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A port on the Lofoten islands, Norway

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Getting around in Norway

Air: 

Domestic flights are operated by Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY) (www.norwegian.com), SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK) (www.flysas.com) DOT LT (R6) (www.flydot.no) 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. Norwegian domestic operators tend to offer competitive fares, so if you shop around you’re likely to find that air travel costs little more than the equivalent rail or bus fare. 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.

Air passes: 

SAS (www.flysas.com) offers the cheapest air passes with plenty of options costing less than £50 and is the only carrier to offer flights to Svalbard, while Widerøes Flyveselskap (www.wideroe.no) has two-week air passes covering over 40 Norwegian destinations and an unlimited number of flights that start at £299.

Road: 

The road system is of variable quality but is supplemented by numerous car ferries across the fjords. While the majority of roads are open year round, the smaller mountain passes are often blocked during the winter, often at short notice. Despite the paucity of fast roads, traffic is generally light apart from in the capital where traffic jams are a daily occurrence. There are also countless tunnels and the country is home to three of the world’s 10 longest tunnels, including the longest – the Lærdal to Aurland, which is 24.51km long. Hazards include sharp bends and steep gradients, particularly on mountain roads, and the country’s large moose population can also prove dangerous if they are attempting to cross. The Road User Information Centre (Vegmeldingssentralen; tel: 175; www.vegvesen.no) and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens Vegvesen; www.vegvesen.no) both provide 24-hourly updates on the state of Norway’s roads.

Side of road: 
Right
Road quality: 

Norway’s road network is comprehensive and most roads are good quality, but speed limits are low and there are hundreds of tunnels to navigate, many of which require a toll fee. In the winter, many of the mountain roads are blocked by snow and ice – often at short notice. Many mountain roads are steep with plenty of hairpin bends to navigate, so aren’t advisable for inexperienced drivers or the drivers of campervans and caravans. The Road User Information Centre (Vegmeldingssentralen; tel: 175; www.vegvesen.no) and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens Vegvesen; www.vegvesen.no) both provide 24-hourly updates. Additionally, Norway’s abundant wildlife, though beautiful, can prove a hazard on the roads with moose proving a particularly nasty customer in a crash.

Road classification: 

Norway has a limited number of motorways or ‘E’ roads, most of which are in the area surrounding Oslo. Outside of the capital, the majority of roads are dual lane, single carriageways. Many of Norway’s roads, particularly those with one of the country’s many tunnels, are toll roads charging prices of up to NKr150 per car. Norway also has designated National Tourist Routes (www.touristveg.no) which include some of the country’s prettiest drives.

Car hire: 

Available in airports and most towns, but costly; if you’re planning a long hire, it’s worth thinking about picking up your car in neighbouring Sweden where rental rates are considerably cheaper. Additionally the low speed limits, difficult roads and parking, and high insurance make public transport more practical and convenient. Numerous international car hire companies operate, including Hertz, Avis and Budget. The minimum age for car hire is 19 in Norway, although some companies may insist on a higher minimum age (up to 25).

Taxi: 

Travelling by taxi in Norway can be hugely expensive and is usually unnecessary thanks to the excellent (and cheap) public transport system. They are, however, easy to find and can be picked up in the street or from designated ranks, and booked by phone. Most taxis are metered and all taxis operated by registered companies such as Oslo Taxi, Norges Taxi and Taxi Sør accept credit and debit cards. Drivers usually speak English.

Bike: 

Some tourist offices, campsites and hostels rent bikes out to tourists with prices starting at around NKr60 per day. If you want to bring your own, it’s worth bearing in mind that most buses, express ferries and nonexpress trains will charge an excess baggage fee of around NKr125 to carry them while express trains won’t take them at all. The Nor-Way Bussekspress (express bus service) also regards bikes as excess baggage and charges the equivalent of a child’s fare – NKr275 – to carry them.

Coach: 

Norway has a very reliable, extensive bus network and numerous long distance coach operators, the biggest of which is the Nor-Way Bussekspress (tel: 8154 4444; www.nor-way.no) which links most of the major Norwegian cities. The Lavprisekspressen (tel: 6798 0480; www.lavprisekspressen.no) runs from Oslo to Stavanger via Kristiansand and between Oslo and Trondheim. Considerably cheaper than the Nor-Way Bussekspress, tickets can only be bought online.

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 - the limit is 20mg alcohol per 100ml of blood, compared to 80mg in the UK. Fines for illegal parking are high and fines for speeding 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. The national speed limit is 80kph (50 mph) but drops to 70kph (43 mph) when going past houses or businesses. In residential and built-up areas, the limit is usually 30kph (19 mph).

Foreign registered cars must also display an oval nationality sticker, and UK registered cars are also required to carry a vehicle registration form (Form V5) which are available from the DVLA. Snow chains or winter tyres are advised during the winter (however, most urban areas now levy a toll on vehicles with studded tyres). 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 licence 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: 

Nearly every town in Norway has a network of local buses which operate around the city centre and outlying areas. The train network covers most major cities, while the capital Oslo also has 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. Second city Bergen also 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 centre with Lian, a major ski centre high above the city.

Rail: 

NSB (Norwegian State Railways) (tel: 8150 0888 (dial '9' 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).

NSB also operates a minipris ticketing system. Minipris tickets must be bought at least one day in advance, and are non-refundable but can give you savings of up to 75% of the standard fare. See www.nsb.no/our-tickets for more information.

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. Travellers 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).

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) is an 12 day round trip that leaves daily and stops at 35 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, including Norway Fjord Cruise AS (tel: 5765 6999; www.fjordcruise.no).

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