Scandinavia by Train?
Jun 25th 2005 | 5:02 pm
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Scandinavia by Train?
A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
Europe? Also, are there a large number of youth hostels available?
Finally, I'd mainly be going to find out more about Scandinavian life and
its people. So I'd like to be able to talk with Scandinavians about their
countries but I've heard they are very reserved and don't like Americans.
Would I be able to talk with them or would I just have to keep to myself?
Thanks,
Jason
enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
Europe? Also, are there a large number of youth hostels available?
Finally, I'd mainly be going to find out more about Scandinavian life and
its people. So I'd like to be able to talk with Scandinavians about their
countries but I've heard they are very reserved and don't like Americans.
Would I be able to talk with them or would I just have to keep to myself?
Thanks,
Jason
Jun 25th 2005 | 5:13 pm
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
High quality rail systems. Good people who will most likely look at you
like a "person", rather than a minion of George W. Bush.
like a "person", rather than a minion of George W. Bush.
Jun 25th 2005 | 8:13 pm
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
In article <[email protected]>, jason111
@nospam.com says...
> Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
> Europe? Also, are there a large number of youth hostels available?
There is a good rail network and a good number of youth hostels
available (most also offer single and double rooms).
--
Alfred Molon
http://www.molon.de/Galleries.htm - Photos from China, Myanmar, Brunei,
Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Egypt, Germany, Austria,
Prague, Budapest, Singapore and Portugal
@nospam.com says...
> Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
> Europe? Also, are there a large number of youth hostels available?
There is a good rail network and a good number of youth hostels
available (most also offer single and double rooms).
--
Alfred Molon
http://www.molon.de/Galleries.htm - Photos from China, Myanmar, Brunei,
Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Egypt, Germany, Austria,
Prague, Budapest, Singapore and Portugal
Jun 25th 2005 | 8:59 pm
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
On Sun, 26 Jun 2005 00:02:56 -0500, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Finally, I'd mainly be going to find out more about Scandinavian life and
>its people. So I'd like to be able to talk with Scandinavians about their
>countries but I've heard they are very reserved and don't like Americans.
>Would I be able to talk with them or would I just have to keep to myself?
They shouldn't treat you any differently just coz you are American.
Remove that whole idea from your head and throw it in the trash.
Everyone speaks excellent English (I heard a rumor English is going to
be an official language in Sweden soon), but the people can be a bit
reserved and icy on the surface. This does not last long, and if you
pour a bit of duty-free booze into them, they are great fun. In fact,
it's always a good idea to take booze in with (even if you don't
drink) you due to the very high prices of alcohol there. The locals
are always up for a drink and will welcome a free drink!
By and large, I really like the Scandinavians. They take a bit of
persistence to get going, but end up being good fun.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Finally, I'd mainly be going to find out more about Scandinavian life and
>its people. So I'd like to be able to talk with Scandinavians about their
>countries but I've heard they are very reserved and don't like Americans.
>Would I be able to talk with them or would I just have to keep to myself?
They shouldn't treat you any differently just coz you are American.
Remove that whole idea from your head and throw it in the trash.
Everyone speaks excellent English (I heard a rumor English is going to
be an official language in Sweden soon), but the people can be a bit
reserved and icy on the surface. This does not last long, and if you
pour a bit of duty-free booze into them, they are great fun. In fact,
it's always a good idea to take booze in with (even if you don't
drink) you due to the very high prices of alcohol there. The locals
are always up for a drink and will welcome a free drink!
By and large, I really like the Scandinavians. They take a bit of
persistence to get going, but end up being good fun.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--
Jun 25th 2005 | 11:30 pm
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
"[email protected]" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de
news:[email protected]...
> A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
> enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
> Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
> Europe? Also, are there a large number of youth hostels available?
