Norway Travel Guide

Social Conventions

Normal courtesies should be observed. It is customary for a guest to refrain from drinking until the host toasts their health. Casual dress is normal. Lunch, generally a light open sandwich snack known as a matpakke, takes place between 1130 and 1200, and dinner usually takes place at 1700. It is customary for an invited guest to offer gifts to the host/hostess of a meal. Punctuality is expected if invited out for dinner. Smoking is prohibited in all public places.

International Travel

Getting There By Air

Major operators of incoming flights include Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY) (www.norwegian.com), SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK) (www.flysas.com), Ryanair (FR) (www.ryanair.com) and Widerøes Flyveselskap (WF) (www.wideroe.no).

Departure Tax

Included in the fare.

Main Airports

Oslo International Airport (OSL) (Gardermoen) (www.osl.no) is 47km (30 miles) north of Oslo. To/from the airport: High-speed trains leave to/from Oslo's central station (journey time - 20 minutes). Buses serving the airport include SL buses and Bussekspress (journey time - 45 minutes). A bus station for regional services is located within walking distance of the terminal. There is a taxi rank at the terminal building. Travelers are advised to order a taxi from the airport reception and ask for a fixed price. In addition to regular taxis, there are ‘airport taxis', cheaper taxis which must be ordered in advance by groups of up to three people, and wheelchair taxis. Facilities: Duty-free shopping, banks/bureau de change, restaurants and cafés, car hire and information kiosks.

There are two other airports serving Oslo, one on each side of the Oslofjord - Torp to the west (www.torp.no) and Rygge to the east (www.ryg.no). Both are served by low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and Norwegian.

Bergen Airport (BGO) (Flesland) (www.avinor.no/en/airport/bergen) is 19km (12 miles) south of the city (journey time - 25 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus services (Flybussen) leave for the city regularly. Taxis are available, with a surcharge after 2200 (journey time - 25 minutes). Facilities: Left luggage, lockers, banks, bureau de change, post office, duty-free shops, bar, cafés, shops, tourist information, nursery and car hire.

Trondheim Airport (TRD) (Værnes) (www.avinor.no/en/airport/trondheim) is around 25km (16 miles) from the city center (journey time - 30 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus services (Flybussen) and less frequent trains run regularly. Taxis and pre-booked airport taxis are also available. Facilities: Bureau de change, restaurant, duty-free shopping, bar and car hire.

Getting There By Water

Main ports: Bergen (www.bergenhavn.no), Oslo (www.ohv.oslo.no), Kristiansand (www.kristiansandhavn.no) and Stavanger (www.stavanger-havn.no).

There are no direct sea routes from the UK. Fjord Line (tel: 5146 4099; www.fjordline.com) operates services to Bergen via Stavanger from Hirtshals in Denmark. There is also a service to Kristiansand. Color Line (tel: 8100 0811; www.colorline.com) connects Kiel (Denmark) with Oslo, Hirtshals (Denmark) with Kristiansand and Larvik, and Strömstad (Sweden) with Sandefjord. Stena Line (tel: 02010, in Norway only or 2317 9130; www.stenaline.no) operates services from Fredrikshavn (Denmark) to Oslo.

Getting There By Rail

Connections from the UK involve ferry crossings via Dover/Ostend (via Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Sweden) or Harwich/Hook of Holland. NSB (Norwegian State Railways) (tel: 8150 0888 (dial '4' for an English-speaking operator); www.nsb.no) operates international services from Oslo to Stockholm, from Oslo via Malmö and Copenhagen to Hamburg and Berlin, between Trondheim and Östersund, and from Narvik to Stockholm.

Rail Passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents. The One Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 25 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The One Country (Norway) Pass allows three, four, five, six or eight days' travel within a one-month period. The Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people traveling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those aged under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurail Select Pass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. Available online via The Eurail Group (www.eurail.com).

Getting There By Road

The only direct international road connection routes are from Sweden or Finland and Russia in the far north. Eurolines (tel: 8154 4444 or 0870 580 8080, in the UK; www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services from other European countries to Norway.

Passes: A 15- or 30-day pass is available.

Duty Free

Overview

The following items can be imported into Norway without incurring customs duty:

• 200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco products and 200 leaves of cigarette paper (travelers over 18 years of age).
• Either 1L of spirits over 22% volume and 1.5L wine, or 3L of wine; and 2L of beer up to 4.75% alcohol (travelers over 20 years of age).
• Other goods to the value of Kr3,000-6,000.
• A small amount of perfume and eau de cologne.
• Up to a total of 10kg of meat and meat products, cheese and foodstuffs (except dog and cat food).

Prohibited Imports

Spirits over 60% volume (120% proof), certain foodstuffs totaling more than 10kg (including eggs, potatoes, meat, meat products, dairy products and poultry), narcotics, firearms and explosives.

