Review Bergen to Oslo
We have just completed the Norwegian Fiords and Coastal Treasures tour . Starting in Bergen
This was our fifth Tauck/Ponant cruise
I’ll divide this into several parts.
First the ship… this was by far our favorite ship experience because the captain and crew and all the Tauck directors were truly exceptional. Aside from being tall, dark, handsome, young and charming and FRENCH, the captain fully engaged with all the people and even gave us three very informative talks about navigation of the ship and so on. We could tell all the Tour directors got on very well. We had taken two previous tours with one and a tour each with two others. There was also a TD learning about the tour ready to lead it next year.
Each of the five Tour directors gave very good informative lectures during the Tour. The French tour director we had also had before. She was fun, and organized several quizzes There was a class with the pastry chef and a number of us made banoffi pies.
The three dancers were very good and interacted with us. The change here was that instead of shows beginning at 9-30 pm, apart from one, the others were performed before dinner so they would be better attended. There was a solo singer along with the dancers. The many slick costumes changes for the dances were impressive. There were man and wife singers which appears to be the norm on these trips.
There was a dance lesson and a karaoke evening which a number of people took part in, it was fun. My husband sang three songs and I joined a group of us to sing a couple of songs.
The welcome captain’s dinner had the majority of people dress up, varying from jackets for some men. The women, short dresses or slacks. No long formal gowns or anything like that. Other dinners, people either dressed up a bit or didn’t bother.
We had one very rough night at sea and I felt seasick all night which is not like me.
The food was French style and generally very good. The standout for me was duck which was the tastiest I’ve ever had. A fish with an outstanding risotto accompaniment was also a standout. Some people were disappointed with slow service at times, we were fine with it. The delightful waiters were a pleasure to interact with.
The excursions….we had an exceptional local guide for our Bergen walking tour. Emma, she owned the local tour guide company. All the places listed in the itinerary in this area were interesting. We had rainy weather but it was ok.
Lake Loen & Kjenndalen Glacier allowed spectacular views. Our excursion that afternoon was the one with the Troll car ride. When we got off the carts, there was quite an uphill walk to the base of the glacier. The ship has a few hiking poles for walking….this day, some may appreciate them.
Geiranger Fjord & the Mountains….we chose the all day coach trip which had many stops for viewing, we really enjoyed that day.
Ålesund…we chose the architectural walking tour. The old pharmacy had an amazing museum with some of the most beautiful Art nouvelle style furniture I have ever seen
Stavanger…it poured with rain and probably our least favored day too.
The seaport town of Arendal was probably our favorite and sailing out of the fiord was so picturesque.
Göteborg, Sweden….this was a busy port with an incredible amount of construction going on. Lots of attractive brick decorated apartments. So different from Norway.
We chose to visit Botaniska, Goteborg's Botanical Garden, one of the largest in Europe and a stop at the trendy 'Haga' neighborhood
I have to point out that apart from the local tour guides in Bergen and Oslo, the others were mediocre at best..something we have never experienced on a Tauck tour before.
More to follow
Comments
Looking forward to more of your review as we decide between the sea or land tour in the future. Thank you!
PART TWO
I did not make notes for the tour as we went along, so here are a few things I’ve forgotten
We arrived in Bergen a day early. We went to the Leprosy museum which was really interesting, it was popular. We went to a couple of museums. We ate in the fish market, where 4 oysters with a dot of caviar cost us about $40. We love oysters so went with it. There are no bargains in Norway!
Oslo is fantastic. I’m glad we stayed on two days to see more. Please be wary of booking anything extra in free time in Oslo as our free time was not, they added a lot more and some people had booked tickets for other things and had to make a choice to leave the tour and go to the place they had paid for. Make sure to ask you TDs if there are unscheduled visits.
