Is Norway Expensive To Visit? Travel Costs & Budgets For This Year

Wondering how much does it cost to go to Norway? Then you’re in the proper place because we’ll be breaking down the associated fee of trips to Norway on this guide! After several trips to the country and having the ability to visit quite just a few cities, we highlight our actual costs for visiting Norway and the way you’ll be able to do it, too.

While it is feasible to travel to Norway even on a tighter budget, travelers who can’t afford to spend an excessive amount of money on the trip might want to compromise quite a bit. Mid-range and luxury travelers can have an amazing time in Norway, because the country is usually pricey and is essentially the most rewarding whenever you’re not too frightened about your budget. 

But how much money do it is advisable to be a mid-range traveler in Norway? And what form of compromises do it is advisable to make to go to the country on a smaller budget? Let’s discover! 

Is It Expensive To Visit Norway? 

Yes, it’s pretty expensive to go to Norway. It’s up there with Switzerland and Iceland as probably the most expensive countries in Europe, but that doesn’t mean that traveling on a tighter budget in Norway is inconceivable. What it does mean is that you just’ll spend as much on every week in Norway as you’ll on two weeks in Italy, and it’s as much as you to make a decision whether a visit to Scandinavia is value it. 

I personally think it’s value each penny, even when you’ve to make sure sacrifices to give you the chance to afford it. Maybe it’s slumming it down in a “low-cost” hotel or cooking at your accommodation as a substitute of eating out. The one thing you shouldn’t skimp on is activities because they’re by far the very best thing about any trip. 

Cost of Accommodation 

The bulk of your budget for Norway will go towards accommodation. Hotels in Norway are expensive, and although there are various ways to get monetary savings on accommodation, it’s by far the most costly a part of the trip. 

The foremost thing to think about is where you wish to stay in Norway. Staying in Oslo is dearer than staying in a small town a 20-minute ride from the capital. Smaller towns and villages are generally cheaper for hotel stays than the larger cities, and Oslo, Trondheim, and Bergen are the three most costly cities within the country. Tromso can also be high up there since it’s a extremely popular destination for northern lights sightings, and could be even dearer than Oslo in high season. 

Another thing to think about is the placement of your accommodation inside a city. A hotel smack dab in the course of the town center will probably be significantly dearer than one on the outskirts.  Radisson RED Oslo Økern offers double rooms for $200 per night removed from the town center, while a bed in a dormitory in the guts of Oslo will set you back $75 for a nightly stay. 

It is value noting that you may technically camp your way through Norway without spending a penny. The country has something called “Everyman’s Right,” which essentially allows anyone to camp outdoors so long as they’re far enough from private property. If you wish to explore nature in Norway and also you’re no stranger to tent life, it is a top option for staying some time in Norway without overspending on hotel rooms. 

Finally, it’s essential also to indicate that non-public accommodation is extremely popular in Norway. The country’s hottest tourist destinations have surprisingly few five-star hotels but usually are not lacking in the world of high-end villas and luxury apartments. Norway is the perfect destination for a countryside escape in a sprawling villa with massive floor-to-ceiling windows.  

Budget:

Budget accommodation options in Norway include couchsurfing, hostels, budget hotels, campsites, and personal rooms in apartments. The least expensive hostels I’ve present in Oslo cost around $50 per night, while the common cost of budget accommodation is $70-100 per night. That’s $300-600 for every week trip to Norway. 

Mid-Range:

Mid-range accommodation in Oslo is within the $100-250 per person price range for an evening’s stay. Homes and apartments are often $200-400 for 2 people, while double rooms are $250-500 per night in Oslo city center. But decide to stay outside Oslo city center or in considered one of the smaller towns or villages, and also you’ll give you the chance to book double rooms at mid-range hotels for $150-250 per night. That’s a weekly budget of $600-1,000 per person. 

Luxury:

Luxury hotels in Norway are moderately priced in comparison with their budget and mid-range counterparts. There aren’t actually that many five-star hotels in Norway, and even in Oslo, you’ll be able to book an evening for 2 in the town’s best hotels for $300. Fancier hotels within the capital are $500-700 per night, and five-star hotels outside Oslo are often $300-400 per night. Overall, $1,500 per person needs to be enough for every week in a luxury hotel in Norway. 

