Norway on two shoestrings

The other day I posted on the financial headache that is finding places to sleep, and preferably get shelter from our less than accommodating climate, for anyone who doesn't have bags of money sitting around taking up space.

Then I thought, well, I already know what's what because I grew up there. I'm what you might call an expert. Or a local. What if I were thinking about traveling to Norway on a budget and I didn't know anything? Well, if that is you, I'm going to crank out some posts that should be helpful.

First, let's place your budget and expectations on a scale.

  • On a scale of comfortable to student, where are you?
    • If you have a savings account and some actual disposable income, this post is for you.
    • If your dinners commonly involve instant ramen and tuna in the can, feel free to skip this post. I'll get back to you with something better.
  • On a scale of down comforter to off-the-grid rugged, where are you?
    • If you'd rather sleep in a bed, with walls, a roof, and heating protecting you from the Norwegian drizzle, this post is for you.
    • If you shop at REI or Moosejaw, own at least one super-lightweight solo hiking stove, and are familiar with brands like Arc'teryx and Marmot, this post may not be for you. I'll pick up that thread in another post shortly.

Hotels

To get an overview and survey the landscape, so to speak, just Google “hotel prices Norway”. To make it realistic, I set the dates to the end of June, one night, two guests. Google coughed up this map, and I zoomed it in to the lower half of the country just to get some detail:

At first glance, it looks as if there are a few budget-friendly options. Yay! Except once you dig in, you'll see that those sub-$100 options are either deeply discounted specials or cabins. Which, more on that below. (Here's the exact query.)

And if you're bringing the whole family, you'll need more rooms. Those prices above are for two guests. “Double occupancy” in Norway really means a two-person room; as in the rest of Europe, space is at a premium and Norwegians are used to more compact quarters. That means you can't cram yourself and the kids into a single motel room like you can in the U.S. You'll need two rooms.

Next, consider that the options narrow down considerably when you're looking for specific places and specific dates. If you're only making one trip to Norway in your lifetime, you'll probably want to hit the highlights highlights of fjord country, which means staying in specific places like Bergen, Geiranger, Flåm, Ålesund, or Stavanger. It so happens that's where all the other tourists are staying as well. Oops. Your prices just went up, so you're more likely looking at $200/night in season.

Campground cabins

Norway is dotted with campgrounds, and those campgrounds typically offer campinghytter — cabins. These range from bare bones to very comfortable, and prices vary, but they're typically more reasonable than a hotel.

Traditionally, the deal has been that you bring your own bedding or sleeping bag and clean up after yourself before you leave. That keeps costs down. Now, there's a good deal of variety and range of options, so for every campground and cabin you'll want to check …

  • Is bedding included or extra?
  • Is there a kitchenette?
  • Is there a bathroom and shower or do you use the shared facilities?
  • Are you responsible for cleaning? If so, is there a fee if you don't?
  • Is there electricity?
  • How may bunks and rooms are there?

All of the above, and location, affect the price, so it's hard to say exactly how much you'll pay. It could be anywhere from $50 to $200 a night.

AirBnB and VRBO

Lots of Norwegians put their homes, summer homes, and rental properties out on AirBnB and VRBO, and many of them offer really good deals. I've found everything from luxurious city apartments to rugged cabins in the mountains. For The Fjørdgasm, we booked a very reasonable duplex on an island off Ålesund and an apartment in Hamn i Senja through AirBnB.

Prices are, of course, all over the place. If you want to with the peer-to-peer services like AirBnB and VRBO, you may need to be flexible on location — if you must have a place in central Bergen on certain dates, your odds of a good deal are a lot worse than if you widen your net.

Still a bit steep?

If the above are within your budget, you can stop reading here. Good for you. If on the other hand you've looked around a bit and hotels, cabins, or private rentals and they're still a bit steep, here are a couple of ideas:

Go off season

Peak tourist season in Norway is roughly mid-June to then of July. May and August, however, and early June, are great times to visit.

In May and early June, Norway is at its most lush and green. Everything springs to life in April, fed by plenty of rain and snow melt and in a hurry to get started on a short growing season.

In August and September, berries and fruit will be in season, the terrain will have dried up a bit for hiking compared to the typically wet April and May, and you still benefit from relatively warm, sunny days.

If it's the midnight sun you're traveling to see, the first day of no sunset in Lofoten is May 28 and at the North Cape May 14. By August, you will not be able to see it.

If you use those “shoulder seasons” for your trip, you'll find more and better deals on lodging.

Be flexible on destinations

Everyone converges on the same spots — Bergen, Geiranger, Flåm, and Lofoten, for those looking for the rugged fjord landscapes you see in tourist brochures.

Here's the thing, though. Unless you sign up for a package tour that will bus or ship you to the scenic spots, you'll need to rent a car. Public transportation is very good in Norway up to a point; it's not necessarily set up to get you to the proverbial last mile to places like Trollstigen (the Trolls's Ladder) or Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock).

Scenic spots and destinations in Norway are spread out. If you intend to rely on trains, buses, and boats and you want to see as much as possible, you're in for a massive scheduling headache. You're better off renting a car. Besides, road tripping along the fjords and over mountain plateaus is a pleasure in itself.

Then, since you have transportation, there's no reason to limit yourself to a few massively popular places to stay. You can look for deals in less touristy places.

For example, if you want to see both Lysefjord and Pulpit Rock, the Geiranger and Nærøy fjords, and the Troll's Ladder, you can look for deals anywhere roughly around and in between those places, then plan your route accordingly. There's nearly always multiple ways to get from one place to another, and detours aren't necessarily a bad thing but an opportunity for more scenic routes.

By the same token, if it's north Norway and the midnight sun you want to see, you don't need to look for a hotel in Lofoten or Tromsø. From Narvik, Bodø, or Harstad you have access to the same awesome scenery and will be within driving distance from Lofoten, Senja, and sperm-whale watching off Andenes without having the pay premium Lofoten prices.

***

That's about it if you're looking for four walls, a roof, and a bed. I'll cover traveling Norway with a tent shortly.

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