Norway/Sweden/Finland/Denmark/Iceland

Hey,

I am planning on travelling these 5 countries in August 2007 for around 20-24 days (Yes a long wait i know.) and i just wanted to ask if anyone has any information on costs on different modes of transport, like trains, bus' as well as what sort of passes you can get? (ie. One pass that allows you to travel the first 4 countries?)

Since i'm a complete newb, i may as well ask. Is there a lot of flexibility in the timetables, in being able to get off at different towns etc and being able to explore before eventually getting on another train?

Also, i want to leave the trip as flexible as much as i can. Are there plenty of budget hotels around that wont require a booking in advance? Perhaps, just turning up on the spot?

Thanks.

Any help appreciated.

[ Edit: Edited at Nov 3, 2006 3:15 AM by BillyPyro ]

Hello,

if you're really going to visit all the Nordic countries, I think you might find this website useful: http://www.interrailnet.com/zonemap.dhtml?country_id=28,language_id=11,type_country=I <-- Interrail Ticket, Zone B includes Norway, Sweden and Finland.

I only know about the costs of transport in Finland. A single ticket within a city (Helsinki, Vantaa, or Espoo) costs around 2,5€. A single regional ticket costs around 3,5€. It's possible to buy a tourist ticket for 1,3 or 5 days.
Please, see: http://www.hel.fi/wps/portal/HKL_en/Artikkeli?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/en/Helsinki+City+Transport/Tickets/Ticket+types/Tourist+Ticket
However, I think you should buy a Helsinki Card (http://www.hel2.fi/Tourism/EN/Ohjelmaa_retket_lisa.asp?kieli=en&id=40&aspkategoria=4).

More links:
http://www.helsinki.fi/en/index.shtml
http://www.hel2.fi/tourism/EN/matko.asp

In Finland, the public transportation system is very good, so don't worry. However, finding a cheap hostel/hotel is far more difficult, and usually in August they're pretty crowded, so I warmly recommend you to make a booking several months before your trip.

Cheers,

-Mikko-

its easy to travel in Norway, but its a little expensive you can get across Norway for about 20dollars if you are lucky on busses, if you book early, and the trains are 199 norwegian kroner to any norwegian destinations on certain departures. just ask if you need any help

Maybe it's good to read a just back report from someone: http://pretravel.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=justback&action=display&thread=1179464926

www.bahn.de will also work for the timetables in Scandinavia.

Almost everything is expensive in Scandinavia, and the same is true for transport by train and busses. If you have a bigger distance to travel you might also want to look at some budgetairlines, like Blue1, AirNorway and maybe even some of the small Swedish companies like Gotlandsflyg or Malmö Aviation (check www.flightassistent.com for you options)

Hello Billy,

You are going to travel to one of the most scenic and mesmerizing though most expensive part of the world. So planning and booking ahead could especially save you money (and time).

As for transportation: it is always useful to plan ahead especially in the north as sometimes there's only one ride on the day and route choosen. Links for Norway (train: www.nsb.no, coach: www.nor-way.no).

<-- Interrail Ticket, Zone B includes Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Interrail's policy has changed and the passes have to be purchased for each country respectively - furthermore the Interrail is only available for people having a residential permit in one of the European countries. You should check the prices of ScanRail Pass and compare it with pay-as-you-go fares. (link:http://www.scanrail.com/)
You might benefit of the so called "Minipris" tickets for NOK 199 on the Norwegian railways (book ahead at their site nsb.no).
Holding an ISIC card can save up between 25-50 % at buses depending on the route travelled.

As for accomodation the YH's has the most moderate prices and some of them has special settling (Norway: http://www.vandrerhjem.no) Remember that bringing your own linen can save you up to NOK 60 / night!

God tur! / Enjoy Your stay in Scandinavia!

David

[ Edit: Edited on Jun 3, 2007, at 4:30 AM by danube ]

If you want to get to Iceland from Norway at this time of year then a ferry is going to be quite expensive. However you can get cheap flights from Oslo, Stockholm or Copenhagen to Iceland through Iceland Express (Icelandic budget airline) here -

http://www.icelandexpress.com/

Personally if money was no object I would love to travel from Finland across scandinavia to wind up in Bergen and then get a ferry out to Iceland, but it's so much more expensive (when I checked the price it was about 200 Euros for a one way trip) that the flight is probably the only realistic option.

