Scandinavia

[SeatBackForward]

Thanks for the heads up on the costs of Norway, am going to Stavanger for three days attending a conference, any ideas for a half day out of there? I was thinking of just getting a train from Stavanger to Egersund (approx 1hr each way) Which according to the Railways site:
"The Jæren line is the train line between Egersund and Stavanger. It takes you on a scenic trip across fertile hills along the sandy beaches of the North Sea. Link

 

[Kaiser]

But this year was the coldest May/June in over 60 years in Scandinavia.We arrived in Helsinki on 9/6 and for the next 3 weeks had one day that reached 20C.

Indeed a massive influx of unusually wet weather kept the temps down, .but soon as sunshine returned in last week of June and into July it went 10 C above average to 31C - same as last year. Still mild by Australian standards I guess but good to keep in mind that it is highly variable and hard to pick.

 

[david1]

I did Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki last July as well. Didn't have much time but wanted to get a feel for the cities. Flew CPH-OSL and ARN-HEL, the airport trains at CPH, ARN & OSL were great and HEL is a bus that works well. I took the train from Oslo to Stockholm, it took most of a day and was not really worth it for the scenery (especially when the first few hours were on a bus, then we were dropped at a train station in who-knows-where in Sweden or Norway for an hour or so waiting for an ancient train). Wideroe are a Norwegian airline and have cheap pricing for under-25's, flying their own planes or SAS. You can also get Explore Norway tickets, which give you unlimited flights for 2 weeks: Explore Norway Ticket - Unlimited flights with Widerøe | Widerøe, I don't know anything about them though, I only booked an SAS flight through Wideroe.

It was 36 when I was in Oslo, and over 30 for about a week! I agree with Kaiser's comments about a/c, in CPH I had a room underground which was great, but in Helsinki I barely slept. Not the norm though I'm sure.

But, in terms of those cities, Copenhagen and Stockholm were really nice places, (I think they'd be great places to live). The Vasa museum is brilliant (the Mary Rose in Portsmouth is similar, and also amazing), and they are nice places to walk round, the architecture is nice, and particularly this different islands in Stockholm have their own character. Oslo was interesting (especially Frogner Park, well worth checking out), but judging by the amount of construction going on, it will be transformed in a few years. I was looking forward to Helsinki, but it was just not as interesting to me, I think you'd be better off getting out into the country.

 

[amaroo]

Thanks for the heads up on the costs of Norway, am going to Stavanger for three days attending a conference, any ideas for a half day out of there? I was thinking of just getting a train from Stavanger to Egersund (approx 1hr each way) Which according to the Railways site:
"The Jæren line is the train line between Egersund and Stavanger. It takes you on a scenic trip across fertile hills along the sandy beaches of the North Sea. Link

Looks good.

We're all set for Bergen and Oslo early January. Fly into Bergen for 4 nights > Bergen Railway > Oslo for two nights > fly to Paris

[video=youtube;SfITOCJokgk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfITOCJokgk[/video]

 

[Paul_PER]

Hi Paul_PER we're looking at going to Oslo/Bergen early Jan 16 :shock: Around 7 days all up, but that is flexible, train trip between the two appears to be ok for that time of year ... advice/tips would be very well received.

Hi amaroo,

Apologies - haven't had time to respond. To state the obvious - in January it will be cold. Bergen is milder than Oslo but I would expect it to be zero on average. There will be lots and lots of snow to see and not much daylight each day. Someone from our office is currently in Norway - it's mid-summer and they are skiing - they had 12 metres of snow this year. Indoors everywhere is centrally heated. Outdoors ....be prepared to layer up.

I've been to Bergen twice - once in February (I remember it being cold and grey) and once last August (when it was lovely but full of tourists). It's the second largest city on Norway - but that is only 200,000 people. Easy to walk around and there's a funicular railway up to a great view of the region.

