Help me plan a trip to Norway

[warpus]

I have started spreading rumours at work that I will be away in Norway for several weeks next summer.. so please help me plan a trip there, if you know anything about the country! I plan to be gone for 3-5 weeks.

If you're curious what sort of stuff I'm interested in, my main interest in this case is going to be beautiful vistas.. I want to walk through paradise and look at pretty things. But I'm also interested in unique cultural experiences, museums, music festivals, unique foods, tasty beer, and basically anything you can imagine that might be interesting in any way to do or see in Norway. If at least 10 people find it interesting, I want to hear about it.

I have been doing research. Here you can see all the points of interest I have so far put on a map. You can ignore the one on the right, that's just a marker for Hurtigruten cruises. Oslo also isn't marked, but I sort of have to fly in and out of there.. Svalbard is the other place of interest not on the map.

So as you can see I sort of am going to have to go all over the place if I want to see all this stuff.. so maybe I should remove some of it from my list? Or maybe my list is missing some "must see" or "must do" items? I leave that up to you.

Here's the list, sort of from south to north, grouped for easier reading: (the groupings might or might not make sense)

- Oslo
- Stavanger, Pulpit rock
- Bergen
- Sognefjord, Gudvangen, Flam, Aurlandsdalen
- Dalsnibba, Geiranger, Tafjordfjella mountains
- Romsdalen, Romsdalshornet
- Alesund
- Trollheimen
- Mosjøen / Helgeland
- Tonnes, Rodoylova
- Narvik
- Lofoten islands: Risøyhamn, Sortland, Stokmarknes, Svolvaer, Stamsund, Solbjørnvatnet, Reine
- Senja, Tromso
- Svalbard

I also really want to do each of the following:

- At some point hike on a glacier
- Take the Hurtigruten cruise from some place to another place that isn't horribly expensive.. but also visually stimulating. What's the best part that will work in an itinerary?
- Take the train from Oslo to Bergen - this is supposed to be one of the best train rides in the world, but it seems that I might want to stop halfway and do some hiking. Tips?

Svalbard is optional, but I have been to the southernmost city in the world, so why not visit the northernmost? Plus I could probably hike on a glacier there, and a flight from Oslo isn't even that expensive.. so I might as well go for a couple days? (I know it is going to be expensive once I'm there and am willing to budget for that)

One thing that's missing from my list so far is a multi-day hike. I want to do a 3-5 day hike through spectacular scenery, but I haven't really figured out what's out there.. All I know is that the best hiking trails seem to be in the heartland of the country, through which I think I'd go if I took that train from Oslo to Bergen.. or something like that?

I'm also interested in day hikes, such as the pulpit rock one. And as you see Stavanger is on my list, but I only have it there because I have to go to Stavanger because I want to go to pulpit rock.. I know nothing about Stavanger itself whatsoever - but there must be other things to do or see there. So what do you guys recommend for all those cities I might have to pass through? (Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Narvik, Alesund, Tromso, etc.) I'm looking for hostel, restaurant, cool part of town, sights, museum etc. information here

My main problem is figuring out a working itinerary.. Where do I go first? How do I figure out which points of interest to drop, so that an itinerary is possible? I'm sure I'll have to drop some.. Given all of the above, what do you recommend?

I'd also love a list of unique local foods and/or drinks to try. Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[Yoda Power]

Bring lots of money. You're going to be surprised.

Edit: Also put Trondheim on the list.

 

[Imrahil91]

This site is a good guide to help you find hikes all over the country. Norway has well-marked paths and cabins where you can sleep along all hiking trails, which you will find on the map on the linked site.

One common ascent to Galdhøpiggen, the highest peak in Norway, includes a hike on a glacier. Maybe it's possible to do that on your pause from Oslo to Bergen. Besseggen in the middle of the country is one of the most popular hikes among Norwegians, but it may be a pain to get there with public transportation.
The big, western fjords and the mountainous areas in the north around Bodø and Tromsø are really beautiful, so try to do some hiking around there.

I also recommend coming in June or May as that's when the statistical risk of rain is smallest, there's still snow on the mountaintops, and there aren't that many other tourists around.

 

[Lillefix]

This one, Trolltunga, has become quite chic the last few years. You have to go through a Via Ferrata to get to the top. It's between Stavanger and Bergen close to a city called Odda. You see a big glacier called Folgefonna in the background. My family often goes there in summer. Around June. The entire area is a big producer of cherries.

