Travel: The Norwegian Fjords

The Norwegian Fjords offers to the traveller some of the most isolated and picturesque views in the world. In fact so highly regarded are these sites that the Geirangerfjord and the Nærøyfjord Fjords are part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites meaning that the United Nations have legally protected the sites for the collective people of the world and in the interest of humanity. Looking at pictures, it is breathtaking enough but to visit them it is an entirely new experience.

You can achieve a taster trip of the Fjords in just one day, so as a short vacation, it is the perfect opportunity to get a feel of what Norway and this beautiful part of the world has to offer but it can seem like an arduous vacation that leaves very little breathing space; simply because you’ll spend a significant amount of time travelling through the various parts of the country. The beauty of this though? No matter the transport, whether it’s boat, train or bus, you’re guaranteed some of the most impressive sites and you’ll be designated some time to enjoy the landscapes at a few select spots.

If it’s not something you want to rush and you want to savour the opportunity to see as much as the Fjords has to offer, the advantages of using a tour operator is they curate a number of different packages for the best Fjords experience. So whether you have only one day or want to stretch out the experience, there are plenty of options. It also means your trip can be fully customisable to determine your start and end points, the different and number of places you want to visit, options to book hotels and additional excursions at your chosen stops. What’s more, the schedules are fully timetabled with most of your seats allocated and as long as the schedules are followed, there should be no impact on your experience. We booked ours through the Fjords tours for Norway in a Nutshell.

Although curating your package in this way does take some of the stress out of it for you, it can be a daunting prospect to manage the agenda yourself, particularly if it is choc full of destinations, journeys and excursions. So if you want to explore the Fjords in an even easier way, perhaps it may be worth considering a cruise.

With cruises, it’s not a particular aspect we have first hand experience of but through the itineraries I’ve reviewed as part of research for this post, it does seem limiting in terms of the destinations you visit and of course there are timing restrictions too because you’ve the ship’s schedule to meet. You’ll also find like with most packaged breaks, there is little room for flexibility. With this in mind, I’d strongly recommend doing a little Fjords research and determine which destinations it is you want to visit and which excursions interest you most so when it comes to picking the right itinerary, there’ll be no second guessing when  you go on your vacation as I always find you’ll hear or see something you could’ve, should’ve done otherwise. Something else to note about the limitations of the cruise is that there may be particular aspects of the Fjords not available to you because of the access issue- the Fjords is a remote part of the world that not even cars can get to so it may mean compromising on some destinations you had ideally wanted to visit. If this is the case, review your destination stops and see if you’re able to take a small excursion to the more remote parts that meet the schedule time as well; this way you’ll guarantee the best of both.

As highlighted, the major plus case of booking a  cruise of the Fjords is it is an ideal holiday if you want all the stress taken out of it; you’ll not have to worry about a schedule, finding an eatery you like or the fuss of having to get from A-B, and it gives you the benefit to take advantage of some of the most remarkable places you’ll ever set your eyes on from an entirely unique vantage point. As you’re on a ship for the duration of your break too- you’ll be offered around the clock exploration of scenic landscape the Fjords is most known for.