<SNIP>
Yes, but the population density is relatively low, so some rail services are
sparse. Also, despite the recent investment in new bridges and tunnels,
ferry services still play an important part on some routes. Note that
overnight trains between Oslo and Malmö / Stockholm are running again this
summer... Schedules in English are available by clicking on 'english' on
http://www.reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/d .
Regards,
- Alan (in Brussels)
news:[email protected]...
> A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
> enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
> Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
> Europe? Also, are there a large number of youth hostels available?
<SNIP>
Yes, but the population density is relatively low, so some rail services are
sparse. Also, despite the recent investment in new bridges and tunnels,
ferry services still play an important part on some routes. Note that
overnight trains between Oslo and Malmö / Stockholm are running again this
summer... Schedules in English are available by clicking on 'english' on
http://www.reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/d .
Regards,
- Alan (in Brussels)
Jun 26th 2005 | 12:20 am
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
"[email protected]" <[email protected]> skrev i meddelandet
news:[email protected]...
>A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
> enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
Possibly the scanrail pass is the best one for the Nordic countries.
Contrary to Eurail it's in 2cl though.
http://www.scanrail.com/
> Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
> Europe?
--------------------
Yes, not so frequent though in Norway and North Sweden.
Some lines in Norway are among the the most scenic in the world.
Also, are there a large number of youth hostels available?
You'll find many of them, they're for any age and typically they've small
rooms rather than dormitories. In quite many you can get a single room if
you so like.
> Finally, I'd mainly be going to find out more about Scandinavian life and
> its people. So I'd like to be able to talk with Scandinavians about their
> countries but I've heard they are very reserved and don't like Americans.
----------------------------
Possibly one or another may have an opinion about Bush,U.S,Iraq war and
other things if you get in a discussion about politics but I haven't heard
about unkindness against individual visitors.
news:[email protected]...
>A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
> enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
Possibly the scanrail pass is the best one for the Nordic countries.
Contrary to Eurail it's in 2cl though.
http://www.scanrail.com/
> Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
> Europe?
--------------------
Yes, not so frequent though in Norway and North Sweden.
Some lines in Norway are among the the most scenic in the world.
Also, are there a large number of youth hostels available?
You'll find many of them, they're for any age and typically they've small
rooms rather than dormitories. In quite many you can get a single room if
you so like.
> Finally, I'd mainly be going to find out more about Scandinavian life and
> its people. So I'd like to be able to talk with Scandinavians about their
> countries but I've heard they are very reserved and don't like Americans.
----------------------------
Possibly one or another may have an opinion about Bush,U.S,Iraq war and
other things if you get in a discussion about politics but I haven't heard
about unkindness against individual visitors.
Jun 26th 2005 | 5:29 am
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
"[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
> enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
Many years ago ('97ish) I rode the train from Oslo to Trondheim, then later,
from Narvik over to Sweden and down to Stockholm, Kalmar, Helsenborg (sp?)
and back to Oslo. The trains were nice and at that time the cheapest place
to sleep in Sweden. You could ride from city to city on night trains and not
have to get a room. At that time, in Sweden, as long as you were going in
one direction, there was a maximum fair and you could get off and on as many
time as you liked. So the fare from Kiruna to Malmo was the same as from
Kiruna to Upsalla. I think you could even get one north bound ticket and one
southbound ticket and travel back and forth for weeks. I forgot the details
of how that worked. I understand that fare system is now long defunct.
Norway does (did) not have continuous rail from north to south. The train
comes over to Narvik from Sweden.
--
Donald Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net
news:[email protected]...
> A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
> enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
Many years ago ('97ish) I rode the train from Oslo to Trondheim, then later,
from Narvik over to Sweden and down to Stockholm, Kalmar, Helsenborg (sp?)
and back to Oslo. The trains were nice and at that time the cheapest place
to sleep in Sweden. You could ride from city to city on night trains and not
have to get a room. At that time, in Sweden, as long as you were going in
one direction, there was a maximum fair and you could get off and on as many
time as you liked. So the fare from Kiruna to Malmo was the same as from
Kiruna to Upsalla. I think you could even get one north bound ticket and one
southbound ticket and travel back and forth for weeks. I forgot the details
of how that worked. I understand that fare system is now long defunct.
