Day 1: Arrival in Oslo
Arrive in Oslo. The Norwegian capital is beautifully situated at the head of the Oslo Fjord, and is surrounded by forested ridges. Oslo offers many well know sights such as the Vigeland Sculpture Park, the Viking Ship Museum and the Munch Museum.
Accommodation at Comfort Hotel Grand Central or similar.
Day 2: Oslo – Norway in a nutshell – Bergen (train/boat/bus)
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning departure from Oslo by train. Today you will experience Norway's most popular round trip; Norway in a Nutshell. The excursion takes you through some of the most beautiful scenery in Norway's fjord region; you will travel by train across the Hardangervidda Mountain Plateau and down the Flåm Railway. The Flåm Railway will take you through wild and beautiful mountain scenery, with waterfalls and steep mountain sides reaching a height of 900 metres, and down to the Sognefjord. There is no other adhesion railway in the world that runs on normal tracks for such a long distance over such a steep gradient. From Flåm you continue by boat on the Nærøyfjord, Europe's narrowest fjord, to Gudvangen. From here you go by coach up the steep and spectacular hairpin bends of Stalheimskleiva*, before arriving in Voss, where you will board a train for the last stretch of the journey to Bergen. Evening arrival in Bergen – the Gateway to the Fjords.
Accommodation at the Grand Hotel Terminus or similar.
*The drive up Stalheimskleiva is only possible during the summer.
Day 3: Bergen
Breakfast at the hotel. The day is free for you to explore Bergen. Bergen is Norway's second largest city and the world's only city surrounded by 7 mountains and 7 fjords. Sights of interest are the Hanseatic Bryggen Wharf, Fløibanen Funicular, Troldhaugen, the Fish and Flower market, Bergen Aquarium and Gamle Bergen (Old Bergen Open Air Museum).
Accommodation at the Grand Hotel Terminus or similar.
Day 4: Bergen - Western Coastline – Stavanger (bus)
Breakfast at the hotel. An express bus will carry you along the western coastline from Bergen to Stavanger. During the bus tour you will enjoy the beautiful coastline and views of the archipelago stretching out into the sea. Stavanger, Norway's forth largest city, has a fine collection of gabled houses, cobblestone streets, winding alleys and busy markets. One of Stavanger's highlights is the Old Town (Gamle Stavanger), with well preserved early 18th century whitewashed wooden houses.
Accommodation at Thon Hotel Maritim or similar.
Day 5: Stavanger
Breakfast at the hotel. The day is at your own leisure. We suggest a 3-hour mini-cruise to the Lysefjord, with views of the Pulpit Rock 604 metres above the fjord (Preikestolen).
* Optional tour: This sightseeing tour takes 3 hours, with the famous Pulpit Rock, 604 meters above Lysefjorden. Preikestolen is one of the most visited natural tourist attractions in Norway. Price - £ 110 pp.
Accommodation at Thon Hotel Maritim or similar.
Day 6: Stavanger – Kristiansand (train)
Breakfast at the hotel. From Stavanger you travel by train along the Southern Line to Kristiansand, southern Norway's largest city. With its weathered old homes and pulsating summer atmosphere this is a very charming city.
Accommodation at the Thon Hotel Kristiansand or smiliar.
Day 7: Kristiansand - Oslo (train)
Breakfast at the hotel. Today you will travel the last part of the Southern Line by train, bringing you back to Norway’s capital city - Oslo.
Accommodation at the Comfort Hotel Grand Central or similar.
Day 8: Departure from Oslo
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure from Oslo.
Hotel description:
The price is based on accommodation in good tourist class hotels (3-4 stars). If any of the hotels are fully booked we will find alternatives of equal standard.
Visas
For your holidays to Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia or Ukraine, you will not need a visa if you have a valid passport from any EU country, Australia, Canada, USA, Japan (there are more, so check with us to make sure). Please note that your passport should be valid for at least six months after the date of your return.
However, if you plan to travel to Russia, you will need a visa, which we can help organise for you.
Insurance
Travel insurance is required and also advisable. If you do not have a valid policy, please check our Insurance link on the bottom of our homepage or http://www.baltictravelcompany.com/insurance. We can offer quotes for all nationalities.
Our recommended partner is FS Ball who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Language
You will be able to communicate quite well with the locals, as most people in the service industry are quite adept at speaking English. If English doesn't work, then try Russian (if you can), or German. The further you go from the major cities, the less English you will hear. However, do not let the language barrier keep you from exploring the beauty of the country side. We can always arrange English speaking guides to accompany you wherever you wish to go.
