Know Before You Go: Norway
We spent a little over two weeks in both Southern and Northern Norway this past summer and everything was perfect.
I never get to say that, so let me have my moment in the sun.
Really and truly, we had an amazing time. Of course there are always some bumps in the road (when I took us in the wrong direction for over an hour, realized I left my ipad back at the hotel and made us lose most of the morning rerouting) but for the most part we all just kept saying how lucky we were. The weather was nearly perfect every day, hiking conditions were almost always ideal (or as close as you can get), our hotels/B&Bs always worked out without any major snafus and most importantly, we traveled as a group of 6 for the first time and everyone got along and had an amazing time with each other. Although, as I'm typing this I hope this is the case for everyone - at least it was for me :).
So, my advice for Norway is coming from an experience where everything worked out better than it should have. This country is really so amazing - both in people and places - that I can't imagine it would have been much worse even if the elements hadn't all cooperated.
Before you go, here are some things that I took away - that I think you should keep in mind. But really, you don't need a lot of advice. The Norwegians have things pretty well figured out.
1. It's expensive (but you can manage it). Apparently, Norway is the 6th most expensive country to live in and I believe it. I can't imagine what it costs to heat a house there (this is how you know I'm old). As a tourist, I would say that it seemed on the pricier side of places we have been but not the MOST expensive.
At the marketplace in Bergen.
Luckily I did a breakdown of costs after our trip so I can tell you that for our first week in Norway, we spent (for 4 people) $142 on gas, $836 on our rental car and $146 in tolls/ferries. Keep in mind that we traveled with friends, so got a larger car AND paid for full insurance since we were splitting our transportation costs in half. Something to note: apparently in Norway, you must have rental car insurance. You can't rely on your credit card policy to carry over. This is something to consider when arranging your transportation.
Outside of transportation, our hotels were probably slightly on the pricier side (by choice because I didn't want to sacrifice quality) but there were plenty of Airbnbs so the wide range of options made it easier to stick to a budget. Where I think we really saved money was on food. Other than the random lunch or breakfast from a cafe we only went out to eat once, the day we landed in Bergen. The price was about what I would expect from a mid range restaurant in any big city - probably about $100 for the both of us. Every other meal we cooked ourselves. All of our hotels had either a shared kitchen or private kitchenette and grocery stores were fairly easy to come by. The grocery store prices were probably a little higher (think Whole Foods vs. Wegmans pricing) but in general this saved us a LOT of money especially since we were in Norway for over 2 weeks. Truthfully, the cuisine is not why you're going to Norway, so if you need to tighten your budget that is where I would look first.
I made dis.
2. Drive a car.
I have no idea why I took this pic, but it is so appropriate. I complain endlessly about Jorge's driving at home, but he is the absolute bestest vacation driver <3.
Ok. You are going to ignore me because I'm a nobody travel blogger and go read Rick Steve's where he tells you that you ABSOLUTELY CAN'T MISS the train between Bergen and Oslo.
Guess what? Our friends did BOTH so can compare them for you and we got a resounding 4 out of 4 that said the scenery in the car was better. Also, you're less likely to sleep or read a book in the car so you will probably notice more of it. If there is literally no other way for you to get from Bergen to Oslo (or vice versa) then OK - go for the train, but if you have the option, drive.
Driving in Norway really seemed easy. I wouldn't exactly know because the most I have ever driven on a trip has been about 20 feet when I moved our rental car between parking spaces in New Zealand...BUT I never felt like:
3. There is hiking errrrrrrrywhere.
If you listen to me and drive a car, sticking to the scenic routes and mapping your lodging in a logical fashion, you will be staying in some of the most beautiful spots in Norway.
In these most beautiful of beautiful spots, there will be hiking all over the place. Just look carefully at the side of the road for the signs and markers.
This picture was taken a short distance from Trollstigen and we literally threw a rock in the air to decide which path to take because there were probably 3 or 4 trail starts all within the same general area. This is really what Norway is all about and you could spend years exploring these routes without making a dent in them. Don't worry if it seems like you have a lot of open time in your itinerary - as long as you have the right gear, you can turn it into a day to hike.
