I planned my trip to Norway wanting to see the Northern Lights. Working with kimkim, I found it the easiest way to not only go over my ideas, but have ideas that I wouldn't have any thought of. I started my trip in Oslo and was able to experience the last Christmas Market of my Christmas Market hopping I had done. The hotel I stayed out was perfectly situated and made it very easy to walk to the train station, and the park where the Market was held, when I left the next day to head towards...
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I planned my trip to Norway wanting to see the Northern Lights. Working with kimkim, I found it the easiest way to not only go over my ideas, but have ideas that I wouldn't have any thought of. I started my trip in Oslo and was able to experience the last Christmas Market of my Christmas Market hopping I had done. The hotel I stayed out was perfectly situated and made it very easy to walk to the train station, and the park where the Market was held, when I left the next day to head towards Bergen. When I was planning my trip, I thought I was going to just take the train directly to Bergen; however, with the advice of kimkim I actually stayed a night Flam. To make sure the night wasn't boring, they arranged for me to go on a hike in the mountains. It turns out, I was the only one who signed up for the hike. My guide, Bjorn, still took me out for the hike. It was definitely worth the stop in Flam to go on the hike and see the fjord. Bjorn was so knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the mountain and you could tell he really respected the Norwegian way of life when it comes to outdoor adventures and respecting the land and personal property. After my night in Flam, I headed on the train towards Bergen. That is where there were problems. It turns out when we arrived in Bergen, someone had taken my luggage! I waited at the train station, with their luggage, for over 3.5 hours to see if they would notice and be able come back to the train station. If this isn't a perfect reason to have a luggage tracker when else would be the perfect reason. Because I was in the train station for so long, I didn't get to go out and see Bergen at night. I then woke up the next day to find out my flight to Tromso was cancelled and I was rebooked on a flight that leaves 2 hours earlier. It was a scramble, but I got there. My time in Tromso was great. Overall, my trip was very good and the planning time put in by everyone made it a memorable experience.
Hotel Reviews
Perfect location to train station and park when the Christmas Market was.
Staff
Staff wasn't as friendly as you would expect from a hotel that sees a lot of international travelers.
Cute little hotel closer to the water. It seems like a lot of travelers use this hotel. I did get an "upgrade" to have a balcony. I was still on the main floor, so it ended up being a patio. The room was spacious though and worked well.
Quality Hotel Grand Tromso
Tromsø
Was in a great location to downtown. Easy to pick up public transport or go to the meeting places for any activities.
Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardemoen
Gardemoen
Perfect place to stay when you have a really early morning flight and just need a place to relax the night before.
Activity Reviews
Northern Lights Hunt by Minibus
Tromsø
The guide was really great about hunting for areas where you could see the Northern Lights, even though the night was very cloudy. He ended up having us see the northern lights twice that night. They weren't extremely active, but we were still able to see them. The guide was wonderful and making sure everyone was having a good experience.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Reindeer Sledding, Northern Lights & Sámi Culture Experience
Tromsø
On our way out of Tromso and just a quick 10 minutes from the camp, a car accident happened. We were stuck in line waiting for EMS to get to the occupants to get them to the hospital for easily over an hour. When we finally arrived at the camp, they were able to have us do the sleigh ride and feed the reindeer, but we weren't able to eat the dinner due to time constraints. The people were definitely wonderful, took good care of the reindeer, and did the best they could within the time. We did end up getting a refund, which was appreciated. If you are able to have a full time with the experience, I would say that it would be quite amazing.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Arctic Fjord Cruise & Fishing Excursion
Tromsø
I had researched do an arctic fjord cruise with fishing as an option. I wish I would have known, even though it stated lunch was included, all they had was coffee, tea, cocoa, and cookies. I don't know if I would recommend this company for the fishing excursion again, but I would try another one. The captain did try to take us to multiple spots to try to catch fish, so that was appreciated. Overall, I wasn't a fan of the experience and would be a skip.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Northern Lights Husky Experience with Dinner
Tromsø
The people there really cared about the dogs and were knowledgeable about each one. The food for dinner was good and they even catered to a couple who were vegetarians. We closed the night with mattress sledding and roasted marshmallows. It would have been 5 stars if I would have been able to go on the husky sled ride.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Bjorn was an amazing guide and definitely enjoyed it. As it ended up being just us--definitely appreciated that they didn't cancel because not enough people signed up--it was more special. When we went to the bridge to overlook the fjord, there was no one on the bridge, so Bjorn could take lots of pictures of me, which was nice. During the hike, Bjorn pointed out flora that was typical in the area and at the top, we stopped for some hot berry juice and Norway's version of a Kit Kat bar. We had a wonderful discussion during the hike and even though it wasn't a snowshoe one, I had a good time.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Maria Shephard
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