Europe 2024 Trip Report So Far: Back from 18-day Europe Trip, Review: Iberia Business Class DFW to MAD, Hits and Misses from my First MSC Cruise, DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station Review, Two Days in Amsterdam, Visiting Efteling the Dutch Fairytale Theme Park, Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Slumming it in Economy on KLM from AMS to Houston, Two Nights at Holiday Inn Hamburg–Hafen City
While my daughter and I experienced a lot on this summer’s trip to Europe, our main purpose was to visit Norway, and specifically the Norwegian fjords. Our ancestry is largely Norwegian, and both we both recently felt a calling to visit Norway. Our cruise stopped at 3 ports in Norway, two of them nestled inland deep within the fjords.
Nordfjordeid, Norway
Our first fjord port stop was Nordfjordeid, Norway. This port is close to Olden, which is also a cruise port stop. It’s a cute town!
We booked an independent tour to the Loen Skylift through VisitNordfjordeid.com. The price was less than half the price the same excursion would have cost us through MSC Cruise Line.
After a 45-minute bus ride, we arrived at Loen Skylift. The ride to the top took just a few minutes.
The view at the top was BREATHTAKING!
I was practically in tears, it was just so beautiful. We took some time to soak in the view from various lookout points.
There were hiking trails and a restaurant at the top. We only had a few hours, so we had to pick either hiking or eating. We chose eating. The restaurant had floor-to-ceiling windows.
This experience reminded me of our time in the Swiss Alps. I am so glad we were able to visit this part of the fjords.
Flam, Norway
For our port stop in Flam, we opted to buck the trend and NOT ride the famous Flam Railway. Crazy, right? I had read mixed reviews about it. Instead, I booked a tour through NorwaysBest.com that included a bus ride to Gudvangen, a visit to a Viking village, and a boat ride along the UNESCO world heritage site Nærøyfjord.
The bus ride to Gudvangen was 20 minutes. Our first stop was Viking Valley village. We had about 45 minutes to explore it on our own before the English language tour started.
While the village is a tourist attraction, it wasn’t filled with tourists. The villagers were roaming around in traditional outfits, going about their business.
We could ask questions and practice axe throwing and archery.
We joined the English language tour, which was really more of a lesson on the history of the Vikings. I thought my daughter would be bored, but she was enthralled.
The village felt authentic and remote.
I don’t recommend Viking Valley for families with small children. But, older kids/teens would probably enjoy it.
We ate lunch in the town of Gudvangen before boarding our boat to sail the Nærøyfjord back to Flam.
For such a small town, Gudvangen’s two restaurants were super crowded. It turns out that tour busses stop here to take visitors to the boat ride along the Nærøyfjord, which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful boat rides in the world.
If I’m being honest, the boat ride did not live up to the hype for me. That’s likely because there were several hundred people crammed on the vessel, and we had to fight for seats on the inside and views on the outside.
Out of the 3 ports we visited in Norway, Flam had the biggest gift shops. If I visit Flam again, I’d try the train ride.
Final Thoughts
I’m so happy that my daughter and I were able to visit the fjords of Norway. My daughter said that visiting Viking Valley village was the highlight of our entire trip. For me, the Loen Skylift was a highlight. Both ports had gorgeous scenery and offered multiple excursion options.
Leave a Reply