Norway is one of the northernmost countries in Europe, which occupies a significant place on the map, having a fairly large territory, part of which is located in the Arctic Circle.
This country offers quite wide opportunities for various types of recreation, but it should be admitted that holidays in Norway are not suitable for everyone due to some of the specifics of this country, which should be taken into account by everyone who considers Norway as a possible vacation option.
for whom a vacation in Norway is not suitable:
- people with a very limited budget
Although it is relatively easy to get to Norway - by plane (tickets will not be very expensive) or even by car (it is most convenient to do this for residents of the northern regions of Russia, which have a land border with Norway, equipped with international automobile checkpoints), but prices in Norway itself quite high - significantly higher than in Europe. Salaries and living standards in this country are also significantly higher than in Europe, which is associated with high prices for accommodation, food, entertainment, and more. Even the prices at McDonald's can be unpleasant for budget travelers - they are normal in Norway, but prohibitively high in Europe. Of course, there are hostels in Norway where you can save money on accommodation, but a budget trip to this country will still not work.
- people who love certain entertainment - luxurious shows, great nightclubs
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The cost of rest in Stavanger. August 2017.
tour cost
We had a valid visa obtained earlier when making another trip. We got to Stavanger from Stockholm by two flights: Stockholm - Oslo, Oslo - Stavanger. Tickets were bought on Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). Both flights cost 8,000 rubles per person, but this is without luggage, only carry-on baggage... From the airport to the city they took a shuttle-bus for 1000 rubles, they bought a ticket from the driver. Booked a hotel room 2 months in advance, the price per night was 6000 rubles, breakfast included. The Skansen Hotel is old, with a retro lift, but the view of the waterfront is excellent.
They did not use the services of excursion companies, they themselves organized the ascent to Preikestolen. We bought a single ferry and bus ticket, costing 3200 rubles per person, they were bought on the ferry. In the morning at 9 on the embankment we sailed by ferry to the city of Tau, sailing for about 40 minutes. From Tau by bus to the final stop, go about 25 minutes. The same way back. As a result, this activity will take almost the entire day.
Food and groceries
Prices in Stavanger are high, as in all of Norway. On average, prices are 4-5 times higher than Russian ones. For example, prices in a supermarket: bread 150-250 rubles, regular tea in bags 300 rubles, chocolate 250 rubles, beer from 200 rubles. By the way, a container from beer, mineral water can be returned to the vending machine in the supermarket (the price of these drinks includes the price for the container, it is different depending on the volume of the bottle and the material). In McDonald's, a hamburger costs 700-900 rubles, and a pizza in the most ordinary cafe is about 1500 rubles.
Vacation with children
Children in Norway are sacred. Here they build museums for them, come up with special attractions and arrange special holidays. In Oslo, during the championship, a mini-biathlon, a real competition, was organized especially for children on the main square of the capital. On one ski, the kids did cross-country races and received gifts for this. Their competitions, along with the real championship, were broadcast on the big screen, which delighted both the kids and their parents. With affection we watched the noisy crowd of children at Royal Palace- the official residence of the current king of Norway. A mountain of snow, specially poured right at the foot of the monument to the once king Karl Johan, and a crowd of children screaming with delight with sledges is an idyllic picture.
Youth rest
There are many ski resorts in Norway, including those near Oslo. Every day we watched groups of youngsters, large and small, with gear going to neighboring Kongberg for skiing and boarding. It is a pity that we only watched and did not participate in the ski races. We love it very much.
Family holiday
In Oslo, the cult of the family. An entire Vigeland sculpture park is dedicated to this theme. This is, of course, a strange park. But only here the whole gamut of family and human relations, from grief to joy, from birth to death, is so vividly and sharply expressed in sculpture. This is a philosophical park, not clear to everyone. But I would recommend visiting it to those who are just planning to start a family and deeply married couples.
What to take with you on vacation?
Coming to Norway, you should definitely have warm clothes with you. Although winters are not cold here, they are almost always snowy. Even if you don't plan on skiing, in order to walk as long as possible, it is worth bringing ski pants and a warm down jacket.
How to entertain yourself at the resort?
Oslo is a fairly small city, although it is a capital. And quite modest, without showing off. Nevertheless, there are a lot of iconic places that are known all over the world. The same Vigeland sculpture park, admission is free, by the way, to it. You should definitely go to the Art Museum on Oslo's waterfront. You will also see the famous Oslo Opera. If you like to walk on the roof, it is the roof of the Opera that is the easiest to get to. We spent a couple of hours on the Akershus fortress, beautiful view the Oslo fjord and the city reflected in sea water... There is also the famous Nobel Museum and the monumental brick City Hall of Oslo, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually. And if you come here for a couple of weeks, you can enjoy not only the sea coast and breathe fresh air, but also visit the numerous ski resorts near Oslo.
The journey lasted 2½ weeks. In the early days, we swept across the whole of Finland from the south almost to the very north. Then we slowly drove through Norway from northwest to southeast, visiting a large number of natural, historical and urban notable places- from North Cape to Preikestolen. And in the last days no less rapidly swept from west to east through Sweden and Finland back to St. Petersburg. This totals approximately 6,800 km (car odometer) plus numerous short and long ferry crossings that we didn't count.
The main impression of the trip: the harsh northern nature is beautiful! The sea, fjords, mountains, glaciers, turbulent rivers and waterfalls, unusual vegetation in the north - mosses and lichens, deer roam everywhere, as if there are no people around, the sun shines all night, bridges and tunnels - dozens every day, the height is constantly changing from 0 to 1000 meters above sea level, which makes your ears so lazy. I wanted to stop every 50 kilometers and take massive photographs of all this, then to show it for three years.
The main disappointment of the trip: on the fifth day of the trip, my camera died, unable to withstand the harsh northern climate, so there will be no photos.
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2. The journey began through Finland, and every time Finland gives us unexpected surprises. This time the surprise was the Bell Museum under open air, which we met near the 4th road somewhere in the south of northern Ostrobothnia.
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3. We stopped in Oulu for a few hours walk and spend the night. Oulu turned out to be a big and pretty Finnish city, as expected. The photo shows a sculpture of a policeman in the market square, one of the symbols of the city.
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4. The next day there was Rovaniemi - the largest city in Europe in terms of area, but rather small in population. Rovaniemi, unlike Oulu, did not like it. The buildings are chaotic and not interesting, there is no Finnish coziness. In the photo - Lordi Square, the central square of Rovaniemi, named after the famous modern Finnish punk rock band.
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5. Near Rovaniemi we crossed the polar circle back and forth several times :-) and walked around the “museum” village of Santa Claus, more precisely, Joulu-pukki, in Finnish. We also wanted to go to the underground Santa Park, located under the Arctic Circle, but in those days it was closed due to “Summer Christmas”. This is the last Finnish photo, and then there will be, in fact, Norway.