Spoiler :

 

[Samez]

Just as hint: the distances are quite large in Norway e.g. Bergen - Tromso are about 1800 km.. thats more than Paris -Lisbon (1700km).
Also Norwegian restaurants can be a bit plain while having steep prices especially outside the larger cities.

 

[Cutlass]

I suggest wearing a Swedish Chef t-shirt and see if anyone gets it.

 

[Quackers]

Isn't the alcohol in Norway absurdly priced? May be worthwhile to drop into Copenhagen where it is more reasonable.

But that's just me, I guess Canadian-Poles are big drinkers too though...

The scenery is going to be magnificent.

 

[luiz]

Bergen is my favorite city in Norway by far, and also a great place to go on a Fjord tour. The cities on the far north are cool because of their location, but as far as the actual city goes, the likes of Tromso have nothing on Bergen.

And yeah, as everyone said, take lots of money. Half pint of beer will cost more than 10 USD. Dinner at a nice restaurant will easily be over 100 USD. And hotels are ridiculously expensive as well.

A curious thing about Norway is that they have lots of 7Elevens. You see them much more often than here in the US. They're the cheapest way to eat over there. You can get a hot dog and some soda for just a few bucks.

 

[warpus]

Thanks for all the tips so far guys, I am going to have to go through them a bit later.

I realize that Norway is a very expensive place - and I've already started to save for this trip. I don't expect anything to be cheap.

 

[Snerk]

Swing by Tromso and i'll take you deep sea fishing. Mind you, going up north is more of a gamble weather-wise than the south. If I were a tourist on a summer holiday in Norway for a few weeks I might just stick to the south half.

 

[Lillefix]

Thanks for all the tips so far guys, I am going to have to go through them a bit later.

I realize that Norway is a very expensive place - and I've already started to save for this trip. I don't expect anything to be cheap.

Remember to plan well the trip btw. You can easily risk spending half the trip waiting for buses if you don't. And if you're going to Svalbard, perhaps you can take it at the end of the trip and travel from Tromsø(sort of the capital of northern Norway) and back to Oslo.

Or perhaps the beginning. You go from Oslo to Svalbard, then to Tromsø and work your way south to stavanger and pulpit rock and then fly back up to Bergen(less 50 usd if you're early) and take the train to Oslo. They used to have fast boats between Stavanger and Bergen, but they stopped a couple of years ago. A real shame because it was a real nice trip in the summer when the weather was nice weather. I'd sometimes sit in the front for 2 and a half hours straight. Wonder I never got an ear infection. Now you must take a bus, if you don't fly.

 

[Quackers]

The prices in Norway just seem to be Fjaudelant...i'll get my coat...

 

[warpus]

Edit: Also put Trondheim on the list.

Added! What do you recommend I do there?

This site is a good guide to help you find hikes all over the country. Norway has well-marked paths and cabins where you can sleep along all hiking trails, which you will find on the map on the linked site.

I had ut.no already bookmarked actually! Thanks for the reminder, I might have forgotten about it.

I have heard about the huts and they seem kind of amazing. ut.no seems to be down for me right now, but from what I remember there are hiking trails everywhere. I guess that's why I got so hung up on picking a hike - there are just too many options.

Would you say I shouldn't bring a tent? How about sleeping mat? I probably want a sleeping bag, right?

One common ascent to Galdhøpiggen, the highest peak in Norway, includes a hike on a glacier. Maybe it's possible to do that on your pause from Oslo to Bergen. Besseggen in the middle of the country is one of the most popular hikes among Norwegians, but it may be a pain to get there with public transportation.

You know what, I actually have Besseggen marked in my travel doc as a place of interest! It didn't make it onto the map I guess. It's actually on the map! I just didn't write it out in my list, whoops.

Here are the 4 points of interest I have on my map that are in between Oslo and Bergen: Aurlandsdalen, Gudvangen, Flam, Sognefjord ... A bit further north I also have: Bessengen and Jotunheimen nat. park.

I bet I could find transportation to the trail if it's so popular. Too bad ut.no is down right now or I could take a closer look.. Do you think I could get off the Oslo -> Bergen train at a station closeby and see all these places? It seems like there's just got to be transportation options! But I'm not even really sure what some of these things I typed out are I think it's just basically pretty pictures I found online and googled, so some of them might not even be worth visiting.

As for ascending a mountain though.. Would I need any special equipment for that sort of thing? I'm not sure if I'm ready to climb a Norwegian mountain. But either way, I'm interested. I will check out the link once the site works for me again.

