I’m contemplating going to Bergen by train, in late May. So far my idea is to go with Eurostar to Brussels, then to Hamburg via Cologne. Stay overnight in Hamburg and then go to Copenhagen (not via the defunct train ferry). Stay overnight in Copenhagen and then get the train to Oslo via Sweden. Stay overnight in Oslo and then get the train to Bergen. Is this a sensible route? I intend to use an Interail ticket. Other than the Eurostar, does anyone have advice on supplements and reservations for the other legs?
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Going to Bergen by Train
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I would secure a reservation on the Oslo to Bergen train you intend to travel on as soon as you can to avoid disappointment - these trains fill up very quickly and reservation is compulsory.
Polarbear
Established Member
Sounds like a good trip-enjoy
On that itinerary, there won’t be any supplements to pay, but you will need seat reservations in Sweden & Norway. Swedish reservations for SJ services can be made through the SJ app & those for Norway can be done online before you go.
There are essentially two ways to get from Sweden to Oslo. Either by using the Gothenburg to Oslo service (3 per day-operated by 4 car units), or the twice a day service from Stockholm to Oslo. You probably won’t need a reservation if going via Gothenburg as when I did that route earlier this year, the trains weren’t exactly busy (could have been due to a RR bus operating for part of the route).
Oslo to Bergen will be busy so definitely reserve. Seat reservations in nordic countries are not marked or identified, other than by seat number & will be claimed if already booked. It’s a pain having to play seat hopscotch if you don’t have a seat reservation!
On that itinerary, there won’t be any supplements to pay, but you will need seat reservations in Sweden & Norway. Swedish reservations for SJ services can be made through the SJ app & those for Norway can be done online before you go.
There are essentially two ways to get from Sweden to Oslo. Either by using the Gothenburg to Oslo service (3 per day-operated by 4 car units), or the twice a day service from Stockholm to Oslo. You probably won’t need a reservation if going via Gothenburg as when I did that route earlier this year, the trains weren’t exactly busy (could have been due to a RR bus operating for part of the route).
Oslo to Bergen will be busy so definitely reserve. Seat reservations in nordic countries are not marked or identified, other than by seat number & will be claimed if already booked. It’s a pain having to play seat hopscotch if you don’t have a seat reservation!
You've chosen as good a route as any!
I would add the Flam line if possible - it will cost extra, and is very touristy, but the waterfall en-route should be in spate.
See https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/flam-myrdal-railway.187700/
I would add the Flam line if possible - it will cost extra, and is very touristy, but the waterfall en-route should be in spate.
See https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/flam-myrdal-railway.187700/
AlbertBeale
Established Member
Before the end of the train ferry and the change of timetables, it was just possible to get from London to Copenhagen - providing trains were on time! - the same day from London, so avoiding the need to stop overnight twice on the way to Oslo. (Though you'd arrive in Copenhagen quite late in the evening.) Now, it looks like you couldn't get to Copenhagen until the early hours.
Saving on the other night (in Copenhagen) is still possible - but you'd need to leave Hamburg very early to make it to Oslo the same day.
Frustratingly, there are (these days!) no relevant overnight sleeper trains on that route which would save one of the stationary nights in Hamburg or Copenhagen. But with the change in fortunes of European night trains, maybe some of those will return. And in the past it was possible to sleep en route to Scandinavia using the Harwich-Esbjerg ferry (which I found very convenient) - but (also frustratingly) that stopped running a few years ago.
It's so annoying that some public transport surface routes in Europe have got worse over the years.
Incidentally, had you considered that you can go part or all of the way from Copenhagen to Oslo by ferry?
Have fun!
Saving on the other night (in Copenhagen) is still possible - but you'd need to leave Hamburg very early to make it to Oslo the same day.
Frustratingly, there are (these days!) no relevant overnight sleeper trains on that route which would save one of the stationary nights in Hamburg or Copenhagen. But with the change in fortunes of European night trains, maybe some of those will return. And in the past it was possible to sleep en route to Scandinavia using the Harwich-Esbjerg ferry (which I found very convenient) - but (also frustratingly) that stopped running a few years ago.
It's so annoying that some public transport surface routes in Europe have got worse over the years.
Incidentally, had you considered that you can go part or all of the way from Copenhagen to Oslo by ferry?
Have fun!
jamesontheroad
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Sounds like a good trip.
I live in Sweden and am getting better at exploiting the perks of DB Sparpreis (Advance purchase) tickets between the UK and Scandinavia on bahn.de
You cannot buy a cheap Sparpreis ticket for the whole journey, or even from London to Oslo, but if you buy a roundtrip with Eurostar then you can get a Sparpreis ticket from either Amsterdam or Brussels as far as Göteborg Central (Gothenburg). these start at €59,90 one way. The trick is to use the additional search options on bahn.de to look for Amsterdam to Göteborg with an overnight stopover in Hamburg. In my opinion Hamburg is a better place for an overnight stop than Copenhagen for the simple reason that hotels (and food, drink, etc) are much cheaper in Germany than Denmark.
