When I tell people about my love for Norway, 9 out of 10 times one of the first things they ask is.. “Is Norway expensive? Like, really expensive?” And yes, Norway is generally quite a bit more expensive than the Netherlands, where I live, but Norwegians also earn more on average than the Dutch. So for a Norwegian, it all balances out! Luckily, there are plenty of ways to enjoy a vacation in Norway without having to win the lottery first. This summer we’re going for the tenth time, and money really doesn’t grow on trees for us either. Norway is for everyone, and with these tips that trip to the most beautiful country in the world suddenly becomes a lot more realistic.
Paying in Norway
First, a few useful things to know about paying in Norway in general. Norway isn’t a member of the EU, so you can’t pay with euros there. Norway has the Norwegian krone (NOK). 1 NOK is worth about €0.10 (10 NOK = €1). In most places you can pay with a debit card and/or credit card, but it’s always a good idea to carry some cash when you visit remote areas. In some places you can buy something tasty by the side of the road, or tolls have to be paid in cash. In my experience, it can be really handy to have a credit card with you in Norway. Accommodations often ask for one, and it’s very useful to have one on you if you end up at an unstaffed gas station in a remote area – debit cards fail there more often than they work.
Getting to and around Norway
You can travel to and around Norway by plane, by car and ferry, by car over bridges, or even by train. It all depends on your budget and what you prefer. Do keep the distances and travel times in Norway in mind! On average you drive a lot slower there than in the Netherlands, and there are (almost) no highways in the country. Along the way you can also always run into road construction, closed tunnels or crossing wildlife that make your journey considerably longer. So make sure you’re never in a hurry, you’re on vacation after all!
– If you want to fly to Norway, take a look at tickets from Norwegian Air. This airline is generally cheaper than other carriers, and the service is more than fine.
– Would you rather travel by train? Then buy your train tickets WAY in advance! In Norway you can buy train tickets as early as 90 days ahead, and there are always a number of tickets available at a ‘mini price’. They do sell out really fast!
– Explore cities on foot. The cities in Norway aren’t huge, so the distances are easy to walk. Plus, on your own two feet you’ll reach places that public transportation won’t easily take you.
– Gas in Norway is about as expensive as in the Netherlands. So if you’re driving to Norway in your own car, it’s a good idea to fill up the tank in Germany on the way!
– The very best thing about Norway is that it’s beautiful pretty much everywhere. That means you don’t have to cover huge distances to have an awesome vacation. Especially if you pick the right areas, you can have a super varied vacation without having to travel far. Around Odda, for example, you can go kayaking on the fjord, hike up mountains, climb waterfalls and see glaciers up close, all within stumbling distance of each other!
Food and drinks in Norway
Food and drinks in Norway are generally a lot more expensive than in the Netherlands, especially when it comes to groceries in the supermarket. Luckily, there are a few tricks to make sure you don’t need to take out a mortgage just to eat on your vacation.
– One of the easiest ways to save money on your trip is to not eat out. Cook and make your own meals! Cooking on a gas burner or a stone outdoor barbecue is guaranteed to give you that vacation feeling. Make your own sandwiches for lunch, bring fruit and snacks and organize your own picnics. If you’re staying at a hotel with breakfast, you can often get a ‘doggy bag’ for a small fee to fill with rolls from the breakfast buffet.
– Always bring a big (thermos/water) bottle! You can drink tap water anywhere in Norway – and in most places water from lakes and waterfalls too – so buying bottled water at the supermarket is unnecessary.
– Grocery shopping does generally take a big bite out of your budget. By Dutch standards, groceries in Norway are a bit more expensive, but you can be smart about it. The Norwegian supermarkets Kiwi, Rema 1000 and Rimi are comparable to Aldi back home. Joker, Coop, Spar and Bunnpris are slightly more expensive, and the ones you really want to avoid are Meny and Ultra, comparable to our Albert Heijn, the pricier Dutch supermarket chain. Wherever you shop, make sure you go for store-brand products. They often have plain packaging and sometimes you can’t immediately tell whether you’ve got the right product, but they make a big difference in price.
