Thompson Cruise ships operate from Harwich and visit Flam , Bergen , Molde , Hammerfest , Honningsva

Overview The breathtaking fjords of the southwest are Norway's most dramatic scenic features, but there are many other reasons to visit this sparsely populated land on the northern fringe of Europe. The North Cape's midnight sun is rightly original london sightseeing tour famous - here, far above the Arctic Circle , lies the spectacularly original london sightseeing tour situated town of Tromso , where the sun never rises in winter, nor sets in midsummer. Each of Norway's four major cities offers distinct appeal - Oslo is present-day capital and financial centre, Bergen is a picturesque former Hanseatic trading port and gateway' to Fjordland, Stavanger is focal point of the Norwegian oil industry, and Trondheim is a long-established original london sightseeing tour centre of Christian original london sightseeing tour pilgrimage, and more recently, technical research. In the sparsely populated wilderness that lies between the main urban centres are such delights as Jostedalsbreen, Europe 's largest glacier . There are opportunities to indulge in outdoor activities including skiing , fishing and rock-climbing . Even the less energetic can simply marvel at the awesome beauty of much of the Norwegian countryside , with its countless steep-sided valleys, high mountain lakes and unbelievable views. Norway is foremost a land for those who love nature . However, it also offers a rich cultural experience, as would be expected of such varied history , from the Vikings of the eighth and ninth centuries, to later luminaries original london sightseeing tour such as artist Edvard Munch , author original london sightseeing tour Bjornstjerne Bjornson and composer Edvard Grieg , whose centenary Norway celebrated during 2007. The nation, one of the world's richest on a per capita basis since the discovery of oil in the late 1960s, has been independent since 1905, when it devolved from Swedish rule, and remains outside the European Union. Norway has developed an important role in international politics over recent decades, and is rated as the world's most peaceful nation by the Global Peace Index . Quick Facts Capital : Oslo Government : Constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy Currency : Kroner (NOK) Area : 324,220 km 2 Population : 4,769,073 (July 2008 est.) Language : Norwegian (Bokmal and Nynorsk) and Saami Religion : Protestant state church Electricity : 230V/50Hz (European plug) Calling Code : +47 Internet TLD : .no Time Zone : UTC +1 (CET) Get in Norway is part of the Schengen countries , meaning you can travel from any other Schengen country with few or no border checks. Most citizens of industrialized nations do not need a visa to enter Norway for tourism or short business trips. You can find all the timetables you need from Rutebok timetable service. By plane Oslo
Oslo Airport Gardermoen ( OSL ) is the biggest airport in the country and the main international hub, and is located 60 km north of Oslo . The airport had 21,3 million passengers in 2007 and is served by many major international and all domestic airlines.
The airport has scheduled flights to 71 destinations abroad and 24 destinations in Norway. New direct routes in 2006 will be Naples (SAS Braathens), Madrid ( Norwegian ), Rijeka (Norwegian), Florence (Sterling), Palanga (FlyLAL), Saint Petersburg (Norwegian), Bourgas (Norwegian), Heraklion (Norwegian), Rhodes (Norwegian), Varna (Norwegian), Kos (Norwegian), and Ibiza (Norwegian). Sandefjord
Sandefjord Lufthavn, Torp (TRF) is located just north of Sandefjord, 115 km to the south of Oslo, and is Ryanair's destination airport in Oslo. Here you can spend as much on the coach trip (about L10) as on the flight! Ryanair now operate another service, from London Stansted to Haugesund on the west coast.
Moss Airport, Rygge (RYG) , recently opened and located 60km south of Oslo carries many flights by Norwegian that can be comparably cheaper original london sightseeing tour than flying into Gardermoen. Either an express bus service (120NOK) or a free local bus to Rygge train station, then a regional service train (119 NOK) can get you into Oslo in roughly just under an hour, and both services are timed around arrivals and departures of flights. Stavanger
Stavanger airport, Sola has scheduled fligths to/from London , Copenhagen , Berlin , Paris , Krakow , Madrid , Nice and some other European cities. The cheapest alternative tends to be Norwegian, a discounter-airline by which you can fly in for as little as 20. Bergen
For Oslo , daily service from Stockholm , as well as an every-night original london sightseeing tour night train running through Gothenburg . The night train also carries rail cars from Malmö . For Trondheim , the Nabotaget service from Östersund corresponds with one day and one night service from Stockholm original london sightseeing tour , as well as the train from Sundsvall . For Narvik , two trans daily run from Stockholm via Kiruna . Both are overnight.
Several international bus lines run into Oslo from Sweden , the major operators being Eurolines, Swebus Express and Säfflebussen. Service to Gothenburg and Copenhagen is almost hourly. The service to Stockholm is also far more frequent than the train.
