where to go? - maybe Norway?

awman

hi everyone,

Christmas is barely over and I'm already thinking about the summer holidays!!

So, we've tried the beach holidays (the likes of Lanzarote, Crete etc) and although we really enjoyed them, we're more into lakes and mountains kind of holidays. Our last holiday was in 2010 and we went to Slovenia which we both absolutely loved (its such a gorgeous place, if you havent been there, you should go!!)

I've always liked the idea of going on holidays to Norway. It looks absolutely beautiful. I'm just wondering has anybody been there? and if so, what's it like? What's the best way to get there? Where's the best parts to visit? Is it as expensive as everyone says it is? Also, what's the best time of year to go? We'd probably be hoping to go some time in June.

Thanks in advance!

rossie1977

south western norway is lovely, bergen is a great place to base yourself as its within easy easy of the fjords, we did the norway in a nutshell day http://www.norwaynutshell.com/en/explore-the-fjords/norway-in-a-nutshell/#prices

weather wise, it rains MORE in norway than it does in ireland, we went in june and were lucky the weather was amazing day we went on the nutshell tour as it rained all day the previous 2 days in bergen, as for getting to bergen, ryanair fly to haugesund from stansted and its about a 3hr bus ride from there or you could fly into oslo and get a short 30-40min flight from there with norwegian air

if you haven't been western austria is an alternative and better weather, innsbruck is picturesque, zell am see is beautiful in summer and close to austrias highest mountain großglockner, salzburg is not that far either

mel.b

I did the Norway in a nutshell trip over 4 days/5 nights back in 2010. here is a link to my trip report on tripadvisor....http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g190455-i550-k3829513-Trip_Report_Independent_Norway_in_a_Nutshell_5days_4nights-Norway.html

Norway IS expensive. I think i spent around €1000 while i was there (inc public transport pre booked which is cheapef) I stayed in a combinatination of hostels and hotels and only ate really basic meals. Big expenses for me were the glacier trip (but so worth it!) and the souvineers and scarf i purchased (can't remeber how much souvineers were, but scarf was around €100) Remember Norway is not part of the EU so you get tax free shopping if you buy anything expensive:D

I loved my trip and will be going back again, this time further north.

Tabnabs

rossie1977 wrote: »

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weather wise, it rains MORE in norway than it does in ireland, we went in june and were lucky the weather was amazing day we went on the nutshell tour as it rained all day the previous 2 days in bergen, as for getting to bergen, ryanair fly to haugesund from stansted and its about a 3hr bus ride from there or you could fly into oslo and get a short 30-40min flight from there with norwegian air

Just to pick up on this, it can be very wet (like last year) and you can also have temperatures in the 30s! It can be very hit and miss, but Bergen does get a lot of rain over the year (but then the driest place in Norway is just to the west of Bergen!)

If you do the Norway in a nutshell, then Hardanger-fjord is probably more impressive than Sogn-fjord as it is narrower and appears steeper. You won't see scenery anywhere like it in the world and it is highly recommended.

schemingbohemia

Finland might be a cheaper option - they're in the Euro and I found it to be on a par with Dublin price-wise. I was in Tampere which has a nice city centre, I would've liked to have done some travelling around but events intervened.

keith16

Myself and the OH are thinking of heading to Norway, specifically Tromso to try and see the northern lights. Would early to mid April be too late or does it still get sufficiently dark at that time of year?

Although from reading this thread, I would be tempted to ditch Tromso in favour of Bergen and the fjords / glaciers in that area, any advice? Is there a lot of hiking to be done to see these glaciers?

I keep hearing Norway is expensive - what's the price of accommodation like?
It's been said that flights would be the cheapest part of a trip to Norway! :eek:

Flights are currently working out at 780 return for both of us with Norwegian...

Any advice is greatly appreciatted

Narsil

Hi keith16

We're going to Tromso in mid March to see the Northern Lights. They say late March is the last best time to see them so April may be too late.

Our flights return with SAS are €689(for two) and we're going self-catering for accomodation at the City Living apartments for €542 for 4 nights. We are getting a 23kgs check in bag each so we will stuff it full of pasta,Dolmio Stir-Ins and other easy food so it will cut down on costs;)

keith16

Narsil wrote: »

Hi keith16

We're going to Tromso in mid March to see the Northern Lights. They say late March is the last best time to see them so April may be too late.

Our flights return with SAS are €689(for two) and we're going self-catering for accomodation at the City Living apartments for €542 for 4 nights. We are getting a 23kgs check in bag each so we will stuff it full of pasta,Dolmio Stir-Ins and other easy food so it will cut down on costs;)

Thanks Narsil!

I was thinking April might be too late

A friend of mine who visits Norway regularly was telling me how expensive it is, 12 quid for a pint :eek:

Sounds like a fantastic trip, will let you know if I get booked. Enjoy and hope you get to see some amazing aurora

Narsil

keith16 wrote: »

Thanks Narsil!

I was thinking April might be too late

A friend of mine who visits Norway regularly was telling me how expensive it is, 12 quid for a pint :eek:

Sounds like a fantastic trip, will let you know if I get booked. Enjoy and hope you get to see some amazing aurora

Yeah we heard it was mental expensive too(hence the self-catering!)!

Thanks:)