2 weeks with 2 preschoolers in june

help! my husband, my mother, myself and our 2 daughters (5 & 3.5 yrs- at time of travel) are traveling to Norway the first 2 weeks in June. I would like to fly Boston to Bergen, then take the train to Oslo at the end of the trip and fly back to Boston from Oslo. We are really undecided what highlights to hit! We need a mix of "sightseeing" days, and "playground/kid activity" days. We aren't sure if we should take a Hurtigruten cruise for a few days, or longer? Travel way north to the arctic. Is hiking feasible at this age, or is the terrain to steep/rugged? We would like to take the train from Bergen to Oslo, but does it stop halfway, or do we have to stay on for the 7 hour ride? Should we rent a car, or is it realistic to utilize ships and trains? We would REALLY like to avoid hauling car seats along with us! Our itinerary is wide open, but fjords are definitely on the list, and possibly horseback riding (for me) on a fjord pony. Thanks for ANY input/recommendations!!! -liz

If you rent cars from a major rental comp. you can order car seats.

All the rest is realistic - but you know best if your kids are able to hike. Of course the 3.5 yrs can't (won't) walk 20 km with backpack.

Taking Hurtigruten to the arctic is a 5day trip each direction - with Next to no stops. So that is not really an option with only 2 weeks. But if arcric is something special, then fly.

Why do you prefer to fly into Bergen? Are there some fast one-stop connection you can find (Icelandair has a <9 hrs total traveltime Boston-Reykjavik-Oslo)

The official tourist sites - in this case - http://www.visitnorway.com - are your best friends for these inital questions.

Make sure you realize the short time you have for a very large country - and remeber that you have lots of "arctic" that is closer to Boston and much cheaper.

oh - also would like to add: remember that Hurtigruten is primarily a kind of long distance ferry - do not expect something like Carribian cruises with tourist entertainment.

• We need a mix of "sightseeing" days, and "playground/kid activity" days.* Many places are this is easily combined. One example is Bergen take Fløyen On the top theres a restaurant and a playground. Me and my girls usually buy beverages, loaf, mayo and lemon in a store, and fishcakes and shrimps at the fishmarket and have a picnick when we get to the top.

We aren't sure if we should take a Hurtigruten cruise for a few days, or longer? Travel way north to the arctic.
I would do that on a different trip, Hurtigruten isn`t yhat interesting for the kids, and you allready have more than enough to explore in the south.

Is hiking feasible at this age, or is the terrain to steep/rugged?
Yes, it is. Norway has a lot of mountains, but in example in Oslo you can go hiking in the woods by foot or bike. Easily accessable by t-banen (subway)from downtown Oslo or by train. You know best what your girls are up to. With the help of a child carrier we walked to the Prekestolen (the Pulpit)with my girls when they where 2 and 5. We just made it a whole day trip

We would like to take the train from Bergen to Oslo, but does it stop halfway, or do we have to stay on for the 7 hour ride?
You can do it as a nighttrain, or a day train. Finse and Ustaoset are both trainstations at Hardangervidda, and perfect places for hiking in flat mountain terrain, Hardangervidda. Everyone can hike here and the cabins aren`t far apart. Check DNT (hiking association
Our itinerary is wide open, but fjords are definitely on the list, and possibly horseback riding (for me) on a fjord pony.
Found this at Ustaoset here you can do horseback riding

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