The Estonian language is similar to Finnish and is unrelated to Latvian, Lithuanian or Russian. Latvian and Lithuanian are two of the oldest languages, with roots traceable to Sanskrit. This makes them quite challenging to learn, but attempting a few words will put a smile on the local faces. Russians use the Cyrillic alphabet, so reading street signs and tube maps will be a challenge in St Petersburg .
Currency
You can get local currency from ATMs at the airport where you land or in the major cities. Be aware that your bank will charge you a service fee and exchange rate fee for the transaction, but this is likely to be less than exchanging money in the UK before you depart. Please note that in Russia exchange bureau's and banks will not except Scottish bank notes.
We suggest choosing the right credit card for spending abroad. Most credit cards will have an additional cost (about 3%) to the bank exchange rates. You can avoid it by obtaining a specialist overseas card that does not add this % and will give you good exchange rates that are better than money exchange bureau rates.
Credit cards charge you interest rates, but some debit cards (bank account cards) could have fees that could add up to £ 1.50 every time you spend.
We recommend checking with your bank what fees/interest rates will be applied to your card when using it abroad in order to make an educated decision on what card to use.
Most restaurants and shops will take credit/debit cards like Visa and Mastercard, however, many places will not accept AMEX.
Traveller's cheques are difficult to cash, so we recommend not to use them.
Airport or ferry terminals in most cases will have the worst money exchange rates, so if you must get it from the airport, pre-order money for pick-up to get a better rate.
The local currencies are (alphabetic order):
Denmark - Danish Kroner
Estonia - Euro
Finland - Euro
Greenland - Danish Kroner
Iceland - Icelandic Kroner
Latvia - Euro
Lithuania - Euro
Norway - Norwegian Kroner
Poland - Polish Zloty
Russia - Russian Ruble
Sweden - Swedish Kroner
Ukraine - Hryvnia
Restaurants
Dining opportunities are plenty, from ethnic to exotic. We would suggest you to try some national dishes and get a real taste of the region. Note that most traditional dishes contain meat and are fairly heavy, but very tasty.
Reservations in advance are recommended for up-market restaurants, especially for Friday and Saturday evenings.
Tipping - many of the up-market establishments will let you know how good their service is by including it on the bill. Rounding up the bill is usually sufficient, unless you feel your server deserves an extra bit of recognition.
Transportation
Railway mostly serves domestic routes and is used as an easy and quick way to get from the capital to major cities of the country. There are some international routes, like to Moscow and St. Petersburg, but time spent on the way will be quite long.
Buses are one of the most convenient ways to travel between the Baltic States. Eurolines will get you between Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn. One way tickets will cost £ 15 - £ 20 and approximate travel time is 5 hours between the cities. Ticket reservations in advance are recommended.
Taxis are the quickest and most convenient way of travelling round the city. You'll find them located close to the main hotels. Usually it's quite easy to catch a taxi on the street, however, it's much better and safer to order one by phone. Taxi costs in all of the Baltic countries and Poland are approximately the same and a ride in the centre of the city will cost you approx £ 5 - £ 7. Taxis in Finland and Russia are considerably more expensive. It is always a good idea to get your hotel to book a taxi for you and ask approximately how much the trip will cost before you get in.
We would not recommend you to take public transportation within the city, as it's usually crowded and it may cause you unnecessary anxiety about where to stop.
Mobile Phones
There are several mobile operators in each Baltic country, the Nordics ( Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland incl. Iceland and Greenland as well as Poland, Ukraine and Russia. If you have an international connection, there shouldn't be any problems with your incoming and outgoing calls.
In case your phone doesn't work, please check in the local mobilephone shops and you can buy Calling cards etc. or ask in your hotel, they should be able to advise you too.
Internet Access
Internet access is available at Internet Cafés, which mostly are located in the central part of the city. Most hotels have internet access.
Postal Services
Stamps are available in the post offices and in most newspaper kiosks. Approximate price for a stamp to European Union countries will vary but between appx. £ 0.30 to £ 0.70. You'll see post boxes on the streets or you can ask hotel representative to send your post card, they'll gladly help you.
Emergency Numbers
Emergency telephone number for the police, ambulance services or fire department in Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and Poland - 112.
Greenland uses 911 and for mobile phones only 112.