A week is enough to experience the single best rail-and-fjord combination in Norway without rushing: the Bergen Line across the high mountain plateau, the Flåm Railway's steep descent to the fjord, and a ferry leg through some of the calmest water in the country, finishing in Bergen. This itinerary keeps the travel days short and lets the scenery do the work, rather than trying to cover the whole country in seven days.
The shape of the week
This route runs Oslo → Myrdal/Flåm → Gudvangen → Voss → Bergen, following the classic corridor known informally as "Norway in a Nutshell," but done independently and at a slower pace than the packaged day-trip version most visitors take. It assumes you fly into Oslo and out of Bergen, or the reverse, both well-connected international airports. Every leg uses Norway's ordinary rail, ferry and bus network — nothing here requires a private tour, though the region is popular enough that booking ahead matters more than the distances might suggest.
Days 1–2: Oslo
Oslo rewards two unhurried days: the harbourside Aker Brygge and Opera House, the Vigeland sculpture park, and at least one of the excellent museums on the Bygdøy peninsula, reached by ferry from the city centre in summer — the Fram polar exploration museum and the Viking Ship Museum are the standouts. Oslo is also a good place to stock up on snacks and a picnic for the train journey ahead; the Bergen Line has no proper dining car on every service, and Norwegian on-board prices are steep.
Day 3: Oslo to Myrdal and down to Flåm
The Bergen Line (Bergensbanen) climbs from Oslo across the Hardangervidda plateau — the highest main-line railway in northern Europe — reaching the junction station of Myrdal in around five hours. At Myrdal, change onto the Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana), which descends nearly 900 metres in just 20 kilometres of hairpins, waterfalls and tunnels to the small village of Flåm on the Aurlandsfjord. Sit on the left-hand side from Oslo for the best plateau views, and don't rush straight onto the connecting train at Myrdal without at least glancing up at the surrounding peaks — this is one of the most abrupt landscape changes on any railway in Europe. See our Bergen Line guide and Flåm Railway guide for seat advice and full timings.
Day 4: Flåm and the Aurlandsfjord
Give Flåm a full day rather than treating it as a photo stop. A fjord cruise or the scheduled ferry along the Nærøyfjord — a narrow, UNESCO-listed branch of the Sognefjord — is the natural way to spend the day, with cliffs rising almost directly from the water on both sides. Flåm itself is tiny, but the surrounding valley has short, well-marked walking trails if you'd rather stay on land for part of the day. Book fjord cruise tickets a little ahead in July and August, when demand is highest.
Day 5: Flåm to Bergen via Gudvangen and Voss
Take the ferry from Flåm to Gudvangen at the head of the Nærøyfjord — a shorter, equally dramatic fjord crossing — then a connecting bus to Voss, where you rejoin the mainline rail network for the final run into Bergen. This combination of ferry, bus and train covers ground that would otherwise require a long detour by road, and it's the reason the "Norway in a Nutshell" route has such a devoted following. Connections are timed to meet each other, but allow a reasonable buffer at each change — Norwegian transport is generally punctual, but a missed connection here can mean a genuinely long wait for the next one.
Days 6–7: Bergen
Bergen rewards two full days: the UNESCO-listed Bryggen wharf with its tilting wooden warehouses, the fish market, and the funicular or cable car up either Fløyen or Ulriken for a view across the city's seven surrounding hills. Bergen is also the southern terminus of the Hurtigruten coastal ferry, so if you have more time than a week allows, this is where a longer, more northerly extension would naturally begin.
Doing "Norway in a Nutshell" independently
The packaged Norway in a Nutshell tour bundles this exact Bergen–Myrdal–Flåm–Gudvangen–Voss–Bergen (or Oslo-starting) route into a single ticket, usually done as a long day trip. Booking each leg yourself — as this itinerary does, spread across several days rather than one long day — costs a little more effort but lets you actually stay in Flåm and Gudvangen rather than treating them as brief stops between trains, which is where most of the real experience of this route lives.
Booking and rail passes
Norway is covered by Interrail and Eurail passes for all Vy mainline services, including the Bergen Line, though seat reservations are still required and cost extra even with a pass. The Flåm Railway is privately operated and not covered by any pass — it needs its own ticket regardless. For point-to-point tickets, Vy's advance minipris fares can be very cheap if booked early; Norwegian train fares reward early booking noticeably more than a last-minute purchase. See our Interrail vs Eurail guide for the full pass-versus-ticket comparison, and our wider Norway overland guide if you're extending this trip north toward Trondheim and the Arctic.
Food and what to expect on board
Norway is not a cheap country, and this itinerary is a reasonable place to notice it: restaurant meals, particularly in Bergen and Oslo, run well above the levels most visitors from Southern or Central Europe are used to, and grocery-store picnics for the train days are a genuinely common cost-saving habit among Norwegians and visitors alike, not a sign of cutting corners. Bring cash or a card for the Bergen Line's limited on-board catering, and stock up properly before boarding rather than relying on what's available en route. The Flåm Railway's short journey doesn't need supplies, but the longer Bergen Line legs are worth planning for.
Timing and practicalities
Summer (June–August) gives the longest daylight hours and the best chance of clear plateau views on the Bergen Line, but it's also peak season for both trains and the fjord ferries — book reservations as early as you can. May and September are strong shoulder-season alternatives, with thinner crowds and a real chance of good weather, though the Flåm Railway and fjord cruises can have reduced schedules outside the core summer months, so check current timetables before building a tight itinerary around them.
Frequently asked questions
Is a week enough time for the Bergen Line, Flåm and Bergen?
Yes, comfortably, at the pace described here — a travel day each for the Oslo–Flåm and Flåm–Bergen legs, a full day around Flåm and the fjord, and two days each in Oslo and Bergen. It's tighter than the wider Scandinavia overland route, which covers considerably more ground over a longer trip.
Do I need to reserve seats on the Bergen Line and Flåm Railway?
Yes for both, especially in summer. Vy's Bergen Line express services require a seat reservation, and the Flåm Railway sells its own separate tickets that can sell out on the busiest days — book ahead rather than assuming space will be available.
Can I do this route in the opposite direction, starting in Bergen?
Yes, the whole itinerary works equally well reversed: Bergen → Voss → Gudvangen → Flåm → Myrdal → Oslo. Choose the direction based on your flight arrangements rather than the scenery, since both directions show the same landscape.
Is the Flåm Railway worth it if I've already seen the Bergen Line's plateau section?
Yes — it's a genuinely different landscape, a steep, fast descent through waterfalls and narrow valleys rather than the open, wind-scoured plateau above. Most travellers who've done both rank the Flåm Railway as the more dramatic of the two, if shorter.
Sources and further reading:
- Train timetables and booking: Vy (vy.no); Flåm Railway (visitflam.com).
- Fjord ferry and cruise schedules: check current operator timetables for the Nærøyfjord route (Gudvangen–Flåm).
- Rail pass information: Interrail, Eurail.
- Route research: The Man in Seat 61.