The big, western fjords and the mountainous areas in the north around Bodø and Tromsø are really beautiful, so try to do some hiking around there.

Would the Lofoten islands do? I really want to go there - and have a whole bunch of markers on a bunch of the islands. And the islands seem to be close to Tromso and Bodo.. sort of.. What do you think?

I also recommend coming in June or May as that's when the statistical risk of rain is smallest, there's still snow on the mountaintops, and there aren't that many other tourists around.

I have read that accommodations in July are the cheapest and that if I go in June, that hostels are going to be more expensive.

I have also read that some of the hiking trails are going to be impassable due to the snow even in June. But maybe that just applies to some of the more hardcore ones?

This one, Trolltunga, has become quite chic the last few years. You have to go through a Via Ferrata to get to the top. It's between Stavanger and Bergen close to a city called Odda. You see a big glacier called Folgefonna in the background. My family often goes there in summer. Around June. The entire area is a big producer of cherries.

Spoiler :

That almost looks like pulpit rock! I definitely want to go to there.

Assuming that I also want to visit Stavanger, Bergen, and the 6 places mentioned above (Aurlandsdalen, Gudvangen, Flam, Sognefjord, Bessengen and Jotunheimen nat. park.), what would you recommend in terms of.. how to get to Odda? Would it be better to get there from Bergen or Stavanger? Or would another approach make more sense?

Just as hint: the distances are quite large in Norway e.g. Bergen - Tromso are about 1800 km.. thats more than Paris -Lisbon (1700km).
Also Norwegian restaurants can be a bit plain while having steep prices especially outside the larger cities.

The country is a bit larger than New Zealand, so I sort of have a decent grasp of how far apart things are.. I think.

I would for this reason prefer to have several "bases of operation", from where I could head to other places... but my points of interest are so over the place that I'm not really sure that's going to be possible.

Isn't the alcohol in Norway absurdly priced? May be worthwhile to drop into Copenhagen where it is more reasonable.

But that's just me, I guess Canadian-Poles are big drinkers too though...

The scenery is going to be magnificent.

Yeah, I'm not really going to be drinking much.. but you know how it is when you're on vacation..

Bergen is my favorite city in Norway by far, and also a great place to go on a Fjord tour. The cities on the far north are cool because of their location, but as far as the actual city goes, the likes of Tromso have nothing on Bergen.

What do you recommend I do in Bergen? I have heard good things about that city, it seems to be a lot of people's favourite Norwegian city. What sort of fjord trip from there would you recommend? Maybe something like the hurtigruten cruise?

And yeah, as everyone said, take lots of money. Half pint of beer will cost more than 10 USD. Dinner at a nice restaurant will easily be over 100 USD. And hotels are ridiculously expensive as well.

I'm going to be staying in hostels for the most part to save money.. and no nice restaurants for me!

I also at one point considered bringing a tent and taking advantage of the "you can pitch a tent and sleep in it wherever you want" law, but that wouldn't really work in a city I don't think. So I doubt I'm doing that.

A curious thing about Norway is that they have lots of 7Elevens. You see them much more often than here in the US. They're the cheapest way to eat over there. You can get a hot dog and some soda for just a few bucks.

Hmm interesting. Thailand actually has the most number of 7-11s per capita in the world, so I'm used to shopping at them .. I don't really enter them here in Canada very often.

I will remember this.. but wouldn't it be cheaper to maybe buy some food in a grocery store and cook something in a communal kitchen in a hostel? Or are grocery stores going to be super expensive too?

Swing by Tromso and i'll take you deep sea fishing. Mind you, going up north is more of a gamble weather-wise than the south. If I were a tourist on a summer holiday in Norway for a few weeks I might just stick to the south half.

Tromso, eh.. What do you know about Senja? Worth visiting? It's the closest marker I have to Tromso, but I can't remember what it's all about..

If I'm there I'll definitely take you up on your offer though! Never been deep sea anything before, I'm in.

Remember to plan well the trip btw. You can easily risk spending half the trip waiting for buses if you don't. And if you're going to Svalbard, perhaps you can take it at the end of the trip and travel from Tromsø(sort of the capital of northern Norway) and back to Oslo.

I am only going to have a bit of the trip set in stone.. I want parts of it to be sort of open, so that if I meet people there, and they are going somewhere else, I want to be able to change my plans..

But you're right, this is going to take a lot of thinking.. and tinkering.. I don't want any wasted days or even hours.