4. Eat the brown cheese. Eat the waffles. Eat the berries and the jams. Make your own coffee.
Norwegian people avert your eyes, but it must be said: the coffee is not so good. Maybe in Oslo at a fantastic coffee shop it's ok, but pretty much anywhere else you buy it, it's ho hum - at least if you're used to a fairly good coffee in your day to day life. Save some money and just buy a bag of ground coffee when you get there. I think every single place we stayed had either a drip coffee pot or french press (they know what's up).
Other than the coffee, Norwegian breakfasts are pretty on point. They are known for their waffles, pancakes and a special Norwegian brown cheese which gave me life.
Norwegian brown cheese (or brunost) is to Norwegians what american cheese is to American's if american cheese wasn't so gross. It's made by boiling goat's milk to caramelize the sugar and the remainder is a smoky, caramel tasting, soft cheese that is set in blocks and sliced with a special cheese slicer (lol this video). If my observation of Norwegian life is any indication it's a staple for them just like peanut butter is to us. I remember seeing a harried teenager running into a grocery store, only to run out clutching three packets of pre sliced brunost early one morning. My favorite Norwegian breakfast became sliced apples with brunost and it's something that I've been able to continue back home because some grocery stores carry it.
There are also a bunch of different types of berries you can get in Norway. One, in particular, the cloudberry is a special Norwegian berry that can only be hand picked in certain swampy alpine altitudes. When we went it was cloudberry season and you could find some in most of the shops.
Pro tip: wrap a waffle up with brunost and some raspberry or cloudberry jam. You're welcome.
5. The landscapes are knock your breath out AMAZING.
We have been to some really picturesque places. So much so, that we worried (a teeny, tiny bit) that we were spoiled and Norway wouldn't live up to our expectations. We had nothing to worry about.
I never get to say that, so let me have my moment in the sun.
Really and truly, we had an amazing time. Of course there are always some bumps in the road (when I took us in the wrong direction for over an hour, realized I left my ipad back at the hotel and made us lose most of the morning rerouting) but for the most part we all just kept saying how lucky we were. The weather was nearly perfect every day, hiking conditions were almost always ideal (or as close as you can get), our hotels/B&Bs always worked out without any major snafus and most importantly, we traveled as a group of 6 for the first time and everyone got along and had an amazing time with each other. Although, as I'm typing this I hope this is the case for everyone - at least it was for me :).
So, my advice for Norway is coming from an experience where everything worked out better than it should have. This country is really so amazing - both in people and places - that I can't imagine it would have been much worse even if the elements hadn't all cooperated.
Before you go, here are some things that I took away - that I think you should keep in mind. But really, you don't need a lot of advice. The Norwegians have things pretty well figured out.
1. It's expensive (but you can manage it). Apparently, Norway is the 6th most expensive country to live in and I believe it. I can't imagine what it costs to heat a house there (this is how you know I'm old). As a tourist, I would say that it seemed on the pricier side of places we have been but not the MOST expensive.
Luckily I did a breakdown of costs after our trip so I can tell you that for our first week in Norway, we spent (for 4 people) $142 on gas, $836 on our rental car and $146 in tolls/ferries. Keep in mind that we traveled with friends, so got a larger car AND paid for full insurance since we were splitting our transportation costs in half. Something to note: apparently in Norway, you must have rental car insurance. You can't rely on your credit card policy to carry over. This is something to consider when arranging your transportation.
Outside of transportation, our hotels were probably slightly on the pricier side (by choice because I didn't want to sacrifice quality) but there were plenty of Airbnbs so the wide range of options made it easier to stick to a budget. Where I think we really saved money was on food. Other than the random lunch or breakfast from a cafe we only went out to eat once, the day we landed in Bergen. The price was about what I would expect from a mid range restaurant in any big city - probably about $100 for the both of us. Every other meal we cooked ourselves. All of our hotels had either a shared kitchen or private kitchenette and grocery stores were fairly easy to come by. The grocery store prices were probably a little higher (think Whole Foods vs. Wegmans pricing) but in general this saved us a LOT of money especially since we were in Norway for over 2 weeks. Truthfully, the cuisine is not why you're going to Norway, so if you need to tighten your budget that is where I would look first.
