InMiami

My partner and I are visiting Scandinavia next July. Part of our trip includes travel from Stockholm to Oslo. SAS has a daily flight for $85 which takes one hour.

Another choice would be the overnight sleeper train. I have found the train Internet site but have been unable to get much information on a reservation that far in the future.

Has anyone taken this train? Do we need a private car? The approximate price?

Dukey1

I suspect that in keeping with most rail sites the train can be reserved no more than 60-90 days(nights) in advance.

Have you been looking at the Swedish rail site for information?

There may be some info you can use at www.seat61.com Mind you it is mainly focused on travel from the UK to various countries BUT if you click on Sweden on the left-hand sidebar and then scroll down there is information about buying tickets using the Swedish Rail site which might be helpful.

I would venture to say that unless there is a "couchette" (shared compartment with as many as 5 others) arrangement on the particular service you are looking to use then you'll probably want something only for yourselves.

Does the trip have to be overnight?

PalenQ

check out www.seat61.com as it may have answers to all those questions or www.ricksteves.com or www.budgeteuropetravel.com - three rail-oriented sites with tons of info. I have taken overnight trains in Scandinavia and IMO they are amongst the nicest in Europe. But I would think it, including the sleeping options, which should range from private compartments to multi-shared couchette style berths, would far exceed $85 if price is your gauge - but you do save an overnight cost in a hotel by the overnight train.

Do you need a private car? Give more details - you mean to get around Scandinavia in general - well no if going to places like Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockhom, Bergen, Norway in a Nutshell, Helsinki (great overnight boat from Stockholm), etc. Train service between those places is really good. If traveling more than a few trains check out the ScanRailpass or even the Eurail Select Pass IMO. Often there are online discounts in many countries but I do not know about on this trajectory - but again check out www.seat61.com as it may well tell about that. Caution - Do NOT use the fares listed on American web sites such as raileurope.com as these may or may not reflect the real fare in local currency - at times being much much higher.

Dukey1

Byron at Budget Europe Travel is EXCELLENT. he can answer a lot of questions and you are under no obligation to buy. If you DO use him there will be some fees but I can tell you the guy is worth his weight in gold.

hkto

I checked Swedish Rail site http://www.sj.se/ and don't see any overnight trains there. Shows 2 daily non stops from Stockholm to Oslo (8:30 & 3:30), taking 6 hrs and staring @ 238SEK (around $35) & up

spaarne

I took an overnight train from Oslo to Stockholm five years ago. I was traveling with a EurailPass and the bunk supplement was about $20. There is no information on this train on line at this time, nor for any overnight train from Stockholm to Oslo. I use the German Rail site http://tinyurl.com/c9jp54 for information on trains throughout Europe. For a good introduction to overnight trains see http://tinyurl.com/y57vft. Also, contact Byron or Linda at BETS, http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/. They are the experts, and very free with advice as Dukey1 says.

GeoffHamer

The overnight train between Stockholm and Oslo runs only in summer. This year, it ran from 5 July to 15 August, leaving Stockholm at 2159 and arriving in Oslo at 0936.
There are sleeping cars and couchettes. The sleeping compartments have one, two or three berths. Some compartments have a shower and WC; otherwise these are at the ends of the carriages. Couchette compartments have six bunks.
To get a very rough idea of the fare, I looked at the night train from Stockholm to Malmö which runs all year. The fare for two people in seats is SEK 1494. The fare for two people in a sleeping compartment with a shower and WC is SEK 2933.

Michael

You can use this site to see if there are any cheap flights between Stockholm and Oslo:

http://www.flylc.com/directall-en.asp

InMiami

Thanks to all for your prompt responses.

The night compartment fare from Stockholm to Malmo runs $425, significantly more than the $170 to fly. Of course it is offset by the approximately $200 for one night in a hotel.

Is it a more efficient use of time to fly to Oslo in one hour or spend travel time sleeping? After 2 nights in Oslo we are continuing on the Norway in a Nutshell to Bergen with an overnight in the fjords.

Dukey1

before booking ANY flight take a look at www.skyscanner.net for July 2011...there are much cheaper o/w fares than the one you've been quoted

PalenQ

Is it a more efficient use of time to fly to Oslo in one hour or spend travel time sleeping? After 2 nights in Oslo we are continuing on the Norway in a Nutshell to Bergen with an overnight in the fjords>

If going both ways then you can also take an overnight train between Bergen and Oslo. If doing the Oslo-Stockhom train and trains each way Bergen-Oslo then you may want to look at the ScanRail Pass - which would pay for the train fare on overnight trains but you'd pay for the optional sleeping accommodations - for as little as $20 or so as spaarne reported he did - or a bit more for a private compartment.

Publius

If you're going to overnight, why not consider one of the ferries. They are essentially point to point cruise ships. They are expensive on weekends in high season but not so bad weekdays or off season.

PalenQ

Are there overnight ferries between Stockholm and Oslo? Seems like a long putz if there are (and I am not saying there are not - just that it may be a long long trip?

GeoffHamer

There are no ferries between Stockholm and Oslo. A ship would have to make a long detour to travel between the two cities.

HappyTrvlr

We booked flights directly with SAS , very reasonable when we flew between several Scandinavian cities a year ago.

nytraveler

Is the $425 overnight fare the cost for one person or for 2 people?

Orlando_Vic

Norwegian Air is a good, budget airline and a much cheaper alternative to SAS and the train. http://www.norwegian.com/en/

_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

PalenQ

The overnight train between Stockholm and Oslo runs only in summer. This year, it ran from 5 July to 15 August>

Well it runs SOME summers - this night train, which ran between these two capitals for 100 years or so was scrapped all together a few years back - after the X2000 opened and provided a fast Stockholm-Oslo route via Gotebord - but it was reinstated almost as soon as it was withdrawn - Geoff says it ran nightly and that is no doubt true ( Geoff is NEVER EVER wrong!) But at one time it was I believe not nightly - especially Saturday night when traditionally many Scandinavian night trains do not run. But the point is do not 100% depend on this train running in 2011 though one would surmise that it would like in 2010.

InMiami

It seems that the most efficient use of time and money will be flying.

Norwegian Air does have the better rate, $53. SAS costs $83 but has flights around noon which is a better time for us to fly.

Thanks to all for your assistance. Now the problem is how to divide the time in Norway, but that will be another thread!

GeoffHamer

A flight around noon will mean wasting most of a day, giving little time to do anything in the morning before going to the airport.

PalenQ is right in that the night trains did not run on Saturdays last summer. I did not say it ran nightly. I have no information on next summer's schedules.