There are so many waterfalls in Norway! Steinsdalfossen is a beauty of a waterfall! This falls is…read morevery accessible from the main highway. There is also a parking area and a souvenir shop. Makes for a wonderful stretch break and photo opp!! The waterfall is not very high, but is still gorgeous! You can walk on a paved walkway with a slight incline in order to walk behind the falls and to the lookout. So go ahead and stop at Steinsdalfossen. It is not everyday that one can view a waterfall so close up and stay relatively dry!!

Rimstigen is by far the best hike in the best fjord in Norway, and it's a hidden gem! The trailhead…read moreis in Bakka, down a small road from Gutvangen. You can park on the side of the road and the trailhead is on the right side of the road just before the bridge. The trail starts as a steep climb...and then continues as a steep climb until the very top! But it is SO worth the pain. All the way up and all the way down are amazing views, and if you are really adventurous, you can keep going up onto the ridge. This trail was an old road the farmers used to take with their herds to take them to the summer grazing fields, so it connects several cities if you're willing to hike far enough. It would be a fun multi-day hike if you are up for it! Naeroyfjord is easily one of the most beautiful things in Norway. Partly because no one else is going to be there while you're there, and partly because it is such a small fjord, you can easily access all parts of it and see across the fjord without a problem.

I cannot rant and rave enough about how spectacular this company is. I love the variety of options…read moreand every employee delivers outstanding customer service. This company is perfection. I have to say we travel a bit and Rose is my favorite tour guide, hands down! She is wonderful, patient, gave out great information and went above and beyond in every way. Fjord Safari makes you want to come back for more! Skål!

If you find yourself with 24 hours in Flam (population: 387) - and you will if you're on the Norway…read morein a Nutshell tour package like Jamie W. and me - then you may find it challenging to fill your time. There were no casinos, no designer outlets, no long-term residencies starring Celine Dion or worse, Katy Perry. But there was this RIB boat adventure excursion. If you don't know what RIB means, it stands for Rigid Inflatable Boat. Yep, it's a zodiac boat with a motor that adds a jolt of speed to your trip. I decided to book us in advance for the standard fjord safari which lasted approximately ninety minutes. It cost 790 NOK or about $80 in US dollars. Pretty typical Norwegian tourist pricing. You're given a pair of goggles and heavy-duty fluorescent chartreuse coveralls as if you're scaling Everest during a typhoon. It was a bit of overkill but a fine Instagram moment (photo: https://bit.ly/3JAo0VU). There were just seven of us including a young child who already seemed bored despite constant prodding from her insistent father. Our guide and boat pilot was Gustav, an ebullient local who brought the necessary enthusiasm to his role. With dexterity, he took us to key spots in both Aurlandsfjord and Sognefjord including a stop where the tip of our boat entered a rushing waterfall (photo: https://bit.ly/3QosZv3). Gustav also shared colorful stories about life around the fjords. There are longer versions of the excursion, some including a goat cheese tasting since it's a local delicacy. I was almost sorry to take off my coveralls as I could feel the testosterone slipping out of me. RELATED - Exploring Norway? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3PEL4Fe

If you ever find yourself in this part of our beautiful world, then I highly recommend dropping by…read moreto visit this beautiful church. It is located in Vik, Norway. Pretty scenery everywhere one looks!! There is an entrance fee to enter the church. I believe the proceeds go towards the upkeep of this historical place. We were fortunate to visit before the bus load of tourists arrived. This church is a wonderful example of Norwegian architecture from bygone days. It is a stave church. Most of these churches were constructed between the 11th and 13th centuries. This specific church was built in 1130 approximately. It has been restored by The Society For The Preservation Of Norwegian Ancient Monuments. Much of the building is still original, though, including many of the stave walls. Such a beautiful wooden church!! The Norwegian wood carvings both inside and outside are impressive. A "Must See" when in this part of Norway!!

I really enjoyed my visit to this church. Plus, there was no one else there, so we were able to…read morehave the place all to ourselves to explore. A few of us made a day trip out of this, renting bikes in Balestrand and biking to the ferry in Dragsvik and continuing on to Vik. Needless to say, it was a long bike ride, and the reward at the end was this beautiful church. The church is located on the outskirts of town, a few minutes from the main area of town. When we arrived, we had the place to ourselves. It was extremely peaceful, but also gave us a great opportunity to rest our legs after a bike ride that was more challenging than expected. The exterior of the church has some wonderful woodworking at the top with dragons radiating from the top. Inside the church is rather dark and austere. It's also pretty empty, no ornate decorations present. The church was built around 1130, so it has been around for a while, albeit with reconstructions over those 900 years. Regardless, it is an impressive structure and display of craftsmanship. The person collecting the admission can provide some additional information about the church. This was a great day trip, granted taking the long way, as we did not have a car and rented bikes. We moved at a healthy clip (or at least tried to) and it is a full day of activity, when you factor in ferry schedules and travel time. At the end of the day, you can look back fondly on soaking up the scenery along the route and seeing a wonderful example of Norwegian architecture. I would highly recommend this as a visit should you be in the area. It's worth noting that there are limited dining options in the town of Vik, in the event you are looking to coordinate a visit with a meal.