The Bergen to Oslo railway can be a direct trip of about 7.5 hours or it can be done as "Norway in a Nutshell". A few variations, i.e. single day, multi-day, one-way, or return. The Norwegian railway packages up some transport on the one ticket so you get a taste of what the mountains and fjords are like. The typical one-day, one way trip is:

- early morning train from Bergen to Voss (yes, Voss is supposed to be where Voss Water is from).
- a bus service takes you from the station to a ferry port
- cruise a fjord to Flam
- catch the tourist train from Flam to Myrdal (try get a seat on the right hand side windows going uphill)
- catch the train from Myrdal onto Oslo for a late arrival.

The main Oslo Train Station is quite central. If you can't walk to your hotel there is an underground metro service there, trams, local buses, the long distance bus station, as well as the Airport Train service. The taxi rank is hidden to the side - follow the signs if you need one.

There is one big supermarket in the Station complex. Otherwise only smaller grocery stores within the CBD that I have stumbled across and 7-11's. More supermarkets in the suburbs if you want groceries for cooking for yourself.

Easiest way to buy a single tram / bus ticket is at 7-11. You generally can't buy tickets on-board from memory (???). Depending on if you want to see a lot of museums a multi-day museum and travel pass may be worthwhile.

Oslo is small - about 600,000 people and quite walkable for most of the central attractions.

Enjoy.

 

[amaroo]

Hi amaroo,

Apologies - haven't had time to respond. To state the obvious - in January it will be cold. Bergen is milder than Oslo but I would expect it to be zero on average. There will be lots and lots of snow to see and not much daylight each day. Someone from our office is currently in Norway - it's mid-summer and they are skiing - they had 12 metres of snow this year. Indoors everywhere is centrally heated. Outdoors ....be prepared to layer up.

I've been to Bergen twice - once in February (I remember it being cold and grey) and once last August (when it was lovely but full of tourists). It's the second largest city on Norway - but that is only 200,000 people. Easy to walk around and there's a funicular railway up to a great view of the region.

The Bergen to Oslo railway can be a direct trip of about 7.5 hours or it can be done as "Norway in a Nutshell". A few variations, i.e. single day, multi-day, one-way, or return. The Norwegian railway packages up some transport on the one ticket so you get a taste of what the mountains and fjords are like. The typical one-day, one way trip is:

- early morning train from Bergen to Voss (yes, Voss is supposed to be where Voss Water is from).
- a bus service takes you from the station to a ferry port
- cruise a fjord to Flam
- catch the tourist train from Flam to Myrdal (try get a seat on the right hand side windows going uphill)
- catch the train from Myrdal onto Oslo for a late arrival.

The main Oslo Train Station is quite central. If you can't walk to your hotel there is an underground metro service there, trams, local buses, the long distance bus station, as well as the Airport Train service. The taxi rank is hidden to the side - follow the signs if you need one.

There is one big supermarket in the Station complex. Otherwise only smaller grocery stores within the CBD that I have stumbled across and 7-11's. More supermarkets in the suburbs if you want groceries for cooking for yourself.

Easiest way to buy a single tram / bus ticket is at 7-11. You generally can't buy tickets on-board from memory (???). Depending on if you want to see a lot of museums a multi-day museum and travel pass may be worthwhile.

Oslo is small - about 600,000 people and quite walkable for most of the central attractions.

Enjoy.

Excellent stuff - Thank you!

The cold will not be an issue ... a few Xmas trips to Montreal/Quebec has placed us in good stead - brrr

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Looks good.
We're all set for Bergen and Oslo early January. Fly into Bergen for 4 nights > Bergen Railway > Oslo for two nights > fly to Paris

Amaroo, we were in Bergen last month, take mrs amaroo to this fantastic knitwear shop Oleana - Collection - Cardigans I have 3 of their cardigans/jackets, they are expensive, but you can get the tax back when you leave Norway.

