UK to Norway without flying...
Although the last ferry between the UK & Norway (DFDS Newcastle to Bergen) was sadly withdrawn in September 2008, there's still no need to fly to Norway. It's easy to travel from London to Norway by train, using a lunchtime Eurostar to Brussels, a connecting high-speed train to Cologne, the excellent City Night Line sleeper overnight to Copenhagen and connecting trains to Oslo arriving in the evening the day after leaving London. Or spend the day in Copenhagen then sail overnight by cruise ferry to Oslo. Departures are daily.
Train times, fares & tickets...
On this page you'll find a step-by-step guide to planning, booking & making a journey from the UK to Norway by train, with train times, approximate fares, and the best way to buy tickets.
London to Kristiansand & Stavanger by train via Hirtshals. Onward trains within Norway: Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim... Useful country information - dialling code, currency, time zoneInteractive map: London to Oslo, Norway & Scandinavia by train & ferry...
...click on a route for train & ferry times from the UK, and how to buy tickets.
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Useful country information
Train operator in Norway:
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NSB (Norges Statsbaner) www.nsb.no.
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Ferries to Norway:
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www.dfds.co.uk (Copenhagen-Oslo; ferry from UK withdrawn September 2008)
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Norwegian coastal steamers:
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Hurtigruten Line sails along the Norwegian coast to the far North.
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Railpasses:
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Time zone:
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GMT+1 (GMT+2 from last Sunday in March to last Saturday in October).
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Dialling code:
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+47
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Currency:
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£1 = approx 8.8 Krone. Currency converter
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Tourist information:
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Hotels in Norway:
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Find a hotel in Norway. Hostels: www.hostelbookers.com
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Page last updated:
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3 March 2014. Train times valid 15 Dec 2013 to 14 June 2014.
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London to Norway by train...
Here is the fastest way from London to Oslo without flying, marked in red on the route map above, and it's both comfortable and affordable, with daily departures. If you're travelling to Bergen, Trondheim, Bodo, travel to Oslo as shown below, then take an onward train within Norway. If you're travelling to Kristiansand or Stavanger you may prefer the 'short cut' via Hirtshals in northern Denmark, see below. The line to Narvik starts in Sweden, so for Narvik, first travel to Stockholm, see here.
London ► Oslo
- Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras daily except Saturdays at 15:04, arriving Brussels Midi at 18:05. On Saturdays, depart London at 12:58 arriving Brussels Midi at 16:08. Advice on connections in Brussels.
- Travel from Brussels to Cologne by ICE high-speed train leaving Brussels Midi at 18:25 and arriving Cologne at 20:15. On Saturdays you can also take the earlier 17:28 Thalys train arriving Cologne at 19:15. You've time for dinner in Cologne.
- Travel overnight from Cologne to Copenhagen on the City Night Line sleeper train Borealis, leaving Cologne daily at 22:28 and arriving next morning in Copenhagen main station at 10:07. This train has a sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, economy with washbasin or deluxe with private shower & toilet), couchettes (4-berth & 6-berth) & seats. More pictures & information about City Night Line sleeper trains.
- Option 1, Copenhagen-Oslo by train: You leave Copenhagen main station at 13:32 on a daily Öresund Link Train to Gothenburg arriving 17:20. Change at Gothenburg onto a Norwegian train leaving Gothenburg at 18:00 daily arriving in Oslo Sentral at 21:49. You can confirm train times for your date of travel at www.sj.se. Soon after leaving Copenhagen, the Öresund Link train train to Gothenburg crosses theÖresund Fixed Link, opened in 1999 to connect Denmark with Sweden. It's part tunnel, part double-decker road/rail bridge, and on the long bridge section your train seems to 'fly' across the sea to Sweden... It can help to know that Gothenburg is 'Göteborg' in Swedish.