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6. The northernmost point of our journey is the North Cape, the northernmost point of mainland Europe, located on a 300-meter cliff on an island connected to the mainland by a 6-kilometer tunnel of 250 meters depth. We aimed to get here on the week of the summer solstice and certainly at midnight in order to enjoy the highest midnight sun. Unfortunately, at midnight the weather was unlucky (the watering clouds started at 50 meters, and the North Cape is at 300 meters), but the northern weather suddenly changes several times a day, and after a couple of hours it was already quite sunny.
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7. The glacier (or snowfield? :) on the mountain in summer on a sunny night is beautiful! All glaciers-snowfields are located at different heights, so they begin to melt in different time, therefore, in the Norwegian mountains, mountain streams-rivers and waterfalls continuously flow throughout the summer.
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9. But Hammerfest is considered the northernmost real city in Europe, although it is located slightly south of Honningsvåg. There are almost no sights in the city, there is only a museum of polar bears, which is located right in the building of the city administration. After the wet Hammerfest, my camera got damp and refused to turn on, so there will be no more detailed photos, all the other pictures were taken with a mobile phone in order to somehow dilute the text of this post with pictures.
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10. In Alta we went to the museum rock painting... In the second half of the 20th century, numerous hollowed-out rock carvings were found here quite by accident, the age of which is from 6 to 3 thousand years, they cleaned, completed tinted and put on public display. Elk-deer, bears, people, boats, hunting and fishing scenes and other shamanic activities. And in the upper right corner, we saw something that looked like a computer keyboard.
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11. The next day were the Lofoten Islands. Previously, they were engaged in fishing, and now mainly tourism (since a few years ago, a new E10 road was laid here and a couple of dozen bridges and tunnels were built). The photo shows the historical fishing (and now museum) village of Nusfjord. Previously, fishermen lived here, and now these houses are a museum, hotels and fish restaurants.
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12. The Lofoten Islands are also located above the Arctic Circle, so the sun shines here at night in summer. Taking pictures with a phone in a backlight is, of course, a perversion. But, unlike the North Cape, this picture was honestly taken at astronomical midnight.
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13. Another former fishing town and now a tourist town on the Lofoten Islands - Oh! Settlement with the shortest name. In Norwegian, its name is spelled “Å”. By the way, the houses are on legs, not only because it is more convenient for fishermen, but because it is open Atlantic Ocean and there are ebb and flow several times a day, the water level fluctuates by about a meter.
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14. In order not to go again on the same single road, from the Lofoten Islands we crossed back to the mainland on a 100-kilometer ferry to Bodø. The view of the Norwegian mountains from the sea is also beautiful. Unfortunately, this cannot be shown on mobile photos.
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15. On the same day (more precisely, on the same polar day, because by this time we had a complete split between day and night, and the calendar day was already completely different) we crossed the Arctic circle again and gradually began to return to more familiar latitudes. The Arctic Circle in Norway on the E6 road is more severe than the one near Rovaniemi: here it is located on a plateau at an altitude of 680 meters above sea level on a bald plateau blown by all the winds, and visitors built up the whole plateau with traditional Sami cairns.
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17. Trondheim, aka Nidarus - the ancient capital of Norway. There is an old fortress, an old Gothic cathedral, built in the XI-XIII centuries, and an embankment with houses of unusual architecture. Unfortunately, by the end of this day the weather deteriorated again (in Norway it changes several times a day to the absolutely opposite), and by this day we had some lag behind the schedule, so we examined Trondheim very superficially and in the rain, there was a good time to wait we no longer had the weather.
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19. After Trondheim, interesting and scenic roads... For example, the "Atlantic Road", laid across the islands on west coast Norway with numerous bizarre bridges. Since this is the very coast in front of the open sea, this is the very place where, during high tides, the water begins to flow into long narrow fjords, at such moments there is a very rapid current under the bridges.
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20. "Troll Ladder" (also known as "Troll Trail") is one of the most popular Norwegian natural and man-made attractions. A picturesque 7-kilometer serpentine road with a 10% slope, rising among the waterfalls to a height of almost 700 meters.
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21. In our journey there were both steeper and more extreme roads, but the "Troll Ladder" stands out among them by the fact that from above it looks very picturesque, and there are equipped observation platforms hanging over the cliffs.
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22. Geiranger Fjord is the most popular natural attraction in Norway. A very long and narrow (about half a kilometer) fjord with emerald-colored water, windingly stretching among the picturesque mountains. All approaches to Geiranger are either along extreme serpentine roads or by ferry.
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24. Going further along our route from Geiranger, we accidentally noticed a sign to some natural landmark, and turning onto an inconspicuous winding path with a sign that you are driving here at your own peril and risk, a few minutes later we found ourselves on Mount Dalsnibba at a height 1,500 meters above sea level (she turned out to be high point of our trip). It's good that by car, and not on foot, because the entire supply of clothes is constantly fiddling with myself, and often several times a day I had to change clothes from a light T-shirt and shorts to a warm jacket with two sweaters and a hat.
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27. And this is a man-made landmark - Flåm Railway, leading from the shore of one of the fjords to an 800-meter height to the main railway line Oslo - Bergen. Previously, this railway had a transport and cargo function, but nowadays it has become exclusively tourist. During an hour-long ride, the windows of the carriages offer absolutely wonderful views of the mountains, valleys, gorges and waterfalls.
Norway is a country with unique nature, inhabited by wonderful kind people who speak English fluently and welcome guests with cordiality. In addition to natural beauty and pleasant people, there is something else there that allows the country to occupy a confident position in the ranking of the world's largest energy suppliers. 50 years ago, on the shelf of the North and Norwegian Seas, they found large deposits oil and gas. The Norwegians have installed oil production equipment on the seabed and now own one of the most efficient hydrocarbon production complexes in the world.
Of course, it's good that Norway has oil. The bad news is that because of this, the country has a high price tag for food, housing and transport. Purchasing power local population allows you to purchase goods and services at local prices, but for residents of other countries, ice cream for 10 euros and bread for 6 euros may seem expensive.
This factor often holds back people who want to visit Norway, because there is a lot of beauty in the world, so why pay more? Believe me, Norghe is worth the investment for the trip!
Visa to Norway
You need to obtain a visa in advance at the embassy. You can also enter on a multiple-entry Schengen visa of another state. I flew the Spanish semi-annual multishengen, and Norway was the first country I visited on this visa.
Currency- Norwegian krone (NOK), 1 € = 8.4 NOK
Plastic cards are accepted almost everywhere.
Flights to Norway
Flights Moscow - Oslo - Moscow can be bought for 110€ Euro for a flight with a stopover by AirBaltic and for 160€ on a direct Aeroflot flight.
