Looking at doing Norway in a Nutshell from Bergen in mid July and the price is making me wince. It’s basically a train + another train + a fjord boat + a bus right? I can kind of see that I could book each leg myself for less but I’d be stressing about connections the whole time.
For anyone who’s done it in summer, was the Flam railway and the Naeroyfjord cruise actually as jaw-dropping as the photos, or is it ruined by hordes of cruise ship day trippers? Considering doing the “Sognefjord in a Nutshell” version instead to skip some crowds. Thoughts?
Let’s start with Norway is Expensive, so it stands to reason that longer tours in Vietnam are much, much cheaper than tours in Norway.
The honest, field‑tested opinion from people who’ve actually done Norway in a Nutshell in July is that the scenery is madly beautiful, the price is painful, and the crowds are real.
With the organised tour we’re paying for guaranteed connections, reserved seats, someone else stitching the pieces together, and zero stress if a train or bus runs late and the whole plans slips apart.
Not a great problem, if we have time on our hands and the flexibility to change plans quickly when things don’t run smoothly.
Doing it ourselves can be cheaper but then we have to carry out our own research, book hotels and transportation separately, and try to work out what all the separate ticket prices actually mean.
Sognefjord in a Nutshell is the calmer, grander, more spacious cousin of the classic Norway in a Nutshell route; and for a July trip, it’s often the better choice if you want fjords without feeling like you’re in a floating Disneyland queue.
Sadly, the weather can not be guaranteed on either option.