We left the ship at 9 am yesterday, did a coach tour of the city and then headed out of the city to the Fram and Kontki museums which are right next to each other and both fantastic. The tour included a brief-ish visit to each. At the Fram, head up to the top floor first and go onto the original ship and down inside it, then if you can, look at and read anything else you have time for. We could have spent hours in each museum. By the way, if one of the local tour guides is a guy. Tall and blonde called for short Chris, go with him, he has a dry sense of humor but his historical and take on things are profound. We then went for lunch in an included Michelin recommended restaurant and had a lovely meal in a reclaimed harbor area with sculptures and walkways with water features, numerous restaurants, a few stores and a broadwalk area with lots of boats.
We had beautiful sunny weather. We had free time to walk around and then back on the bus and up into the hills to see the high ski jump which was in the Olympics. Then on to the sculpture park with the most amazing sculptures by Vigeland.
The Farewell dinner was in the ballroom in the Grand Hotel where the dinner is held after the Noble Peace Prize is presented. The principal violinist of the Oslo Opera orchestra played both classical and modern numbers on an electric violin and we thought it was wonderful.
After the tour ended….we stayed on for two days
The first day we visited the Town hall which has large frescos all over inside. Then we went to the Peace museum, we did not pre book tickets so had to wait a half hour for the next focused guided tour which was about Nippon Hidankyo who won the Noble Peace Prize. We then walked around the remainder of the museum.
We had a coffee just down the side of the museum where delicious bolles were available, a sort of dough, not sticky like donuts with delicious toppings.
We had pre-booked tickets from home for a tour of the Royal Palace. There are sometimes standby tickets available but if you want o be sure to get in, buy well in advance. You go thru airport style security and have to lock all belongings into lockers, no photos and wear plastic covers over your shoes There are quite a few staircases and you can’t lean on walls or furniture.
That evening, we ate a few blocks away in a local non touristy small restaurant with a limited menu. It was called Elias. We had a delicious reindeer stew.
We are almost at the end of our last day and resting after a busy morning. We had pre bought tickets for the Munch museum. It has 12 stories, an impressive building as are most of the places in Oslo. We spent a good two hours there and also ate in the cafe, lovely soup. The top floor has incredible views of the entire city area. We could even see the ski jump in the far distance.
Nearby is the Opera house. I love its design, we walked up to the top of the roof. There are tours inside but we did not pre book so no luck
My final thoughts soon…
Reindeer stew, last photo
Hotels…As soon as we arrived, the tour directors emphasized that Norwegian hotels are not up to what people expect of Tauck. You rarely ever are able to check in early and check in time is usually 4pm
In Bergen, we stayed at the Norge, a good location and it was perfectly fine! I heard rumors that the other hotel had lots of issues…I know no more.
In Oslo we stayed at the Grand hotel. Our room was on the 7th floor and we were basically in the attic. Our room had only skylights, no regular windows. The ceiling was so low I managed to bang my head on it and I’m only 5ft. 2 on a good day. Because the sun was blaring into the windows it was very hot. We turned on the air and it took hours to cool down. If you find you are given a key for the 7th floor, ask for another room. There was a bucket in the middle of the corridor catching drips. The room was small but nicely furnished
Tauck took you to all the great places in Oslo! I never tire of Frogner Park. Did you happen to notice some of the very nice homes in the hills as you drove up to Holmenkollbakken Ski Jump?
The stew looks delicious and the lingonberries are the perfect accompaniment!
Thanks for sharing some photos.
How were the Seven Sisters along the Geirangerfjord? I have seen them raging at times and just a trickle other times.
Yes, we saw the gorgeous homes on the way to the ski jump.
The ship stopped by the Seven sisters and everyone drank wine and cocktails while we watched them.
We absolutely love Oslo and so glad we decided to stay two extra days.
Forgot to mention we also visited the Resistance Museum, not so much English translation but still interesting
Many streets are cobbled in Norway. Suggest wearing shoes with thick soles to absorb the bumps and cracks. Our final dinner was at a Japanese restaurant with a modern twist called Hanami. Our main choice was lobster and leek creamy risotto topped with mango sorbet and foam. We are going to make that at home!
Travel to the airport takes about 40 minutes.
