As I'm hoping to go to Norway in June of this year, I'd appreciate comments/advice about how to have a good holiday there on a lowish budget.
I quite fancy Bergen and the fjords.
I quite fancy Bergen and the fjords.
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Do the big rail journey up the coast. Spectacular. -
The train from Bergen to Oslo is also rather good and surprisingly affordableComment
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You'll be a bit pushed by the 'low budget' requirement! Everything is hideously expensive, so I'd limit eating out, going for a drink or even a coffee. I'm not sure if you have a camping instinct, but if not I'd be inclined to see if Air B&B is up-and-running in Norway. June is a lovely month though...long daylight hours, and often more settled weather than in the UK. If you go further North, midges can be a nuisance; but not so bad on the West Coast in the Bergen area.
Many people go on the cruise ships up the West Coast. It might look expensive at first glance, but considering it's 'all in' it works out more cheaply than doing your own thing. I've never been on a cruise ship, but I've heard good reports from people who've done the Fjords that way.
PS Even McDonalds is more expensive in Norway!
PPS https://theculturetrip.com/europe/no...to-know-about/Comment
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I stayed in an Air B&B in Bergen which was a summerhouse in the garden of a house up the hill overlooking the city
affordable but most other things (apart from the train fares) were pretty expensive (not as much as Iceland though)
I found 6 days in Bergen / Oslo working at the Ultima festival was wonderful for my liver
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You'd think Christmas trees would be cheap in Norway, as the whole country is full of 'em. However, staying with my Norwegian family a couple of Christmases ago, I went with my sister to buy a tree in Baerum, just outside Oslo. It cost Kr1750, the equivalent of £150. And it was only a little one.Comment
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A friend's parents wanted to do a trip round Norway. He advised them to take a cruise ship, to go into the fjords, or skip round some. They said no - they wanted to drive. Later they admitted that several times they would see a landmark - say a house - or something noticeable on the other side of the fjord, and then maybe a day later they passed it on the road. It's a long way travelling by road going north I believe as the road mostly follows the coastline. In some parts it is possible to go up into the mountains.
I've also heard that it's good to take a train from Sweden up to the north, and into Norway, though the midges in the north can be fierce. I have been up into the mountains close to the Norwegian border. I think the climb is relatively modest on the Swedish side, but the descents on the Norwegian side might be much steeper.
My only experience of Norway is a few times passing through Oslo airport and now I think hard, one time landing in pitch black and probably fog as well. Aircraft in Sweden and Norway tend to keep flying - taking off and landing - in the sort of weather which would bring the UK and its roads, trains and airports to a standstill.Comment
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Its been many years since I was in Norway - at that time it was even then very expensive compared to the UK - one suggestion I had was to use coffee bars in the large shops but whether these still offer any saving I don't know - avoiding alcohol will save considerable money.Comment
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Grieg's house by a lake at Troldhaugen near Bergen is worth a visit. We caught a public bus.
Also great train ride from nearby Voss to Flam via waterfall and stunning scenery.
In Voss we went on a visit to a local farm. They picked people up from the market place and drove us up to the farm. Nicely done tour of farm with food samples and a bit of folk history.
Also Munch Museum in Oslo and extraordinary Vigeland sculpture park.
Various wooden churches - stavkirker.Last edited by gurnemanz; 27-02-20, 00:35.Comment
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If I went to Norway, I would like to see the Northern lights, there are tours apparently::https://www.norway-lights.com/#altaOriginally posted by Eine Alpensinfonie View Post
But for a really budget holiday, you might take a sleigh ride! https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06t3pswComment
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In 2008 (appprox) we had 9 to 10 days between commitments for a trip - 2 teenagers and parents. I'd always wanted to see the Fjords, but Mrs CS is not enamoured of anything involving cruise ships. We started in Bergen and travelled up to Andalsnes, with the train back to Oslo airport for return home. We used the public transport system - coaches for anything other than local journeys, ferries across / along Fjords.Originally posted by gurnemanz View Post
Highlights - Bergen itself, the train from Voss to Flam (per above), Fjaerland (glacier adjacent) meeting the English restaurant manager of the Hotel Ullensvang at a bus stop and having a look at Grieg's summer writing cabin in the grounds.(We stayed at more modest accommodation where the proprieters had improved their English by watching "Flog It" and Antiques roadshow!) Also, on the coach journey to Geirianger the coach diverted to a public observation point high, high up with a wonderful view of the Fjord - the driver said the previous day he'd stayed on the main road through the pass as visibility was poor.
An enjoyable trip and with lots more left to do if we were to return.
I agree about the expense. For part of our trip (if we were anywhere for 2 nights) we took accommodation where we could self cater. I would take a travel kettle with coffee and tea if I went again, with a supply of cereal bars etc to defray some of the costs. Our itinerary was put together with the aid of The Rough Guide and internet resources. I agree with a point made earlier - worth checking if it might not be more expensive to use an organised trip. Of course, it depends what the traveller prefers.... Also, final point, in the latter weeks of August, the season comes to an end a week or two before here in the UK and it felt like the end of summer was imminent. If we had travelled a week later, we would have used Autumn timetables.
(Looked up the above to refresh my memory).Comment
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We had a lovely campervan trip from Stavanger to Bergen, using the last ferry to run from Newcastle to Bergen and Stavanger. It was when Stavanger was European Capital of Culture. I liked Stavanger - quite quirky - there was a cast concrete artwork of an old caravan on the campsite, with little artworks inside. Part of CofC. One of the campsites offered us a price reduction, because we were British. Most of the campers were German; Norwegian memories go back a long time. The night we were in Bergen Metallica were playing a stadium gig. The whole town heard them.
A tourist asked a teenager if it rains every day in Bergen. He replied " I don't know, I've only lived here for thirteen years."Comment
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Thank you for all the interesting comments. I’m more than ever aware of just how expensive Norway is. I’ve looked at several options, but have opted for the cruise ship option. Not too many unpredictable bills, and there can be no better way to see fjords than by sailing through them.Comment
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About 20 years ago when our children were teenagers we took our car over on the ferry from Newcastle to Bergen. It called at Stavanger and sailed up the coast so we got a bit of a cruise out of it. Unfortunately this link was discontinued in 2008.Comment
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Aha. I can remember even further back. Fred Olsen Line ships used to go right up to Oslo. They were very flat-bottomed and rolled like pigs in a rough North Sea. As kids we used to do deck-chair surfing from one side of the deck to the other. No H&S in those days!Comment
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