Yes I know it's a tourist spot. But I'm a tourist, so there…read more This one is very conveniently located in Flam (I don't know how to use other characters, sorry). We checked out of our hotel in a town about 30 minutes away and our bus wouldn't be leaving for another few hours so we went ahead and tried to walk OUT of Flam's tourist trap (gift shop restaurants and museums) to see what the town has to offer, and ended up at the Viking Village - a Viking village reenactment. Our tour guide was excellent. He very succinctly explained and summarized Viking culture and history. Taking us around to the different aspects and/or trades in the Viking Village, he gave some short, funny and educational talks. There's a restaurant serving Viking themed tourist-friendly food. A great gift shop. Flam is VERY much a tourist town: it's a cruise ship stop, it's the Flam Train terminus, tour buses pass by and there's a gas station if you're travelling by car.

This place was open super late and was one of the only options open when we arrived from the Fjord…read moreCruise at 5:20. It was not that crowded, but was clean and the staff was nice. They mostly serve Norse mythology themed burgers like Thor, Loki, Odin, etc. They also have classic salads like the Chicken Caesar salad. For a small little town with almost no other options, the burgers were fairly good!

They're not kidding about the Future because the future is here in this state-of-the-art…read moreall-electric, emission-free catamaran ferry. Jamie W. and I were passengers on the more traditional Geiranger Fjord Cruise just two days before and loved it (review: https://bit.ly/3pfKiCW). This one travels between Gudvangen and Flam, and it was a lot more crowded as a lot of tourist buses arrived at the same time in Gudvangen. However, the unique multi-floor design didn't feel claustrophobic as the exterior diagonal walkways connected the spaces in a most unobtrusive way. Believe me, you don't want anything obtrusive in your way when you're Instagramming all the striking scenery in Sognefjord (apparently the world's longest fjord) and Aurlandsfjord. It was so beautiful we saw these waterways twice more - at a faster pace in the Fjord Safari zodiac boat (review: https://bit.ly/3pfKm5E) and from up above on the Stegastein Viewpoint (review: https://bit.ly/3dxIwe1). The cruise lasted a couple of hours, a quickie by Norwegian standards, and there was even a snack bar with a constant line. However, we were so entranced by the lack of combustion that we decided we didn't need a hot dog. RELATED - Exploring Norway? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3PEL4Fe

I highly recommend taking this boat ride along the fjord. You will be able to witness some of the…read moremost stunning views from a comfortable and beautiful boat. You have a few options: -Take the boat tour for 5 hours roundtrip or; - Take the boat tour 2.5 hours one-way to the Viking village and take a shuttle bus back to Flam. The shuttle bus takes about 20-25 minutes. This boat tour was one of my favorite parts of my visit to Flam.

Fun nature center that was part of the tour. Ecological history throughout the museum to teach…read moreabout the fauna and flora. I especially loved the widescreen aerial footage over the fjords. The vast beauty of the landscape is breathtaking.

Our Viking Cruise ship docked in Eidfjord, which was small but mighty in terms of it's stunning…read morescenery. Gayle and I enjoyed walking around town (and surroundings) in the morning, and in the afternoon we took a tour bus for a short journey to the Norsk Natursenter Hardanger or Norwegian Nature Center. One really cool feature of the Nature Center compound is the grass roof on one of the buildings, including a small shed for the goats. That building also houses a decent gift shop and a cafe. The Center itself does a nice job of showcasing various aspects of Norwegian nature, climate, and the environment. It's also an authorised visitor's centre for Hardangervidda National Park. It was a well presented and good learning experience for both of us. And it made us wish for more time in this gorgeous part of Norway.

This is a nice waterfall hike…read more Please note that there are over 500 steps to the top at the waterfall. The steps are rock so if you go when it is raining, it is likely very slippery. I would not hike this if it is raining a lot. There are several stops along the way which offer a nice overlook of the Flam fjord. This is a popular hike for many tourists. The start of the trailhead is about an 18 minute walk from the Flåm city center. I went on a busy day, but it was still manageable to hike. Just take care when hiking and be cautious for yourself. I recommend wearing good hiking shoes with good traction and bring drinking water. If you're a beginner, you can probably make to the top in 30-45 minutes. If you have a hard time going up hill, just give yourself time and take it slow. It is not a race. It is worth the hike.

According to AllTrails and the locals in the area, this hike is rated as 'easy to moderate' but I…read morefound this hike to be rather difficult. A few things to note: -This hike is 50 percent uphill and 50 percent downhill. Be sure to have proper hiking shoes. -There are several parts of the hike that are not paved and extremely narrow. -There are several rest stops to take pictures near the waterfall. -Be sure to go all the way up to the end of the waterfall. There are several areas that lead you to believe that the trail is over, but it's not. Make sure to go all the way to the end until you see the rocks and the waterfall. You will be able to touch the water. -Depending on your speed and the number of stops that you take, the hike should take you between 1.5 -3 hours. The hike is very pretty and worth the steep incline and decline, but I wouldn't rate this as easy. If you have some time to spare in Flam, I would put this on your list of spots to visit.