Even Mrs Obama has an Oleana jacket the same as mine - but I suspect she didn't have to pay for hers !!!

 

[amaroo]

Amaroo, we were in Bergen last month, take mrs amaroo to this fantastic knitwear shop Oleana - Collection - Cardigans I have 3 of their cardigans/jackets, they are expensive, but you can get the tax back when you leave Norway.

Even Mrs Obama has an Oleana jacket the same as mine - but I suspect she didn't have to pay for hers !!!

mrs amaroo is very impressed with the product - thanks for the tip. The 12 year old is also very keen ... could be expensive

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

mrs amaroo is very impressed with the product - thanks for the tip. The 12 year old is also very keen ... could be expensive

Not "could be" but WILL BE expensive. The long cardigans are from $400 to $ 500, the matching scarf $ 100, the regular cardis are $300 and up - depending on the pattern. The shop in Bergen is across the road from the Tourist info and had a good selection.
Happy shopping mrs and miss amaroo

 

[amaroo]

Impressive :shock:

WF's Discover Norway ticket - 2015 - FlyerTalk Forums

Widerøe (WF) has a ticket called 'Discover Norway'. It allows you to fly around Norway for 2 weeks. The good news is: there is no limitation to the number of flights you can take within your selected period, as long as the same route isn't included more than twice. As this 'vacation' involved a lot of flying, I thought it might be of interest to share with people who have some ties to flying.

The principle is simple. Widerøe offers a standard package of 2 weeks (can be extended to 3 weeks for just a bit extra) where you can select zones in which you want to fly. Three zones are defined: TRD and south of it, all between TRD and TOS and TOS and all north of it. A flight to and from Norway on Widerøe's international routes (ABD, CPH, GOT or NCL) is included. And furthermore, you're able to fly an unlimited amount of times on this ticket, as long as the same leg appears just once or twice on your itinerary.

In my case, I picked 2 zones (south and middle) for 2 weeks. Total costs: 3299 NOK, or just around 400 Euro / USD. I got 32 legs in total, which makes the ticket at just over 100 NOK (12 euro / USD) per leg a real bargain. And that's not just it... I also got all my SK Diamond benefits as well: priority check in, fast track security, lounge access, priority luggage and a fair share of EuroBunus points.

Ryanair, eat your heart out, there's no way you can ever match this incredible bargain!

 

[amaroo]

We're now starting to focus on the Norway part of our trip. Have decided we'd also like to head to Tromsø - anyone have a view/experience on flying to/from this location in (early) January?

Planning on departing Tromsø > Oslo and then depart Oslo > Paris very early the next morning. Different bookings so cancellations will be an issue for airfare and hotels bookings.

 

[Paul_PER]

We're now starting to focus on the Norway part of our trip. Have decided we'd also like to head to Tromsø - anyone have a view/experience on flying to/from this location in (early) January?

Planning on departing Tromsø > Oslo and then depart Oslo > Paris very early the next morning. Different bookings so cancellations will be an issue for airfare and hotels bookings.

Hi amaroo,

I spent a few days in Tromso back at the start of November, 2013. This was late autumn, the footpaths were icy, with light snow falling. Days were very short but not too cold - I was wearing a standard business suit with a woollen vest and a gortex jacket.

In Tromso the sun sets in late November and doesn't rise again till mid to late January....so if you go at the start of January it will be 24 hour darkness. It will be below zero all day. So you won't want to do much outside unless you want to try see the Northern Lights.

The artic museum is worth a visit. They have some resident seals living in tanks inside. There is apparently a nice brewery, the cathedral is worth a visit (it's across the fjord - I managed to walk the bridge over although I don't fancy doing that stroll mid-winter), the town hall / library / theatre in town looks decent, and there is a small pedestrainised two-block shopping strip / mall. I stayed at the Radisson Blu which the airport bus drops off right in front. It's on the water with nice views of the fjord. Rooms / beds / bathrooms were all tiny sized! Tromso is considered the "gateway to the North" but in reality it's just a small laid back university town. There are no big towns that far north.