You’ll have to go back and see Stockholm and København.
Snickerdoodle, we originally booked the land Scandinavia tour in 2020 but of course it was canceled. After reading mainly negatives about the logistics of the land tour, we finally decided to forgo a chance to see Copenhagen and now glad we did because we have had a chance to really explore Oslo. My husband has been to Norway Sweden and Denmark, and Denmark three times. I would still like to visit someday.
When people make negative comments about tours without giving specific details, I ignore them. “The food was horrible…the hotel was horrible…”tells me nothing.
København is easy to do on your own and driving into the countryside is very easy. Taking the train is also an option but either way, it would take some planning. Ferries, particularly the overnight ones, are fun and superior to Ponant. My opinion…you already know my reasoning.
Stockholm is one of the cleanest cities I have ever been to.
Although my husband no longer travels with Tauck, we will return to Denmark this fall.
Just received the 2026 land brochure and they have a one week København/Oslo tour. Too short in my opinion but days can always be added.
British you covered all the bases for this trip! Anyone considering this trip will get an excelllent sense of what it is about.
We found most local guides on the trip were just so-so. The trip offered many choices for excursions. One excursion I was unsure I would like was the Petroleum Museum in Stavanger. It was excellent and just the right amount of time. We had a very good guide and it was so informative.
Throughout the trip, we heard a lot about Norway's wealth from oil and gas. Before finding the fields in the 1960s, the country was very poor. Its wealth from its resouces is being conserved as it expects the fields will run out in the next 25 years. People are content and well taken care of by the government. There are major investments in the inrafructure, allowing citizens to travel easily from place to place. I am now reading news about Norway and just saw this small country is building the deepest tunnel in the world. (https://www.themirror.com/news/world-news/worlds-deepest-car-tunnel-costing-1236277)
We were on the first trip this year from Bergen. We went to a different restaurant located near the "ski slope" than you did for lunch in Oslo. It was fine but the delay in service resulted in our having a speedy run through of the Fram and Kon Tiki museums. Something to see on our own when we return to Oslo.
We also were on the 7th floor in the Grand in a room with skylights. Got there late afternoon and had to leave early so did not experience the hotel other than to sleep and the Farewell Dinner. Heard the rooms on other floors weren't much better. Someone paid for an upgrade because they were staying 5 extra days. Their initial room had a tiny window stuck in a corner. Based on what we heard before going from several sources, our expectations on the hotels were low. They were clean and the beds comfortable. We did not stay long in either hotel in Bergen or Oslo.
I highly recommend staying extra days in Oslo. Lots to see.
We did Copenhagen on our own. Easy to get around, nice restaurants, lovely city and people.
Great you could add more about this trip Ourtravels.
The way the government thinks about its people, the wonderful quality of roads to the airport when I think of all the potholes in our state. It’s enviable!
Yes the Grand hotel, I did hear someone else say their room was warm. We arrived at the hotel with just an hour before the final dinner. We saw a couple of our Tour directors leaving the next morning and I went up to them to say that maybe they could have some input into which rooms for Tauck another time as I’m sure the typical Tauck guest would not be happy. The photos of other rooms at this hotel online look fantasy and certainly the bed was comfortable and quality of furnishings ok. There are many more rooms that could have been given, The TD said he would be happy to help change rooms but not liking to cause trouble with TD’s who have such a hard job, I said we would stick it out for the next two nights. There were a large number of first time Tauck people on this tour, who knows what they thought. I heard another person say they were going to travel with Silverseas now. When things go wrong and it’s a first time trip, I wonder if people think one and done and choose another company.
I took a quick pic of our room by the skylights. You can see how low the window comes to the ground. I banged my head on the
ceiling and my husband managed it twice.
So in the end- are you happy that you opted for the Tauck cruise version than the land version with long distances between towns?
Yes definitely, Looking at the land from the seas as well as driving to some locations turned out to be the right choice for us. I would recommend going a day early on the Bergen end and staytwo extra days in Oslo. The problem hotel is on both itineraries