Ground
Transportation for Oslo, Norway; Stockholm, Sweden; Helsinki, Finland
Options for traveling within these 3 cities for a 21-day period from 9-30 June, 2020
Outline
- Car
- Train & Air
- Other Options
- Estimate of Total Ground Travel Expenses
Car
Renting
a car in Oslo
The main airport that I’d likely fly into, Oslo Gardermoen Airport, is about 40 minutes by car (according to Google) to Oslo proper. Although we definitely would not choose the “mini” size car to rent (my husband is 6’9” and wouldn’t fit comfortably) that is the cheapest price on Auto Europe for a driver OVER the age of 25:
https://www.autoeurope.com/driving-information/norway/
Here is
the information concerning the Young Driver Surcharge for the same rental as
above. The surcharge could add as much as $125 USD to the total coast (or 1300
Norwegian Krone.)
I also
found a lot of information concerning the Under 25 age group here: https://www.autoeurope.com/travel-tips/car-rental-under-25/
Renting
a car in Stockholm
Auto Europe is a good resource and it gives you information by country. It’s likely that we would be flying to each city, so it would be easiest to pick up a car at the airport, Arlanda Airport in Stockholm.
The young driver surcharge for this rental in Stockholm would be about $25USD (250 Swedish Krona).
Renting
a car in Helsinki
I used Auto Europe again because I think it is a pretty comprehensive website with a lot information. Helsinki has the cheapest rate for 1 week.
The Young Driver Surcharge is fairly reasonable for Helsinki, at only around $27 USD.
Tips and Information for Oslo,
Stockholm, and Helsinki from Europe on a Shoestring:
According to the book I have on
hand, gas is pretty expensive in these Scandinavian countries. A car service
can be quite expensive, but the cost comes down if you can split between 3 or 4
people (989.) It also gives links to some pretty common car rental agencies
like Avis and Budget, and some other like Sixt and Europcar (990.)
Note:
I’d also like to note that I bank with USAA. It is important to do your research- my policy does not cover international car rentals so I would have to make sure to purchase the liability/damage coverage when renting a vehicle while in these cities. I didn’t find any better discounts though my bank in this case, but this is the information about international rental I found:
Train & Air
Train from Airport
to City:
This is the most likely form of
transportation I would use on this trip. I don’t think we would be
renting a car and would rely on public transportation or ride-sharing services.
Most places we travel to we take the train to and from the airport because
it’s usually pretty reasonable. If we want to splurge, we go with a Lyft
or sometimes an airport taxi service.
Oslo
There is
a train- the FlytoGet Airport Express- that can take you from the Oslo Airport
to Oslo Central. The cost varies, and I JUST barely make the cutoff for student
prices. Very reasonably priced, even for my husband…who no longer makes
the student cutoff! The student price is around $19 USD and an adult ticket is
$38 USD for a round-trip ticket,
https://flytoget.no/en/travel-information/tickets-and-fares/
Stockholm
Stockholm
also has a train that will take you from the airport to the city center, the
Arlanda Express.
Note: the
total here would be around $88 USD for 1 adult and 1 youth ticket (depending on
age of traveler.)
https://www.arlandaexpress.com
Helsinki
While
searching for the train options to and from the airport in Helsinki, the train
doesn’t seem very effective time-wise. I’d rather take a taxi
to/from the airport. Here is an example of what a taxi fare would cost from the
Airport to the Holiday Inn Helsinki City Center for 2 passengers:
’
Honestly,
depending on how much of a hassle the flight was, I would be ok spending this
kind money on guaranteed airport pickup/drop off. That way you wouldn’t
have to potentially fight for a seat on a train or have the trains be
late/off/not running for whatever reason.
https://helsinkiairport.org/helsinki-airport-transfers/taxi/#/search
Travel Between Destinations:
Air
FLIGHTS
FROM OSLO>STOCKHOLM>HELSINKI
One
option for this trip is to fly to each of the cities. When we went to southern
Europe we took trains, mostly so I could have the experience. This time, I
wouldn’t mind flying for time’s sake. The prices from Norwegian
airlines are pretty enticing, as long as you can keep it to one small carry-on.
Rail Europe t
Train
I chose Rail Europe for this, since that is what I have used in the past. Rail Europe is quite extensive and has many benefits. The only issue is making sure you can use your pass when and where you need to. Other things are included with your pass, like hotel discounts and sometimes free bus transportation when you can’t find a train to your destination. Rail Europe has a Eurail Scandinavia Pass that can be used in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. This option would be smart if you wanted to include side trips during your stay in each city. The price goes up depending on how many days you want to use the pass.
Other Options
Information from Europe on a Shoestring
Ferry/Cruise
In the
book, ferry services are highlighted as an easy way to get around between these
countries and the surrounding islands. The Hurtigruten is a “legendary”
ferry in Norway that hails from Bergen. This ferry would be a great way to see
the mountains and many fjords and coastal towns in Norway (989.) The book
provides the link www.hurtigruten.com as a way of finding more information and
booking passage. After some investigation, this seems to be a vacation all by
itself because it is quite expensive. This is essentially a cruise. I wouldn’t
recommend this as a means of transportation for a 3-week trip.
Bus
Buses are also a way to get around different parts of each countries, and the book provides links to website for bus service in Finland, Norway, and a couple of long-distance buses that will take you between countries (989.) Some of the links provided no longer work, but some googling can provide information about bus services. One link, https://www.lavprisekspressen.no, is totally in Norwegian (not unusual) but I could not find an option to translate the page to English. Another site, https://global.flixbus.com, is an easy site to use to find a bus trip.
Bikes
Scandinavian countries are pretty well-known for their love of bicycles, and the book recommends reserving bike space if you are going to bring your bike on a train or a ferry. I would not have thought about this, so it is a good recommendation. Again, the Flixbus site offers an option to carry on you bike, and I can see why they recommend getting a reservation. This trip is already full for 16 June 2020. I searched nearly every day for a 6-month period on this site, and ALL of the days were booked. I couldn’t find a date for a bike slot. So many people are bringing their bikes on a bus trip from Oslo to Stockholm.
The ferries also have an option for a ticket with a bike reservation. The ferries aren’t necessarily a very cheap option, and they take a long time. If you have the time, it might be a pretty way to see the Baltic Sea and coastlines.
Estimate of Total
Ground Travel Expenses
Car under 25: approximately $1041.95 USD
Car over 25: $864.95 USD
Bus: Around $27 USD one way from Oslo to Sweden
Air: One-way for flights Oslo to Stockholm and Stockholm to Helsinki- approximately $93 USD for 1 person
Train from airport to city center Oslo: $65 for 1 youth, 1 adult round-trip
Train from airport to city center Stockholm: $88 for 1 youth, 1 adult
round-trip
Taxi from airport to city center Helsinki: around $100 for 2 people round-trip
Train: around $214 for a Rail pass that goes to Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland (price varies depending on what you need)
Other Options: Ferry w/Bike- $72 USD; Cruise- ridiculous, like $5000 USD
Source: Masters, Tom, and Carolyn Bain. Lonely
Planet Europe on a Shoestring. Lonely Planet Publications, 2013.
Submitted by Victoria Follin