MD1990
Traveller
4 comments
Posted 9 years ago
Hi,
I am flying to Oslo Rygge from the UK, then have a return flight from the same airport.
I will have 7 days in Norway (in early August). I do not plan to spend too long in cities. My main priority is doing lots of walking outside and seeing amazing landscapes.
I plan to spend maybe one night in Oslo initially, then get the train from Oslo to Bergen during the day. I will then spend at least one night in Bergen.
I want to see Fjords and maybe visit one of the national parks. I will need to get back to Oslo probably on the 6th day of my trip and stay there that night before flying back the next day.
What would you advise I do in between Bergen and getting back to Oslo? It looks like I would have 2-3 days/nights spare in between.
Would an Interrail pass be advisable for this short time (e.g. a 10 day pass if that still exists) or just point-to-point? In either case, how far in advance would I have to book the Oslo-Bergen train, for example (as I know it is very popular)?
Best wishes,
Matt
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi Matt!
There are Interrail passes valid only for Norway: [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-pass-norway[/u]
Maybe the 3 or 4 day passes would be interesting for you; they are 43€/38€ per travel day - a full fare ticket Oslo - Bergen is 845 NOK (96€). However, there are also saver fares available, called Minipris - you can get them from Norwegian Railway at nsb.no
If you want these at a good price you should book a few weeks in advance. On my last Oslo - Bergen trip in Aug 2013 (with Interrail) the early train was quite full with lots of tourists going for the Flam Railway but you could have boarded without a reservation too.
A possible route could look like this: Oslo - Bergen; Bergen - night train to Oslo and continue to Hjerkinn for Dovrefjell National Park - back to Oslo. If you would go with the 4day pass you could also add a trip on the Rauma Railway down to Andalsnes.
For a Fjord tour it might also be interesting to travel Oslo - Myrdal - Flam Railway - Flam - ferry to Gudvangen - bus to Voss - train to Bergen. Some pics of Flam Railway are here: [u]https://rail.cc/blog/the-flam-railway/[/u]
Or have a look into the Fjordexpress bus from Bergen to Alesund - a rather long and expensive trip (10h, 705 NOK (25% disocunt with ISIC card) but certainly a really nice route along the coast including several trips by ferry. From Alesund you could then go to Andalsnes for the train back to Oslo.
We are official partners of interrail.eu - 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)
MD1990
Traveller
4 comments
Hi Flo,
Thanks so much! You actually helped me about 4 years ago with advice on a general Interrail trip when I had a different account.
Would you recommend Dovrefjell National Park? The national park idea is not essential - I just figured they would probably be good places for walking. Or would you recommend anything better during this time.
I like the idea of one night in Oslo, one night in Bergen, one night on the Bergen-Oslo night train, and some kind of excursion for two nights before coming back to Oslo for a night (then going home). How much of the fjords would I see if I did the Hjerkinn/Dovrefjell idea? If I spent two nights in Hjerkinn, is there another excursion you would recommend as well as Dovrefjell?
Best wishes,
Matt
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Ahh ok - you're welcome! :)
Unfortunately my own exprience of the Norwegian outdoors consists mainly of two visits to Lofoten. I suggested Dovrefjell since it is quite good accessible by train from Hjerkinn on the Oslo - Trondheim line.
If you travel Bergen - Oslo - Hjerkinn you will miss out on the fjords though. Thats why I suggested looking into the Flam railway and the Gudvangen - Flam trip by boat.
In general you will find it difficult to get close to any Fjord by train - Rauma and Flam railway are good options IMO however there is only a river running in there nowadays.
MD1990
Traveller
4 comments
I have given it a bit of thought, and places like Lofoten seem too ambitious within my time frame.
How does this sound:
Day 1:
Arrive in Oslo. Stay the night in Oslo.
Day 2:
Train to Myrdal. Stay the night in Myrdal (don't know how feasible this would be).
Day 3:
Day excursion from Myrdal (e.g. a national park by bus). Stay another night in Myrdal.
Day 4:
Myrdal to Flam via Flam railway. Boat from Flam to Gudvangen. (I'm guessing it is during this time I would see the Fjords). Bus to Vossevangen. Train to Bergen. Stay the night in Bergen.
Day 5:
Explore Bergen and/or do a hike or day trip from Bergen. Stay the night in Bergen.
Day 6:
Bergen to Oslo train. Stay the night in Oslo.
Day 7:
Fly home from Oslo.
I can't find any hostels for Myrdal via Hostelworld. Do you think it would be better to swap the second night in Myrdal for another night in Bergen later on? Are there plenty of hiking opportunities with Bergen as a base?
How long would it take for an Interrail Pass to arrive by post? I hope I would not have left it too late if I buy it in the next week or so.
Sorry for so many questions, just trying to be thorough 8)
Thanks very much.
Best wishes,
Matt
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Myrdal consists merely of the station building plus a few houses - the centre of tourist activities in that area would be in Finse - or down in Flam.
Apart from that your plan sounds quite good - however an Interrail pass probably wont make sense as you would only have 2 and a half (Voss - Bergen) rail trips...the Flam Railway is not included as I mentioned before.
For this route it would make more sense to buy a Norway in a Nutshell ticket for the Oslo - Myrdal - Flam - Bergen trip plus a Minipris for the return to Oslo. :)
MD1990
Traveller
4 comments
Thanks Flo!
What would you recommend in terms of a payment card? I have traditionally always used a Fair FX pre-paid credit card. However, my card has now expired, and I don't know if it is still a good option.
Best wishes,
Matt
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
...well, I usually travel with the cash card from my bank only - I dont have a credit card. However it is recommend to have a bank card while travelling in Scandinavia as a number of services (ranging from lockers at stations to bus and metro tickets at ticket machines and so on) can sometimes be bought only with credit card - no cash! Never had any issues travelling with only cash and bank card yet, but just so you know.
Since I dont live in the UK I cant recommend a particular card for you, sorry.
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
Hi Matt.
I personally use a VISA-card and a bank card in the mix.
Never had problems.
Pete :)
JoySeeker
Traveller
77 comments
If I were you I would also consider staying in Finse instead of Myrdal. Stunning scenery and many excellent hiking opportunities in the nearby area :)
MD1990
Traveller
4 comments
Hi,
Thanks everyone for your tips so far.
I have booked all my accommodation and transport.
What would you recommend as a daily budget in/around Oslo and Bergen, excluding accommodation? I would try to avoid eating out where possible.
Best wishes,
Matt
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
If you dont want to go to restaurants etc you should be fine with about 15€; in Bergen you could go to Pasta Central, an Italian restaurant with rather cheap prices for Norwegian standards. :)
Public transport is rather expensive with about 10€ for a day pass but you can get around both cities by walking, especially Bergen is quite small.