Internal Travel

Getting Around By Air

Domestic flights are operated by Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY) (www.norwegian.com), SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK) (www.flysas.com) and Widerøes Flyveselskap (WF) (www.wideroe.no). A comprehensive network of scheduled services links numerous domestic airports. Norwegians are among the world's most likely to choose this mode of transport for getting around their own country due to the long distances involved, and the terrain, which makes surface transport slow. Charter sea or land planes are available at many destinations. Reduced fares are available for families, children under 12 years of age (who pay half price), groups and pensioners.

Getting Around By Water

All coastal towns are served by ferries, catamarans and hydrofoils. The Hurtigruten (Coastal Express) (tel: 0845 225 6640, in the UK; www.hurtigruten.co.uk) from Bergen to Kirkenes (near the Russian border) takes 12 days round trip, leaving daily and stopping at 34 ports on the west coast. Various ferry trips are available (half price in spring and autumn). There are also numerous companies operating cruises on Norway's spectacular fjords, one of which is Norway Fjord Cruise AS (tel: 5765 6999; www.fjordcruise.no).

Getting Around By Rail

NSB (Norwegian State Railways) (tel: 8150 0888 (dial '4' for an English-speaking operator); www.nsb.no) runs all rail services. The main internal routes are: Oslo-Trondheim (Dovre Line); Trondheim-Bodø (Nordland Railway); Oslo-Bergen (Bergen Railway); and Oslo-Stavanger (Sørland Railway).

Overnight sleeper services operate on some routes, including the Oslo-Bergen, Oslo-Trondheim and Trondheim-Bodø lines.

You must reserve seats on express trains. There are buffet/restaurant cars on some trains, and sleepers on long-distance overnight services. Heavy luggage may be sent in advance. Children under four years of age travel free; children four to 14 years of age pay half fare.

Recent years have seen the introduction of tilting trains on some routes, which have significantly cut journey times, particularly between Trondheim and Oslo (minimum journey time now around 6 hours 45 minutes), and between Bergen and Oslo (7 hours 30 minutes).

Rail Passes

InterRail One-Country Pass: offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within Norway. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK; www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Getting Around By Road

Traffic drives on the right. The road system is of variable quality (especially under freezing winter conditions in the north), but supplemented by numerous car ferries across the fjords.

Bus: Principal long-distance internal bus routes are from Bø (in Telemark) to Haugesund (journey time - 8 hours); and from Ålesund-Molde-Trondheim (journey time - 8 hours) with links to the Bø line in the north. There is an express bus service to/from Bergen and Oslo every day, departing from and arriving at Trondheim Central Station, which is also the center for all the district buses. Contact NOR-WAY Bussekspress AS for seat reservations and information (tel: 8154 4444; www.nor-way.no). The official Rutehefte is a must for anyone using public transport, and gives extensive timetable information and maps of all bus, train, ferry and air routes.

Taxi: In most cases, fares are metered. You can find taxis at designated ranks or book them by telephone, but they can't be hailed on the street. It is not customary to tip drivers.

Car hire: Available in airports and most towns, but costly; in general, problems of low speed limits, difficult roads, cost and parking make public transport more practical and convenient. It is also possible to hire bicycles.

Regulations: The minimum age for driving is 18. Tolls are charged on certain cross-country roads, underwater tunnels and in certain cities such as Bergen, Oslo and Trondheim. There are severe penalties (usually involving imprisonment) for drink driving, and fines for illegal parking are high. Fines for speeding are even higher, so keep an eye on your speedometer, and watch out for speedboxes. Seat belts are compulsory. Children under 12 years of age must travel in the back of the car. It is obligatory for all vehicles to drive with dipped headlights at all times. This includes motorcycles and mopeds. Carrying spare headlight bulbs is recommended. Speed limits are 80, 90 and rarely 100kph (50, 56 and 61mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. Snow chains or winter tires are advised during the winter (however, most urban areas now levy a toll on vehicles with studded tires). More information on driving in Norway is available from the Norwegian Automobile Association (NAF) (tel: 9260 8505; www.naf.no).

Documentation: International Driving Permit or national driving license and log book are required. A Green Card is strongly recommended (for those with more than third party cover on their domestic policy). Without it, visitors with motor insurance in their own countries are allowed the minimum legal cover in Norway; the Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the visitor's own policy.

Getting Around Towns and Cities

Generally excellent public transport systems operate in the main towns. Oslo has bus, rail, metro, ferry and tramway services. Tickets are pre-purchased and self-cancelled, and there is one hour's free transfer between any of the modes. Meters on taxis are obligatory.

Bergen has a good bus and tram network, a funicular and an aerial tramway giving access to two of the surrounding mountains. Trondheim has a comprehensive bus network, and one tram line linking the city center with Lian, a major ski center high above the city. Other cities rely on buses for public transport.

Journey Times

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Oslo to other major cities/towns in Norway.

	Air	Road	Rail
Bergen	0.35	9.00	8.00
Stavanger	0.35	7.00	8.00
Tromsø	1.40	20.00	-
Trondheim	0.40	8.00	7.45