Or perhaps the beginning. You go from Oslo to Svalbard, then to Tromsø and work your way south to stavanger and pulpit rock and then fly back up to Bergen(less 50 usd if you're early) and take the train to Oslo. They used to have fast boats between Stavanger and Bergen, but they stopped a couple of years ago. A real shame because it was a real nice trip in the summer when the weather was nice weather. I'd sometimes sit in the front for 2 and a half hours straight. Wonder I never got an ear infection. Now you must take a bus, if you don't fly.

Hmm you're giving me some ideas.. It seems that if I go to Svalbard, I would want to have the flight there and accommodations booked - to save money. So it might make the most sense to go there first.

Then say I fly from Svalbard into Tromso and party it up with Snerk (is it safe to party it up with Snerk??), how would I proceed south to the Lofoten islands? It seems that I could probably take a bus down to Narvik and figure it out from there.. but what do you recommend? I really want to see those islands - they seem like the best islands ever.

Then further south still are several markers: Tonnes, Rodoylova, Mosjøen / Helgeland << Are any of these worth stopping for? How would I get there? (The first two seem to be out of the way)

Then we hit Trondheim and there I'd get completely lost (in terms of figuring out the itinerary). Well.. Trollheimen seems like a must see, and it's close, but after that I'm not really sure how to proceed.

And how to fit the Hurtigruten cruise into all this? Does anyone even recommend this? I've heard that it's spectacular and in many ways the best way to see the fjords. But it's really expensive - so I'd want to limit myself to a short 1 or 2 day ride. Any tips?

edit: I found a second list of new places of interest:

- Jotunheimen park
- Romsdalseggen
- Reinebringen - on Lofoten islands
- Gardangenvidda? (Hoth)
- Trolltunga
- Kjeragbolten?
- Preikestolen
- Besseggen ridge
- Flam railway

^^ Some of these were already discussed (Besseggen, Trolltunga), but what about the others? Any gems there?

 

[Virote_Considon]

As others have said, it is quite expensive. I was in Oslo for a few days last month and found it roughly on par with Israel.

One huge warning on nightlife: All of the pubs and clubs close at 3am. All of them. No exceptions. I found this horrifying fact out the hard way, and now I'm imparting this crucial titbit of information over to you, so you don't have to.

Swing by Tromso and i'll take you deep sea fishing. Mind you, going up north is more of a gamble weather-wise than the south. If I were a tourist on a summer holiday in Norway for a few weeks I might just stick to the south half.

Don't want to hijack warpus' thread, but you don't know anyone who happen' to be needin' a deckhand up them there ways, do ya?

 

[Imrahil91]

Would you say I shouldn't bring a tent? How about sleeping mat? I probably want a sleeping bag, right?

Having a tent will save you some money (if you use it), and gives you the freedom to sleep wherever you want while you're hiking or just find yourself stranded one night. If you have a small one I'd recommend it. Just imagine waking up to one of those wallpaper landscapes.
Also remember that it can get quite cold (around the freezing point) during some nights, so bring a woolen top at least. Sleeping bag and mat only if you're gonna sleep outside.

I bet I could find transportation to the trail if it's so popular. Too bad ut.no is down right now or I could take a closer look.. Do you think I could get off the Oslo -> Bergen train at a station closeby and see all these places? It seems like there's just got to be transportation options! But I'm not even really sure what some of these things I typed out are I think it's just basically pretty pictures I found online and googled, so some of them might not even be worth visiting.

AFAIK the Bergen-Oslo train stops at Flåm, which is close to all of those. I've also only seen pictures, but they seem spectacular.
You should probably bookmark this public transportation site.

As for ascending a mountain though.. Would I need any special equipment for that sort of thing? I'm not sure if I'm ready to climb a Norwegian mountain. But either way, I'm interested. I will check out the link once the site works for me again.

I don't think you need any special equipment, but there should be info in the link.

Would the Lofoten islands do? I really want to go there - and have a whole bunch of markers on a bunch of the islands. And the islands seem to be close to Tromso and Bodo.. sort of.. What do you think?

Haven't been there, but I'm pretty sure they're your best bet.

I have read that accommodations in July are the cheapest and that if I go in June, that hostels are going to be more expensive.

I have also read that some of the hiking trails are going to be impassable due to the snow even in June. But maybe that just applies to some of the more hardcore ones?

I'm not sure actually. But the reasons I stated for coming in June aren't that important, so do whatever fit your plans best.

