Melona
Traveller
10 comments
Posted 9 years ago
Hello!
Last year I went on an interrail trip in central/eastern Europe and it was awesome! So I'm going to do it again, but this time I want to go to Scandinavia. I'm planning to take a cheap flight from Stockholm to anywhere on pretty much the other side of the world at the end of August or beginning of September, so this will be my last stop. As I live in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, this will be my starting point.
I've figured out a route, but don't know which places are worth staying shorter or longer or if it would be better if I use a different route. I want to use the 10 in 22 pass.
The route right now is:
Nijmegen - Hamburg [travel day 1]
Hamburg - Copenhagen [2]
Copenhagen - Bergen (night ferry at Hirtshals, if I plan it right it will be only 31 euros) [3]
Bergen - Oslo [4]
Oslo - Trondheim [5]
Trondheim - Östersund [6]
Östersund - Gällivare [7]
Gällivare - Rovaniemi [8]
Rovaniemi - Helsinki [9]
Helsinki - Stockholm (day ferry at Turku for 16 euros) [10]
Any ideas on how many days I would need per city? Excluding Stockholm, because I won't need to be there within the 22 day period.
Another issue is that in order to have enough time in the cities I feel like I have to take a night train for either Bergen-Oslo OR Oslo-Trondheim. I've heard both routes are very beautiful, so I don't know which one would be okay to do during the night if I've already seen the other one.
Thanks in advance!
Melona
Traveller
10 comments
I can't find an edit button so new post I guess!
Just noticed that the inlandsbanan between Östersund and Gällivare won't be going after the 9th of August, and I will probably be there like a few days later (suddenly it makes sense why the interrail planner was acting weird around those dates).
As I don't feel like using a bus for the Östersund - Gällivare part, I would change the plans a bit:
Trondheim - Sundsvall
Sundsvall - somewhere up north (?)
and from there on to Finland by train&bus
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi!
Nice route. :)
Keep in mind that all EC and ICE trains between Germany and Denmark have compulsory reservation during the summer period this year.
When you are going to Hirtshals you will have to pay for the train from Hjorring to Hirtshals which is operated by Nordjyske Jernbaner: [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-train-reservation/regional/nj-r/234[/u]
Good choice to travel with the Turku - Stockholm day ferry! :)
Personally I would travel Bergen - Oslo during the day and Oslo - Trondheim overnight.
Since you probably wont be able to go with Inlandsbana I would suggest travelling up north from Trondheim to Fauske/Bodo and then go to Narvik - either by direct bus or including a detour via Lofoten by ferry and bus.
From Narvik you could then go by train to Gällivare: [u]https://rail.cc/blog/the-iron-ore-line-from-lulea-to-narvik/[/u]
Then, on your way to Rovaniemi you have to cover a bit of route by bus, which in this case is included in Interrail: [u]https://rail.cc/blog/from-kemi-to-lulea-by-bus/[/u]
I'd calculate with two days in Hamburg, Copenhagen, Bergen, Oslo, Trondheim and Helsinki which would leave you with ten days for the remaining cities. In Gällivare there is not really much to do except you would take one of the tours to the iron ore mines or go hiking.
To support the free information and the forum on railcc, please be fair and buy your official Interrail pass via our railcc partner link: [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux]
Thank you! :)
Flo 8)
Melona
Traveller
10 comments
Thanks!
Going north to Narvik definitely sounds interesting. Do you think Lulea, Boden or Kiruna (or a different city in the area) would be a more interesting visit than Gällivare? I decided on the city because if I stayed there I wouldn't have to take another train after the already long trip with the Inlandsbana, but the different route gives me a few more options :)
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Well in Gällivare itself there is not really much to see. You could visit the nearby visitor centre of the iron ore mine but you could that in Kiruna too. Kiruna might be a tad more interesting as a city - the whole city is currently moved to a new location as they will start mining on its current location... :)
I dont know much about Boden or Lulea.
ntrain
Traveller
123 comments
Boden was (is still?) for a very long time half prohibited for non-Swedes,as its ''military''-you can change trains and wait for them, but its unclear how far you can go into ''town''. Buut maybe this is now all a thing of the past.
Lulea is just one of 13 by the dozen Swedish provincial towns, shopping cnetre and low housing very much spread out, no special things to see/do. G'all is just a spread out village.
Melona
Traveller
10 comments
Kiruna seems the best option then, I guess. Thanks again :)
Another question (sorry): I've been searching for hostels/hotels/campsites for a bit and stumbled upon the allemansrätten in Norway/Sweden/Finland. As I have lightweight camping equipment, I might consider camping in a few places (also to save a bit of money). Do you think this is doable near the places I would be visiting? And is it safe to camp like that?