Oslo - Bergen round-trip ticket costs 48€ ... If there is no purpose to visit the capital, then you can buy an air ticket from Russia to Stavanger, Bergen or Alesund. Such a ticket will cost approximately € 215 for an indirect flight.
Prices in Norway
Housing prices
Housing prices are higher than in other European countries. A bed in a shared room in Oslo Hostel will cost at least 25€ , or even 35-40 €. Hotel rooms cost from 70€ , average price — 100-120€ for a double room in a 3 * hotel.
If you are traveling by car (which is the best way to explore Norway), you can stay at the campsites. Average 50€ for three a night.
Also in Norway, you can pitch a tent in public places for free. Camping website: http://www.camping.no/
Food prices
Food in cafes and restaurants is not cheap. For example, lunch at fast food McDonald's or Burger King will cost 12€ ... If you want to have a snack in a cafe or restaurant, then expect to pay no less 20-25€ for the dish.
To reduce costs, you can buy food in the supermarket and cook at home, or if you are coming from Russia by car, buy food at home and take it with you.
Transportation prices in Norway
As I wrote earlier, it is cheaper to travel with a company by car. You can rent a car on the spot or come by your own transport.
Public transport is well developed. Tickets for trains running between cities will cost 30-60€ depending on the distance. The earlier you buy tickets, the lower their price.
Norwegian Railways (NSB) website: https://www.nsb.no/
Entertainment prices
The most popular pastime is visiting the fjords. For multi-day fjord cruises, prices tend to fluctuate around the area 100€ per person per day.
A short boat cruise on the Geirangerfjord costs 24€ per person for an hour and a half.
Per 58€ you can ride an inflatable boat.
How to save money
- Couchsurfing- stay for free with couchsurfers, because housing costs are one of the main cost items.
- Cooking at home and not drinking alcohol- living with couchsurfers or renting an apartment, you can cook at home. It is much cheaper than eating in restaurants and cafes. Since even a bottle of beer costs € 7, it is best to refrain from drinking alcohol if your budget is tight.
- Tent- take a tent and a sleeping bag with you and spend the night in national parks or on the banks of the fjords - it's legal and absolutely free.
- Tourist card- in every Norwegian city you can buy a tourist card that gives you big discounts on museums, sightseeing and public transport.
- Book in advance- if possible, book your train and bus tickets in advance. In some cases, you can save up to 50% of the cost.
Landmarks (cities and fjords) of Norway
— Oslo- the capital of country. According to reviews, a pleasant city with a lot of museums. I myself have not been there, so I will not describe it.
— Troll's tongue, also known as Trolltunga Rock - a rock ledge above Ringedalsvatne Lake. The hike to the rock takes 8-10 hours. Trolltunga is one of the most spectacular selfie spots in the world according to http://www.visitnorway.com/
— Lofoten Islands- famous for authentic villages, whale safaris, fishing and natural attractions.
What to do in Norway, my TOP-7
- Climbing is a must! An unforgettable experience is guaranteed.
- Go to the Geiranger Fjord.
The Sognefjord area is annually visited by hordes of tourists seeking to see the beauty of the wild nature of Norway: sheer cliffs, waterfalls, narrow gorges, bays compressed by mountains, sometimes only two hundred meters wide - everything is abundant here. Particularly loved by Norwegians and tourists is the Nereyfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If the Sognefjord is 204 kilometers long, then the Nereyfjord is ten times less, but while sailing along it on a boat, you get, as it were, an idea of the whole country at once, which is why the route, which includes a cruise and travel along the Flomsbana railroad pierced in the rocks, is called "Norway in miniature".
From May to September, boats on the Nereifjord run five to six times a day (see the schedule at http: // www.fjord1.no/fylkesbaatane). The rest of the time - and the website says in black and white: "the route works all year round" - the flight from Gudvangen (one end of the fjord) to Flåm (the other end) is carried out 1 time there and the same amount back.
Usually tourists start in Oslo, get to Myrdal station, get into the car of the Flåm railway, after which they stomp on board the boat, and after finishing the cruise, they go from Gudvangen to Voss and further to Bergen. This route is good for summer, but not very good for spring: if you go like this, you get to Gudvangen by five in the evening. While you are waiting for the bus, it will get dark and the mountainous beauty of the area will be left without proper attention. I decided to approach the question from the other end - to go all the way in the opposite order. If you arrive in Voss early, you catch the bus at 8.20, drive through the gorges, walk around Gudvangen, go on a cruise, then Flomsbana to Myrdal and train to Bergen.
Greed, exclusively greed for impressions made me take the indicated route, and now the most amazing natural wonders of Norway were just a stone's throw away - only fifty kilometers.
Getting out of the warm train, the first thing I did was look around. The city of Voss, numbering 14,000 inhabitants, at this hour of the morning did not want to send any of its inhabitants to meet the arriving train. It even became somehow offensive - what, every morning, what if a train comes from the capital ?! Well, in general, yes, almost every one except Sundays, since there are no Saturday evening departures from Oslo. Fortunately, the station was open and I hurried inside. Taking advantage of the "conveniences" (we would have such toilets near the station) and bringing myself into a divine form, I figured out how to take the 150 minutes remaining before the bus arrived in Gudvangen. Most of all, I liked the idea of passing the time by contemplating the dawn. After walking about two kilometers to the east, I settled down on a cliff above the Roundalselvi river and began to admire the dawn over the mountains. To my shame, I must confess that this was the second sunrise I saw - the first in the desert on the road from Hurghada to Luxor, and here is another one. I liked this sunrise more, probably because the light frost gave the body some vigor, preventing it from falling into slumber. Meanwhile, the mountains were becoming clearer and clearer against the background of the rising light, and when I looked back, I saw that the eastern slopes of the peaks in the distance were already lit up with flames. Finally, the luminary revealed its face because of the jagged rock massifs, there was not a single cloud in the sky, and it became clear that the day for walking along the fjords was chosen extremely well.
Returning to the station, I found that the local life was starting to boil, the ticket office opened, a cafe opened, buses began to arrive one after another - despite its modest appearance, Voss is an important starting point for travel along the edge of the fjords. Soon the transport I needed arrived, making its way from Bergen and heading for Sogne. Considering the fact that he set off at half past six in the morning, it was not surprising that with my appearance in the cabin, the number of passengers doubled.
The road immediately met expectations - now on the left, now on the right, dazzling glaciers appeared, periodically frozen waterfalls came across, and rocky steeps were presented in abundance. A couple of times we drove into the tunnels, and when we jumped out of them, such panoramas appeared in front of our eyes that it was simply breathtaking. The driver, who apparently drove through these places several times a day, did not pay attention to the surroundings, but from time to time he looked with an approving smile in the mirror of the salon's view as I jump from seat to seat in an attempt to remove beauty from both sides at once.
