An 8-Night Family Vacation in the Fjords
A travel blog by Emma Brown
When I began travelling in Norway, it became apparent to me that finding a package holiday that catered for families with young children was really difficult. Yet, Norway is a wonderful place to get children into the great outdoors, experiencing new activities and appreciating breath-taking scenery. I have even witnessed teenagers putting their telephones to one side and simply saying “WOW! “ at the wonderful sights that they see.
The Norwegian culture is extremely family-orientated and it’s a clean, safe and really peaceful place to visit. All of this has contributed to Norway being in the World Health Organisations top three ‘Happiest Countries to live in’ for just as long as I can remember.
One of the initial goals of our business was to encourage the growth of families travelling to Norway, so it was with real pleasure when we took a booking from a young family in Spring 2019 that had a one-year-old and five-year- old child. Although their hiking abilities were going to be curtailed, and their travelling distances had to be kept relatively short, we knew that we could create an amazing holiday that would get them out and about; experiencing as much of Norway and Norwegian culture and nature as possible.
The brief that the client gave to us included the wish for self-catered accommodation, which would allow them the flexibility to feed their children at the most convenient times. They also wanted separate bedrooms for the children, so that after an active family day, they could put the children in bed for a good nights sleep and enjoy some relaxing time together. With that in mind, we set about creating an 8-night holiday that would be an amazing adventure for this young family.
The family wished to travel at the end of May/early June and in my opinion, nowhere at that time of the year, is more beautiful than Hardangerfjord. This is when the fruit-farming region is in full blossom, the fjord waters are sparkling from winter’s snowmelt and the peaks of the snow-capped mountains can gleam in the late spring sunshine. Hardangerfjord is also conveniently located just a short distance from Bergen Airport, so it was simply the natural choice for this family’s first stop.
We chose one of the prettiest historic hotels in the area, situated in a quaint town with small shops, a beach and a lovely little marina, which is rich in starfish. It’s a dream location for anyone but especially for a family with young children.
The hotel of choice was able to accommodate our client’s wishes in their modern building, with a 3-bedroom apartment. These apartments have a private sitting room, bathroom and fully equipped modern kitchen. They also have a small terrace which boasts a fantastic view over the fjord. In the mornings a full buffet breakfast was included in the price. The breakfasts and dinners at this hotel are eaten in one of the most beautiful and historic hotel dining rooms in Norway, with a vista not only over the fjord but also over the distant mountains and Folgefonna glacier. Dependent on the time of year, the hotel also offers options for dinner, either from the à la Carte menu, the Days Menu or the buffet selection.
The family stayed at this location for four nights. They were supplied with various self-guided family friendly hikes, the majority of which were between 10 and 25 minutes driving time from the hotel. We arranged a day trip on a cruise through Hardangerfjord, passing by historic villages, the awe-inspiring Hardanger Bridge and many spectacular waterfalls, which line the mountainsides and were in full flow from the spring snowmelt. The boat left from the quay outside the hotel and 2 hours and 45 minutes of the trip was given over to exploring and taking lunch in the pretty village of Eidfjord. In addition there were many other local activities or sites of interest for the family to see.
On Day 5 the family drove for one and a half hours through beautiful fjord and mountain scenery, to their next accommodation, which was a beautiful 3-bedroom cabin situated close to Voss Ski Resort. They used this as a base to explore the area and in which to relax. From the door of the cabin are several lovely hikes across the mountain and there are more family hiking routes further up the valley. It is also a great location to visit the World famous and incredibly scenic Flåm Railway and the quaint village of Undredal, with it’s very friendly goats and fjord side farm shop! The family were really impressed by the living Viking museum in Gudvangen and the equally friendly Vikings that entertain and educate the guests there! From this location, it would have also been possible to take a day trip to the beautiful Sognefjord and dine on a buffet lunch at the historic and iconic Kviknes Hotel..
Leaving Voss and driving back through the mountains towards Bergen, the family checked into an Airport Hotel and returned their hire car. From pretty much outside the hotel doors, they were able to catch the light rail into the centre of Bergen, where they explored the city and its many tourist attractions. After a fine dinner in the city, they were able to take the light rail directly back to the hotel.
After a good nights sleep and a very hearty breakfast, the family simply walked a couple of hundred metres into the airport, in time for their early morning flight. There was absolutely no stress, just wonderful memories of a great family holiday and the wonderful country of Norway, to take home with them.
““I just wanted to say thanks for preparing such a great itinerary for us - we absolutely loved our Norway trip. We had such a brilliant time & all your little tips & suggestions were so handy! The Bondhus walk was amazing - I think one of the best (if not the best) walks we have ever done! It was beautiful. Everything you recommended was really good. Bergen was lovely, we loved the Viking Village (my 5 year old chatted to one of the Vikings for about an hour!), the Voss accommodation was really really lovely (such a cute cottage & what a view!) and Trebor cafe was delicious! And all the rest was fantastic too!” ”
Each holiday created is individually tailored to meet our clients wishes but for example:
The self-catered accommodation as outlined above, for a family of 2 adults and 2 children, for 8-nights including 5 days with breakfast, cost in the region of £1950