Western Norway is home to several majestic fjords like Hardangerfjord, Geirangerfjord, Lysefjord, Nordfjord and Sognefjord along with Jostedalsbreen, Jotunheimen and Folgefonna National Parks.
A friend with a family of four asked me to plan a two-week trip to western Norway on a budget of <$6000 for flights, rental car and accommodation. He has around 150K MR points but wanted to save them for a future trip.
While most visitors to western Norway spend time in Bergen, he was more interested in exploring Geirangerfjord and Jostedalsbreen National Park. I suggested Alesund, Norway as their arrival airport (AES) to explore the region.
Norse Atlantic & Norwegian Air Round-trip flights from JFK to Alesund
Norse Atlantic has flights (Wed & Fri) from JFK to Oslo for very good prices if you are traveling with only a carry-on luggage (10kg/22lb limit). Norse Atlantic has a partnership with Norwegian Air for internal Norway connections. Both airlines assign seats together for families with children so there are no additional fees involved.
My friend wanted to skip staying in Oslo and head out to explore the Geirangerfjord and Jostedalsbreen National Park.
Total Cost for the flights from JFK to Alesund
Traveling on the budget flights mentioned above will cost around $2500 for a family of 4 (with carry-on luggage only), which is significantly cheaper than booking KLM or SAS flights.
Alesund Airport Car Rental
Rental cars are a must when exploring Norway’s scenic trails and fjords, and I suggest readers book as early as possible to get the best prices. We checked the prices on Kayak (link) and they were surprisingly reasonable for a 2 week rental.
Geirangerfjord Accommodations
I recommended my friend’s family to stay at Fjords View in Sjoholt, Norway since it is reasonably priced with a breathtaking view.
Geirangerfjord driving itinerary
I reviewed my driving experience in this region in an earlier post (review) and it typically involves taking a car ferry and visiting scenic areas like Trollstigen, Geirangerfjord (including Dalsnibba), Andalsnes gondola.
Jostedalsbreen National Park Accommodations
Booking.com (link) has several accommodations to choose from near Jostedalsbreen National Park.
Jostedalsbreen National Park Trails
Jostedalsbreen National Park has several trails you can hike (link) and it is a joy to explore them with a rental car.
Conclusion
My friend dreamed about visiting Norway with his family in June during the summer holidays. His last international trip was to Iceland with his wife and they had a great time exploring the waterfalls and taking a boat ride on Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. His total cost for this trip was around $5600 for the flights, rental car and accommodations.