An hour after departure, we drove into a valley between a kilometer-high mountains, the driver braked the bus at the side of the road and said that here it is, Goodwagen. I thanked him for his concern, got out, and first of all snapped a dozen frames, the surrounding landscape was so captivating. A town of three dozen low buildings clung between the ground and the water, as if a subordinate had come to the boss and perched on the edge of a chair. The morning fog just enveloped the tiled roofs, the air smelled of grace, nothing foreshadowed trouble. The inhabitants were probably still lounging in their beds, there was a mysterious silence. In the most wonderful mood, I approached the dock with the sign "Cruise to Flåm" and found a freshly made sign that read "Due to the appearance of ice in the fjord, the cruise is canceled. Call for inquiries somewhere." The catastrophe was so unexpected that for some time I could not speak, only bellowed angrily. Then I burst out. The mountains have probably never heard so many interesting words since they were born. "Goats, - I yelled somewhere into space, - freaks! What the hell did you write that cruises are carried out all year round ?! Buy yourself an icebreaker, damn it!" The town somehow sharply lost its pastoral charm and began to resemble Salem Lot from the works of Stephen King or, say, locality from a second-rate American horror film. Without waiting for all sorts of mutants to crawl out of the cellars, I decided to get out of Gudvangen and go to Flåm - but just how to do it, because the next bus will be in two hours! For the first time in my life I had to walk on the road with outstretched hand. I mean, vote.
I didn't have any practical experience in this area, only theoretical calculations, which, they say, is very simple and problem-free. Inspired by such statements, I took strategic position at the edge of the highway — on a long, straight stretch, but near a wide shoulder so the car could stop — and started waving his thumb. Everything turned out to be really simple: already the fourth car deprived me of my innocence in the question of hitchhiking. I would never have thought that this luxury Mercedes would pick me up, but come on! Just in case, I asked the driver if he was going to Flåm - in fact, he had nowhere else to go, since a tunnel through the rocks leads precisely to this town, and the only branch will lead transport to a dead end near the city of Andredal, from where you can return either in Gudvangen, or again in Flåm. The man was on his way to Flåm and on to Trondheim; he turned out to be a Bulgarian by nationality, as he announced when he learned that I was from Russia. Imagine what it was like for me to hear Russian from almost the first Norwegian I met! During the twenty-minute journey, we managed to discuss the difficult Norwegian life (taxes are high!), The separation of the Slavic brothers, pleasing only to America, and the tricks of the local police, who had installed security cameras everywhere. Here the kingdom of the mountains just ended, and the time has come to part. Good luck, good-natured Norwegian Bulgarian!
No matter how angry I was at the organizers, or rather, the saboteurs of the cruise, Flom quickly reconciled me with reality. I stayed in it for about five hours, but from the very first moments of acquaintance with the town I realized that I definitely like it here.
The sky above my head was shining with a piercing blue, the smoothness of the fjord was matched, and, climbing the hillock, I made my most successful shot, "The Mirror", in which the mountains and clouds above are reflected in the water below as in a mirror - the symmetry is literally absolute.
Another shot I somewhat pretentiously called "The insignificance of man in the face of nature." On it, tiny Flam houses look like children's toys next to the giant rocks, at the foot of which they are located. You look at this picture and you understand that everything built by people cannot be compared with the handiwork of nature. Perhaps, from the realization of this fact, homo sapiens takes revenge on the planet as best he can, poisoning the water and foul the air ... By the way, about the air - in the Norwegian mountains it is truly divine. My chronic rhinitis - the misfortune of almost any St. Petersburg resident - instantly disappeared like a hand. Last hour before the train to Myrdal, I spent on a bench at the water's edge, basking in the sun and trying to saturate my lungs with genuine purity.
The Flåm railway took twenty years to build and went into operation in 1940. If we take into account that the length of the track is 20 kilometers, then one can understand what difficulties the engineers and workers faced, who nevertheless issued an average of one thousand meters of tracks per year. One of the rocks even had to cut down a spiral tunnel, and on average, the slope of the track is a meter in height for every eighteen meters in length.
The timetable changes depending on the season, and the latest information can be found on the websites http://www.flaamsbana.no and http://www.visitflam.no They say that in the summer there is nowhere for an apple to fall on the Flamsbana train, so in summer, and During my trip there were seven people in the carriage - three Germans, two Japanese women, a stern-looking uncle (I considered him a Yugoslavian) and the author of these lines himself. Culturally seated on the seats, as if on command, we opened the booklets taken at the box office with a story about the road and a list of the most interesting places (look to the right - a glacier, look to the left - a waterfall) and prepared to taste the beautiful (I note that everyone opened the booklet on the page where the story is in his native language - there is also Russian). Then the train started, an English-language commentary was heard from the speakers, and before we had time to drive away from Flåm, the gravity was forgotten, and everyone hung on the windows like children, trying not to miss a single detail of the landscapes that were opening. Fortunately, the train slowed down in the most interesting places, and near the huge waterfall it stopped altogether and gave the inhabitants of its womb the opportunity to get out and take pictures to their heart's content. Having passed two dozen tunnels and countless gorges, we arrived at Myrdal station just in time, ten minutes before the arrival of the Bergen-Oslo train, which, in fact, is not surprising, since the Flomsbana timetable was specially coordinated with the movement of trains between the current capital of Norway and its ancient capital - yes, yes, in the Middle Ages, Bergen was the political center of the country for two decades and the residence of the Norwegian king, which I learned about soon after arriving in this wonderful city.
Leaving the station, I immediately took out a pre-printed map of the area (detailed plans of Europe up to a specific address can be found on the website http: // www.michelin.com) and got my bearings. My hotel "Thon Bergen Brygge" seems to be away from the center, but in fact in a very good location- just beyond the end of the famous Bergen embankment with wooden houses... I got a room, as I wanted, on a non-smoking floor; the room was no complaints, but very pleasant - with a huge bed, a couple of chairs, a large table, a TV and, most importantly, individual heating. I immediately adjusted the thermostat to plus thirty degrees, had a snack and went to the side.
I didn't want to wake up, I felt too comfortable, but there was nothing to do - I had to go sightseeing, so all I could afford was to lie in bed for another half hour, at the same time watching the news from CNN. Bringing myself into a divine appearance, I went down to the hall at about eight, where breakfast was about to begin: usually it is served from 7 to 10, but due to Saturday, the start time was postponed by an hour. In theory. Once in the hall, I heard strange sounds, suspiciously similar to the strumming of cutlery, went to the noise and found that the feast was in full swing. Well, of course, I didn't waste time and joined the common meal.
