This page explains how to travel by train from Oslo & Norway to other key European cities, and how to buy the cheapest tickets. Click here to for journeys starting in another city. Train information current for 2020.
I want to go from Oslo to...
Before you buy your
tickets...
Take a moment to read these tips for buying European train tickets. It answers all the usual questions, "Must I book in advance or can I just buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or just buy a €35 point-to-point ticket online?". Click here to understand how far ahead you can buy train tickets.
European train travel
FAQ...
Oslo to Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim & other destinations in Norway...
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Go to www.vy.no (rebranded from nsb.no in 2019) to check times & fares and book Norwegian internal long-distance trains online. The English button is top right. You can choose to load your ticket into the Vy app, or download it in PDF format which you can either print out or simply show on your smartphone or laptop.
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Seat reservation is compulsory on most long-distance trains, and there are cheap advance-purchase fares if you book ahead so it's well worth pre-booking. When you reach the fares page, use the drop-down list of fare types to see if you can change ordinaer (full fare) to minipris. Minipris is a cheap advance purchase fare which only appears if there is a minipris available, 249 Kr to 499 Kr depending on availability. Minipris is being renamed Lowfare from April 2020.
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Okonomi means standard class, any fare including the word Komfort or (from April 2020) Plus means first class with larger seats, more space, laptop power points and complimentary tea & coffee.
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See here for more advice on using Vy.no including useful Norwegian words and what to do if your credit card is rejected, as their site sometimes struggles with some UK and overseas cards (but they now also accept PayPal!).
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Vy Komfort class costs an extra 100 Kr (at the time of writing) per person regardless of the length of the journey. Komfort class is being renamed Plus class from April 2020. The actual seats may be exactly the same as the regular seats, but with power outlets at every seat and complimentary tea & coffee, that alone can justify the supplement. Vy Komfort/Plus class is available on most mainline routes including Oslo to Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim & Bodo, Gothenburg.
The Norway in a Nutshell tour...
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The popular Norway in a Nutshell circular tour takes you from Oslo to Bergen to Flam and back to Oslo over 5 days. Train-based tour specialist Railbookers can sort this for you with train reservations & hotels.
UK call 020 3327 0761,
www.railbookers.co.uk.
US call free 1-888-829-4775,
www.railbookers.com.
Canada call free 1-855-882-2910,
www.railbookers.com.
Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526,
www.railbookers.com.au.
New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or
see
website.
Oslo to Stockholm
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In 2015 SJ Swedish Railways introduced three daily X2000 tilting trains between Oslo Sentral & Stockholm Central taking as little as 4h54. This has been so successful that the service was increased to 5 trains per day in December 2016, although since then work on re-electrifying the line has meant some further changes. From city centre to city centre these trains are pretty much as fast as flying, a lot less hassle and far more enjoyable. See photos & info on the excellent X2000 trains.
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You can check train times and buy tickets online at either of the following websites:
- Omio.com (formerly GoEuro.com) which links directly to the SJ (Swedish Railways) ticketing system, same prices as SJ, quick & easy to use, small booking fee, no problem with overseas credit cards, you can pay in various currencies including Swedish Kr, £, € and $.
- SJ's own site www.sj.se, you pay in Swedish krona, no booking fee, you can usually choose a specific seat from a seating plan, but it can sometimes be fussy with overseas credit cards. For step-by-step advice on using sj.se, click here.
Whichever site you buy from, you can print your own ticket or simply show it on your smartphone, or you can collect it from the SJ ticket machines at Oslo Sentral.
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Fares work like air fares, cheap in advance, more expensive on the day. Reservation is compulsory. There are some great cheap deals available if you book in advance.
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Advance information: The Norwegians are replacing the overhead electric wires on this route. For a year or two, the X2000 trains may be temporarily replaced by two or three daily locomotive-hauled InterCity (IC) trains with slower timings.
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X2000 trains now link Oslo & Stockholm... |
2nd class seating on the X2000. All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles... |
Self-service buffet car on an X2000. More information about X2000 |
Oslo to Gothenburg...
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Comfortable Norwegian InterCity trains run from Oslo to Gothenburg several times every day.
Monday-Friday: 06:01, 10:01, 14:01, 18:01, journey time 3h44.
