Norway 2022

I didn’t visit Norway yet, there were cheap flight tickets, I had extra vacation days and there were few people I would like to visit there. So I quickly bought tickets, got a vacation approved at work, and started my planning. In beginning, it was just Oslo and Skien and later it changed to car rental and doing 2.500 km with the car.

Map of trip in Norway

Daily review

• 23.4. Lillehamer
• 24.4. Trondheim
• 25.4. Bergen
• 26.4. Skien
• 27.4. Oslo

Transport

A lot of movement on this trip. It started with a bus to Zagreb and another one to the airport. Then flight to Torp. From there to Oslo were shuttle and train. In Oslo I rented a car and after 2.600 km returned to Oslo and did reverse return with train, flight, and shuttle. All together around 6.000 km

Flight tickets are cheap (50 €) but take into account getting to/from the airport that is twice the price of tickets (100 €). As for renting a car, it is cheap (160 €). But again gas is expensive as tolls and parking as well (450 €).

Bit if you enjoy driving in nature with lots of winding roads over many passes, with many bridges and tunnels this is an experience for you.

Accommodation

The first night I was on a bus and plane. For the next 3 nights, I slept in the car. I wouldn’t sleep 8h, but it would be cut in 2 or 3 breaks for 3 hours during the day when I felt tired. Last night I slept in a hostel that was located in the suburbs of Oslo and had to rent a whole room. In camp I would take a shower for 3 €.

Food and drinks

While I was constantly on the move there was not a lot of time to explore the cuisine of Norway. Also outside big cities (Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim), there were almost no places to eat except gas stations and stores. So I would eat burgers, and sandwiches (some from home). For breakfast, it was tuna cans brought from home, except for last morning’s breakfast in the hostel. I had a nice meal in Bergen, traditional Norwegian meatballs. The whale was a specialty that was not available, the season is in the summer. In Oslo, I found an Albanian restaurant with burek and ćevapi.

What to see

Norway is a big, bit even more long country. It is 1.750 km long (south-north). In comparison, the distance Ljubljana-Oslo is 1.550 km. I based my visit in the southern third of the country. I made a circular path from Oslo north to Trondheim. Trondheim was the old capital with a nice old town and cathedral. On my way, I stopped in Lillehammer for the Olimpic ski jump. From there I moved to Bergen, which has UNESCO protected harbor. On my way, I went through the country with beautiful nature (fjords, fells, waterfalls, tunnels, ferries). On my return to Oslo again nice nature and stop in Skien for visiting a friend in prison. Oslo as the capital has many nice features, an old town, harbor, palace, parks, museums, …

Budget

There is no easy way to say it. Norway is probably the first or second most expansive country in the whole world. So you should expect to pay more for goods than you were used at home. For example, beer is around 10 € for a pint, a box of cigarettes is around 15 €, and 1 liter of gasoline is around 2.2 €.

You will need there just a card (credit or debit). I didn’t see cash until I explicitly ask for it. Also, you can pay via different apps on your smart phone/devices.

I spent around 1.000 € for 5 days. The flight (50 € tickets + 100 € getting to/from airports) and car rental (160 €) was cheap. Gas was around 320 € for 2.600 km. Parking was 15 € for a few hours, paid via the app Easypay). The toll for roads, bridges, and ferries is around 150 €. So 80% of the budget went on transport. I slept once in a hostel for 70 € with breakfast. The food was 110 €. Misc cost was 40 €.

Weather

Norway is located in the far north of Europe. I visited it at end of April and mostly in the southern third of the country. Spring in Norway means getting warmer and longer days. But still, temperatures during the night can fall below zero. I experienced temperatures between -5 and + 15 C. Most of the time it was clear and sunny, except last day there was some snow in Oslo.

Also, you should take into consideration that some things are still closed like passes over mountains or camps or museums. So check all things you wish to visit upfront.

Packing

Again I was packing lightly, just a carry-on backpack. I was wearing Levi’s jeans, a hoody, and a down jacket (temperatures would be as low as -5 degrees celsius). In my bag, I would pack 4 sets of underwear (shorts, T-shirt, socks), a tracksuit, foldable anorak, a small sleeping bag, toiletries (toothbrush and past, shower gel), electronics (charger, power bank, small cam, headlight), flipflops, 3 sandwiches, 3 tuna cans, water. And of course documents (ID, Passport, driver’s license, credit, and bank card).

Telecomunication

Coverage with a 4G signal was all over the country. I paid back home extra for 5 GB of data. In most places and transport vehicles, you will have the possibility of free WiFi. So the cheapest option for speaking would be one of the apps (Viber, WhatsApp, FB Messanger, …). As for Radio, a signal would be constantly lost while driving and a lot of times during the night there was no signal on any frequency.

COVID

More or less COVID was not present and almost no extra rules were applied. The exception would be 3 following things. On Ryanair flights, you still need to wear a mask. Barber wouldn’t want to shave me with a razor. And lastly, in the hostel, I couldn’t book just one bed but the room as a whole.