- Option 2, Copenhagen-Oslo by overnight cruise ferry: Alternatively, you can spend a day in Copenhagen (left luggage is available at the station, details here) and sail overnight from Copenhagen to Oslo by cruise ferry with DFDS Seaways. The ship (either the Crown ofScandinavia or Pearl of Scandinavia) sails daily from Copenhagen's International Ferry Terminal in Dampfærgevej at 17:00, arriving in Oslo at 09:30 next day. All passengers travel in comfortable cabins with private toilet & shower. To travel in luxury, treat yourself to one of DFDS's famous Commodore Class cabins, some with private balconies with sea view. The ship has bars & restaurants for dinner & breakfast on board, you can pre-book dinner & breakfast with your ticket. The ferry terminal is about 3km (2 miles) from Copenhagen main station in the city centre, taxis & free DFDS shuttle buses are available. See www.dfds.co.uk.
Oslo ► London
- Option 1, Oslo-Copenhagen by train: Travel from Oslo to Copenhagen by train. Leave Oslo at 07:02 daily except Sundays, change at Gothenburg (arrive 10:45, depart 11:40) and arriving Copenhagen main station at 15:28. No connection on Sundays. You can check train times for your own date of travel at www.sj.se. It can help to know that Gothenburg is Göteborg and Copenhagen is Köpenhamn in Swedish.
- Option 2, Oslo-Copenhagen by overnight cruise ferry: Alternatively, you can sail from Oslo to Copenhagen with DFDS Seaways on a daily overnight cruise ferry. The ship sails from Oslo's Vippetangen ferry terminal at 17:00, arriving in Copenhagen at 09:30 next morning. You now have a free day to explore Copenhagen. The ship has comfortable cabins, bars & restaurants for dinner & breakfast on board. You can walk from central Oslo to the ferry terminal in 15-20 minutes, or you can take a taxi. See www.dfds.co.uk for details.
- Day 1: Travel overnight from Copenhagen to Cologne by City Night Line sleeper train Borealis, leaving Copenhagen main station daily at 18:46 and arriving Cologne at 06:14 next morning. This train has couchettes (4-berth & 6-berth) and a sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, economy with washbasin or deluxe with private shower & toilet). More pictures & information about City Night Line sleeper trains.
- Day 2: Travel from Cologne to Brussels by ICE high-speed train, leaving Cologne daily at 07:43, arriving Brussels Midi at 09:35.
- Day 2: Travel from Brussels to London by Eurostar. On Mondays to Saturdays, a Eurostar leaves Brussels Midi at 10:56 and arrives London St Pancras at 11:57. On Sundays, a Eurostar leaves Brussels Midi at 11:56 and arrives London St Pancras at 12:57.
Take Eurostar to Brussels, then a German ICE high-speed train to Cologne...
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ICE3 2nd class. ICEs are one of the most comfortable trains in Europe...
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ICE3 1st class, with real leather seats. All seats have power sockets.
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An ICE to Cologne waiting to leave Brussels Midi. More ICE info.
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Introducing the City Night Line sleeper train Borealis from Cologne to Copenhagen...
The Cologne to Copenhagen overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains with a choice of sleepers, couchettes & seats. The modern Comfortline sleeping-car offers proper beds in 1, 2 or 3-berth deluxe compartments with shower & toilet, or 1, 2 or 3-berth economy compartments with washbasin. All sleepers have power-points for laptop computers, hotel-style cardkey locks, and there is a shower at the end of the corridor. The air-conditioned couchette car offers simple flat padded berths with a rug & pillow in shared 4 & 6-berth compartments. There are also ordinary seats in 6-seater compartments, but you should always book a couchette. A bistro car is attached between Hamburg and Copenhagen in both directions. The train actually starts its journey in Amsterdam. More pictures & information about this City Night Line train.
