World Country Guide

Travel - International

Air
Norwegian air travel is served by Braathens SAFE (BU) (website: www.braathens.no) and SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK) (website: www.sas.se), a Scandinavian airline. Air France, British Airways, Finnair, Icelandair, KLM, Lufthansa, Northwest Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryanair and Swiss also operate services to Norway.

Approximate flight times
From London to Oslo is one hour 45 minutes, to Bergen is one hour 40 minutes and to Stavanger is one hour 30 minutes.
From New York to Oslo is 10 hours 45 minutes (including stopover in London).

International airports
Oslo International Airport (OSL) (Gardermoen) (website: www.osl.no) is 47km (30 miles) north of Oslo. It is the largest land-based development project in Norway. The high-speed airport express trains Flytoget leave every 10 minutes to/from Oslo’s central station (travel time – 20 minutes). Buses serving the airport include the SL buses and Bussekspress which stop in front of the terminal building and take approximately 45 minutes to Oslo. There is a new bus station for regional services located within walking distance of the terminal. Access by car is also facilitated by the construction of new roads (regional no. 174 from Jessheim) and the widening of two others (regional no. 120 from Erpestad and national no. 6 from Tangerud). There is a taxi rank at the terminal building. In addition to regular taxis, there are ‘airport taxis’, cheaper taxis which must be ordered in advance by groups of up to three people, and wheelchair taxis. Airport facilities include duty free shopping, banks/bureaux de change, restaurants and cafes, car hire, lost luggage, information kiosks as well as laundry/dry cleaning, shoe repair and key-cutting services.
Stavanger (SVG) (Sola) is 14.5km (9 miles) southwest of the city (travel time – 20-30 minutes). Airport facilities include duty free shops, bar, restaurant, snack bar, many shops, tourist information, post office, banks/bureaux de change, left luggage, lockers and car hire (Avis, Budget, Hertz and InterRent/Europcar). There is a coach to the Royal Atlantic Hotel, Jembaneveien 1. Bus no. 40 goes every 20 minutes (0620-2400) for a fare of approximately NOK21 (travel time – 30 minutes). Taxi services are available to the city with a surcharge after 2200 (travel time – 15 minutes).
Bergen (BGO) (Flesland) is 19km (12 miles) south of the city (travel time – 25 minutes). Airport facilities include left luggage, lockers, banks, bureaux de change, post office, duty free shops, bar, cafes, shops, tourist information, nursery and car hire (Avis, Budget, Europcar and Hertz). Bus (Flybussen) service leaves for the city every 20 minutes (0645-2130). Return is from various points in the city centre. Taxi services are available to the city for a fare of approximately NOK170 with a surcharge after 2200 (travel time – 25 minutes).

Departure tax
None.

Sea
The main passenger ports are Bergen, Kristiansand, Larvik, Oslo and Stavanger. The main sea routes from the UK, operated by Fjord Line and DFDS Seaways respectively, are from Newcastle to Bergen (travel time – 25 hours 30 minutes) and to Kristiansand (travel time – 19 hours). Services from Newcastle to Bergen via Stavangar are also operated by Fjord Line, a Norwegian line operating a number of fjord cruises within Norway (in UK tel: (0191) 296 1313; website: www.fjordline.co.uk). Fjord Line also operates services from Bergen to Hanstholm (Denmark). Smyril Line operates services from Bergen to Iceland via the Shetland Islands and the Faroe Islands in the summer (tel: (298) 345 900; fax: (298) 345 950; e-mail: office@smyril-line.no; website: www.smyril-line.no).

Rail
Connections from the UK are from London via Dover/Ostend (via Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and Sweden) or Harwich/Hook of Holland, or from Newcastle to Bergen via Stavanger. There are two principal routes to Sweden, with daytime and overnight trains from Copenhagen, Malm and Stockholm.
Cheap Fares: Reduced fares on rail services have vastly increased the use and range of internal services. Scanrail cards allow five or 10 days within two months or 21 consecutive days’ unlimited travel in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden on railways and selected ferries, and a 50 per cent reduction on other ferry services. InterRail tickets are valid in Norway and are now also available for those aged over 26 years.

Road
The only international routes are from Sweden or Finland in the far north. Camping trailers up to 2.3m (7.5ft) wide, with number plates, are permitted on holiday visits. Eurolines, departing from Victoria Coach Station in London, serves destinations in Norway. For further information, contact Eurolines (tel: (08705) 143 219; fax: (01582) 400 694; website: www.eurolines.com) or National Express (tel: (08705) 808 080; website: www.nationalexpress.com).