Nordic Countries - oslo to stockholm by car/train

considering both options in early october. train is about 100 bucks a ticket and takes close to 6 hours. renting a car is ~300 total (but we're 4 people) and its a 530km drive.

has anyone done either? idea is to take in some scenery between cities. maybe make a few stops in between if there are any suggestions?

much appreciated.

Of all the routes between the Nordic capitals, this is definitely the most boring one. Most people fly.

Endless forests, basically, either by road or train. Relatively slow/bad road: long stretches that isn't grade separated/motorway. The train is slow as well, as you have noticed.

One way to make it more interesting could be to drive south on the E6 to Bohuslän. See the archipelago (perhaps not the best time in October, though...), then across the plains in Västergötland south of Vänern and on to Stockholm on the E20. That will add about 150 km.

Light is starting to get scarce in October, but early in the month you will still have about 11 hours of daylight.

thats unfortunate that its as boring as you say. i wanted to avoid flying as much as possible and keep the transportation varied. my itinerary so far is:

nyc>cph (flight), cph>osl (ferry), osl>sto (train?), sto>hel (flight), hel>nyc (flight)

ill keep your comments in mind and make a final decision for the leg between osl>sto in the coming days.

thanks again.

ps- ive read/heard that sundown in the first two weeks of october is around 530-545pm, is this accurate?

In Oslo, 1 October sunrise is 07:23, sunset 18:49. 14 October, 07:54 and 18:10, twilight is quite long this far north.

If you don't want to fly, take the 07:25 train from Oslo and most of your journey will be in the light.

The drive is over six hours with low speed limits and some stetches of the road can be hard work. I wouldn't consider driving.

ok so im convinced about ruling out the car option. but a train may not be so bad since we will be running around non-stop for days - a 6hr block of rest in between wouldnt be so bad.

thanks for all the feed back guys.

I've done both multiple times and the train is the better option, cheaper and less tiring. If money is an issue, you may consider taking the bus which is usually cheaper than the train, though not as nice as you can't get up and stroll around nor hang out in the restaurant car.

i ordered my train tickets last night, so its been decided.

now, ive been hearing that scandinavia in october is not the greatest time to go. i dont mind the weather, but one of the guys in my group is now on the fence after hearing this.

rain, cold, foggy, dark?

how is it really?

i ordered my train tickets last night, so its been decided.

now, ive been hearing that scandinavia in october is not the greatest time to go. i dont mind the weather, but one of the guys in my group is now on the fence after hearing this.

rain, cold, foggy, dark?

how is it really?

OK, maybe I am not an impartial observer, but... it varies! October can be very pleasant, moderate temperatures, clear skies, leaves turning gorgeous shades of red and yellow. Or it can be rainy and damp. But it is not yet very dark anyway. Nor foggy.

Here are some averages:

http://www.holiday-weather.com/helsinki/averages/october/

http://www.holiday-weather.com/stockholm/averages/october/

http://www.holiday-weather.com/oslo/averages/october/

ok great thanks. cant wait to go!

Last October at my house 50km NE of Oslo:
Max temp 16,5C
Min temp -5,4C
14 sunny days
11 days with rain
3 days with fog
Mid October, sunrise around 06:00, sunset around 18:00
So, as already mentioned it can be pleasant but also can be cold.
I live by Haga station about 50mins out from Oslo S, give me a wave as you go past :)

that all sounds reasonable to me. i can deal with cold, and considering the summer we're having in NYC this far, i am wanting for it.

thanks chris

Wise choice on the train, pastorpm10 .

You and your party will arrive relaxed in Stockholm.

Have a nice trip!
:)