I will remember this.. but wouldn't it be cheaper to maybe buy some food in a grocery store and cook something in a communal kitchen in a hostel? Or are grocery stores going to be super expensive too?

They're expensive but you'll still save a lot if you cook your own food.

 

[Snerk]

Don't want to hijack warpus' thread, but you don't know anyone who happen' to be needin' a deckhand up them there ways, do ya?

Hehe, I'll pass along all fishing related inquiries to both my brother in law and my parents as they are the ones actually owning a boat.

 

[luiz]

What do you recommend I do in Bergen? I have heard good things about that city, it seems to be a lot of people's favourite Norwegian city. What sort of fjord trip from there would you recommend? Maybe something like the hurtigruten cruise?

Stay near the train station as it is pretty near the main attractions and will save you time to get in and out of the city, as well as make it easier with carrying bags. You can take a special bus from the airport to the train station and then walk to the hotel.

The city is really pretty, with hills and a lake near downtown. You can't miss the main stuff: the fish market, the pier (with cool bars), the old Hanseatic League houses (called Bryggen over there, very historic stuff). You can also take a cable car to the highest hill in the city where they have panoramic views.

As for the cruises, I took a long one which combined the actual cruise ship with buses and trains. Took me through the Sognefjord, and stopped in towns such as Gudvangen, Flam and Voss. They're called "Norway in a Nutshell" and you can choose between some destinations. Really nice, great scenery and generally a good time. BUT it's a very sedentary thing to do. You just sit there, the most walking you will do is one the villages that you stop, so it might not be your thing. It was perfect for me, because I went with a girl, but even so I was itching to just go hiking and explore the beautiful country by myself.

I'm going to be staying in hostels for the most part to save money.. and no nice restaurants for me!

That's a good strategy, but keep in mind that you will still spend money if for instance you decide to eat at the Fish Market in Bergen, which I recommend. It's nothing fancy, you'll eat on plastic dishes with a plastic fork and sit on the sidewalk. But it's still crazy expensive. You'll also want to check out the bars (and the Norwegian women, believe me) and there's more money spent. So yeah, by all means plan ahead as much as you can to save, but don't fool yourself. Even if you stay in hostels, cook as many meals as possible and etc., you'll still spend as much as if you stayed in nice hotels and ate at good restaurants in a normal country.

I also at one point considered bringing a tent and taking advantage of the "you can pitch a tent and sleep in it wherever you want" law, but that wouldn't really work in a city I don't think. So I doubt I'm doing that.

I stayed in a very Spartan hotel in Bergen, just a couple blocks away from the train station, and it was like $300 a night.

Hmm interesting. Thailand actually has the most number of 7-11s per capita in the world, so I'm used to shopping at them .. I don't really enter them here in Canada very often.

I will remember this.. but wouldn't it be cheaper to maybe buy some food in a grocery store and cook something in a communal kitchen in a hostel? Or are grocery stores going to be super expensive too?

Neighborhood groceries stores were very expensive from what I remember, but in Oslo and Bergen and other bigger cities they also have large supermarkets with more reasonably priced goods (for Norwegian standards). So certainly the cheapest option would be cooking yourself, I suppose the standard "poor man's food" such as canned stuff should be inexpensive even in Norway. But specially on the places where you don't have a lot of time it's just more convenient to hit a 7Eleven. And it really is cheap.

 

[svknoe]

I don't really think that 7Eleven is a cheap way to obtain food. It's cheaper than the expensive restaurants, but cheap restaurants and especially grocery stores are better ways to get food. For reference 7Eleven hot dogs are generally about $6 a piece, while making a full cheap dinner yourself for $5 is not at all unreasonable.

Traveling by train is cheap if you book it in advance. For instance, you can get a ticket for an 800 km trip from the south of the country to Trondheim for less than $40.

Hiking in the mountains is really nice. You generally don't need any sort of special climbing equipment, though I would recommend good shoes. Kjeragbolten is right by Prekestolen, on the other side of Lysefjorden. The trip takes a few hours and is appropriate for a single day hike. The landscape during the trip is nice. There is also a wedged rock there that you can stand on with a one kilometer drop down to the fjord.

Spoiler :

The coastal archipelago in the area around Kristiansand is a popular destination in the summer. Renting a boat (or getting a ticket for a public one) to travel in the area is enjoyable.