– Feeling adventurous? Then of course you can catch your own fish! In Norwegian rivers and lakes and at sea, you can have a blast with a fishing rod. Once you’ve tasted fresh Norwegian fish, you’ll be spoiled forever. You can find more information and all the rules for fishing in Norway here.
– If you’re traveling to Norway in your own car, it’s of course always a good idea to bring a crate of (non-perishable) groceries. Think soup, pasta, sandwich toppings, juices and soda.
– In Norway you pay top dollar for alcohol and cigarettes, so you’re better off just skipping them. If you consider them an essential part of your vacation, you’d better bring them from home. Do keep the import allowances in mind! Per person, you can bring at most the following amounts:
- Per person, you can bring a maximum of 1 liter of spirits with an alcohol content of 22% – 60%, 1.5 liters with an alcohol content of 2.5% – 22 % and 2 liters of beer with an alcohol content of 2.5% – 4.7%.
- This means you can bring in a maximum of 5 liters of beer, provided you don’t bring in any other alcoholic drinks. Drinks with an alcohol content of more than 60% are prohibited.
- For tobacco, you can bring in a maximum of 200 cigarettes.
- Travelers aged 18 and over can bring in tobacco and alcoholic drinks with an alcohol content of up to 22%. From the age of 20, all alcoholic drinks can be brought in.
Where to stay in Norway
If you want to stay in halfway decent accommodations, you’ll easily spend €100 a night for two. At least, that’s what we learned during our first two years of traveling around. Luckily, in Norway it’s really easy (and a lot more fun, too) to avoid expensive accommodations.
– You can pitch your tent wherever you like, so you don’t have to book (expensive) hotels or campgrounds. You’re allowed to camp anywhere, as long as you’re at least 150 meters from the nearest house. If you want to stay longer than two nights, you need permission from the landowner. Of course you can alternate this with a tent site at a campground, so you can enjoy a nice shower and do a load of laundry.
– Go to Norway in late spring or early fall. You can camp just fine then AND enjoy all the free outdoor activities. Make sure you avoid peak season and school vacations, because that’s when you pay the highest prices.
– Sign up with the Norwegian Trekking Association and get access to 400 places to sleep all over the country, ranging from self service cabins to staffed lodges in the wilderness. They’re especially perfect for multi-day treks, because you don’t have to lug tents and other heavy gear around! You pay for a one-year membership to get a key, but that’s peanuts compared to the money you save.
– Find a house-sitting gig! Dutch people who live in Norway love to go on vacation too, and they’re often looking for someone to watch their house and pets. This year we’re house-sitting for the third time, looking after a gorgeous house and two super sweet cats, so we save on accommodation costs this way. Perfect!
Activities in Norway
The best things to do in Norway are free anyway: hiking! Some accommodations let you use kayaks or bikes for free. If you’re going by car, you could also consider bringing your own, provided you have them, of course. We pretty much do nothing but hike when we’re in Norway, and we love it. You get to the most beautiful places and it costs you nothing at all! Apart from some physical effort, of course.
Finally
– Buy a Fjordpass or a CityPASS! The Fjordpass gets you discounts on hotels, rental cars, activities and attractions all over the country. With the CityPASS you get discounts on or free entry to museums and other attractions in Bergen and Oslo, plus free use of public transportation. Whether it pays off depends on what you’re planning, of course, but it’s always worth doing the math!
– Travel with friends/family! The fewer people you travel with, the more expensive it ends up being. If you rent a cabin with a group, you can stay in really beautiful places for next to nothing! And of course it’s so much more fun to share a special trip through Norway with the people you love.
Personal travel advice
Would you like help putting together your dream trip to and through Norway? Or would you rather leave the planning of your trip entirely to someone else? Feel free to get in touch with me and together we’ll see what I can do for you.