The breakfast was exemplary - they would have fed it everywhere. I can't remember everything, but I still remember delicious sausages - "halflings", fragrant meatballs, two types of garnishes, many salads, half a dozen trays with different cheeses and a dozen types of sausages and ham. Needless to say, apple and orange juices, milk, tea and coffee were present. I was also pleased with the presence of mouth-watering fresh pastries, which were quickly snapped up by the guests, but the waiters brought them even faster. Other food supplies were also promptly replenished, so that even tourists who came to eat an hour after the opening of the belly festival did not feel the need for any food.
The plans for the current day were a walking tour of the city, during which one should visit the local travel agency and get hold of the "Bergen Card", which gives - you guessed it? No? okay, I will say, giving the right to free travel throughout the region, including the bus to the Grieg house-museum, and allowing free admission to the city's museums.
I succeeded perfectly well: having made several shots of the famous Bergen embankment, carefully restored after the devastating fire of 1702, I delved into the maze of wooden houses, which, as it turned out later, many tourists did not even suspect. In any case, when I again went out to the embankment from the depths of the quarter, the Japanese, diligently photographing the facades, were amazed and began to look fearfully into the gateway I had left, and then they still dared to enter the narrow passage between the houses and, apparently, were amazed at their discovery for a long time ... Further, my path lay on the fish market, where a brisk trade in seafood was going on. The tourist office was located in the adjacent square, which became the next object of my interest. The hospitable employees of this establishment presented me with various booklets about the glorious past and present of their hometown, and for a fair price of 170 kroons they sold the "Bergen Card". It should be noted that a day later, all these operations would not have been possible, since from October to April the office is closed on Sunday - wondering what to do then for tourists?
After wandering around the city, I moved towards the hotel, not because I wanted to get into the room, but because next to Thon Brygge there were two important sights - Haakon's Hall and Rozenkrantz Tower. the first from the building for the simple reason that the second in the winter-spring period opens only on Sundays, besides, from 12 to 15, and since my tomorrow's boat left at 12.45, I doubted that in three quarters of an hour it would be possible to properly inspect both object.
On the way to the place where I started to get acquainted with the history of the city, I searched the souvenir shops on the waterfront and decided to bring my purchases to my room. After completing this procedure, I went into the lobby of the hotel, and then I was definitely tormented by thirst; what a fortune that there was a coffee machine in the lobby that provided guests with a delicious drink completely free of charge, to which cream and sugar were attached. In the evening, when the fireplace is lit in the lobby, it is a pleasure to sit on the sofa with a cup of coffee, but it was quite cozy during the day. Having hardly looked up from the soft seat, I nevertheless went to raise my cultural level.
I confess that I didn't raise it very much. Haakon's House, listed in the guidebook as the residence of King Haakon Haakonsen between 1247 and 1261, turned out to be a squat stone structure with a huge, completely empty and echoing hall. If only the armor was hung in it, or something ... I could only be proud that I had visited such a historical place.
The next item on the program was a two-part city history museum - a natural history museum and a cultural history museum. In the first one, samples of flora and fauna of the local places were abundantly represented, however, the collection had not been updated for a long time, since Leningrad was listed on one of the geological maps of the region. In general, a lot of exhibits were devoted to the science of mineral resources - every now and then the eye stumbled upon various stones, drawings of rock sections, etc., and the quintessence of the geological direction was the "Earthquake" attraction. You climb onto the landing, grab the handrails and press the big red button. An eerie rumble is heard from the speakers, and the "camp" begins to shake like a seizure patient. After a couple of minutes of bumping, the amplitude of the oscillations decreases, as well as the noise of the rockfall subsides. Children, and adults alike, squeal with delight.
I liked the Museum of Cultural History more, as I have always had a weakness for ethnography, and here there are numerous folk costumes, utensils and household items, all sorts of carved chests filled the three-story building to the eyeballs. Inspired by my acquaintance with the culture of the region, I left the complex almost at half past three and immediately found myself in time trouble, as I wanted to get to the Bergen Aquarium by 15.00 to watch the famous show of fur seals and penguins scheduled for that time. In theory, there was a bus to the western tip of the Nordnes peninsula, where I needed to get, but I also wanted to see the city, so I went on foot and was very successful at it, being in the right place 5 minutes before the start of the show.
With the Bergen card, the entrance to the Aquarium is free only from October to April; in other months there is a 25% discount on the 100 CZK price. Proudly walking through the turnstile with my card, I hurried to the pool with the penguins, where, to my surprise, I also found cats. It turned out that the glass in the compartment of the latter had broken and they were transferred to the neighbors, which is why, as the announcement on the fence announced, the show would be shown in an abbreviated form. Oh, these announcements to me ... What a bad luck ...
The tricks of the cats did not make much of an impression on me, I liked the penguins much more. We mainly see these creatures on land, when they waddle somewhere about their business. The Bergen Aquarium allows you to look at the inhabitants of Antarctica in their native element, and when you see with what speed and grace the penguins rush under the water, every now and then jumping out to the surface in the manner of dolphins, you immediately understand how wrong your previous judgments about cute animals were.
The aquarium complex has several sectors, including a tropics section, as well as a stereo cinema, a share of which is sold for CZK 20, although the entrance to the hall is free. The repertoire changes periodically; I got to visit a movie about sharks. Taking into account the stereo effect, the spectacle is still impressive: a legion of hundreds of hammerhead sharks, swimming, it seems, at arm's length, is impressive.
At around five in the evening, I said goodbye to the aquarium, practically completing the program for the day, with the exception of the only item, namely, watching the sunset. Here the forces of nature intervened: according to statistics, it rains 300 days a year in Bergen. In the morning it definitely seemed that this day would be one of 65 "dry" days, by noon there was complete uncertainty in this matter, and by the time of my evening appearance at the edge of the Bergen bay behind the fog and water curtain the opposite shore could not be seen a hundred meters away. I had to go deeply to the hotel, or rather, to go there, as it took me into my head to learn how to use transport on the "Bergen Card". Everything turned out to be simple - the card should be inserted with the arrow down into the ticket machine - and you can go wherever you like. I wanted to go to the hotel - to warm up and dry.
The new day brought new troubles - it was necessary to decide from what point to view the panorama of the Bergen environs. There were two options - Mount Ulriken, 642 meters, or half the size of Mount Floen. I had hoped to go to one of the hills the previous evening - to have a look at the city at sunset, and to another in the morning - to see the same in the sunlight, but the recent weather let down. Now a choice had to be made. Having thought, I decided to sacrifice high-altitude ambitions, also because to the foot of Ulriken it is necessary to go somewhere else, while the funicular to Floen departs almost from the very center of the city.
The "Bergen Pass" includes one round trip to Floensbahn, and at the ticket office they put a special mark on the card; the traveler's order is received by an extended panoramic terrace, equipped with a special sign of the main buildings. The rest of the mountain is abundantly wooded, through which hiking trails are laid out, and an invigorating hike can be done if time permits. Unfortunately, the voyage had to be postponed until better times, and after spending forty minutes on the observation deck, I went downstairs, after which I hurried to the Maritime Museum.
