Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
www.trailfinder.com). Buying blocks
of tickets from such carriers as British
Airways, SAS, and KLM, it offers
cost-conscious fares from London's
Heathrow and Gatwick airports to
Oslo.
In London many bucket shops
around Victoria Station and Earl's
Court offer low fares. Make sure that
the company you deal with is a mem-
ber of the IATA, ABTA, or ATOL.
These umbrella organizations will
help you if anything goes wrong.
CEEFAX,
a British television infor-
mation service, airs on many home
and hotel TVs and runs details of
package holidays and flights to Oslo
and beyond. Just switch to your
CEEFAX channel and you'll find a
menu of listings that includes travel
information.
Make sure that you understand the
bottom line on any special deal. Ask if
all surcharges, including airport taxes
and other hidden costs, are included
before committing. Upon investiga-
tion, some of these “deals” are not as
attractive as advertised. Also, find out
about any penalties incurred if you're
forced to cancel at the last minute.
BY CAR
If you're driving from the Continent,
you must go through Sweden. From
Copenhagen,
take the E47/55 express
highway north to Helsingør and catch
the car ferry to Helsingborg, Sweden.
From there, E6 runs to Oslo. From
Stockholm,
drive across Sweden on
E18 to Oslo.
BY TRAIN
Copenhagen is the main rail hub for
service between Scandinavia and the
rest of Europe. There are three daily
trains from Copenhagen to Oslo. All
connect with the Danish ferries oper-
ating either to Norway through Hels-
ingør or Hirtshals.
Most rail traffic from Sweden into
Norway follows the main corridors
between Stockholm and Oslo and
between Gothenburg and Oslo.
If you plan to travel a great deal on
Norwegian railroads, it's worth secur-
ing a copy of the
Thomas Cook Euro-
pean Timetable of European Passenger
Railroads.
It's available online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com.
Thousands of trains run from
Britain to the Continent, and at least
some of them go directly across or
under the Channel, through France or
Belgium and Germany into Denmark,
where connections can be made to
Norway. For example, a train leaves
London's Victoria Station daily at 9am
and arrives in Copenhagen the next
day at 8:25am. Another train leaves
London's Victoria Station at 8:45pm
and arrives in Copenhagen the next
day at 8:20pm. Both go through
Dover-Ostende, or with a connection
at Brussels. Once you're in Copen-
hagen, you can make rail connections
to Oslo. Because of the time and dis-
tances involved, many passengers rent
a couchette (sleeping berth), which
costs around £18 per person.
Designed like padded benches stacked
bunk-style, they're usually clustered
six to a compartment.
RAIL PASSES FOR NORTH
AMERICAN TRAVELERS
EURAILPASS
If you plan to travel
extensively in Norway, the
Eurailpass
may be a good bet. It's valid for first-
class rail travel in 17 European coun-
tries. With one ticket, you'll travel
whenever and wherever you please;
more than 100,000 rail miles are at
your disposal. Here's how it works:
The pass is sold only in North Amer-
ica. A Eurailpass good for 15 days
costs $588, a pass for 21 days is $762,
a 1-month pass costs $946, a 2-month
pass is $1,338, and a 3-month pass
goes for $1,654. Children under 4
travel free if they don't occupy a seat;
all children under 12 who take up a
seat are charged half price. If you're
under 26, you can buy a
Eurail