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Yeah, I think Kiruna will be quite interesting! :)
Well, you could make use of Allemansrätten, but you should consider that you will have to carry the additional weight with you (even if your equipment is lightweight) and will have to look around for suitable spots to put up your tent which can take some time in the cities. I would only take the camping gear with you if you are planning on using it several times. I think it is safe but havent yet have the chance to make use of it (back in 2010 we planned on doing wild camping but in Gällivare we were in need of a shower so stayed at the campsite (without paying though as we arrived late and had to leave early while noone was at the reception); on Lofoten there was a storm so we preferred to stay at the teminal building at the harbour; in Oslo we went to the campsite as it is quite pointless to do wild camping in a huge city).
JoySeeker
Traveller
77 comments
Hey!
Regarding the wild camping using the Allemansrätten: in my opinion it is an amazing option to discover the beautiful nature of Scandinavia!
Back in August 2013 we made use of it for a month and had a great time doing so. It just gives you the freedom to spontaneously leave the train at a nice place and set up your tent for the night, if you like. Beautiful places for wild camping that come to my mind are for instance the Lofoten (except for the storm case, I guess...) or Finse, which is the highest point of the Oslo-Bergen line. It may get a bit chilly during the night there, though... ;)
However, there are of course also disadvantages to it. As Flow mentioned, you'll probably have a hard time finding a spot for wild camping in cities like Oslo, Stockholm, etc...
Long story short:
many nights in bigger cities -> hostels a better option
in any other case -> wild camping a great option IMHO
Cheers :)
Melona
Traveller
10 comments
Thank you both (again) for your advice! Sounds like camping is a possibility when I'm not in one of the bigger cities :)
nittentrikken
Traveller
15 comments
Hi, I'm a Norwegian.
Seems like you have optimised the travel rout quite well, considering the few railway connections and the long distances in Scandinavia, you will have a wonderful trip.
Considering the night train in Norway, I totally agree with flow that you should sleep on the Oslo-Trondheim connection, as the scenic parts of the Bergen-Oslo route is much more different from what you will see a lot if in for instance Sweden and Finland anyway.
On your way to Oslo: you have enough time, you might consider taking the morning train to Oslo, get off at Myrdal and take the old, steep and extremely scenic railroad Flåmsbana. It takes you from the top of the mountains down to sea level at the bottom of a fjord. I don't think it takes more than 30 min or so, so you can take the train up in the mountains again in time to one of the later trains to Oslo. BUT: Flåmsbana is very expensive, so you might have to do some budgeting.
And yes, pretty much everything is expensive in Norway, and I guess also in the other Nordic countries, so if you have the opportunity, mak use of Allemannsretten to save some money. It goes for both Norway and Sweden (i think in Finland as well, but I'm not sure). It is also the best way of experiencing Nordic nature. But, nights can be cold even in the summer, so bring warm clothes and a warm sleeping bag. In the mountains the weather can turn from splendid and warm to horrible and cold within an hour.
Bergen: A lovely little city. You might find it much more charming than Oslo, due to its small size the old buildings and the surrounding mountains (for nice views: take the Fløybanen to the Fløyen mountain, or walk up or take the wireline to the Ulriken mountain).
Oslo: To a lesser extent a go-see-it-been-there-done-that city than Bergen. It takes some time to grow fond of the city, but it is my favorite in Norway. Obvious tourist activities: Go see the old Akershus Fortress. I have never been inside (Only because I'm lazy), but the surrounding era is nice for picnick, and you will get a nice view of the harbour from its walls. Nice, small ferries will take you to Bygdøy, where you'll find interesting museums. More ferries: if you have a day card on the metro, you can also take the ferry (less than 10 minutes) to Hovedøya. This is a nice small island with som old ruins from a medeaval monastery, peacefull nature and nice places to take a bath in the sea. Also, take metro line nr. 1 to its end station in west (still zone 1) it will bring you out in the forest and up in the hills. Nice nature and view. Best area to go out is probably Grünerløkka.
I'm a bit Oslo biased, but that's perhaps only because I have spent much more time in Oslo than Bergen.
Considering the travel routes in the north, I agree that a visit to some of Norwegian coast cities might be a much better alternative than the inland cities in northern Sweden. They have mostly forest, while the for instance the nature in Lofoten and the mountains surrounding Tromsø are amazing (and also very totally different from the mountains between Bergen and Oslo).
I don't know much about the northern parts of Sweden and Finland, but Helsinki is a very nice city.
nittentrikken
Traveller
15 comments
Haha, sorry for the bad sentences in my post. Had to rush. I wrote it on my phone connected to the poor wifi on the train (stavanger-Oslo, not scenic, not worth the trip).
Melona
Traveller
10 comments
Thanks for the info! This will help me in dividing my time :)