Norway Transportation Tips by FletteMette

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: Most people flying to Norway are flying in to our capital, Oslo - there are international flights to some other cities, mainly Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger - but Oslo Gardermoen is by far the busiest airport in Norway, and our main international airport.

Be aware that if you're flying with Ryanair, you will be arriving at Torp Airport (airport code TRF) in Sandefjord - Ryanair might call the airport Oslo Torp, but that doesn't mean it has got much to do with Oslo. Also, be aware that there's a pretty limited number of flights from Torp airport to other destinations in Norway. Sandefjord is situated about 120 km to the south of Oslo, and Gardermoen is about 50 km to the north of Oslo, so if you're flying in to Torp and want to fly from Gardermoen to other parts of Norway you'll need quite a bit of time between your flights.

Now, back to Gardermoen (airport code OSL). The airport is fairly new and modern, it opened in 1998. There's only one terminal, but the airport is large enough for the hike between gates to be quite long(ish) at times. The queues to check-in and security can be *quite* long at times, so it's recommended to be at the airport early if you're travelling at peak hours.

For details about transport to and from Gardermoen airport and Oslo, see Gardermoen's website (link provided below) - your alternatives include the Airport Express train, local trains (much cheaper and slightly slower than the Airport Express!), bus and taxi.

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Website: http://www.osl.no/index.asp?languagecode=9

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: Norway is a very long country, and road distances between the north and the south are huge. Flying really is the only convenient way of travelling if you're going to the northernmost parts of the country, and if you don't want your journey to take several days. In southern Norway you might want to consider travelling by train, the Oslo-Bergen railway in particular offers some great views..! (Train is not even an option when travelling to the northernmost parts of Norway, as the railway towards the north terminates at Fauske in Nordland county...)

Airlines:

* SAS Norge aka Scandinavian, flies within Scandinavia, and to many other destinations. Food and drinks are for sale on board on routes within Scandinavia, and in Economy Class to various European destinations. Seat allocation upon check-in. www.sasbraathens.no

* Norwegian offers flights within Norway, and to more than 50 European destinations. Usually quite a bit cheaper than SAS. Norwegian has a very convenient "low fare calendar" on their web site, which shows you the cheapest fares available between your chosen cities in your chosen month - great if your flight dates are flexible...! Another thing I like about Norwegian is that the first price they give you *really* is what you pay for your flight - no taxes added. (Norwegian sells point-to-point tickets, but if you're travelling from, say, Tromsø to Bergen via Oslo, you can choose to pay for luggage transfer - otherwise you'll have to check in again in Oslo. You also have to pay ca 25 NOK per piece of checked luggage - hand luggage is free.) www.norwegian.no

* Widerøe has smaller planes, flying to 35 destinations in Norway - mostly small towns. A few destinations in Northern Europe. www.wideroe.no

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: Hurtigruten visits 34 ports along the Norwegian coast - from Bergen in the western part of the country to Kirkenes in the far north. The roundtrip Bergen - Kirkenes - Bergen lasts 11 days, but you can do a shorter trip between any of the 34 ports. This is not at all an ordinary cruise ship - it's also an important means of transportation for locals, especially in the small communities in northern Norway - the ships also carry freight, and you can bring your car along.

There are a number of excursions on offer - some are available all year round, others are seasonal.

Northbound:
Day 1: Bergen
Day 2: Florø - Måløy - Torvik - Ålesund - Molde - Kristiansund
Day 3: Kristiansund - Trondheim - Rørvik
Day 4: Brønnøysund - Sandnessjøen - Nesna - Ørnes - Bodø - Stamsund - Svolvær (Today you'll be crossing the Arctic Circle!)
Day 5: Stokmarknes - Sortland - Risøyhamn - Harstad – Finnsnes - Tromsø - Skjervøy
Day 6: Øksfjord - Hammerfest - Havøysund - Honningsvåg - Kjøllefjord - Mehamn -Berlevåg
Day 7: Båtsfjord - Vardø - Vadsø - Kirkenes

Southbound:
Day 8: Mehamn - Kjøllefjord - Honningsvåg - Havøysund - Hammerfest - Øksfjord - Skjervøy
Day 9: Tromsø - Finnsnes - Harstad - Risøyhamn - Sortland - Stokmarknes - Svolvær - Stamsund
Day 10: Bodø - Ørnes - Nesna - Sandnessjøen - Brønnøysund - Rørvik
Day 11: Trondheim - Kristiansund - Molde
Day 12: Ålesund - Torvik - Måløy - Florø - Bergen

In summer the ships also visit Geirangerfjord and Trollfjord.

There are 11 ships in total, one southbound and one northbound ship leaves each port every day. The ports that are visited during the night on the way north, will be visited during the day when going back south.

Be aware that the standard of the ships vary quite considerably - some are large, new and fancy, others are smaller, older - and perhaps more charming. See the Hurtigruten website for more info about the different ships.

Book well in advance if you want to travel in July and August.

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Phone: +47 810 30 000
Website: http://www.hurtigruten.com/index.asp
Other Contact: booking@ovds.no

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: The Norwegian State Railway, NSB, operates all railway lines in Norway. (Apart from the Connex-line between Sweden and Narvik in northern Norway) Norwegian trains are comfortable and modern, and train travel in Norway can even be cheap, if you book well ahead and get the "minipris" ticket!