Cost of Transportation

You’ve got tons of options for getting around Norway – automobile rental, taxis, buses, trains, boats, and even planes. Trains are generally an excellent option for traveling between cities within the south; they’re cheaper than buses for some reason and a bit faster. An express train can take you from the foremost Oslo airport to the town center in only 20 minutes, and the tickets are around $22.

But you’ll be able to’t get in every single place by train. It works best for traveling within the south of the country, especially should you’re departing from Oslo. Many train journeys in Norway are very scenic, so the ride isn’t nearly getting from point A to point B but in addition about having fun with the sights along the way in which. 

However, train rides in Norway generally take a very very long time. It’s roughly eight hours to travel from Oslo to Bergen, Trondheim, or Stavanger, all of that are around 500 kilometers away from the capital, give or take 50 kilometers. Don’t even get me began on Tromso; the Arctic Circle city is greater than 1,700 kilometers away from the capital, and it will take you greater than 24 hours to finish the journey by land. 

All of that’s to say that flying is the fastest and infrequently the most cost effective solution of traveling in Norway. Domestic flights are surprisingly inexpensive, and a fast 50-minute flight from Oslo to Bergen could be booked for as little as $60. That’s only $10 greater than the most cost effective train that travels for no less than 7 hours. 

Flying is the one viable option for trips to cities far within the north – Bodo, Tromso, Kirkenes, Hammerfest, etc. The transportation costs are inexpensive, not to say that you may save greater than 24 hours should you fly versus attempting to travel by land. 

To get across the cities, you’ll be able to easily allocate a budget of zero. The cities in Norway are very walkable, and you’ll be able to get around on foot, even in Oslo. I like to recommend avoiding taxis since the prices are exorbitant and the general public transportation network is sweet enough to get you quickly to where it is advisable to be. Keep in mind that you just’ll rarely have to travel greater than 10-Quarter-hour at a time between different areas of 1 city. 

Planning Ahead 

Saving money on local transportation in Norway is so simple as planning ahead. Train tickets are significantly cheaper should you buy them prematurely, and sometimes you’ll be able to pay a 3rd of their standard cost. The same goes for plane tickets, that are essential to succeed in cities within the far north. 

Oftentimes, you’ll be able to get discounts whenever you book multiple experiences at the identical time, like a train ride followed by a fjord cruise. Also, it’s often cheaper to ride the night trains than travel by day, plus it means you don’t should pay for a hotel room for that night. 

Budget For Transportation 

So, how much must you budget for transportation in Norway? It mostly relies on two things – what number of day trips you intend to take and the way long you’re staying within the country. If you’re heading to Norway for five days and also you don’t plan to go away Oslo your complete time you’re there, then your transportation budget might as well be zero because you’ll be able to walk in every single place. 

I don’t think that’s realistic, so let’s say it’s one tour every 3 days, which implies two-day trips in every week and 4 in two weeks. Budget roughly $150 for transportation per week, including the train to and from the airport and a few day trips. Travelers who intend on riding Uber, arranging airport transfers, and like to buy first-class train tickets should allocate a budget of $300-400 for transportation in Norway.

Obviously, this doesn’t cover the associated fee of the flight to Norway, which could be anywhere from $38 for a Ryanair flight from London to Oslo as much as $750 for flights from Houston. The average cost of flights from the US to Norway is $600, but only $150 for flights from other cities in Europe. 

Cost of Food

Eating out is costly in Norway, but not so expensive that it is advisable to rule it out entirely should you’re traveling on a tighter budget. The greater cities have a bonus here because they provide a wider collection of restaurants in several price ranges. From McDonalds to Michelin-starred restaurants, the choices are infinite. 

One essential thing to notice is that you just’ll have to forego drinking alcohol if you wish to keep your food budget manageable. Cocktails, wine, and even beer are all very expensive in Norway, with a mean price of $10 for a glass of wine or a small draught beer. 

Budget travelers will likely attempt to cook most of their very own meals and stick with fast food when eating out. Burritos, doners, and sandwiches are a few of the most cost effective foods to eat, plus you’ll be able to buy all varieties of frozen and cooked Norweigan foods on the supermarket to eat at your accommodation. Up to $15 per meal is the usual for budget eateries in Norway, and yow will discover places to eat for under $10 per person, even in the guts of Oslo. 

Mid-range restaurants are plentiful in Norway and have a mean cost of $15-40 for foremost dishes. Naturally, meat-based dishes will probably be dearer than simply pasta or pizza, but let’s say that you may get a very nice meal for $20-25 in most mid-range restaurants in Oslo, which is considered one of the pricier cities. 