Dinner in Cologne before you board? For a traditional German meal in Cologne before boarding your sleeper, try the Brauhaus Sion (www.brauhaus-sion.de), 5 minutes walk from Cologne hauptbahnhof, or the Malzmuehle restaurant (www.muehlenkoelsch.de), 10-15 minutes walk from Cologne Hauptbahnhof, or there's a restaurant inside the Hauptbahnhof itself at the Schweinske, www.schweinske.de. Feedback is always appreciated!
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1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most civilised option, economy with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.
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4-berth couchettes: Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.
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6-berth couchettes: A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...
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A modern Comfortline sleeping-car used on the Cologne-Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper train Borealis.
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Then travel from Copenhagen to Oslo by train or by DFDS overnight ferry...
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Option 1: Take an Öresund Train (Öresundtåg, pictured above) from Copenhagen to Gothenburg, then a connecting Norwegian train to Oslo (pictured below). The train crosses from Denmark to Sweden on the 1999-built Öresund Link tunnel & road/rail bridge...
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Option 2: Spend the day exploring Copenhagen, then cruise to Oslo on the daily overnight DFDS ferry. This is the m/vCrown of Scandinavia.
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Arrival at Oslo... This is the Norwegian train from Gothenburg to Oslo, arrived at Oslo central. Photos courtesy of Ivor & Ines Morgan.
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NSB 'Komfort' class on the train to Oslo.
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How much does it cost?
1. London to Cologne
by Eurostar + ICE
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Fares for Eurostar+ICE start at €59 (£49) each way.
Fares for Eurostar+Thalys start at £56 one-way or £103 return
Fares vary like air fares, so book in advance to get the cheapest prices.
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2. Cologne to Copenhagen
by sleeper train, per person
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In a
seat
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In a couchette
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Economy sleeper
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Deluxe sleeper
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6-berth
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4-berth
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3-berth
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2-berth
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1-berth
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2-berth
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1-berth
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Savings fare one-way from:
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€43 (£36)
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€59 (£49)
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€69 (£58)
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€84 (£70)
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€104 (£87)
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€144 (£120)
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€134 (£112)
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€174 (£145)
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Savings fare return from:
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€86 (£72)
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€118 (£98)
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€138 (£116)
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€168 (£140)
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€208 (£174)
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€288 (£240)
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€268 (£224)
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€348 (£290)
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Full price one-way:
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€164
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€179
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€189
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€204
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€224
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€264
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€322
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€362
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Railpass supplement*
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€12
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€27.50
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€37.50
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€55
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€75
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€115
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€75
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€115
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Child under 15**
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€4
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€20
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€30
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£71
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€65
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€105
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€65
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€105
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Child under 6 without berth:
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Child under 6 sharing a berth travels free
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Berths are sold individually, so one ticket means one bed. The other beds in your compartment will be sold to other passengers.
For sole occupancy, simply book 1 ticket in a 1-berth sleeper, 2 tickets in 2-berth sleepers, 4 tickets in 4-berth couchettes & so on.
* This is the supplement you pay if you have a railpass, a 1st class pass is required for deluxe sleepers.
** Children under 15 travel free if accompanied by a fare-paying adult, but must pay the berth supplement shown here.
Savings fare = advance-purchase fare, price varies, limited availability, no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Full price = fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.
Youth fares: 25% off full price (not Savings fares) at www.raileurope.co.uk if you're under 26, Savings fares usually cheaper!
Senior fares: 20% off full price (not Savings fares) at www.raileurope.co.uk if you're over 60, Savings fares usually cheaper!
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3. Copenhagen to Oslo
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By train, booked all in one go at www.sj.se 1,032 SEK (£103) each way.
It's cheaper to split the booking, Copenhagen-Gothenburg fixed-price 429 SEK (£42)
at www.sj.se, then book Gothenburg to Oslo at www.nsb.no from 249 Kr (£28).
By overnight cruise ferry with www.dfds.co.uk, fares start at £47 per person each way for two
people travelling together, £94 each way for a solo passenger, including private en suite cabin.
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How to buy tickets online...
