Norway with teen

[Hatsnbats]

My 14 year old DS has being talking about going to Norway for a couple of years now and I said we would look to go either next year in the summer hols. Probably the first two weeks in July.

The trouble is, I don’t know where to begin organising it. There seems to be so many nice places to visit including The north (lofoton/tromso), fjords, Oslo and Bergen and trying to work out how to see at least a good chunk of the country.

If anyone has had a holiday to Norway, I would really appreciate some tips and recommendations! Did you organise it yourself or did you use a travel agent? Car hire? It’s just me and my DS going.

Thanks
😊

Bergen, definitely. I went in July and it was amazing. I love Oslo as well, but it's not a patch on Bergen.

You can absolutely organise it yourself. Book a day trip where you take the train to Myrdal, then the mountain train down to Flåm (you can arrange to pick up hired bikes halfway down), then a rib boat through Nærøyfjord.

Also take the funicular up to Mt Fløien, and the Ulriken cable car, and potter around Bryggen. Even taking a trip on an ordinary ferry through the fjords is awesome.

I did a weekend in Oslo with my teen dd which was fabulous. I'd like to go back in the summer. Public transport for under 16s is quite cheap so I would look at Seat61.com for getting round by train. Also there are the post boats - which seem to get more and more switched on. I think there is a basic version also. But I am well tempted.

global.hurtigruten.com/coastal-product-hub/?_ccid=20927&_ccst=0&_hrgb=2

I did a cruise that went to Norway as a teenager and that was amazing, really enjoyed Bergen but also cruising up the fjords is amazing and when you get to the end you can go off on hikes on your own or join trips organised from the cruise ship. I think that particular cruise carried on onto faroe and Iceland too.

Would add that as a country it’s very expensive, we looked at going on just a camping holiday a few years later and couldn’t believe the costs!

It’s one of the best places on earth.I’m slightly biased because my family are from there.my cousins are the best humans on the planet too.
look into rent a wreck for car hire.I no I no the name… but the cars are great and did just the job.

We did it with 2 teens, car hire. We flew into Stockholm and out of Oslo and did both countries just with Ryanair, flights were incredibly cheap. Norway was incredibly expensive but very beautiful esp around fjords. Pretty easy to arrange yourself. We did a moose safari which was good, boat trip around Alesund, Flam railway, fjord boat trips, Viking Museum were could ax through, whitewater rafting. The Norway tourist board site was good. We booked accommodation via Airbnb and Booking.com. I would ask your teen as well exactly what it is. We have also been to Finland and ours loved that as did brown bear watching at Arola Bears.

We went this summer and loved it. Oslo, Bergen, and a week in the Fjords in between. We travelled by train and ferry.

It's a big country, with loads to see - I wouldn't try and cram in too much. Either stick to the southern end, or go Bergen and north. Depends what the main attraction is for you as to which kind of itinerary would be best.

I was captivated by the perpetual daylight. The sun did set, but not until after 11pm, so it was still light (dusk) when we went to bed. I found that quite magical, for the whole 2 weeks - the novelty didn't wear off.

Sorry this is an old thread but wondered if anyone had any advice about going over the Christmas break? Had thought about flying into Bergen, a night there, doing an organised tour (one I've seen is called Norway in a nutshell where you have various bus / train / boat trips) and then can end up in Oslo. Have older teens - husband says it will be too cold. Any comments? Is it better to put off to another time of year? We're used to skiing / the cold but not sightseeing cold if that makes sense.

One thing to consider going at that time of year is the short hours of daylight. Not a problem in the cities, but I imagine doing the Norway in a Nutshell tour wouldn't be so good, as you'd be limited around what you can actually see. The sun rises/sets an hour later/earlier in Oslo vs London, and the difference would be more marked further north.

It's an expensive place to go. Worth every penny, IMO, but I'd want my money's worth and I think a December trip would be very compromised vs spring/summer.

I'd do a city break in Bergen for a couple of nights, but I'd leave the fjords etc for a nicer time of year.

Also, I think Norway in a Nutshell isn't a 'guided' tour, as such. I think it's just a collection of travel tickets, planned to get you from one end to the other via some interesting places. I'm pretty sure you undertake it on your own.

None of it will be difficult (transport is very easy over there), but just to manage your expectations, I think that it's self guided.

Thank you - guided tour probably wasnt the right term - yes you're right its self guided, I just meant organised for you (i.e. they sort out the tickets etc). Thank you for your advice.

@Africa2go I think in the winter you'd probably not get the same enjoyment of Bergen that you would when the days are longer.

What about a few days in Copenhagen? It'd be fab in December.

thetravelbunny.com/3-days-in-copenhagen-itinerary-winter/

Sorry to hijacker’s OP, anyone got any experience of Norway in April time?

Easter time is ski time. Trondheim eg

Christmas could be hit or miss (and I adore Bergen and the surrounding areas).

Shops will shut, it gets dark very early and, while you could get snow, you could also get grey/ rain.

Easter is skiing time. Lots of people holidaying in the resorts. Shops shut for several days over Easter.

Other than that (!) spending time in Bergen/ Voss and on boats is a great way to see Norway.