For nice dining in Norway, the sky is the limit. There are loads of pricy and luxury restaurants in all the larger cities, where you’ll be able to easily spend greater than $1,000 for dinner should you get the proper bottle of wine. 

Save Money On Food In Norway

A budget for food in Norway could be anywhere from $10 per day as much as $150 per day. I highly recommend paying extra for hotel breakfast since it’s an amazing technique to keep the food costs down. That leaves just lunch and dinner – if the breakfast buffet is generous enough, you may even give you the chance to skip lunch. But that’s the mid-range category since many budget accommodation options don’t include breakfast. 

Budget travelers will likely stick with grocery shops and prepare their meals within the accommodation. Hostels and personal apartments often include kitchen facilities you need to use, and you’ll be able to easily stay full with a budget of as small as $10 per day, so around $60 for every week of groceries. 

What I keep in mind here is a few pasta, sauce, eggs, sandwich bread, luncheon meat, chicken, and a frozen meal or two. You may even squeeze a few beers into that budget. I went ahead and checked out the costs at Norwegian supermarkets, and for $6 Euros, you’ll be able to get 500 grams of pasta and a Barilla pasta sauce, which makes five meals. Spring an additional $3 for grated Grana Padano, and that’s actually an honest meal. 

Mid-range travelers might eat out 3-4 times every week and may budget roughly $25 per meal (without drinks). Combined with a grocery shop, that’s roughly $140 for every week’s value of food in Norway. Keep in mind that the food market budget decreases whenever you eat out just a few times. 

A budget for a luxury traveler is definitely no less than 100 Euros per day for food, much more should you eat out for each single meal and you select dearer restaurants. Of course, it relies on many aspects, but on the whole, budget around $15 for breakfast, $20-30 for lunch, and $40-50 per dinner. On the lower end, that’s roughly $550 for every week’s value of food in Norway, not including drinks.  

Cost of Activities

The activities are by far the very best thing about any trip to Norway and are deserving of the biggest a part of your budget. If you’ve to scrimp on hotels and meals to give you the chance to afford the activities, it is completely value doing so. The excellent news is that Norway offers many free attractions, including hikes, museums, parks, and more. 

Also, there’s an overlap between activities and other points of the budget. The Flam Railway is probably the most scenic train rides on the planet and a top tourist attraction in Norway, so you’ll be able to split the associated fee between the budget for activities and transportation. It’s roughly $60 for the two-hour train ride, not including any possible deals and discounts.  

Museums are often $10-25, depending on their size, and there are a great deal of free museums throughout the country, especially in Oslo. Entrance to famous landmarks is commonly free, while those that require a paid entrance often cost $10-15. 

As for the bucket list experiences, should you’re going to splurge for one thing, make it a Northern Lights chase. It’s probably the greatest things to do in Norway and such a unbelievable experience that it’s value planning your entire trip around it. The average cost of a guided Northern Lights tour is $150 per person, not including the flight to Tromso. 

A fjord cruise is one other one-of-a-kind experience available in Norway and totally definitely worth the splurge. It’s often $45-85, depending on the duration. Fjord cruises can be found in all waterfront cities in Norway but are the preferred in Bergen and Tromso. 

Additionally, Norway is known for its excellent hiking trails, a few of that are known everywhere in the world. Pulpit Rock and Trolltunga are two of the very best hiking destinations within the country, and you’ll be able to hike to each without cost. Of course, you can even decide to visit either destination with a guide; that is an excellent idea should you’re frightened about reach the trailhead by public transportation, but it can cost anywhere from $50 to $150 for a day’s value of hiking. 

Budget travelers can easily enjoy Norway just by exploring the free activities. I’d allocate a budget of $10-20 per day for activities equivalent to museums and national landmarks or to just do one bucket list experience at some stage in your stay. 

For mid-range travelers, a budget of $35-60 per day is enough for a bucket-list experience and a few paid attractions day by day, plus as many free things as you would like. And for travelers who want to have interaction in a once-in-a-lifeting activity day-after-day, a budget of $80-120 per day should suffice. 

A Budget For 1 Week in Norway 

A Budget For 2 Weeks in Norway 

Is Norway Expensive? FAQs 

What To Budget When Visiting Norway?