The exposition revealed to the visitor the history of maritime affairs from ancient times to the present day. The most interesting part of the museum tells about the Second World War, including the naval battles in the local waters. It was possible to select a video episode at the stand and track the confrontation between allied convoys and German submarines. Of all the exhibits, the most memorable to me was the two-meter rangefinder aimed through the window at the bay. Looking into it, I saw among the waves a small piece of land with a shield fixed on it, but I could not make out the notice written there. Looking up from the eyepiece, I could hardly see the island itself, but I did not see the plate at all, let alone read the inscriptions. This is optics!
The last landmark of Bergen on my journey was the Rosenkrantz Tower, named after the commandant of the city, who started the construction of new fortifications in 1560. After capturing the sun-drenched Bergen bay from the height of the stone battlements, I hurried to the Strandkai terminal, because the ticket clearly indicated the need to appear for boarding half an hour before departure.
Well, why, one wonders, I was in a hurry when they started to board at 12.40, and after all, not only I came in advance - a lot of people were loitering around the building at the pier, looking for something to occupy themselves with. The most interesting part of the terminal turned out to be the luggage storage cells, which are twice as expensive as on railway station... Why would you?
The ship submitted for landing was something in between a pleasure motor ship, the domestic "Meteor" and a catamaran, since it had two keels, a streamlined shape and a decent speed. Having accommodated two hundred people (by no means all the seats were occupied), he rolled away from the pier, and when boarding tickets they did not ask, but for some reason they asked the watchman to give his name and destination in the recorder. There was no check, but upon exiting at the stops, the crew collected travel documents, plus a couple of times an announcement was made over the broadcast that passengers who had not had time to pay for their fare could do it at the cashier on the first deck. In addition to the cash register, there was a bar that sold sandwiches, ice cream and drinks, and shelves for bulky luggage, which were closely monitored by television cameras.
I took a chair for myself on the upper deck, near the window, but I didn't sit still very much, constantly dragging myself to the open stern to photograph the surroundings. And there was something to shoot - after getting out of the harbor of Bergen, the boat gave full speed, so that white fountains stood behind. I estimated the speed of 60 kilometers, and on this cruising course we walked most of the way, braking only before docking in tiny towns and villages. Most of the landscape was low wooded land, rocky islands, and snowy peaks in the distance on the port side. Almost every minute I remembered the name of the Soviet-era film "And trees grow on the stones ..." it would be great. More than four hours flew by unnoticed, and when the boat entered the port of Stavanger, I did not even want to part with it, especially since in the fourth largest city in Norway I had neither a haven nor a special goal, only five and a half hours before the train in Oslo.
Reasonably suggesting that you should at least inspect the area, I asked for directions to the main cathedral Domkirche, got my bearings near it, went out to the station just in case to make sure that the train was leaving from here. After walking for another hour along the streets, I came to the conclusion that the remaining time should be spent a little more fruitfully and the spirit of adventurism began to stir inside me again, otherwise how to explain why the idea of visiting the Three Swords monument, about the road to which I had heard, came to my mind only out of the blue: you have to, they say, get to the Madla shopping center, and from there, taking the left, move to the lake. With these landmarks on my hands, I went on a hike.
At first, everything went well (as a man who fell from the roof said as he flew past the fifth floor) - from time to time there were signs telling cyclists the direction to Madla. Then the columns with the inscriptions somehow ended abruptly, just at the fork. For about five minutes I portrayed a knight at a crossroads, eventually inclined to choose the right path, but decided to ask for directions just in case. There was a gas station nearby with several cars sticking out, and I briskly walked over to the first one that came along, puzzling the driver if he knew which road led to the Madla area. He replied that the road I had chosen leads exactly there, and asked what exactly I needed there. I explained that Madla, as such, I do not need, "I, you see, am interested in the monument" Sree Swords. " says the Norwegian - I don't understand! What is this word "svord"? I start waving my arms to simulate a battle and repeat "viking", "viking". Then it starts to dawn on him. "So you need a monument" sree swards "(and I told him about what? .. "" I will gladly take advantage of your courtesy, "I answered immediately and climbed into the car. This time I got a shiny BMW, almost new, at least the interior smelled nice of leather. Well, strictly speaking, deep down I hoped for a similar outcome, but not much, and now luck is with me again.
It turned out to be about 15 minutes, during which the driver somehow persistently found out what I was doing and what I was doing in these parts. I decided to act gone, as it is sung in the film "Irony of Fate" - "I will lie with three boxes, let them be surprised ..." traveling with a backpack on my shoulders (true). He seriously asked if I was spending the night in a tent outdoors. "Are you laughing, - I was surprised. - You have to be completely crazy to spend the night on the street in this weather." "Yes," he shook his head, "our climate is not a gift." “We have it even more disgusting,” I said proudly. "Where are you from?" "From Russia, from St. Petersburg" "Oh-oh-oh, one of my acquaintances was in your city and admired its beauty." "Yes, - I supported the honor of the country, - there is something to admire" (his friend would have moved two hundred meters away from Nevsky Prospekt, he would have seen this - he would not have forgotten ...) Here the aborigine got so emotional that he changed his plans - as he explained, usually his way home lies along one side of the lake, from the fork near the Madlan shopping complex forward, but for my sake he will turn left, take him to the monument itself, and then go along the other side of the reservoir. That's how I got straight to the Three Swords.
Having said goodbye to the sensitive Norwegian (he even waved to me as he drove out of the parking lot at the monument to the road), I hastened to capture the monument and myself against its background, while the sun had not yet gone beyond the low hills in the distance. The pictures turned out to be just what you need - three huge blades, engulfed in the yellow-orange flame of the evening sun, look like a haven for giant jotuns.
After chatting at the monument for half an hour, I decided to return back to Stavanger and, ignoring the prospect of a bus crossing (from the city center, it turns out, there is direct transport to the monument), I went on foot, guided by the buildings noted earlier.
It took about an hour to walk to the center of the oil capital of Norway at a leisurely stroll. At first, the road ran past shopping malls, then twisted around the park, after which I found myself in familiar places on the outskirts of Stavanger, from where it was a stone's throw to the train station, and all this time the glow behind my back was slowly replaced by darkness, as if someone was slowly turning the power regulator Sveta. Definitely, Norway said goodbye to me and was sad about this. I reciprocated her ...