Saturdays: 08:01, 14:01, 18:01, journey time 3h44.
Sundays: 10:01, 14:01, 18:01, journey time 3h44.
The fare is around 299 SEK (€33).
You can check times and buy tickets online using the Norwegian Railways website www.vy.no (see advice on using this). This can sell the cheaper advance-purchase Minipris/Lowfare fares. You can also try the Swedish Railways website www.sj.se (see advice on using this) but this can only sell full-price fares. Remember that Gothenburg Central is shown as Gøteborg C in Norwegian and Göteborg C in Swedish. For Oslo, select Oslo S where S = Sentral.
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Option 1: Oslo to Gothenburg by Norwegian train... This is the Norwegian train from Gothenburg to Oslo, arrived at Oslo Sentral. Photos courtesy of Ivor & Ines Morgan. |
Vy Komfort (Plus) class on the train to Oslo. |
Oslo to Copenhagen...
Option 1, by train...
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The fastest and most direct route is to take a Norwegian InterCity train from Oslo to Gothenburg in 3h44 then an hourly Öresund train to Copenhagen taking another 3h35. For example...
Mondays to Fridays:
Oslo Sentral depart 06:01, change Gothenburg C, arrive Copenhagen at 14:29.
Oslo Sentral depart 10:01, change Gothenburg C, arrive Copenhagen at 18:29.
Oslo Sentral depart 14:01, change Gothenburg C, arrive Copenhagen at 22:29.
Saturdays:
Oslo Sentral depart 08:01, change Gothenburg C, arrive Copenhagen at 16:29.
Oslo Sentral depart 14:01, change Gothenburg C, arrive Copenhagen at 22:29.
Sundays:
Oslo Sentral depart 10:01, change Gothenburg C, arrive Copenhagen at 18:29.
Oslo Sentral depart 14:01, change Gothenburg C, arrive Copenhagen at 22:29.
The fare for this route is 783 SEK, about €79 on all departures if you buy tickets using the Swedish Railways website www.sj.se.
However, it's usually cheaper to split the booking to take advantage of cheap advance-purchase minipris/lowfare fares for the Norwegian train:
First go to the Norwegian Railways website www.vy.no and book from Oslo S to Goteborg C looking for a cheap minipris/lowfare fare. You can choose to load your ticket into the Vy app, or download it in PDF format which you can either print out or simply show on your smartphone or laptop.
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Then go to the Swedish website www.sj.se (no booking fee, can be fussy with some foreign credit cards, see my advice on using it here) or Omio.com (formerly GoEuro.com, easy to use, no problem with foreign cards, small booking fee) and buy a ticket from Göteborg C to Köbenhavn H. You print your own ticket.
Tickets for Gothenburg-Copenhagen Öresund trains are good for any train leaving that day, so feel free to have lunch in Gothenburg, and a wander, and catch a later onward train to Copenhagen, they run every hour until evening.
Alternatively, using www.sj.se you'll see other options taking a bit longer and involving 2 changes. These usually involve SJ Swedish Railways trains all the way, so SJ can offer cheap advance-purchase fares from as little as €20 in 2nd class or €34 in 1st class.
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Option 1: Oslo to Gothenburg by Norwegian train... This is the Norwegian train from Gothenburg to Oslo, arrived at Oslo Sentral. Photos courtesy of Ivor & Ines Morgan. |
Vy Komfort (Plus) class on the train to Oslo. |
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...then Gothenburg to Copenhagen by train. Take an Öresund Train (Öresundtåg, pictured above) from Gothenburg to Copenhagen. The train crosses from Denmark to Sweden on the 1999-built Öresund Link tunnel & road/rail bridge... |
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Option 2, by overnight cruise ferry to Copenhagen - comfortable, scenic and time-effective...
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A luxurious overnight cruise ferry sails from Oslo to Copenhagen every day, leaving Oslo at 16:30, arriving Copenhagen at 09:45 next morning.
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The ships on this route are the Crown Seaways & the Pearl Seaways, with restaurants, bars, cinema, and a sauna. All passengers travel in comfortable private cabins, even the standard cabins come with en suite shower & toilet and satellite TV. To travel in luxury, treat yourself to DFDS's famous Commodore Class, some suites with private balconies with sea view. Enjoy the departure from Oslo and the scenic voyage down Oslo Fjord, highly recommended!