Spoiler :

 

[Quintillus]

I'd recommend traveling by train or bus if you'll be in the western part of the country by the fjords. You'll get a much better view than from a plane. I took a train from Sweden to Narvik three years ago, and the views were amazing. I have some pictures on SkyDrive from that trip via this link; the linked picture is from the train going from Narvik east towards the Torneträsk, the fjord has much more water as you go a few pictures to the left.

If you go a few pictures to the right, you'll notice fair amounts of snow. These pictures were taken in June, so definitely bring heavy clothes if you are going up north!

I'd definitely recommend Norway, and was quite happy with my decision to go to northern Sweden and Norway instead of Ireland for this trip (I'm sure Ireland's great, too, but the Arctic lived up to expectations). But as others have said, it is expensive! It made Sweden look cheap, and aside from telecommunications and housing, Sweden is not cheap. I wouldn't let that stop you from partaking in some of the cuisine and foods that aren't available in North America, but you'll spend more than you expect.

If you're looking into Svalbard, also be sure to do research on the rifle regulations there. When I was looking at it a few years ago, I found some information indicating that either at least one member of every party, or every member of the party, that wishes to leave Longyearbyen must have proper rifle training and a rifle (which can be rented) before departing, due to the risk of polar bear attacks. I decided to stick to the mainland so I didn't complete due diligence on what all would be entailed, but it would be advisable to do proper research before booking tickets there.

I don't really think that 7Eleven is a cheap way to obtain food. It's cheaper than the expensive restaurants, but cheap restaurants and especially grocery stores are better ways to get food. For reference 7Eleven hot dogs are generally about $6 a piece, while making a full cheap dinner yourself for $5 is not at all unreasonable.

Traveling by train is cheap if you book it in advance. For instance, you can get a ticket for an 800 km trip from the south of the country to Trondheim for less than $40.

Hiking in the mountains is really nice. You generally don't need any sort of special climbing equipment, though I would recommend good shoes. Kjeragbolten is right by Prekestolen, on the other side of Lysefjorden. The trip takes a few hours and is appropriate for a single day hike. The landscape during the trip is nice. There is also a wedged rock there that you can stand on with a one kilometer drop down to the fjord.

Spoiler :

The coastal archipelago in the area around Kristiansand is a popular destination in the summer. Renting a boat (or getting a ticket for a public one) to travel in the area is enjoyable.

Spoiler :

Wow, that woman on the rock over the fjord has much more confidence in her sense of balance than I do in mine! That's a very high elevation on a not-particularly-flat surface!

 

[warpus]

A lot of information to go through! I haven't really had time these last couple days, which is why I haven't replied. I am getting a much better idea of what kind of trip this is going to be and what the itinerary might be - so thanks a lot for all the input. It's very much appreciated!

I have found a $910 after taxes return flight to Oslo from Toronto, next July. The cheapest deals I saw was a $600 return flight from Edmonton, and that was one of those "super low one time deals", so I think basically the cheapest I'll get is around the $700-$900 mark. Seems like it anyway.

Does anyone know if a 1 hour 45 minute layover in Frankfurt will be long enough, when flying from Norway to Canada? It's an international flight and Frankfurt has a BUSY airport IIRC. When flying internationally through the U.S. I try to plan for 3 hour long layovers - just in case, but would this be doable in Europe? I don't like rushing - I don't mind arriving with a half an hour to spare and waiting for the plane. I hate running to my terminal and rushing everything.

I also found a place to stay in central Oslo for $64 a night (plus fees and taxes). Any ideas if this is a good place? It's the first place I found so far, and I haven't really searched much. I'm just basically poking around to see what comes up.

That seems cheap for central Oslo, but maybe I can find cheaper? At this point covenience (central location) seems like much more worth to me than saving $20.. and these guys would let me use their kitchen, so I could go grocery shopping instead of eating out. I found another place in central Oslo for just over $50, but you have to sleep in the livingroom on a pull-out bed it seems. I prefer a private room.

In Bergen airbnb offers some options. The cheapest I found in a seemingly central location was $70. Hostels seem to go for $36 a night for dorm rooms, which I'm fine with (to save money). Private rooms in hostels go for $50-$60, which I might "splurge" on, seems like it might be worth it. I do value my sleep Other cities I haven't looked at yet, but I'm about to look into hostels on Svalbard.

So so far things seem pricy, but very manageable. Any other similar websites I should be looking at? I used airbnb.com to find a place to stay in Los Angeles once and had a great experience. So I stick to it. For hostels I just use google. For flights I use several aggregate search type websites.