As I was not spinning, I had to endure two hours of dreary waiting at the station. I was not in the mood to do anything, so I took out my camera and started looking at the footage, at the same time remembering the events of the trip. I was just admiring the views of Bergen, when an incident happened that shook the life of the station - a drunk tourist appeared in the hall, as he introduced himself to a couple sitting on a bench with his back to me - a Swede. For some time, the trio talked sluggishly - the stranger spoke mostly - then a muffled mumbling was heard, then an exclamation like "I spit on the police" (free translation, because I don't speak Norwegian), and a suspicious murmur. When I turned around, the Swede was freely emptying his bladder between the ticket machines. The couple who had been talking to him were blown away by the wind, as well as the guy and the girl who were sitting obliquely. And if the first two disappeared no one knows where, then the second, as it turned out, went for the police. Five minutes later, two police officers came to the scene, and began to talk with the drunkard, instead of taking him under the mikitki and sending him to the "monkey house". Like any gopnik in the face of the forces of law and order, the Swede immediately "blown away", forgot about the promise to spit on the police and began to make excuses that it was not his hands (or rather ...) business. The police argued with him a little, then once again asked the guys who were nervously shifting nearby if they had seen the disgrace with their own eyes. They confirmed that yes, and here he is the culprit. One of the guards of the law also came up to me, and I, too, confirmed the guilt of the drunkard, but all the testimony did not outweigh the unlocking. When I went to load the train, the scandal was still going on. Probably, the memory of this flagrant offense will still stir the souls of the Stavanger people for a long time ...
The move passed without emotion, especially since the next seat was empty almost the entire way, and was occupied only somewhere on the approaches to Oslo, in Drammen, or something. At half past seven I found myself on the platform of the central station of the Norwegian capital, bought a ticket to the airport, refreshed myself on the remaining trifle with delicious coffee with a huge piece of cake, and set off to wander around the city, since there were still five hours left before departure.
Having walked a lot along the embankment, I threw a coin into the waters of the bay (there will be an archaeological sensation when in 1000 years a Russian penny will be found on the Oslo shelf) and moved to the station. Then another adventure awaited me - I confused Lillestrom with Lillehammer and got on a train going to the suburbs of Oslo instead of a train passing by the airport on the way to the former capital Winter Olympic Games. Fortunately, the trains to Gardemoen also pass through Lillestrom, so there was a chance to change trains upon arrival at the final destination of the route, but I did not know how the conductors would react to such a trip. For some time I was uncomfortable with the prospect of explaining my own stupidity, but the conductor was not there, and I perked up - maybe it will cost ... Already at the entrance to Lillestrom I realized why no one checked the tickets: I got into the car for the owners seasonal passes - they are allowed to be used only by "regular customers", about which there are corresponding inscriptions.
I stood at the station for about twenty minutes, blown by a light breeze and warmed up by the sun that was out of the blue. I warmed myself so nicely that when the right train came up, I didn't feel like getting on it at all. Collecting my will into a fist, I nevertheless went to the doors of the train, pressed the corresponding button (you don't have to guess and be stuck at the closed doors all the time the parking lot) and ended up inside. Almost immediately the conductor came, because now I chose the "normal" carriage. I presented a ticket, he looked at the date (everything was fine here), at the final destination of the trip (the same order), then at the starting point of the trip, and I felt that he began to wedge. "Right now it will freeze," I managed to think before the buzzing was quite distinctly heard: apparently, the Norwegian's balls went behind the rollers - why does a person sit down in Lilleström when he bought a ticket at the train station in Oslo. Fortunately, the conductor's nervous system turned out to be stronger than I thought, he shook his head, did the necessary manipulations with the composter, and left. I got to the airport just in time for check-in.
Easily finding the desks I needed, I found that several flights were registered for them at once, so there was a decent queue. There was an alternative - a special machine gun, to whose brother I had been looking closely at in Vantaa, Helsinki, but did not dare to use it. And what, one wonders, was there to be afraid of? You come up, click on the "check in" section on the screen, enter the booking code number, and when the desired flight is displayed, select "only hand luggage" or "check in luggage", and in the latter case, indicate how many pieces of luggage there are. After that, a plan of the salon appears on the screen, on which you should select the desired seat. At the end of the manipulations, the machine issues boarding pass and a luggage sticker, securing which, you carry your property to a special counter, where you hand it over to a pleasant lady who checks the correctness of the tag. Voila, you are as free as a bird, and the participants in the line are still milling about in the middle of the hall.
Finally, I bought with a credit card in " Duty free"a bottle of Norwegian forty-one-degree tincture - put down at work. There was a souvenir shop nearby, and I figured if I had bought gifts for everyone; it turned out that I had not forgotten anyone - warm woolen socks for my mother, a stylish scarf for my friend, a company of miniature trolls for my brother, and Viking figurines for friends and colleagues. For myself, I have a nice model of a drakkar and a coin with a hole in the middle - this is for the money collection, which has already accumulated change from three dozen countries.
I considered the ten-minute delay of the flight to be a nonsense thing, and it was completely in vain: this delay was the starting point for real adventures, namely a trip home full of drama and vivid sensations. It would seem that it is difficult to get from Helsinki to St. Petersburg? A dozen companies offer their services in all ways in this field. I called one: "No," they say, "the bus has been canceled today." In another, no one answers at all. In the third, without hearing the request, they begin to push in how comfortable it is to go with them to Finland, come, they say, to Ligovsky Prospect by half past nine. I start yelling into the phone that I need to leave Helsinki - at the other end they sadly say that they cannot help in any way. Another office has minibuses, but there are no seats. Finally, I got through to a company whose advertisement in Russian says that their transport leaves Finland at 20.00 Moscow time. "Aha, - they answer, - we have an evening bus, but it has already left!" "How so?!?!" - I do not understand. "Well, there were a lot of people gathered by four o'clock, and the driver decided to move to Russia." ".......!" It's great, I think - you arrive at the airport for the start of check-in, as expected, two hours in advance, and you are notified that your board has already departed - you see, a lot of passengers and the crew decided that it’s in vain to hang around on the ground ... You can, damn, drive half the globe exactly on schedule, but as soon as you get in touch with domestic durfirms and stupid agencies, write lost ...
While I was explaining to the freak transport workers, the evening train left for my homeland, which I learned about at the railway station ten minutes after the train departed. And during the trip to the station in the bus terminal, the ticket offices were closed, so until ten in the evening I was completely unknown about the cost of a ticket for a night bus; as it turned out, 32 euros. The matter ended with a trip to an ATM, withdrawing cash to the required amount (fifteen coins I had in store with the expectation of a "baryzh" bus) and an unplanned night move. At 7 am I finally arrived in my hometown, and at 9 am I came to work to sort out the network failure that had happened the day before. Only by the next evening, having had a good night's sleep, I realized that the trip was over and, looking at the photographs, began to sum up the trip.