Anyone from any country can buy tickets this way, at the cheapest prices direct from the operators. Booking opens 120 days (and at times, up to 180 days) ahead for Eurostar, 92 days ahead for other trains, but I strongly recommend waiting and buying all tickets together, doing a dry run on all sites to check times, prices and availability before booking for real. Hotel accommodation can be booked before booking your trains risk-free if you use a site such aswww.booking.com with free cancellation.
- Step 1, book the Cologne-Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper train. Go to the German Railways website www.bahn.de. Book a sleeper or couchette ticket from Cologne (Köln Hbf) to Copenhagen (Koebenhvn H) and back, looking for the cheap Spezial fares on the direct CNL train with 0 changes. You pay online and print out your own ticket in .PDF format on your own PC printer. Easy!
- Step 2, book your Copenhagen-Oslo ticket. To go by overnight cruise ferry, simply book online at www.dfds.co.uk and print your own ticket. You can even pre-book dinner & breakfast. To go by train, it's cheapest to split the booking, as NSB Norwegian Railways offer cheap Minipris fares for their Gothenburg to Oslo train which are only available from their own website. So first book the Copenhagen-Gothenburg train using the Swedish Railways website www.sj.se (fixed price, see advice on using www.sj.se), then book the Gothenburg-Oslo train at www.nsb.no looking for a cheap Minipris fare. Remember that Gothenburg appears as 'Gøteborg'. If you can't get SJ.se to work for any reason, try www.oresundstag.se or www.snalltaget.se - they charge a small fee on top, but their site is often less fussy about foreign credit cards. If you still have any problems, simply call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75, there's a phone menu option for English. Book early for the cheapest prices. You simply print out your own ticket or collect them from the Swedish Railways (SJ) ticket machines installed at Copenhagen main station. Similarly, you'll find cheap Minipris fares available from the Norwegian Railways sitewww.nsb.no, although this site has been known to struggle with some non-Nordic credit cards.
- Step 3, book your trains from London to Cologne & back. I recommend comparing prices on two sites.First, check prices from London to Cologne at the German Railways website using the special links I'm about to give you. You simply print out your own ticket. I recommend booking a round trip as two one-ways, as it's easier to see where the availability is. Here are the links I've set up with all the details necessary to bring up the cheap fares, just enter your departure date, remembering that on the inward journey, departure from Cologne will be the day after departure from Prague:Buy an outward ticket from London to Cologne leaving London at 12:58 on Saturdays or leaving London at 15:04 Mondays-Fridays & Sundays.Buy an inward ticket from Cologne to London leaving Cologne at 07:43 Monday-Saturday or leaving Cologne at 07:43 on Sundays.Now check prices from London to Cologne at the Belgian Railways international website www.b-europe.com. This can sell London to Cologne tickets using Eurostar and ICE or Eurostar and Thalys, and it allows you to print your own ticket. It may or may not be cheaper than bahn.de, just buy from whichever site has the cheaper fare!
- Alternatively, you can of course book London to Cologne in two stages direct with the relevant operators. First, book from London to Brussels and back at www.eurostar.com. You print your own ticket, and can buy tickets to Brussels starting not just in London, but from 130 UK towns and cities. At the end of the booking, look for the link allowing you to book a specific seat. Tips on choosing the best Eurostar seats. Then book the ICE train from Brussels to Cologne and back at www.bahn.de. You print your own ticket. I strongly recommend registering, so you can log in and re-print or change bookings at any time. The best connections for this particular journey are by ICE, as shown in the train times above, but if you want to stop off in Brussels or Cologne so want to book one of the Thalys trains between Brussels & Cologne instead, you can do this at www.thalys.com, also with self-print tickets.
- Starting your journey from a UK town or city outside London? You can buy a special add-on ticket to connect with Eurostar from almost any station in Britain, with better terms and conditions than buying a regular domestic UK train ticket to London, see the advice here.