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Fares start at around €120 for 1 person with sole occupancy of a 2-berth cabin, or €120 for 2 people together sharing a 2-berth cabin. Considering the cost of hotels in Scandinavia, this is a real bargain.
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See www.dfds.co.uk for times, prices & to buy tickets online.
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You can walk from Oslo city centre to the DFDS ferry terminal at Vippetangen in 15-20 minutes, or you can take a taxi. See map of Oslo showing ferry terminal.
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In Copenhagen the ferry terminal is about 4 km (3 miles) from Copenhagen main station, see map of Copenhagen showing DFDS ferry terminal, Taxis are available or you can walk 10 minutes / 750m from the ferry terminal to Nordhavn station and take an 8-minute suburban train ride to Copenhagen main station. There's also a DFDS shuttle bus from Norreport station, see www.dfds.co.uk. In Copenhagen I'd allow at least 90 minutes between the ferry arrival and an onward train connection.
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The huge DFDS luxury overnight cruise ferry Crown Seaways berthed at Oslo... Courtesy of Ivor Morgan. |
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The ferry is a floating hotel, with cabins, suites, restaurants, bars and entertainment. The Pearl Seaways even features an outdoor jacuzzi but reportedly her sister ship Crown Seaways lacks this. Courtesy of Andrew Leo. |
1, 2, 3 or 4 berth standard cabin on the Crown Seaways with shower & toilet and satellite TV. Larger photo. Courtesy of Ivor Morgan. |
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Commodore Class suite with double bed on board the DFDS superferry to Oslo. Courtesy of Andrew Leo. |
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Scenery in Oslo Fjord on the voyage to Norway... Courtesy of Ivor Morgan. |
Oslo to Cologne, Brussels & London...
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See the London to Norway page, and look for the return train times from Oslo to Cologne, Brussels & London. Buy tickets as shown.
Oslo to Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Zurich & other European destinations...
Option 1, via Copenhagen...
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Step 1, travel from Oslo to Copenhagen either by train or by overnight DFDS cruise ferry as shown in the Oslo-Copenhagen section above.
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Step 2, travel from Copenhagen to anywhere in Europe as explained on the International trains from Copenhagen page.
Option 2, via the overnight Color Line cruise ferry from Oslo to Kiel in Germany - easy, comfortable & time-effective...
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Step 1, travel from Oslo to Kiel overnight by Color Line cruise ferry. The m/v Magic or m/v Fantasy usually sails from Oslo at 14:00, arriving Kiel around 10:00 next day, see www.colorline.com or use the seat61 Ferry Shop for times, dates, fares & online booking. These luxurious ships have a full range of en suite cabins, suites, bars, restaurants and so on. Enjoy a scenic sailing out of Oslo Fjord. See map of Oslo showing ferry terminal.
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Step 2, in Kiel it's a 5-6 minute walk from the Color Line ferry terminal to Kiel Hbf. Regional trains leave Kiel Hbf for Hamburg Hbf every hour, journey time 1h16, fare around €23 bought at the station - but if you're going beyond Hamburg it's cheaper to book a through ticket from Kiel to your final destination as explained in step 3 below.
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Step 3, travel from Hamburg to anywhere in Europe by train, as shown on the International trains from Hamburg page.
It's possible to leave Kiel after 12:30 and arrive in Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Warsaw, Basel, Zurich or even Paris by evening the same day. That's right, you can leave Oslo at 14:00 and arrive in any of those cities the very next day in the evening, centre to centre with no airports, no flights!
Book from Kiel Hbf to any of these cities from just €39.90, or from Kiel Hbf to anywhere in Germany from €19.90 or from Kiel to cities in most neighbouring countries at the German Railways website www.bahn.de. You usually print your own ticket.
You can of course spend the day in Hamburg, then catch the sleeper train to Vienna or Switzerland, as shown on the train from Hamburg page.
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The Color Line ferry in Kiel... |
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A 5 Star Suite on the ferry... |
More cruise liner than ferry! The restaurant. |
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The view from the ferry.... |
Hotels in Oslo & other cities
Other hotel sites worth trying...
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www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.
Backpacker hostels...
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www.hostelworld.com: If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.