2. Drive a car.
Ok. You are going to ignore me because I'm a nobody travel blogger and go read Rick Steve's where he tells you that you ABSOLUTELY CAN'T MISS the train between Bergen and Oslo.
Guess what? Our friends did BOTH so can compare them for you and we got a resounding 4 out of 4 that said the scenery in the car was better. Also, you're less likely to sleep or read a book in the car so you will probably notice more of it. If there is literally no other way for you to get from Bergen to Oslo (or vice versa) then OK - go for the train, but if you have the option, drive.
Driving in Norway really seemed easy. I wouldn't exactly know because the most I have ever driven on a trip has been about 20 feet when I moved our rental car between parking spaces in New Zealand...BUT I never felt like:
- I was going to die (hello ireland, iceland and st. martin).
- The road was really just meant for sheep and not any sort of human traffic (hello scotland, ireland and england)
- It was impossible to find parking (hello england and france)
- People wanted to ram us off the road (hello northern virginia and washington dc)
The infrastructure is modern, well maintained and easily navigable, the traffic is manageable and there is an abundance of parking. Also, you want to plan an AMAZING Norway vacation? All you need to do is map out a route that takes you along their scenic tourist routes, stopping for a few days where it makes sense and doing some hiking and exploring at each stop. Then, you will get to see stuff like this:
Go for it.
3. There is hiking errrrrrrrywhere.
If you listen to me and drive a car, sticking to the scenic routes and mapping your lodging in a logical fashion, you will be staying in some of the most beautiful spots in Norway.
In these most beautiful of beautiful spots, there will be hiking all over the place. Just look carefully at the side of the road for the signs and markers.
This picture was taken a short distance from Trollstigen and we literally threw a rock in the air to decide which path to take because there were probably 3 or 4 trail starts all within the same general area. This is really what Norway is all about and you could spend years exploring these routes without making a dent in them. Don't worry if it seems like you have a lot of open time in your itinerary - as long as you have the right gear, you can turn it into a day to hike.
4. Eat the brown cheese. Eat the waffles. Eat the berries and the jams. Make your own coffee.
Norwegian people avert your eyes, but it must be said: the coffee is not so good. Maybe in Oslo at a fantastic coffee shop it's ok, but pretty much anywhere else you buy it, it's ho hum - at least if you're used to a fairly good coffee in your day to day life. Save some money and just buy a bag of ground coffee when you get there. I think every single place we stayed had either a drip coffee pot or french press (they know what's up).
Other than the coffee, Norwegian breakfasts are pretty on point. They are known for their waffles, pancakes and a special Norwegian brown cheese which gave me life.
Norwegian brown cheese (or brunost) is to Norwegians what american cheese is to American's if american cheese wasn't so gross. It's made by boiling goat's milk to caramelize the sugar and the remainder is a smoky, caramel tasting, soft cheese that is set in blocks and sliced with a special cheese slicer (lol this video). If my observation of Norwegian life is any indication it's a staple for them just like peanut butter is to us. I remember seeing a harried teenager running into a grocery store, only to run out clutching three packets of pre sliced brunost early one morning. My favorite Norwegian breakfast became sliced apples with brunost and it's something that I've been able to continue back home because some grocery stores carry it.
There are also a bunch of different types of berries you can get in Norway. One, in particular, the cloudberry is a special Norwegian berry that can only be hand picked in certain swampy alpine altitudes. When we went it was cloudberry season and you could find some in most of the shops.
Pro tip: wrap a waffle up with brunost and some raspberry or cloudberry jam. You're welcome.
5. The landscapes are knock your breath out AMAZING.
We have been to some really picturesque places. So much so, that we worried (a teeny, tiny bit) that we were spoiled and Norway wouldn't live up to our expectations. We had nothing to worry about.
So, in closing: Norway is pricey, but not prohibitively so, and it's an absolutely amazing country that makes it easy to navigate the most beautiful landscapes you might ever see. Just don't have high hopes about the coffee. Also, bring bug spray if you go in the summer.
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