I strongly recommend registering on bahn.de when prompted, so you can log in at any time to see all your bookings and re-print tickets at any time from any PC.
Money-saving tip: Westbound, see if booking from Copenhagen to Amsterdam is cheaper than booking from Copenhagen to Cologne, as it often is. If it's cheaper, nothing stops you booking the cheaper ticket from Copenhagen to Amsterdam and getting off in Cologne. This doesn't work eastbound, though, as berths not claimed at Amsterdam may be resold. So naturally, if you were making a round trip, you'd book Cologne-Copenhagen as a one-way, then Copenhagen to Amsterdam as a one-way.
How to buy tickets by phone...
To buy tickets by phone, call International Rail on 0844 248 248 3, lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday. Overseas callers call +44 844 2482483. International Rail are equipped with both the French and German rail ticketing systems, so can offer the best prices all the trains between London and Prague. They charge a £10 booking fee for bookings under £100, £20 for £100-£300, £30 above £300.
Alternatively, call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge but no charge for debit cards) or www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-17:30 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 sat, £35 booking fee). Click here for a list of agencies and more info on how to buy European train tickets.
Tailor-made train travel + hotel arrangements...
If you want a tailor-made trip with train travel, hotels & transfers all arranged for you, contact Railbookers. Tell them what you want and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out. They get positive reviews, and look after their customers very well.
UK call 020 3327 0761, www.railbookers.com.
Call toll-free 1-800-408-3280 or www.us.railbookers.com.
Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au.
New Zealand call toll-free 0800 002 034 or see website.
London to Oslo via the Harwich-Esbjerg ferry
The ferry alternative...
If you prefer cruise ferries to sleeper trains, you can travel from London to Copenhagen using a train to Harwich, the excellent 2 or 3 times a week DFDS Seaways cruise ferry to Esbjerg, then an InterCity train to Copenhagen. Then you can then take onward trains or the overnight ferry to Oslo as shown above. See the London to Denmark page for details of the Harwich-Esbjerg ferry option between London & Copenhagen. You can book the overnight Copenhagen-Oslo ferry at www.dfds.co.uk along with the Harwich-Esbjerg ferry as one transaction. Note that you arrive in Copenhagen too late to connect with that evening's ferry to Oslo, so plan on one night in a hotel in Copenhagen before continuing to Oslo by train or cruise ferry the next day. Via Harwich-Esbjerg, the whole London-Oslo journey will therefore take 2 nights using the train from Copenhagen to Oslo, or 3 nights using the Copenhagen-Oslo cruise ferry.
London to Oslo via the Kiel-Oslo cruise ferry
OK, so this takes 2 nights from London rather than one, but without the need to use a sleeper train, just comfortable daytime trains, a night in a hotel in Kiel or Hamburg then a mini-cruise on a luxurious Colour line cruise ferry. Well worth considering!
London ► Oslo
- Day 1, travel from London to Kiel by train. There are various options with easy changes of train in Brussels, Cologne & Hamburg, just use links provided below to find them. The 08:58 from London arrives Kiel at 21:49. The 10:58 arrives Kiel 22:51. For Hamburg to London train options, see the Germany page.
- Day 1, stay overnight in a hotel in Kiel. You can stay in Hamburg if you prefer, Kiel is just 80 minutes from Hamburg by hourly regional train.
- Day 2, after a leisurely breakfast in your hotel, sail from Kiel to Oslo by luxurious Color Line cruise ferry. The m/v Magic or m/v Fantasysails from Kiel daily at 14:00 arriving Oslo at 10:00 next morning, on day 3 from London.
Oslo ► London
- Day 1, sail from Oslo to Kiel in Germany on the luxurious Color Line cruise ferry. The m/v Magic or m/v Fantasy sails from Oslo daily at 14:00 arriving Kiel at 10:00 next morning (day2).
- Day 2, stay the night in Kiel, or catch the hourly regional train to Hamburg and stay the night there.