If you're going to be staying in each country for a certain amount of days just purchase passes which will be much cheaper. It doesn't matter if you use trams, trains or the subway, it'll be much more expensive compared to the rest of Europe. However, the transportation system in Scandinavia seems to be of top quality.

FINALLY SOMEONE I CAN HELP! lol.

denmark expert here!

this is the official website for, well, all train transportation in denmark.
http://dsb.dk/cs/Satellite?pagename=DSB/Forside & yes i know it's in danish, but i'll give you a crash danish course. (if you travel to a city, for example copenhagen & it says copenhagen on your ticket, you can use the city buses for free for the rest of the day, just by showing your ticket).

fra = from
til = to
enkelt = one way
returrejse = return trip
dato = date (the months are so similar you should be able to figure it out) i actually dunno if they use the am/pm system in australia, but if you do, 12 a.m. = 24:00 & 12 p.m. = 12:00.
afg. = departure
ank. = arrival
pris = price

i saw someone mentioned interrail, but here is the website in english:
http://www.interrail.net/index2.php?language=en
but now that i'm reading up on this, i don't think you'll be able to buy an interrail pass, sadly. because you're not an EU resident! but
http://www.interrail.net/index2.php?language=en you can read all about it here.

about accommodation, you should check out this site:
http://www.danhostel.dk/VisNyhed.asp?lan=uk&ID=722
you don't have to book in advance, but popular spots in denmark such as skagen, big cities & prty much all of the west coast (german tourists) take up their fair share of hostels, so you might end up having to pay more some places, because all the cheap hostels are fully booked.

general info: most post offices are open from 9 to 17 (5 pm) during the weekdays & from 9 to 13 (1 pm) saturday.
grocery stores are generally open from 10 to around 19 - 20 (7 - 8 pm) & usually from 10 to 17 saturdays & sundays, although most major grocery stores close on sunday & only small stores like fakta & aldi keep open (føtex loves money , so their prices are expensive, don’t go there. ).
shops are usually open from 10 to 18 (6 pm) & 10 to 14 (2 pm) saturdays, but always closed sundays.

almost everyone in denmark is able to communicate in english, so it shouldn't be a problem to asking for help.

have a super great trip & if you have questions, concerning denmark, don't hesitate to ask!

[ Edit: Edited on Jun 19, 2007, at 8:18 AM by majaDK ]

You certainly have got taste for the expensive countries. Iceland will swallow up huge amounts of money. Budget accommodation is nearly non existant. If you miss out on the hostel which was booked out 2 months in advance when I went to Iceland June last year, the cheapest "budget" place was $99US and that was cheap by Iceland standards. This was 2 months prior to going, so undoubtedly by the time I got there their would have been none available in the budget stuff and only high end accommodation if that still had any vacancies. I found a nice couple that let me crash on their floor for my time in Iceland and I went through over $100US a day without having to pay for accommodation (that could have been reduced had I not done some tour or activity most days and also found out at the start of my stay that "Bonus" supermarket is 50% cheaper on food and non alcoholic drinks than every other supermarket in Reykjavik).

Just a day trip to the Blue Lagoon (very nice) costs a small fortune so if you want to do any activity like ice climbing etc it'll set you back well over $100US (in Icelandic Kroner).

I think you probably know it already, but seeing Iceland is a long way off shore from mainland Europe you'll have to fly there to Keflavik airport seeing the only other options are swim, row a boat or get a ferry which your timeframe wouldn't allow.

For the most part of your trip you should be able to be flexible, but with Iceland, seeing you need to get flights, I'd book them ASAP to get a good deal if any still exist for your dates and then as soon as you know those dates, book your accommodation so you don't find yourself sleeping on the streets or having to fork out a major fortune for accommodation.

Heya, You can get a Scandinavian Rail pass for all of the continental countries. You have purchase the pass outside of Europe. I think you can buy them from Railplus in Australia.
Have a good trip, hopefully I'll be following your footsteps in a year or so!