Norway does (did) not have continuous rail from north to south. The train
comes over to Narvik from Sweden.
--
Donald Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net
Jun 26th 2005 | 7:01 am
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
On Sun, 26 Jun 2005 00:02:56 -0500, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
>enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
>Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
>Europe? Also, are there a large number of youth hostels available?
If you are including Finland in your journey, it has an excellent
rail system. www.vr.fi
I've only ridden in Sweden from Stockholm to Copenhagen
(actually, back then we changed to a coastal train for the ferry
trip across at Helslinborg). The X2000 was excellent, and our
first class Eurailpass got us a lovely lunch.
>Finally, I'd mainly be going to find out more about Scandinavian life and
>its people. So I'd like to be able to talk with Scandinavians about their
>countries but I've heard they are very reserved and don't like Americans.
>Would I be able to talk with them or would I just have to keep to myself?
Old joke. A cruise ship sank, stranding some passengers. Two
Norwegains made it to an island, two Danes to another, two Swedes
to still another, and two finns to a fourth.
When a rescue ship finally found them:
The Norwegians had gone fishing,
The Danes had organized a cooperative,
The Swedes weren't talking to each other as they hadn't been
introduced,
The Finns had cut down all the trees on their island.
I've not noticed that Sandinavians and Finns particularly dislike
Americans.
************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
<[email protected]> wrote:
>A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
>enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
>Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
>Europe? Also, are there a large number of youth hostels available?
If you are including Finland in your journey, it has an excellent
rail system. www.vr.fi
I've only ridden in Sweden from Stockholm to Copenhagen
(actually, back then we changed to a coastal train for the ferry
trip across at Helslinborg). The X2000 was excellent, and our
first class Eurailpass got us a lovely lunch.
>Finally, I'd mainly be going to find out more about Scandinavian life and
>its people. So I'd like to be able to talk with Scandinavians about their
>countries but I've heard they are very reserved and don't like Americans.
>Would I be able to talk with them or would I just have to keep to myself?
Old joke. A cruise ship sank, stranding some passengers. Two
Norwegains made it to an island, two Danes to another, two Swedes
to still another, and two finns to a fourth.
When a rescue ship finally found them:
The Norwegians had gone fishing,
The Danes had organized a cooperative,
The Swedes weren't talking to each other as they hadn't been
introduced,
The Finns had cut down all the trees on their island.
I've not noticed that Sandinavians and Finns particularly dislike
Americans.
************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
Jun 26th 2005 | 8:48 am
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
"Donald Newcomb" <[email protected]> skrev i meddelandet
news:[email protected]...
> "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
>> enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
> Many years ago ('97ish) I rode the train from Oslo to Trondheim, then
> later,
> from Narvik over to Sweden and down to Stockholm, Kalmar, Helsenborg (sp?)
> and back to Oslo. The trains were nice and at that time the cheapest place
> to sleep in Sweden. You could ride from city to city on night trains and
> not
> have to get a room. At that time, in Sweden, as long as you were going in
> one direction, there was a maximum fair and you could get off and on as
> many
> time as you liked. So the fare from Kiruna to Malmo was the same as from
> Kiruna to Upsalla. I think you could even get one north bound ticket and
> one
> southbound ticket and travel back and forth for weeks. I forgot the
> details
> of how that worked. I understand that fare system is now long defunct.
---------------------------
Simply you was allowed to make any stop enroute as long the ticket was valid
(usually a month) That's not any longer, now a ticket is for a specifik trip
and trains only.
Sorry for that but the railpasses remains, Interrail,EuroDomino.Scanrail
and Eurail are all valid in the 4 Nordic countries with rail traffic, you
can board and alight wherever you like.