Flight from Oslo is two hours. My flight back was delayed slightly due to de-icing. Airport is quite old but does the job. It's less than 10km from town - if you are by yourself the airport bus is fine. If there is more than one in your party a taxi probably works out at the same cost. Usual Norwegian rule applies - it's expensive.....

 

[amaroo]

Hi amaroo,

I spent a few days in Tromso back at the start of November, 2013. This was late autumn, the footpaths were icy, with light snow falling. Days were very short but not too cold - I was wearing a standard business suit with a woollen vest and a gortex jacket.

In Tromso the sun sets in late November and doesn't rise again till mid to late January....so if you go at the start of January it will be 24 hour darkness. It will be below zero all day. So you won't want to do much outside unless you want to try see the Northern Lights.

The artic museum is worth a visit. They have some resident seals living in tanks inside. There is apparently a nice brewery, the cathedral is worth a visit (it's across the fjord - I managed to walk the bridge over although I don't fancy doing that stroll mid-winter), the town hall / library / theatre in town looks decent, and there is a small pedestrainised two-block shopping strip / mall. I stayed at the Radisson Blu which the airport bus drops off right in front. It's on the water with nice views of the fjord. Rooms / beds / bathrooms were all tiny sized! Tromso is considered the "gateway to the North" but in reality it's just a small laid back university town. There are no big towns that far north.

Flight from Oslo is two hours. My flight back was delayed slightly due to de-icing. Airport is quite old but does the job. It's less than 10km from town - if you are by yourself the airport bus is fine. If there is more than one in your party a taxi probably works out at the same cost. Usual Norwegian rule applies - it's expensive.....

Excellent information Paul_PER thanks for taking the time to post!

We're committed now! Have booked flights into Bergen on the 4th, departing Oslo on the 10th Jan. We were wanting to do four nights Bergen and two Oslo however, we've decided to seize the moment and cut a day out of Bergen and replace Oslo with Tromsø - although we will have a chance to see Oslo due to our 07.25 departure on the 10th ... will catch a flight from Tromsø that gets us into Oslo the afternoon of the 9th, so we'll dump the bags at one of the airport hotels and catch the train into town for a looksie and dinner.

The cost to fly SAS (Wideroe and SAS) BGO-TOS-OSL is fairly reasonable at ~ $1,400 for the four of us ... the TK *G status match will also come in handy.

In Bergen we're going to do the Norway in a nut shell (Bergen>Bergen) Norway in a nutshell® - Official Travel Guide to Norway - visitnorway.com Fløibanen Funicular and potter around Bergen for the balance.

In Tromsø we're going to do a tour for the lights, dog or reindeer sledding - strictly for the kids Will also checkout your tips for Tromsø.

Was thinking about pushing back the Oslo flight by a day to give us an extra day in Tromsø however, BA wants $2,200 for the change - that ended that idea.

 

[Paul_PER]

Every second Flytoget (Airport Train) continues on past Oslo Central. You can always go one extra stop (no extra cost) and get off at National Theatre. This is one end of town where the National Theatre, National Museum, Royal Palace, etc are located. From this end of town you can walk back downhill along the main boulevard / pedestrian / tourist strip going past Parliament, Oslo Cathedral, etc until you end up at Oslo Central again. The Opera House is walking distance from Oslo Central.

Alternatively rather than the direct route between National Theatre and Oslo Central the fjord is on the right hand-side and you can walk down to the water, the Town Hall, the Nobel Museum, a new shopping centre along Aker Brygge, the newish Astrup Fearnley Museum (modern art, I haven't been inside but the outside itself is quite nice) etc, and then work your way back into town.

Of course you can walk in the other direction from Oslo Central to National Theatre or get off at one station and do a loop. The weather and time of day will probably determine how far you can get.