It is possible to enter by road from Sweden , Finland , or Russia original london sightseeing tour . If you are staying for more that a few days in a region with tollbooths, getting an AutoPass RFID box for your car may pay itself in a very short time (and you don't have to fill out all those forms over again and/or fiddle with change). The same AutoPass box can be used in all tollbooths marked original london sightseeing tour AutoPass all over Norway and Sweden. By boat From Belgium
DFDS operates a cargo line from Ghent to Brevik with limited passenger capacity which is normally for truck drivers. There are departures once or twice a week. Note that the ferry may be scheduled to arrive at Brevik original london sightseeing tour in the middle of the night. From Germany
Color Line run a daily ferry from Kiel to Oslo. The ferry leaves Kiel at 1.30pm and arrives in Oslo at 9.30am, the following day. The ferry terminal in Kiel is located on Norwegenkai, which is a short walk across original london sightseeing tour the bridge from Kiel's main railway station (note that the bridge may at times be closed for pedestrians due to ship traffic). At the Oslo end of the journey, the terminal is located at Hjortneskai, which is just west of the city. There is a bus from the terminal to the city center, which departs shortly after passengers disembark. original london sightseeing tour From Denmark
Color Line traffic from Hirtshals to Kristiansand , Larvik and from Frederikshavn to Oslo . Fjord Line traffic from Hirtshals to Stavanger and Bergen . DFDS Seaways original london sightseeing tour traffic from Copenhagen to Oslo . From England
DFDS operate a twice-weekly service from Newcastle to Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen which they purchased from "Fjordline". DFDS closed the vital well used business and tourist route to Kristiansand in southern Norway from Newcastle. The route from Bergen to Newcastle was closed on September 1, 2008.
Thompson Cruise ships operate from Harwich and visit Flam , Bergen , Molde , Hammerfest , Honningsvag , the Northcape , Tromso , Lofoten Islands, Geiranger and Alesund in Norway. The duration original london sightseeing tour of the cruise varies from 5 days up to 2 weeks. Sailing time from Harwich to south Norway is 1.5 days. On board the crusie ship are a number of restaurants, bars, casinos, cinemas and also a stage show to keep you entertained during the journey. There are various classes of cabins available, ranging from shared rooms to singles, original london sightseeing tour doubles and luxury suites.
Norway is a big country and getting around, particularly up north, original london sightseeing tour is expensive and time-consuming. The best way to see the Norwegian wilderness and countryside is by having access to your own vehicle. This way you can stop wherever you want, admire the view and venture onto smaller roads. By plane
Norway's craggy original london sightseeing tour coastline makes roads and trains slow, so domestic flights are very popular and, at least by Norwegian standards, competitively priced. The largest operators are SAS Scandinavian Airlines , Norwegian and Wideroe .
It is especially in northern Norway, where towns and cities are fewer and further between, that air travel is clearly the most convenient method to get from town to town. Planes between the small airports are small, and they generally original london sightseeing tour have several intermediate stops along the route to embark and disembark passengers. Unfortunately, it is also in these areas where ticket prices can be most expensive.
Flights in southern Norway are cheaper than in northern Norway, and even though original london sightseeing tour this area has better roads and rail, planes are generally faster than taking original london sightseeing tour the train or bus. There are however no air routes between the cities original london sightseeing tour within 200 km from Oslo, use the train or bus for this kind of travel.
If you plan to fly to the many smaller towns in Northern or Western Norway you should consider Wideroes Explore Norway Ticket (Unlimited air travel for 14 days in summer for less than a full price return ticket.). By train
Norges Statsbaner (NSB) operate all railways. Norway's rail network basically connects Oslo to other major cities, there are no rail lines North-South in West Norway between Stavanger and Trondheim, original london sightseeing tour and there are no rail lines North-South in North Norway north of Bodo. These main lines run several times a day: Oslo - Kristiansand - Stavanger (runs inland from Drammen to Kristiansand, connections to Arendal and Lillsand) Oslo - Skien (serving coastal towns south-west of Oslo) Oslo - Bergen (across the mountains via Finse, connections to Flam) Oslo - Trondheim (Dovrebanen, through Lillehammer and Dombas) Oslo - Sarpsborg - Halden Oslo - Askim - Sarpsborg Oslo - Roros - Trondheim Trondheim - Bodo (through Trondheim airport, connections to Sweden)
Trains are generally well-maintained and comfortable with toilets, vending machines etc on board. Trains are more comfortable than buses and with better views, but buy tickets in advance to get a good price.
If your itiniary is fixed and you don't have too many destinations, it might be cheaper to buy ordinary tickets online . If ahead in time you will usually get tickets at Minipris kr 199-399, unlimited distance, no stop-over. When buying online, you can choose ticket delivery at the station or at the train, the latter means you only need to know your sea