- Day 3, travel from Kiel or Hamburg to London by comfortable daytime trains. Typically, a departure from Kiel at 09:18 will get to London at 19:57, just use the links below to get times and prices. For Hamburg to London options, see the Germany page.
How much does it cost?
- London to Kiel by train starts at just €59 each way with a London Spezial fare booked using the links below. Book early (maximum 92 days ahead) as the price rises closer to departure.
- Kiel to Oslo varies by date, cabin choice and number of passengers sharing. For two passengers travelling together, you can find prices as low as €138 for two (€69 each) including a double-bed en suite cabin, although prices on busier dates can be much higher. You need to go online to check prices for your specific dates.
How to buy tickets...
- Book the Kiel to Oslo cruise ferry at the seat61 Ferry Shop or at www.colorline.com.
- Book the outward London to Kiel train using these links (I strongly recommend registering when prompted, so you can easily log in at any time and check or re-print tickets):
- Book the return Kiel to London trains using these links:
London to Kristiansand & Stavanger by train...
As you can see on the route map above, this short cut by-passes Copenhagen & Sweden, heading up to northern Denmark for a ferry direct to southern Norway.
London ► Kristiansand & Stavanger
- Travel from London to Odense in Denmark by afternoon Eurostar to Brussels, connecting ICE high-speed train to Cologne, and City Night Line sleeper train overnight to Odense, leaving London at 15:04 (12:58 on Saturdays) and arriving in Odense at 08:33 next morning, see the London to Denmark page for full details.
- Travel from Odense to Hirtshals in northern Denmark using Danish domestic trains. There are regular departures throughout the day. For example, you can leave Odense at 10:07, change at Hjørring, arriving Hirtshals at 14:28. Or depart Odense 12:07, change at Aalborg & Hjørring, arrive Hirtshals 16:28. You can check times for your date of travel at www.dsb.dk, in Danish but Google's Chrome browser will translate this for you. In Hirtshals, it's a few minutes walk from the station to the ferry terminal.
- Sail from Hirtshals to Kristiansand by Color Line ferry, see www.colorline.com. There's usually a sailing at 20:45 arriving in Kristiansand at 23:59. There's a 1 hour check-in for the ferry.
- If you're going to Stavanger, stay overnight in Kristiansand and take a train on to Stavanger next day, see here for advice on finding and booking a train.
Stavanger & Kristiansand ► London
- If you're coming from Stavanger, take an afternoon or evening train to Kristiansand and stay overnight, see here for advice on finding and booking a train.
- Sail from Kristiansand to Hirtshals by Color Line ferry, see www.colorline.com. There's a sailing from Kristiansand at 08:00 arriving in Hirtshals at 11:15. There's a 1 hour check-in for the ferry, so be at the port by 07:00. On arrival in Hirtshals, it's a reasonably short walk from the ferry terminal to the station.
- Travel from Hirtshals to Odense by Danish domestic train. You can leave Hirtshals at 13:39, change at Hjørring, arriving Odense at 18:05. If for any reason you don't make this, no problem, there's another train at 14:08, change at Hjørring and Aalborg, arriving Odense at 19:05. You can check times for your date of travel at www.dsb.dk.
- Travel from Odense back to London by City Night Line sleeper train to Cologne, ICE high-speed train to Brussels and Eurostar to London,see the London to Denmark page for full details. You leave Odense at 20:28 and arrive London St Pancras next day at 11:57 Mondays-Saturdays or 12:57 on Sundays.
Fares & how to buy tickets...
- See the London to Denmark page for fares and how to book your trains from London to Odense.
- A ticket from Odense to Hirtshals costs around 366 Krone, about £48 each way. You can buy it at the station in Odense. You can buy it online and print out your own ticket at www.dsb.dk, but only if you leave their website in Danish.
- Hirtshals to Kristiansand by ferry costs from €19 booked in advance, €29 full-price. Book online at www.colorline.com, or you can buy a ticket at the port.
