Budget Travel Tips for Norway

Norway is an excellent destination for nature lovers and for activity holidays. Hiking is a popular activity and there are countless trails through national parks in the southern parts of the country and in the wilderness of northern Norway. Scenic cycling routes exist throughout Norway for all levels of cyclists.

Hiking is completely free in most parts of Norway, and since it is possible to camp along trekking paths for free, a combined hiking and camping trip can be one of the cheapest ways to see Norway. Winter sport enthusiasts can enjoy Norway’s free cross-country ski routes during the six-month ski season.

The easiest way to save in accommodation costs in Norway during the summer is to go camping. Camping areas can be found in all parts of the country and most of them offer places for pitching a tent as well as rental cabins. However, Norway’s “right of access” policy means that it is possible to camp almost anywhere in Norway for free. Another cheap option is staying in a hostel. There are around 75 hostels in Norway that belong to the Norske Vandredhjem, part of the Hostelling International network.

The Norwegian Trekking Organization has hundreds of cabins around Norway for affordable accommodation in scenic locations along hiking paths. Options include staffed cabins, self-service cabins and no-service cabins, and there are private cabins available for rent too. Self-service and no-service cabins are the cheapest options.

The InterRail and EURail passes can be used for discounted train travel in Norway. The InterRail Pass is available for European citizens and residents only, and the EuRail Pass is the discount train travel pass for non-Europeans. EuRail offers individual country passes, including a Norway pass, and passes that combine two countries. EuRail also has a Scandinavia Pass that can be used to explore Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark by train.