6 Days in Norway: How Much Did It Cost?

For many years, I’ve waited to visit Norway but could only put if off, simply because Norway is expensive.

Finally, last Oct, I booked return air-tickets to fly into Stockholm (read my post on Stockholm travel tips), and entertained thoughts of visiting Norway from there. My plan indeed happened, but instead of doing a full solo trip, I had friends who joined me in Norway at short notice. Really glad they came along! They were awesome to travel with and this Norwegian trip turned out to be one of my most memorable ever.

Norway’s scenic views are so dramatic. If my friends hadn’t come along, there would be experiences I would’ve missed out and also, it would cost much more to travel to Norway as a solo traveller.

So, how much did 6 nights in Norway cost me?

The ego in me would have happily let everyone assume that Norway cost me an arm and a leg hahaha. Well, Norway isn’t cheap in fact, but we spent much lesser than expected. So, I thought I’ll do a post to share my itinerary and travel tips!

Is Norway Expensive?

Definitely, especially food and public transport costs in Norway.

For a very short ride, the public bus in Bergen was easily the most expensive one I’d ever taken anywhere in the world, costing NOK 37 (S$6 / USD$4.40). I’m very sure you won’t hear me whining about Singapore’s public transport costs for a long time.

Itinerary for 6 days in Norway:
– 3 nights in Bergen, 3 nights in Stavanger –

To summarise my trip,

1. I flew from Singapore to Stockholm via Swiss Airlines. Spent 2 nights in Stockholm.
2. From Stockholm, I took a regional flight to Bergen and spent 3 nights.
3. From Bergen, we took a bus to Stavanger and spent 3 nights.
4. Finally, I took another regional flight from Stavanger to Stockholm, then the international flight to Singapore.

Here’s the full itinerary. Tap the tabs to open!

Here’s a breakdown of my full travel costs in Norway:

Regional Flights:

• Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) air ticket (Stockholm → Bergen): SEK 899 (S$140.30)
• Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) air ticket (Stavanger → Stockholm): SEK 637 (S$105.30)

Subtotal: SEK 1536

Domestic Transfer:

Kystbussen bus, one way, from Bergen → Stavanger: NOK 480/pax (S$79 / USD$57)

Subtotal: NOK 480

Our accommodation choices in Norway:

Bergen:  Zander K Hotel with breakfast: NOK 5050 for 3 pax, 3 nights → NOK 1684/pax (S$276 / USD$199)

Stavanger: AirBNB apartment: S$343.40 for 2 pax, 3 nights → S$171.70/pax in total. (Our 3rd friend stayed at a different AirBNB as he joined last minute – his cost is not included here.)

Subtotal: NOK 1684 + S$171.70/pax, for a total of 6 nights

Sights & Attractions in Norway:

• Bergen // Funicular tram to Mt. Floyen, 2-way: NOK 90 (S$15 / USD$11)
• Bergen // One Day Round-Trip Norway In A Nutshell from Bergen: NOK 1440 (S$237 / USD$171)
• Bergen // Cable-car tickets (1-way) to Mt Ulriken: NOK 110 (S$18 / USD$13)
• Stavanger // Petroleum Museum entrance fee: NOK 120 (S$20 / USD$14)
• Stavanger // Petroleum Museum locker: NOK 10 (S$1.64 / USD$1.18)

Subtotal: NOK 1770

Transport costs:

• Bergen // Airport bus to city centre, one-way: NOK 100/pax (S$16.40 / USD$11.80)
• Bergen // Bus from city centre to & from base of Mt Ulriken’s cable-car station: NOK 37 x 2 trips = NOK 74 / pax (S$12 / USD$9)
• Stavanger // Car ferry for 1 car (my Norwegian friend’s car), two-way, + parking at Preikestolen, + petrol: about NOK 152/pax (S$25 / USD$18)
• Stavanger // Airport bus from city centre to Stavanger Airport: NOK 130/pax (S$21 / USD$15)

Subtotal: NOK 456

Meals & Drinks

Bergen

• McD dinner, average NOK 80 / pax
• Norway In A Nutshell //  1 main & 1 coffee at Gudvangen NOK 209 , 1 fish & chips at Flam NOK 145, 2 coffee at Flam NOK 95. Shared between 2 girls: NOK 449 = NOK 225 / pax
• 1 large Peppes Pizza (menu states good for 2 but it was more than enough for us 3): NOK 271 =  NOK 90 / pax