The main long-distance lines are:
Oslo - Kristiansand - Stavanger
Oslo - Bergen
Oslo - Trondheim
Trondheim - Bodø

The 7-hour journey on the Bergen Railway, between Bergen and Oslo, is known as one of the most scenic railways in the world, offering fantastic views as you travel through the changing landscapes. On your way to beautiful Bergen you'll travel from the flat, cultivated countryside and forests of eastern Norway, cross the high mountain plateau of Hardangervidda, before passing through the valleys and fjords of western Norway. The famous Flåm railway, part of the popular "Norway in a Nutshell" - trip, connects to the Bergen railway at Myrdal. (See the NSB web site, link provided below, for more info on Norway in a Nutshell.)

There are no railways along the western coast, meaning that if you'd like to go by train from Bergen to Stavanger, or from Bergen to Trondheim, you'd have to go via Oslo - not very convenient. There are no trains to the two northernmost counties of Norway - if you're travelling by train, you won't get further north than Fauske, in Nordland county.

There's only one class on Norwegian trains - but a few optional extras are available, such as NSB Komfort. (75 NOK, which gets you newspapers (in Norwegian;o), coffee/tea and power outlet for your laptop)

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Website: http://www.nsb.no/internet/en/index.jhtml?language=en

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: If you're planning a train journey in Norway, make sure to look for the "minipris" ticket when you are booking your ticket online.

With the "Minipris" ticket you can travel on NSB's regional trains in Norway to *any destination* for only NOK 199 (or 299 if the cheapest minipris tickets are sold out) You could get from, say, Bergen to Bodø for 199!! (The journey would take quite a while, though;o) This is a VERY good buy in expensive Norway... :o) (A normal price ticket Bergen - Bodø would cost almost NOK 1500!)

The offer is valid for a limited number of seats, on selected departures only. Tickets must be booked at least 1 day in advance (and max 90 days). No changes/refunds. The ticket must be booked on NSB's website, or from one of NSB's ticket vending machines - if you buy the "minipris" ticket at the ticket offices, an additional charge of 50 NOK will be added.

I have searched for "minipris" tickets a few times, and they are generally not that difficult to get hold of - especially if your travel dates (or times) are a little flexible.

See NSB's website for more info.

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Website: http://www.nsb.no/ticket_and_travelterms/minipris/article24726-2752.html

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: The roads along the Norwegian coast (particularly in the western part) are constantly interrupted by fjords - and car ferries. On the most heavily trafficked ferry routes, there are several ferries running pretty much constantly - others might only have one or two crossings a day. There might be queues during the summer holidays - reservations are possible on some routes, check with the various ferry companies.

The ferry crossings take anything between ten minutes and several hours - and the price of course varies accordingly. (You pay per vehicle, and for any additional passengers besides the driver)

Most car ferries have a seating area, often with views of the fjords, and a cafeteria where you can get various refreshments - usually there's at least hot dogs, ice cream, chocolate and truly disgusting coffee... :o)

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Even though most Norwegians (and pretty much every single Norwegian under the age of.. 50? 60?) speak decent (or even good) English, it can be useful to know a couple of words and phrases in Norwegian - especially when you're driving around our beautiful country, as many of the signs you'll see along the road are in Norwegian only.

* Rom til leie - rooms for rent (Sometimes the sign might just say "rom" - rooms)
* Hytter - cabins
* Vandrerhjem - hostel
* Leiligheter - apartments
* Campingplass - camp ground
* Fullt - full(y booked)
* Bomstasjon, bomvei - toll plaza, toll road
* Bensinstasjon - petrol station
* Åpen - open
* Stengt - closed
* Parkering forbudt - no parking
* Gatekjøkken - fast food kiosk
* Veikro - cafe by the road. Kjøttkaker - meatballs can usually be found on the menu... ;o)
* Toalett - toilet
* Bær, frukt - berries, fruit: jordbær - strawberries, moreller - cherries, plommer - plums (STOP!!! and buy some if you see any of these on signs along the road, the fruit and berries here really *are* so much better than anywhere else!;o)
* Geitost - goat cheese (of the brown caramel-like kind, read more about it in my restaurant tips:o), you'll see "geitost" on signs along many roads in the mountains - stop and try the special Norwegian brown cheese.. ;o)

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: This is a *very* frequently asked question: "I want to do the Norway in a Nutshell roundtrip - but I think it's too expensive, will it be cheaper if I buy the tickets separately?!"

The famous Nutshell (Flåm railway, boat trip etc - the most popular "tour" in Norway) is just a combination of tickets using public transport - you *might* get cheaper tickets yourself if you manage to get hold of a "Minipris" ticket (info on www.nsb.no - and here on my Norway page:o) on the Oslo - Myrdal (and Bergen-Oslo if you're doing a round trip from Oslo) part of the journey - otherwise, buying the Nutshell ticket isn't more expensive than buying the tickets separately. (If you buy your tickets from norwaynutshell.com - I know some tour operators abroad sell Nutshell tickets that are much more expensive)

There are several possible combinations of the Nutshell, you can do the NIN as a roundtrip from Oslo, roundtrip from Bergen - or a one-way trip from either Oslo or Bergen. See the Nutshell website for more info and prices.

A one-way trip between Oslo and Bergen costs 1240NOK on the Nutshell website - if buying tickets separately the train Oslo-Myrdal costs almost 600, the Flåm railway costs 210, the Flåm-Gudvangen boat 225...then there's the bus / train to Bergen.

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Website: http://www.norwaynutshell.com