> Norway does (did) not have continuous rail from north to south. The train
> comes over to Narvik from Sweden.
--------------
True, the Norwegian rail system ends at Bodø from where you can go by bus up
to Narvik.
Narvik in turn is connected to the "Malmbana" in to Sweden.
news:[email protected]...
> "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> A few years ago I travelled a lot of central Europe by Eurarail pass and
>> enjoyed it. I was thinking of doing the same thing in Scandinavia.
> Many years ago ('97ish) I rode the train from Oslo to Trondheim, then
> later,
> from Narvik over to Sweden and down to Stockholm, Kalmar, Helsenborg (sp?)
> and back to Oslo. The trains were nice and at that time the cheapest place
> to sleep in Sweden. You could ride from city to city on night trains and
> not
> have to get a room. At that time, in Sweden, as long as you were going in
> one direction, there was a maximum fair and you could get off and on as
> many
> time as you liked. So the fare from Kiruna to Malmo was the same as from
> Kiruna to Upsalla. I think you could even get one north bound ticket and
> one
> southbound ticket and travel back and forth for weeks. I forgot the
> details
> of how that worked. I understand that fare system is now long defunct.
---------------------------
Simply you was allowed to make any stop enroute as long the ticket was valid
(usually a month) That's not any longer, now a ticket is for a specifik trip
and trains only.
Sorry for that but the railpasses remains, Interrail,EuroDomino.Scanrail
and Eurail are all valid in the 4 Nordic countries with rail traffic, you
can board and alight wherever you like.
> Norway does (did) not have continuous rail from north to south. The train
> comes over to Narvik from Sweden.
--------------
True, the Norwegian rail system ends at Bodø from where you can go by bus up
to Narvik.
Narvik in turn is connected to the "Malmbana" in to Sweden.
Jun 26th 2005 | 12:22 pm
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
"Lennart Petersen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ---------------------------
> Simply you was allowed to make any stop enroute as long the ticket was
valid
> (usually a month) That's not any longer, now a ticket is for a specifik
trip
> and trains only.
I understood that was the case now. In Narvik, when I bought the ticket, the
clerk asked if I was going beyond Stockholm. When I asked him why he wanted
to know, he told me about how the tickets worked in Sweden. And this was in
'87, not '97 as I wrote earlier. So it was really a long time ago.
--
Donald Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net
news:[email protected]...
> ---------------------------
> Simply you was allowed to make any stop enroute as long the ticket was
valid
> (usually a month) That's not any longer, now a ticket is for a specifik
trip
> and trains only.
I understood that was the case now. In Narvik, when I bought the ticket, the
clerk asked if I was going beyond Stockholm. When I asked him why he wanted
to know, he told me about how the tickets worked in Sweden. And this was in
'87, not '97 as I wrote earlier. So it was really a long time ago.
--
Donald Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net
Jun 27th 2005 | 5:14 am
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
> > Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest of
> > Europe?
> --------------------
> Yes, not so frequent though in Norway and North Sweden.
> Some lines in Norway are among the the most scenic in the world.
I can think of a few short scenic sections of rail in Norway, but the
best scenery is found by road and boat. Not even the expensive coastal
steamers which tend to stay a bit offshore, but the economical fjord
express buses. They wind thru scenic overlook areas, use scenic ferry
crossings, and have cheap passes.
> > Europe?
> --------------------
> Yes, not so frequent though in Norway and North Sweden.
> Some lines in Norway are among the the most scenic in the world.
I can think of a few short scenic sections of rail in Norway, but the
best scenery is found by road and boat. Not even the expensive coastal
steamers which tend to stay a bit offshore, but the economical fjord
express buses. They wind thru scenic overlook areas, use scenic ferry
crossings, and have cheap passes.
Jun 27th 2005 | 6:28 am
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
"dumbstruck" <[email protected]> skrev i meddelandet
news:[email protected] oups.com...
>> > Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest
>> > of
>> > Europe?
>> --------------------
>> Yes, not so frequent though in Norway and North Sweden.
>> Some lines in Norway are among the the most scenic in the world.
> I can think of a few short scenic sections of rail in Norway,
---------------
Few short... ?? The Bergensbana Oslo-Bergen 489km is one of the most
scenic in Europe, the whole Flåmsbana is another, Raumabanen
Dombås-Åndalsnes is another one.
Ofotbanen Riksgränsen-Narvik could be mentioned and also Dovrebanen upp to
Trondheim is real scenic
but the
> best scenery is found by road and boat.
Doesn't change the scenic of the railways.
news:[email protected] oups.com...
>> > Do Scandinavian countries have high quality rail systems like the rest
>> > of
>> > Europe?
>> --------------------
>> Yes, not so frequent though in Norway and North Sweden.
>> Some lines in Norway are among the the most scenic in the world.
> I can think of a few short scenic sections of rail in Norway,
---------------
Few short... ?? The Bergensbana Oslo-Bergen 489km is one of the most
scenic in Europe, the whole Flåmsbana is another, Raumabanen
Dombås-Åndalsnes is another one.
Ofotbanen Riksgränsen-Narvik could be mentioned and also Dovrebanen upp to
Trondheim is real scenic
but the
> best scenery is found by road and boat.
Doesn't change the scenic of the railways.
Jun 27th 2005 | 7:38 am
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
I've taken various trains over the last 20 years in various parts of
the Nordic countries and invariably had a wonderful trip. In 99 or
2000 I did the following in just under two weeks and had one of the
best holidays of my life, all on a Scanrail pass. Not sure if the
terms of the pass have changed but I see other posters have various
information about that, so I'll just give you my itinerary here so you
can see what is possible and at least a couple of others have enjoyed:
Flew to Stockholm; stayed a couple of days in a B&B there (booked
online before departure -- everything else we got through booking
whenever we arrived at the local hotel booking or tourist office);
Train to Oslo; two days there;
overnight train to Bergen, from which we did the 'Norway in a Nutshell'
tour which involves bus into the mountains, short fjord cruise, and
another great rail trip on the Flamsbanna -- certainly well worth it!
Return to Stockholm just long enough to transfer to the ferry (don't be
fooled, they call them ferries, but they're luxury cruise ships with
phenomenal food and friendly staff) over night to Helsinki, where we
spent only a day (one could easily spend more, but that was how it
worked that particular time); returned overnight ferry to Stockholm,
and ended the trip with a few more days there.
All in all one of the sunniest holidays ever, delightful people, great
food (try shopping in the local food markets and 'picnicking' for your
evening meal, eat the 'dagens menu' for lunch and you'll be well fed at
an affordable price), and fantastic modern trains.
Well, as you can tell, I don't have a bad thing to say about any of
it.. enjoy!
cheers,
Stephanie
in Brussels
the Nordic countries and invariably had a wonderful trip. In 99 or
2000 I did the following in just under two weeks and had one of the
best holidays of my life, all on a Scanrail pass. Not sure if the
terms of the pass have changed but I see other posters have various
information about that, so I'll just give you my itinerary here so you
can see what is possible and at least a couple of others have enjoyed:
Flew to Stockholm; stayed a couple of days in a B&B there (booked
online before departure -- everything else we got through booking
whenever we arrived at the local hotel booking or tourist office);
Train to Oslo; two days there;
overnight train to Bergen, from which we did the 'Norway in a Nutshell'
tour which involves bus into the mountains, short fjord cruise, and
another great rail trip on the Flamsbanna -- certainly well worth it!
Return to Stockholm just long enough to transfer to the ferry (don't be
fooled, they call them ferries, but they're luxury cruise ships with
phenomenal food and friendly staff) over night to Helsinki, where we
spent only a day (one could easily spend more, but that was how it
worked that particular time); returned overnight ferry to Stockholm,
and ended the trip with a few more days there.