Overall, everything went well. The only major breakdown with the cruise on the Nereifjord was not my fault, but because in Western business papers it is called "god" s will, and in Russian contracts "a force majeure circumstance." Otherwise, the travel plan was completely fulfilled. the fact that many interesting places in Norway remained uncovered, and this provokes to organize another voyage in the near future.I would certainly include a visit to Lisefjord with an ascent to Mount Preikestolen (not far from Stavanger, but transport goes there only in summer), transfer by boat from Bergen to Sogne, cruise along the Nereifjord, travel along the Trolley road and walk through the Jotunheim nature reserve; it would also be nice to get to Bode and visit the Lofonten Islands, as well as visit Cape Kirkenes, the most north point Europe. Whether these plans will become reality - I don't know, but I know that all the prerequisites for this exist: theoretical ones, because I brought a whole bunch of brochures and booklets from the trip, containing the necessary addresses, sites and data, and most importantly practical - after all, invaluable experience of independent travels in Norway, a harsh and proud country of rocks and water ...
So, you are going on a trip to Norway. I'll try to tell you what is interesting there.
The first thing to do is to answer yourself the question - Why do I want to go to Norway?
Which of your hobbies are closest to you: sports, culture, photography, adventure, beach holidays, fishing ... There may be many options, but you need to focus on the most important ones for you. You can try to combine several priority goals and the travel plan will line up by itself.
The second important question is how are you going to travel?
Answer options: by car, as part of an organized group, or by cruise ship... Cruise and organized travel certainly interesting things, but you just need to choose your favorite tour and travel agency. Sailing on the Hurtigruten super cruise ship for one or two weeks along the entire Norwegian coast is very wonderful, so I will not take away the bread of travel agencies and tell you how to go to Norway on your own.
The main independent travel in Scandinavia is a trip with your own car. Although, you can also rent it, having arrived, for example, in Oslo.
First, select the region you would like to visit.
So, we determine the dates of the vacation. It is better to set aside at least two weeks for the trip.
We take a map in our hands and start thinking how we can get to the fabulously beautiful landscapes. If you go to the North, then the path lies through Finland and its lakes. The best place to cross the border is at Brusnichnoye / Nuyama. By the way, there is a night train from Helsinki, on which you can travel about 900 kilometers north with a car. In the same way, you can get to Lofoten.
If you go west, you will have to cross the Baltic by ferry. This is either the ferry Riga - Stockholm, or Helsinki - Stockholm, or Turku - Stockholm. It is better to book tickets in advance either online or through a specialized ferry agency.
If you arrive in Oslo by plane and rent a car, then you save valuable time. When building a travel plan, it should be borne in mind that the average speed of movement in Norway is due to mountain roads, ferries and the beauty around. More than 60 km / h average speed of movement, you can only go along the federal highway and boring on the landscape. For a good rest, small distances are needed. Either 100-150 km for the whole day, or a day and a stretch of 200-250 km. Otherwise, the journey turns into a race.
If you have to use ferries, it is advisable to know their schedule, which is easy to find on the Internet. It has been drawn up for several years ahead. When boarding the ferry, the driver + car is paid, discounts are valid for children and pensioners. Therefore, if there is a young driver in the car (and even without a license), then it is better to put him behind the wheel when paying.
Saving from 100 to 1000 rubles depending on the fare. Toll roads come across periodically. If it is possible to pay for them by cash / plastic card, then it is better to pay. The rental cars have special electronic chips from which the payment is debited. If you do not have such an Autopass, then you can safely drive through places with a corresponding sign.
Next, you need to decide where you will live.
Accommodation in Norway is: camping (tent, caravan, house), motel (room with toilet and shower or hutter type house), rorbu (fishing house), apartments, hotels, mountain houses. Cabins in campsites come with a toilet and shower inside (like a hutter), and sometimes with a shared (and often paid) shower in the reception building.
Only expensive hotels. For four people, depending on comfort, campsites ask for from 350 to 800 rubles per person per day. A list of all available accommodation options is available on specialized camping sites, or on a Google map, which is very convenient to use to build a route. Accommodation reservations need to be made only in mega-tourist places such as the North Cape, Bergen.
In other cases, it is easier to buy a local SIM card and call on the way to the campsite you are going to. If there are no places in it, then you do not need to be very upset, as practice has shown, the option of good housing can be found unexpectedly quickly. And if you are ready to spend the night in a tent, then no closer than 150 meters from the accommodation, you can triple the camp, even on a private territory.
The route is best built taking into account the visits to the most interesting places. Choose city or natural attractions, some kind of sports activity, for example, trekking. In life, the most beautiful places are found unexpectedly and, as a rule, far from the main tour. routes. I do not mean popular sights, but simply beautiful nature.
Having built the so-called "route plan" in which the places of overnight stays, the average mileage of movement per day, and a travel map are registered, you can prepare for a trip to the embassy. By the way, the Norwegians welcome this kind of vacation, so there are no special problems with obtaining a visa. If you do not live in Moscow or St. Petersburg, feel free to send documents by courier mail and collect them from the embassy in the same way. The package of documents is standard: Application form, photo, certificate from work, bank certificate, insurance, travel plan.
Currency can be changed in Russia, or you can withdraw cash at the first ATM you come across in Norway. You don't need a lot of cash, Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere.
Food in restaurants is quite expensive, but food in local stores, contrary to popular belief, is not much more expensive than Russian food. Moreover, their quality is excellent. Scandinavians always put ecology as a priority, so you can buy any fruits / vegetables without hesitation.
Almost all Scandinavians speak English fluently, so there are practically no difficulties in communication. They are very friendly towards tourists. The criminal environment is the quietest in Europe.
A fishing boat for rent (with an echo sounder and a navigator) is rented almost along the entire coast, as well as the necessary tackle. You can negotiate with the local captain, or you can go fishing yourself. Paid, that is, fishing requiring a license, is available only in inland rivers and lakes. It is free in the sea and fjords.
The most difficult and certainly the most interesting moment in the journey will be the choice of where to go. Preikestolen Rock, rising 600 meters above the blue Lysefjord or old Bergen, Blooming Hardangerfjord or the most beautiful Sognefjord, huge waterfalls or mountain lakes, Jotunheimen National Park or Orlov Road, Troll Ladder or Antlantic Road, the rugged North Cape or the white sands of the Lofoten Islands. From the choice of places, as well as from the impressions, it is easy to get dizzy.
It is best to stop by the local information centers marked with a sign "i". V free travel guides, some of which are in Russian, you will find comprehensive information about almost any region.
Local guidebooks colorfully describe all the most interesting places for travelers. Almost everywhere, in addition to local beauties, they promise. What will you get Expirience. That is, experience. This is the most exciting part of such a journey. Getting your own impressions.
You can admire other people's photos and stories, but it is more interesting to try to surprise your friends and acquaintances with personal emotions. To convey the mood, the fabulous spirit of Norway. It is for this that many travelers from all over the world go there. There are many interesting and beautiful places- The Kingdom of Norway is one of the most wonderful.
