Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SAS ( 91 50 54 00;
www.sas.no
)
The largest route network on mainland Norway and
the only flights to Longyearbyen (Svalbard).
Widerøe ( 81 00 12 00;
www.wideroe.no
)
A subsidiary of SAS with smaller planes
and a handful of flights to smaller regional airports.
Bicycle
Given Norway's great distances, hilly terrain and narrow roads, only serious cyclists en-
gage in extensive cycle touring, but those who do rave about the experience.
Assuming that you've steeled yourself for the challenge of ascending mountain after
mountain, the long-distance cyclist's biggest headache will be tunnels (see the boxed text,
Click here
), and there are thousands of them. Most of these, especially in the western
fjords,areclosedtononmotorisedtraffic;inmany(althoughnotall)casesthereareoutdoor
bike paths running parallel to the tunnels. If no such path exists, alternative routes may in-
volve a few days' pedalling around a long fjord or over a high mountain pass.
Rural buses, express ferries and nonexpress trains carry bikes for various additional fees
(around Nkr120), but express trains don't allow them at all and international trains treat
them as excess baggage (Nkr275). Nor-Way Bussekspress charges a child's fare to trans-
port a bicycle!
Our favourite cycling routes are covered in the boxed text on
Click here
.
TheNorwegiangovernmenttakescyclingseriouslyenoughtohavedevelopedanofficial
Cycling Strategy (
www.sykkelby.no
)
, among the primary goals of which is to increase
cycling in larger Norwegian cities.
Hire
Sometouristoffices,hostelsandcampinggroundsrentoutbicyclestoguests,whilebicycle
shops
(sykkelbutikken)
are another goodplace to ask. Rental usually starts at around Nkr60
for an hour and is rarely more than Nkr300 per day, although prices drop if you rent for a
few days.
Boat
Norway's excellent system of ferries connects otherwise inaccessible, isolated communit-
ies with an extensive network of car ferries criss-crossing the fjords; express boats link