All in all one of the sunniest holidays ever, delightful people, great
food (try shopping in the local food markets and 'picnicking' for your
evening meal, eat the 'dagens menu' for lunch and you'll be well fed at
an affordable price), and fantastic modern trains.
Well, as you can tell, I don't have a bad thing to say about any of
it.. enjoy!
cheers,
Stephanie
in Brussels
Jun 27th 2005 | 8:58 am
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Scandinavia by Train?
Lennart Petersen wrote:
> > I can think of a few short scenic sections of rail in Norway,
> ---------------
> Few short... ?? The Bergensbana Oslo-Bergen 489km is one of the most
> scenic in Europe, the whole Flåmsbana is another, Raumabanen
Oslo-Bergen is pleasant to take once, but mainly the short glacier
portions that it doesn't tunnel under are very memorable. Scenic Flam
line is short and I thought it was private and not included on
railpass, but maybe it is included.
> Dombås-Åndalsnes is another one.
> Ofotbanen Riksgränsen-Narvik could be mentioned and also Dovrebanen upp to
> Trondheim is real scenic
I wish I tried the Andalsnes line rather than Trondheim run which I
didn't find that exciting (although may have slept thru some nice
parts). But I heard the bus run gave better scenery, and anyway would
absolutely want to use a bus onward from Andalsnes to take advantage of
coastal scenery. I pity railpass folks that stop and reverse there.
> but the
> > best scenery is found by road and boat.
> Doesn't change the scenic of the railways.
My point was not that Norway rail had poor scenery; it may be a step
up. But it is unlike most other European countries by not doing
justice to the outstanding scenery, both due to the sparse rail system
and the bias of locating the lines far from the best scenery. Much
different than Switzerland, for example.
So travelers should be warned that they will miss a lot in Norway in
particular by using the typical strategy of buying a railpass and
limiting yourself to where the rails go. You needn't solve this with
expensive car rentals, but the bus system also has passes and has the
unexpected delights of taking ferry crossings where you can stretch
your legs, feast your eyes, and sometimes even feast your stomach
onboard longer interisland bus/ferry runs.
> > I can think of a few short scenic sections of rail in Norway,
> ---------------
> Few short... ?? The Bergensbana Oslo-Bergen 489km is one of the most
> scenic in Europe, the whole Flåmsbana is another, Raumabanen
Oslo-Bergen is pleasant to take once, but mainly the short glacier
portions that it doesn't tunnel under are very memorable. Scenic Flam
line is short and I thought it was private and not included on
railpass, but maybe it is included.
> Dombås-Åndalsnes is another one.
> Ofotbanen Riksgränsen-Narvik could be mentioned and also Dovrebanen upp to
> Trondheim is real scenic
I wish I tried the Andalsnes line rather than Trondheim run which I
didn't find that exciting (although may have slept thru some nice
parts). But I heard the bus run gave better scenery, and anyway would
absolutely want to use a bus onward from Andalsnes to take advantage of
coastal scenery. I pity railpass folks that stop and reverse there.
> but the
> > best scenery is found by road and boat.
> Doesn't change the scenic of the railways.
My point was not that Norway rail had poor scenery; it may be a step
up. But it is unlike most other European countries by not doing
justice to the outstanding scenery, both due to the sparse rail system
and the bias of locating the lines far from the best scenery. Much
different than Switzerland, for example.
So travelers should be warned that they will miss a lot in Norway in
particular by using the typical strategy of buying a railpass and
limiting yourself to where the rails go. You needn't solve this with
expensive car rentals, but the bus system also has passes and has the
unexpected delights of taking ferry crossings where you can stretch
your legs, feast your eyes, and sometimes even feast your stomach
onboard longer interisland bus/ferry runs.