Stavanger

• Small fruit juice bottle from supermarket: NOK 17
• Coke bottle on morning ferry: NOK 40
• Coffee on morning ferry (NOT gourmet coffee but a small paper cup of plain coffee): NOK 27
• Coffee on morning ferry (NOT gourmet coffee but plain coffee, take using a small paper cup like on planes: NOK 28
• Dinner for four (4 Asian dishes such as rice or ramen) at Noodle Noodle: NOK 686 = NOK 172 / pax
• Small fruit juice bottle from supermarket: NOK 17
• Coffee at museum cafe: NOK 48
• Dinner for three (3 burgers, 1 set of chicken wings, 1 milkshake) at Døgnvill Burger: NOK 740 = NOK 247/pax
• Supermarketing at Stavanger: NOK 798 (4 servings of pasta and ingredients, 5 packets of instant noodles, eggs, grapes, yogurt) = NOK 266 / pax

Subtotal: NOK 1257 / pax = S$206 / USD$149

Summary (my costs):

Regional flights between Stockholm & Bergen: SEK 1536
——
Domestic transfer: NOK 480
Accommodation (6 nights): Hotel (NOK 1684) + AirBNB (S$171.70)
Attraction & entrance costs: NOK 1770
Transport: NOK 456
F&B: NOK 1257
——
Total: SEK 1536 (S$245.60) + NOK 5647 (S$933) + S$171.70 =

How Much I Spent in Norway in 6 Days:
≈ S$1350

(Sorry, previously had missed out including the Bergen accommodation. This final cost is rectified as of Nov 2017)

My international air tickets from Singapore to Stockholm via Swiss Airlines were an additional S$800+, just thought of letting you know. Also, I didn’t include what I spent on miscellaneous items such as souvenirs and gifts in this list, neither what I spent in Stockholm.

A little proud of this ‘achievement’ considering how expensive Norway can be, but if you study the itinerary carefully, you’ll realize that we skipped some meals, shared some meals when we don’t feel that hungry, and also made do with cup noodles or home-cooked food sometimes. In fact, we only sat down twice in restaurants (Noodle Noodle and Døgnvill) for food; the rest were alternatively settled somehow. O.O

This post isn’t meant to proclaim that Norway is NOT expensive.

It’s to show you that Norway may not be as expensive as you think, as long as you
1. Travel in the right season.
2. Be savvy about travel expenses.
3. Travel with the right people.
4. Be prepared.

Did we set out to do Norway on a shoestring?

Honestly, no. We didn’t actively plan any budget to keep to, and actually had a lot more spare cash that ended up unused. In Norway, we simply went along with the flow, keeping our plans flexible to cater to the erratic weather, our energy levels, our appetites and how we felt for the day.

Sometimes, it’s either too late (waited for sunset at Bergen’s Mt Floyen till 10pm), or we’re too lazy or too tired from hiking to find food so we just made decisions that will require the least efforts. At Stavanger, there was a well-stocked supermarket near our apartment. Since we have an excellent kitchen at my AirBNB, we ended up happily choosing groceries and easily settled the breakfasts, and even a pasta dinner.

Tips for keeping costs down in Norway!

1. Travel with friends. Splitting accommodation and food costs would be easier. 
2. Be flexible about meals and programs. I’m actually pretty easygoing when I travel, not needing to eat at restaurants for every meal, or buy expensive stuff. My only agenda was Norway In A Nutshell and hiking Preikestolen, so as long as I achieved them two, I’m contented. It’s awesome when your travel companions are as easygoing too! Our trip was pressure-free!
3. Car-pool, if available. My Norwegian friend drove her car from Stavanger to Preikestolen and we saved a good amount by not taking the ferry+bus combo package! Thank you Caroline (she blogs at The Travelling Sloth, go check it out!)
4. Book hotels with buffet breakfast included, such as Zander K Hotel, so you can kickstart your day with plenty of food in your tummy and either skip lunch or have a lighter lunch. I have to tell you that Norwegian breakfast are usually cold food.
5. Book AirBNB apartments with kitchen utilities. Get groceries at the supermarket and cook simple meals for breakfast. I stayed at this lovely apartment! (Get a good discount off your first AirBNB stay when you sign up with this link!)
6. Bring some comfort food and snacks from your home country. I always pack Asian-flavoured cup noodles whenever I go to Europe.
7. Drink tap water. We didn’t buy any mineral water at all in both Norwegian cities, simply getting tap water to boil and then drink.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Have you been to Norway? What do you think of Norway’s prices?