If you get the early morning Eurostar from London to Amsterdam, you can get the Berlin train after lunch at 14:00 or 15:00 and be in Hamburg with one change by around 19:00. Stay overnight in Hamburg (lots of hotels starting at €50) then get the first Copenhagen train around 08:00. You can be in Gothenburg by early evening, all on the same ticket.
(Obviously all of this is speculative if you use an Interrail ticket, but it may be tempting for you or other people here)
I live in Sweden and am getting better at exploiting the perks of DB Sparpreis (Advance purchase) tickets between the UK and Scandinavia on bahn.de
You cannot buy a cheap Sparpreis ticket for the whole journey, or even from London to Oslo, but if you buy a roundtrip with Eurostar then you can get a Sparpreis ticket from either Amsterdam or Brussels as far as Göteborg Central (Gothenburg). these start at €59,90 one way. The trick is to use the additional search options on bahn.de to look for Amsterdam to Göteborg with an overnight stopover in Hamburg. In my opinion Hamburg is a better place for an overnight stop than Copenhagen for the simple reason that hotels (and food, drink, etc) are much cheaper in Germany than Denmark.
If you get the early morning Eurostar from London to Amsterdam, you can get the Berlin train after lunch at 14:00 or 15:00 and be in Hamburg with one change by around 19:00. Stay overnight in Hamburg (lots of hotels starting at €50) then get the first Copenhagen train around 08:00. You can be in Gothenburg by early evening, all on the same ticket.
(Obviously all of this is speculative if you use an Interrail ticket, but it may be tempting for you or other people here)
Sounds similar to my first Interrail over 30 years ago....although mine was even more roundabout (just found the ticket!)
Carlisle - Holyhead - Dublin - Rosslare - Cherbourg - Paris - Hamburg - Copenhagen - Malmo - Oslo - Bergen (via Flam) - (I then added North to Bodo - Narvik - Inlandsbanen - - then back North into Finland - Rovianemi - Helsinki - then back home via Bergen to Newcastle.
Oh to have the energy I had then......
Carlisle - Holyhead - Dublin - Rosslare - Cherbourg - Paris - Hamburg - Copenhagen - Malmo - Oslo - Bergen (via Flam) - (I then added North to Bodo - Narvik - Inlandsbanen - - then back North into Finland - Rovianemi - Helsinki - then back home via Bergen to Newcastle.
Oh to have the energy I had then......
You don't need to stay overnight in Hamburg or in Stockholm at all. You can easily get from London to Copenhagen on the same day and then stay overnight in Copenhagen and then easily get from Copenhagen to Bergen in one day as well. This will save you a lot of money as you will only have to pay for one night in a hotel rather than three nights. You can do it in two full days with just one overnight stay in Copenhagen only required.
There are various trains you can take but from doing a quick search online you could leave London at 07:16 and arrive Copenhagen at 22:51 and then the next day you could leave Copenhagen at 05:07 and arrive Bergen at 22:19 that evening. On the way back you could leave Bergen at 07:57 and arrive Copenhagen at 01:08 and then the next day you could leave Copenhagen at 07:35 and arrive London at 21:33 that evening. So it is most definitely possible to do London to Bergen and vice versa with just one overnight stop in Copenhagen only in both directions.
Obviously the times i have given are examples and you should check the times for whenever you are travelling as different times may apply on different days of the week. Also note that none of the times above are direct trains and multiple changes are required. But the above is how i would recommend doing it to save money and get there the fastest.
There are various trains you can take but from doing a quick search online you could leave London at 07:16 and arrive Copenhagen at 22:51 and then the next day you could leave Copenhagen at 05:07 and arrive Bergen at 22:19 that evening. On the way back you could leave Bergen at 07:57 and arrive Copenhagen at 01:08 and then the next day you could leave Copenhagen at 07:35 and arrive London at 21:33 that evening. So it is most definitely possible to do London to Bergen and vice versa with just one overnight stop in Copenhagen only in both directions.
Obviously the times i have given are examples and you should check the times for whenever you are travelling as different times may apply on different days of the week. Also note that none of the times above are direct trains and multiple changes are required. But the above is how i would recommend doing it to save money and get there the fastest.
Ploughman
Established Member
Back in about 1972 I had a school trip to Norway.
Train Southport to Newcastle.
Ferry to Bergen
2 days in Bergen
Coastal mail boat Bergen - Trondheim 36 hours stopping at about 25 places on the way.
2 days in Trondheim
Trondheim - Oslo by train.
2 Days and visit the Kon Tiki museum
Oslo - Bergen Train stopping at Finse to get a certificate from a Troll
Bergen - Newcastle - Southport as outward.
Train Southport to Newcastle.
Ferry to Bergen
2 days in Bergen
Coastal mail boat Bergen - Trondheim 36 hours stopping at about 25 places on the way.
2 days in Trondheim
Trondheim - Oslo by train.