Onward trains within Norway...
Train connections from Oslo to Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim & other Norwegian cities...
- Modern air-conditioned trains link Oslo with Bergen, one of Europe's most scenic train routes, a journey worth doing for its own sake! Similar trains link Oslo with Stavanger, Kristiansand, Trondheim and other Norwegian cities. To check train times within in Norway, seewww.nsb.no or www.bahn.de.
- Oslo-Bergen costs between 249 Kr & 499 Kr (£28-£57) one-way with a limited-availability minipris fare or 815 Kr (£93) each way full fare. Return fares are twice the one-way. Oslo-Stavanger also costs between 249 Kr & 499 Kr each way with a limited-availability minipris fare or 904 Kr (£103) one-way full fare, return fares are twice this. Anyone over 67 (or married couples where one partner is over 67) get a 50% discount. Children under 4 free, children 4-15 (inclusive) half price.
How to buy Norwegian train tickets at www.nsb.no...
- You can buy Norwegian tickets online at www.nsb.no. In fact, it pays to pre-book your tickets this way, because cheap advance-purchase Minipris fares are often available, saving a lot of money over the regular fare that you will be charged on the day of travel. Minipris tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable.
- The English button is top centre.
- Useful words: 'Voksen' means adult. 'Barn' means child aged 4 to 15 inclusive (under 4's go free). 'Honnør' means senior citizen over 67 years old (anyone aged over 67 gets gets a 50% reduction on standard fares, although no reduction on Minipris fares).
- When you see the fares page, you'll see both standard fares (Ordinær) which are flexible and refundable, and cheap limited-availability Minipris fares which are non-changeable and non-refundable. Minipris fares cost between 249 Kr & 499 Kr depending on availability.
- Useful words: 'Okonomi' means standard class, any fare including the word 'Komfort' means first class with larger seats, more space, laptop power points and complimentary tea and coffee.
- You need to make up a phone number. You need to enter a local phone number as part of the booking process. It won't accept international phone numbers, so just use any memorable 8-digit number such as your date of birth. No-one is actually going to phone you, so it doesn't matter!
- You need to make up a postcode. It won't accept UK-style postcodes so make up random digits such as '12345'. No-one will send anything to you, so it doesn't matter!
- Acceptance of UK (and other non-Norwegian) credit cards: www.nsb.no struggles with some UK-issued credit cards. Many UK-issued cards certainly work, and most people report success buying tickets at nsb.no, but a few travellers report that their UK-issued card didn't work (and were even told by NSB telesales that the site only accepts Norwegian cards). So try using www.nsb.no as your card may well work fine, and another card if the first one doesn't work, but if none of your cards work, simply call their telesales by phone on +47 23 15 15 15 and buy tickets that way. NSB will definitely accept UK cards by phone, and you may well find the price three times cheaper than buying from a UK agency!
- You can choose to collect your ticket at the station or on board the train from the conductor.
- Oslo to Gothenburg: www.nsb.no can also book train tickets between Oslo and Gothenburg (Goteborg) in either direction. Tickets can be collected at Oslo or Gothenburg stations or on board the train.
- Oslo to Stockholm: It won't book tickets between Oslo and Stockholm, as these trains are provided by Swedish train company SJ. Oslo to Stockholm tickets should be booked online at www.sj.se.
- Feedback from booking this way and using these trains would be very welcome!
The scenic Flåm Railway...
A scenic tourist line worth mentioning is the famous Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana) from Myrdal (on the Oslo-Bergen line) 900m above sea level to Flåm on the Fjord below. Train run daily all year round, 4 departures a day in winter, 10 or so in summer. It can be done as a day trip from Oslo, as the Myrdal-Flåm journey itself only takes 40-50 minutes each way. See www.flaamsbana.no, then see www.nsb.no for connections from Oslo or Bergen to Myrdal.
Source: http://www.seat61.com/
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