Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MINIPRIS - A TRAVELLER'S BEST FRIEND
If you plan to travel on longer routes by train through Norway and you know your itinerary
in advance, the following information will save you hundreds of kroner. On every route, for
every departure, Norges Statsbaner (Norwegian State Railways) sets aside a limited
number of tickets known asminipris. Those who book the earliest can get just about any
route for just Nkr249. Once those are exhausted, the next batch ofminipristickets goes
for Nkr349 and so on. These tickets cannot be purchased at ticket counters and must in-
stead be bought over the internet (
www.nsb.no
) or in ticket-vending machines at train
stations. Remember thatminipristickets may only be purchased in advance (minimum
one day), reservations are non-refundable and cannot be changed once purchased. In
peak seasons (especially from mid-June to mid-August) on popular routes, you may need
to book up to three weeks in advance to get the cheapest fares. That said, the savings are
considerable, often as much as 75% off the full fare.
Train Passes
Rail passes are available for Norway (but should be bought before you arrive in the coun-
try). Eurail has a pass that includes only Norway.
Details about rail passes can also be found at
www.railpass.com
or
www.raildude.com
.
INTERRAIL PASSES
InterRail passes are available to people who have lived in Europe for six months or more.
They can be bought at most major stations and student travel outlets, as well as online.
InterRail has a Global Pass encompassing 30 countries that comes in four versions, ran-
ging from five days of travel that must be taken within 10 days to a full month's travel.
These, in turn, come in three prices: adult 1st class, adult 2nd class and youth 2nd class.
The one-month pass costs, respectively, €1050/668/442; children (aged four to 11 years)
travel for half the cost of the adult fare. Youth passes are for people aged 12 to 25. Children
aged three and under travel for free.
The InterRail one-country pass for Norway can be used for three, four, six or eight days
in one month. For the 2nd-class, eight-day pass you pay €326/163/216 per adult/child/
youth.
