Norway is a beautiful country. Why not see more of it from a train window? The views are among the most spectacular in the world, and prices are quite reasonable too.
The national train company is called NSB. The prices are dependent on the route and what time of the day you want to go. Look for “Minipris” at their website. If you order at least one week before your departure, you have a better choice, since the cheaper seats are limited. You may, however, obtain tickets up to one day before departure.
It’s easy, just click on your starting and destination points, find your dates on the calendar and check the prices. The website will automatically show you the lowest fares. The Minipris tickets cannot be purchased on the train – that’s why they are cheaper.
Let’s say you want to go from Oslo to Bergen, a scenic seven hour journey. The price for one adult person (checked on 18 June 2015) will be approximately NOK 500 (US$ 67). You’ll see the Minipris in the right column.
If you just want to sit in your armchair and go from Bergen to Oslo on a seven hour journey, you may watch the popular television show “The Bergen Route minute by minute” made by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) last year.
You can pay for your ticket online with your credit card and then get a reservation number per e-mail. When you are at the station, go to the automatic ticket machine and type the number, and it will print out your ticket. You may even choose English as your preferred language.
Where to go?
There are a lot of epic mountains, fjords, lakes and impressing waterfalls between the cities. The mountain village area Finse, between Bergen and Oslo in Ulvik municipality sits at an elevation of 1,222 meters (4,009 ft) above sea level, making it the highest station on the entire Norwegian railway system, and is probably worth a stop-over.
Whether you’re arriving at the Oslo Airport or Rygge Airport you may go by NSB without extra charge. A friend of mine arrived at Rygge last month at six o’clock in the morning. His train was scheduled at 10 am. He asked nicely if he could go with a train to Oslo before his actual departure, which was accepted with a smile. He then had several hours to walk around Oslo before his departure to Bergen. “Norwegians are very nice!” he told me later.
Go By Train In Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg