Budget tips for Norway

Hi - I am planning a trip to Norway this fall and would appreciate any recommendations on how to keep costs down - accommodation and everything else is very expensive so only plan to spend a week in Bergen and Alesund on the west coast. This will be in late September - from there we are going to the Balkans and Spain and Portugal - we will try not to eat in restaurants too often while in Norway and will not be drinking alcohol - hope to pick up bread and cheese etc from grocery store to save on food costs. We will fly into Oslo and take the train to Bergen, hopefully will get reduced fare seats by booking three months in advance. Any tips will be appreciated!!

Sadly I found Norway the most expensive country I have ever travelled in. Norwegians get paid super well, so the costs are not to bad for them, but for everyone else...

Food: it just isn't cheap anywhere. Don't miss out on restaurants but do eat at lunchtime - you can get a daily dish much much cheaper than if you went out for dinner. Research cheaper places to keep your costs down. Supermarket food isn't actually that cheap - I planned to do the bread with stuff for meals, and I struggled! Bread is not cheap...

Visits: lots of places have cheap (or free) days to visit, so check it out in advance. Also check out if lots of places you want to visit are close together - that way you might be able to combine visits on one local transport ticket.

Accommodation: try homestays and pensjonat - they are often cheaper, especially if there are 2 of you. Lots of people rent out just one room, so it will be a personal experience too.

Train: there is a very particular number of days to book in advance for super cheap tickets (look up the amazing advice on Seat 61.com) - I managed to get a ticket for an 8 hour journey (Oslo-Stockholm) for around £20. Also on the Oslo-Bergen train, try to get a seat reservation for the panoramic window (i.e. it doesn't have the struts across, and the chairs swivel more). Its a beautiful journey through the fjords, so take advantage of it!

Don't worry about money too much - the Balkans are super cheap, so you can spend a bit more in Norway and relax when you get there. (Balkans are gorgeous too.)

Hey thanks for the tips

Hey,
Just wondering how your trip went in Norway. I want to go for 10 days in mid August. Trying to figure out the best way to get around, car hire, camper van or public transport. I am flying from Scotland to Bergen. If you are back on here I'd love to know how you went.

I am planning a Scandinavia trip in early sep as well. To keep the costs low, will search for apartments equipped with a kitchen that we can make our own bfast and simple dinners. Hostels with the common kitchen are good too but I prefer to have a room with bathroom. For sightseeing, I am comparing if the visitor cards are worth to buy since we won't do many museums at all.

Quoting Jessiemeow

I am planning a Scandinavia trip in early sep as well. To keep the costs low, will search for apartments equipped with a kitchen that we can make our own bfast and simple dinners. Hostels with the common kitchen are good too but I prefer to have a room with bathroom. For sightseeing, I am comparing if the visitor cards are worth to buy since we won't do many museums at all.

I have just booked into the Marken Guesthouse, Bergen for 3 nights. You can get private rooms and has been recommended on a blog I have been reading called, Heart my backpack written by a girl named Silvia. It is a great blog.

That's great. Thanks for the info.
Jessie

Scandinavian Air - exceptional budget airline
Train - book early and try to get a mini price
Hurtigruten - ship that plies the west coast of Norway - you can book online
Yes man in seat 61 is a very helpful site
We took an immersion heater so could boil water and make tea/coffee and also bought bread cheese sliced meat -
Actually we took an overnight train from Oslo to Bergen - missed out on the spectacular scenery though
Bergen gets a lot of rain so be prepared - ?

Thanks for that advice.