2 Days and visit the Kon Tiki museum
Oslo - Bergen Train stopping at Finse to get a certificate from a Troll
Bergen - Newcastle - Southport as outward.
d9009alycidon
Member
Take plenty of money for your visit to Oslo, I visit regularly on business and it is very nice but very expensive city. Food is dear and beer is around £12 a pint!! Channel 5 did Norway on its latest "Worlds most Scenic Railway Journeys" https://www.channel5.com/show/worlds-most-scenic-railway-journeys/
Sir Felix Pole
Member
If you wish to come home from Bergen by a different route to add to the variety, I'd suggest taking the ferry between Bergen and Stavanger. This is highly scenic, calling at various ports en-route and not ruinously expensive like the Hurtigruten which runs north from Bergen. You can then return to Oslo by train from Stavanger, or alternatively take the train just to Kristiansand, where you can 'cut the corner' and take the ferry to Hirtshals on the tip of Jutland in Denmark (also rail-connected).I did this route during a glorious week of sunshine (unusual for Western Norway!) in June 2013. The Stavanger line is full of interest, although not as dramatic as the Bergen line - next month it transfers to Go-Ahead from NSB (now stupidly called Vy) so check Interail availability.
I did overland to Bergen a couple of years ago in order to join a Hurtigruten cruise. My route was Eurostar to Brussels, then on by train to overnight in Munster. Next day, train on to Kiel via Hamburg for the overnight ferry to Oslo, sailing on what was at the time the world’s largest ferry, (the Color Fantasy). It arrives in Oslo mid morning in time for the midday train to Bergen so you get to see the full route in daylight in the summer. Came back via Oslo, Goteburg, Copenhagen (train ferry) to Hamburg, Koln, Brussels and Eurostar. Not cheap but a great experience not least the super ferry.
Link to my blog about travel here https://thenozblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/27/day-2-munster-to-somewhere-at-sea-off-goteburg/
Link to my blog about travel here https://thenozblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/27/day-2-munster-to-somewhere-at-sea-off-goteburg/
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Not a lot of time for sleeping! That does sound too tiring to be an enjoyable holiday.
And (fortunately?) Copenhagen in a day doesn't work after the train ferry goes next month.
87015
Established Member
+1 for adding Flam. It’s ching, but if you are doing Norway you can clearly afford it! I believe all Oslo/Bergens are now hauled with decent trains of comfortable stock as opposed to tilting piffle, which means there is a bistro in the event of no reservation to perch in.
AlbertBeale
Established Member
Yes - as I said in my post the other day - the "new improved" timetable after the ferry's gone means arriving in Copenhagen in the early hours, not even late evening. [When the new fixed link is in place in however many years, then London-Copenhagen in a day should become viable again.] NB even now, with the ferry, there are some fairly tight connections to get to Copenhagen the same evening...
Another approach is to overnight on the Harwich-HvH boat, then it's easy to get to Hamburg in the afternoon, in time to get to Copenhagen in the evening.
Gerald Fiennes
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You can also go overnight on the DFDS ship from Copenhagen to Oslo: the Gothenburg - Oslo train is not the fastest or most scenic and the ship option is a bit more luxurious. I have made the journey you are planning several times and it's certainly possible. The hardest bit is the Hamburg - London section, with DB delays coupled with low frequency between Cologne - Brux and on ES making for a tricky journey. Best to plan a stopover in either Cologne or Brux given the challenge of rebooking ES if trains are late ('Hop on the next Train' doesn't always work...)
Midnight Sun
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If your planning to do the Flam railway, I would included getting off at Voss and taking the Bus to Gudvangen which takes the old mountain pass road via the Stalheimskleiva hairpin bends rather then the tunnel. Then catch the boat round to Flam, But it is worth stopping off at the Viking Village before taking the boat. This isn’t a museum, but a village where people live like Vikings. There are regular guided tours from June to September, and you can talk to the locals who have chosen to live like this even today. Then it is back up to Myrdal on the Flam railway. Best views on the way up are on the right hand side.
Or if your feeling brave you could hire a bike at Myrdal and ride down the Rallarvegen (the navvie's road) to Flam and take the train back.
Or if your feeling brave you could hire a bike at Myrdal and ride down the Rallarvegen (the navvie's road) to Flam and take the train back.
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AlbertBeale
Established Member
Hamburg-London delays (on DB) were my experience recently. However, the "hop on the next train" system (and anyway I had a through CIV ticket, so I was multiply covered) was OK. I was delayed and hence late into Cologne, so it wasn't possible to connect to Brussels for the last Eurostar of the day (which was my schedule), DB found me a nice hotel in Cologne for the night, and then sent me to London the next day via Paris, because the Brussels-London route was out of action that day on account of engineering work near Brussels. A bit of a faff, and an arrival 20 hours late, but they did what they had to do...
Killingworth
Established Member
Memories! From the days when every summer Saturday 3 ships sailed from Newcastle to Norway, Stavanger, Bergen and Oslo
#4 is the waterfall I mentioned upthread. Thanks for the pic .
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