bane ride then hike in forest. 

Frogner Park

Useful links:

https://www.familycantravel.com/2017/10/18/how-to-see-oslo-in-5-days-with-children/

View en route to Myrdal

Day 5 OSLO S--> MYRDAL-->FLAM

Playground car fun!

Journey to Flam. We followed the steps of the "Norway in a nutshell" tour but did it ourselves and it was super easy. I'd strongly recommend doing it yourself for two reasons 1) it's cheaper and 2) it's less crowded if you start early and aren't with the masses. Maybe you love the masses. We don't. ;) You should book the trains and the ferry in advance. The bus (from Flam to Bergen) you pay as you enter the day of. The trains start booking I think 90 days in advance (you should check this), make yourself a calendar reminder and book as soon as you are able to get the best seats. If you have playground age kids you ABSOLUTELY want the NSB Familie cars with the playground. The train ride is LOVELY- the kids are happy, you can look out the windows, hands down the best way to travel with small children. 

Tunnel in playground car

OSLO--> MYRDAL, get seat reservation for the NSB Familie car, sit on LEFT side of train for leg to MYRDAL (4.5 hours) for best views, book in advance. The family car has some basic playground equipment, books, and a TV (which we asked them to turn off). Not as amazing as the Swiss playground cars but still nice for the kids to bum around, giving adults the chance to enjoy the amazing scenery!

MYRDAL-->FLAM, book in advance but no seat reservation, sit on LEFT side of train (honestly views are good from everywhere so don't stress), have rain jackets ready for littles as there is a stop at a waterfall a few minutes into the trip, get out and see it!!

Ours was the house on the left.

In Flam, we stayed Fretheim Fjordhytter Air BnB which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. I can't imagine better accommodations. The hosts (Sue and Anders) were very responsive and proactive. The little red house was impeccable - 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and came with a little motorboat to use with kids life jackets provided! The house is on the fjord (you can hear the water splashing on the house at high tide) and THE VIEWS. So perfect. Had I known, we would have stayed in Flam longer. We cooked all our meals in Flam. 

Living room VIEW!!!

To prove this is not a stock photo,
here are my children in front of THE VIEW!!

Walking to our house

Our boat

Helpful links

https://www.nsb.no/en/frontpage. Train info and booking. 

https://www.heartmybackpack.com/norway/nutshell-tour-diy-review/

https://happinesstravelshere.com/norway-in-a-nutshell-with-kids/

View from our living room at dusk, 11:30 PM

Day 5 FLAM

Exploring Flam. We opened our curtains in the morning and wow, the cruise ship had arrived! Didn't obstruct our view though and when we took the little boat out on the fjord we had the place to ourselves. I repeat, we had the fjord to ourselves!! It was magical. Don't let the cruise ship throw you off. I don't know where those hordes of people go but it's not into this quiet, idyllic fjord. In the afternoon we explored the little playground in town and the sand beach (though the water is too cold for wet play). Had we more time, there were many hikes in the area we would have enjoyed but we prioritized time on the water with just 1 day. If done over, I'd stay 3 nights if this was the only rural fjord stop. If other rural fjord stops were planned 2 would be fine here.

We had the fjord to OURSELVES!!

Naeroyfjord

Day 6 FLAM--> GUDVANGEN--> VOSS-->BERGEN

Again we emulated the Norway in a Nutshell tour but did it ourselves

FLAM--> GUDVANGEN is the Naeroyfjord ferry, we took the electric boat and it was wonderful. So quiet. Amazing views. Plenty of seating (shoulder season) and room for the kids to roam. 

GUDVANGEN--> VOSS bus. You buy your tickets WITH CASH from the driver. I had to ask a few people before finding the right bus but it all worked out. The bus had just 10 people in a full size bus. I read that they require kids in carseats and had made a few attempts to email the bus company to make sure they knew we had a baby but never was successful in finding the right person. It didn't matter in the end. Every bus we took they asked if we wanted a car seat and we said "nah" and they said fine. 

Bus Purchase tickets from the driver, timetable here.  Choose Gudvangen ferjekai, Aurland for Departure and Voss stasjon, Voss for arrival.  Check that the stop “Stalheim” is listed as buses that do not stop here and only stop at “Stalheim kryss” do not take the scenic road.

VOSS--> BERGEN train, get the NSB family car, best to sit on RIGHT side of train for views. Get seats in advance

Arrival in Bergen!!

We stayed at the Bergen Bors Hotel which I highly recommend. Was <10 minute walk from the train station, is right next to the wharf/fish market/Bryggen, 5 minutes from the funicular to Mt Floyen. Location can't be beat. Free breakfast buffet was fantastic. There is a lounge with snacks on the 4th floor which was fantastic for us when the baby was sleeping. Highly recommend this hotel.

300 year old very tilted stairs

Since all the transfers were so easy we had energy to spare and explored Bryggen, the oldest district of this very old city. Do plan to spend a couple hours exploring Bryggen.

Bryggen

Day 7 BERGEN

Walked to the Mt Floyen funicular. There is SO much to do on top of this "city mountain". You can get their App and buy tickets as you walk over to avoid the line. Multiple playgrounds (don't miss the nature playground obstacle course- it is FANTASTIC), a lake, goats, hiking trails, restaurants. Spent nearly the whole day up here then grabbed take away from Pasta Sentral (6 is a picky eater) and then had adult dinner (which 1.5 enjoyed too) at the fish market. 

http://floyen.no/en/activitites/walks-hikes-floyen/ 

Top of Mt Floyan

Fantastic Nature Playground

Nature Playground

Day 8

Hike down Mt Floyen

Back up Mt Floyen. This time we took the hiking trail back down which I highly recommend. It's a lovely walk through the woods with views of the town and the water with a playground 3/4 of the way down. We then went to the indoor water park at Vannkanten - easy bus ride- wanted to burn off kid energy for the long travel home the next day. Was a good choice for us as our kids LOVE water. There was a lazy river, a baby area with slide, a little kid slide and a big kid slide and climbing wall.

Surprise slide on the way down Mt Floyen

Other ideas for Bergen

--Ulriken Cable car good if clear hiking trails- there is a shuttle bus running from tourist info site

--child friendly exhibits at the KODE museum

--Vilvite bergen science centre

Day 9

BERGEN-->AMS--> ORD

Playground in International Terminal at AMS

Piece of advice- while the buses aren't picky about car seats apparently the cabs are and our 3:30 AM cab turned us away and we had to instead hustle to the FLYBUSSEN stop. Ended up being cheaper anyway and very easy so I'd use this rather than a cab anyway. But a bit stressful. The Bergen Bors staff were incredibly helpful during this chaotic morning.

There is a decent playground at the AMS airport if you are wiling to allow your kids to experience international germs all in one location, which I was.

If I could do it again I would

1. Stay longer- 10-14 days. 7 hours time difference is painful. 

2. Skip Oslo

3. 2-3 nights in Flam at that amazing Air BnB referenced above

4. 3 nights in Bergen, stay again at Bergen Bors 

5. Spent 4-6 nights split between 2 more rural northern fjord towns

Enjoy!

Benefit of travel- time with my adorable children:)