Flytoget is NOK 180 a single one-way. I think children are half price or free. It's fast and comfortable.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Hi amaroo,

I spent a few days in Tromso back at the start of November, 2013. This was late autumn, the footpaths were icy, with light snow falling. Days were very short but not too cold - I was wearing a standard business suit with a woollen vest and a gortex jacket.

In Tromso the sun sets in late November and doesn't rise again till mid to late January....so if you go at the start of January it will be 24 hour darkness. It will be below zero all day. So you won't want to do much outside unless you want to try see the Northern Lights.

We have been to Tromso twice, both in "summer" ( early July and August) and I didn't think it was warm either time ! "24 hour darkness" - take lots of photos Amaroo !!!!

 

[amaroo]

Every second Flytoget (Airport Train) continues on past Oslo Central. You can always go one extra stop (no extra cost) and get off at National Theatre. This is one end of town where the National Theatre, National Museum, Royal Palace, etc are located. From this end of town you can walk back downhill along the main boulevard / pedestrian / tourist strip going past Parliament, Oslo Cathedral, etc until you end up at Oslo Central again. The Opera House is walking distance from Oslo Central.

Alternatively rather than the direct route between National Theatre and Oslo Central the fjord is on the right hand-side and you can walk down to the water, the Town Hall, the Nobel Museum, a new shopping centre along Aker Brygge, the newish Astrup Fearnley Museum (modern art, I haven't been inside but the outside itself is quite nice) etc, and then work your way back into town.

Of course you can walk in the other direction from Oslo Central to National Theatre or get off at one station and do a loop. The weather and time of day will probably determine how far you can get.

Flytoget is NOK 180 a single one-way. I think children are half price or free. It's fast and comfortable.

Cheers. Have never stayed at an airport hotel before ... if it wasn't for the train and a 07.25 departure the next morning we'd push into the city. Even at NOK720 return for two adults (kids under 16 are free - yipee!) it's cheaper than the usual transfer we'd booked.

Thanks for all the advice/tips - invaluable!

We have been to Tromso twice, both in "summer" ( early July and August) and I didn't think it was warm either time ! "24 hour darkness" - take lots of photos Amaroo !!!!

Can't wait. Polar Nights look/sound pretty cool https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_night Hope the kids remember all of these great experiences when we're old and broke

[video=youtube;hnnE4_OQA3U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnnE4_OQA3U[/video]

 

[Fifa]

Last year we did the train from Oslo to Bergen (booked 3 months in advance on NSB to take advantage of the special fares & paid a little more for the Komfort seats).
On arrival we purchased our Norway in a Nutshell tickets at the station for the next day.
We then overnighted at Bergen and stored our suitcases at the hotel before doing Norway in a Nutshell.
We split the tour into two days and stayed overnight at Aurland here. The cabins are fantastic for four people and right on the fjord next to the ferry dock - highly recommended.

Have a fantastic trip. We are planning on going back in January 2017 to do the Hurtigruten round trip voyage.

 

[amaroo]

Last year we did the train from Oslo to Bergen (booked 3 months in advance on NSB to take advantage of the special fares & paid a little more for the Komfort seats).
On arrival we purchased our Norway in a Nutshell tickets at the station for the next day.
We then overnighted at Bergen and stored our suitcases at the hotel before doing Norway in a Nutshell.
We split the tour into two days and stayed overnight at Aurland here. The cabins are fantastic for four people and right on the fjord next to the ferry dock - highly recommended.

Have a fantastic trip. We are planning on going back in January 2017 to do the Hurtigruten round trip voyage.

Cheers.

Vangsgaarden looks the goods. Checked it out however, availability doesn't line up - suspect it might be closed for the season.

 

[amaroo]

Jeez, looks like some all-year fun...

[video=youtube;RxpA3rBPeUk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxpA3rBPeUk[/video]

 

[amaroo]

Anyone stayed here? The Lyngen Lodge