Thinking about Norway next year

insinkerator

Everything i read about Norway, is that it is really expensive.
It probably is, but damn, i really want to go there, and see whats to offer. Plus, the northern lights seems like to good an offer to turn down.

So, going in september, what i was thinking is doing an organised tour for maybe 7-8 days, and then training/busing/flying to tromso for a couple of days to try and catch the northern lights. If the budget is still holding out maybe head down in the direction of sweden or denmark. Or if im feeling adventurous, Russia!

So anyway, plan is to fly Dublin-Oslo. Cant get exact flight prices since Ryanair have a sale on, and if i went this year i could go for €6 (:(! ) but judging by december flights, if i get hit for taxes, im looking at about 60 going out. Then arrive in oslo, maybe pan out there for 2-3 days, and then set off on this tour (if anyone has any cheaper method of doing it, i would be most obliging!) And stopping in a few of the places en route for a night or two, get a good look at the fjords etc. Then arriving back in Oslo, head for the airport and get the plane to tromso (looks to cost about €50) and stay there for maybe 3 nights (however long it takes to see the northern lights really. I'm a little worried that mid september is a tad early?

So right there i am looking at about two weeks holiday. And a cost of about €750-800 for the flights and tour, and travel to and from airports, etc. From a quick look at hostelworld, hostels in oslo, look to be roughly 30 per night, which is less than ideal. However there is a law stating that you can pitch a tent anywhere, so long as you are 150 metres from a residence, and on non cultivated land. So i think that might be a good option for staying the night while on the tour.

This is just the beginnings of an idea, just wondering what everyone thinks.

rossie1977

why not fly into bergen (norwegian air fly from england i think), from there you have easy access to the fjords and will reduce that journey from oslo considerably. bergen is a much much nicer city than oslo too

another option ryanair fly into haugesund from stansted and its about 2-3hrs bus ride from there to bergen

getting to tromso might be a bit of a hassle though, your only option is flying or a really long ferry trip as trains/buses don't go that far north, and yes norway is expensive, especially for those on a budget, although sometimes you can snag cheap hotel rooms depending on time of year

gaf1983

I was in Tromso this June for the Midnight Marathon, lovely part of the world. Great base for mountain trekking. You might want to give yourself more than three days just to make sure you see the Northern Lights, are you sure September's a good time to see them?

I think altogether we paid about €150 to go up to Tromso, went from Dublin to Rygge with Ryanair and then from there with Norwegian up to Tromso.

We stayed here - I think this hostel is only open for the summer though:

http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostels-Troms%C3%B8-042107.en.htm

And yes, Norway's expensive. To cut down on your expenses you might consider camping - it's legal to camp anywhere for up to 3 days as long as you're at least 150m away from the nearest dwelling. We did it on our way up to Tromso as we had to overnight in Rygge although Tromso would have been way too cold and wet to do so - 5 degrees in mid summer!

insinkerator

rossie1977 wrote: »

why not fly into bergen (norwegian air fly from england i think), from there you have easy access to the fjords and will reduce that journey from oslo considerably. bergen is a much much nicer city than oslo too

another option ryanair fly into haugesund from stansted and its about 2-3hrs bus ride from there to bergen

getting to tromso might be a bit of a hassle though, your only option is flying or a really long ferry trip as trains/buses don't go that far north, and yes norway is expensive, especially for those on a budget, although sometimes you can snag cheap hotel rooms depending on time of year

I still think i would like to see Oslo though. I might start my tour from bergen, and then spend only one night in Oslo or something. Then fly from Bergen to Tromso instead. Getting to Tromso doesnt seem like too much hassle, seems to be about 100ish return.

gaf1983 wrote: »

I was in Tromso this June for the Midnight Marathon, lovely part of the world. Great base for mountain trekking. You might want to give yourself more than three days just to make sure you see the Northern Lights, are you sure September's a good time to see them?

I think altogether we paid about €150 to go up to Tromso, went from Dublin to Rygge with Ryanair and then from there with Norwegian up to Tromso.

We stayed here - I think this hostel is only open for the summer though:

http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostels-Troms%C3%B8-042107.en.htm

And yes, Norway's expensive. To cut down on your expenses you might consider camping - it's legal to camp anywhere for up to 3 days as long as you're at least 150m away from the nearest dwelling. We did it on our way up to Tromso as we had to overnight in Rygge although Tromso would have been way too cold and wet to do so - 5 degrees in mid summer!

The only reason im going in September, is because i need to be back for college . This year we are back on the 22nd, so it will be sometime similar to that again next year. I guess i could go for a weekend directly to Tromso, later in the year, but i would much prefer to make a proper holiday out of it. Although if you got there for 150, then maybe the weekend isn't such a bad idea, and after the tour i might head towards denmark, or sweden..

jackbhoy

insinkerator wrote: »

....head for the airport and get the plane to tromso (looks to cost about €50) and stay there for maybe 3 nights (however long it takes to see the northern lights really. I'm a little worried that mid september is a tad early?

I would say that is bit early as they are at their best in darkest, coldest months, February and March being best.

Norway is still a fantastic and beautiful place to visit and although expensive, worth every penny. I've recommended it to a lot of friends who wanted "somewhere different" and to a person they all came back raving about the place.

insinkerator

hmmm, i might leave off the northern lights on that trip so. Might go up for a few days in february or march next year then, just to see the lights especially since gaf said he got up there for €150!. The pictures on Google are fantastic, and i really wanna experience them first hand!

Am i right in saying that they arent guaranteed? The entire thing is weather dependant? Is there a good way of judging when they will occur if it is dependent! I just dont wanna go all the way up there, and come home emptyhanded

jackbhoy

insinkerator wrote: »

hmmm, i might leave off the northern lights on that trip so. Might go up for a few days in february or march next year then, just to see the lights especially since gaf said he got up there for €150!. The pictures on Google are fantastic, and i really wanna experience them first hand!

Am i right in saying that they arent guaranteed? The entire thing is weather dependant? Is there a good way of judging when they will occur if it is dependent! I just dont wanna go all the way up there, and come home emptyhanded

They are far from guaranteed. All you can do is try to increase your chances by turning up at most likely time and hope you get lucky. One of the greatest sights you'll ever witness though so well worth it, hoping to go back in Feb/Mar myself...

WaltKowalski

I'm hoping to go to Norway next year too - just for a week.
Flying Dublin to Oslo - train to Bergen and cruise to Tromso.
Apparently the Oslo - Bergen rail journey is considered one of the best train journeys in the world!
And September to April are best times to see Northern Lights according to this
http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/knowledgesafety/p/auroraborealis.thm

sadhbhc15

Waltkowalski, can I ask what airline you're flying from Dublin to Oslo with? A few months back I couldn't find direct flights at all!

WaltKowalski

Ryanair - who else!
Very reasonable flights too - although I'd never get away with just bringing hand luggage to Norway.