Oslo
 

Just returned from a trip to Oslo. It is now the most expensive city in the world.
We stayed at the Rica Hotel, very nice. One night window shopping for a meal near our hotel we looked at a menu with only 5 items on it, minimum price 1,100 K to 1,300 K that works out to $168 to $198 US.The place was nothing fancy, but it sure was a jaw dropper on pricing.
The average meal at no frill eateries was about $35 to $40 US.
On the other side of the coin, hotels are moderately priced and all tours, exhibitions and site seeing was cheap. Go fiqure.

Absolutely agree. Oslo makes Paris and London seem like a bargain.

Oslo is just about knowing where to go. Rica hotels are some of the most expensive in Norway, and If I had to wager a guess I bet you went to eat at Akker Brygge, one of the most expensive (worthless) malls, in my opinion. Besides Akker Brygge, most of the tourist type of restaraunts are on Karl Johans Gate, the main shopping strip. At Fridays American Bar, they serve so-so American food, with outrageous prices. A .6L beer with cost you about 75NOK, which is like 9 bucks!

Always wanted to go to Norway. I assume then it's better to just stick to sandwiches? How much are they? $20?

Bergen is nice town. Very nice surrounding scenery. Go in the summer to experience a sunset of 11:00pm. The sky never goes completely dark at night in June.

As someone else mentioned, it's really about knowing where to go. It doesn't have to be that expensive. I'm Norwegian and some of my family still lives there. Prices are high because the standard of living is high and wages are high. There is universal health care, free higher education (even for non-Norwegian students), low mortality rates, high literacy rates. They're also high because a lot of ag has to be imported. Taxes are VERY high on alcohol. My friends and family mostly imbibe before they go out to a restaurant to cut down on the cost of alcohol. I'm not sure what the rules are on bringing in alcohol, but it's worth it if you can. Most hotels include breakfast and afternoon crepe-type pancakes with fruit. It's very easy to only have to buy one meal a day. (And some hotels will allow you to pack a lunch/picnic sack from the breakfast buffet for a small fee - don't just take wihtout asking and paying though, that's not good.) Getting food orders to go also saves you a hefty tax. You'll see lots of people walking and eating in Norway. THe markets are a good source of picnic items - bread, olives, cheese. Brunost, the yummy Norwegian brown cheese, is on most breakfast buffets, and also makes a good sandwich. Cars are EXTREMELY expensive to rent in Norway, but public transit is cheap and overly reliable (it often leaves ahead of schedule, not just on schedule). Much of the best things to do in Norway are free or close to it - the hikes, the bicycling, the beaches (yes, beaches .. it's pretty invigorating to swim in a fjord). When it comes to souvenirs, most things made in Norway you'll find cheaper in the states. I still buy my Norwegian sweaters in Norway for the selection, but they're no bargain. Helly Hansen you'll find cheaper in the states and Canada (I have relatives who have me send them Helly Hansen stuff). If you have to buy gifts, cheese slicers from Norway tend to be well made and work very well and you can get those far cheaper at grocery markets than at souvenir shops.

Just couldn't let this one slide by. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I live in Bergen (across the mountains from Oslo) and we have, as a matter of course, a horn in the side for Oslo in most matters http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Oslo is pricey. I go over there for business every now and then, and getting a room at a hotel never runs under 800NOK/night, and if you decide to go for the SAS Radisson hotels you're looking at a minimum om 1k NOK/night. Eating is outrageously expensive in Oslo, unless you know where to look; there are some truly nice places to find.

Bergen is slightly lower in prices across the board, but if you want to get a better look into Norway as it's presented with tons of nature and fjrods, and the whole works, Bergen might be a lot better place to start.

As for flight connections directly in here, we're somewhat limited, is either SK from CPH, BU som LGW or KL from AMS. AY takes care of OneWorld during summer months with flights from HEL.

And for the shameless plug, if you want to have a look at the place, have a look at the webcams at the local newspaper: http://www.bt.no/kamera (the ones named "Vågen", "Fløien" and "Ulriken" gives the best view of the city).

I've started quite a few RTW-tickets from here by now, but it's always wonderful to get back to Bergen http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Oh, and we have tons more rain than Oslo, and proud of it. It can drizzle for weeks at a time from september to march http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

mvh,
A

I'll second ph-ndr's plug for Bergen. Oslo is not a great city. The only thing I really enjoy there is Vigeland Sculpture Park.

I enjoyed the park also, we took several pictures. I also enjoyed the viking museum.
Other than food everything was resonable.

My aunts went to Bergen and really liked it. They also liked Stavenger and Ulvik.

Norway sounds like paradise to me. The oil helps.

Went to Norway last year for a friensds wedding in a samll village and spent some time in Oslo.

Oslo is expensive but it is very tourist friendly city and if you look around you can find more reasonable food. The hotel we stayed at in Oslo was the Best Western Ambassadeur behind the Rouyal Palace. It was a great little hotel in a residential area but still close to downtown and transit. They had a fabulous breakfast included in the rate (great cheeses, meats, bread and eggs - typical Norwegian breakfast).

Outside of Oslo prices do come down.

Norway is a wonderful place with lots to see and do, great scenery and the poepl are great!

Not sure this is great recommendation, if you're planning a journey!

That said, we visited Tromso last winter and had a great time; hotels were reasonable if you shopped around; food wasn't too bad; drinks were very expensive but, hey, give your liver a break! Excursions (husky sled, snowmobile etc were expensive but so they would be anywhere. The place was beautiful, the weather perfect (endless fresh snow) and the Northern Lights unmissable!

Seems like everyone agrees. Oslo is expensive, Bergan is cheaper and nicer.Norway is a great place to visit.

I went to Oslo for 3 days with 2 English friends in late May. I thought it was great. Stayed at the SAS Scandinavia for 900 NOK/nt. A comparable hotel in England would have set me back a minimum of $100CDN more a night. Eating was expensive but considering that the buffet breakfast was fantastic and included in the room rate there was no need to eat again until evening. I'll admit having a $60 pizza was new to me but they were so big we could split one between the 3 of us and be full. The Norwegian people we met were great. Shy at first but then really great people to talk to. People art home think we were crazy but we drank beer all day long. It was expensive but it was also excellent beer. Rivalled German beer IMO. The trick in Oslo is not to bother converting the prices of food and drink into your home currency, you will enjoy the trip a lot more. To sum it up when you combine all the prices(hotel,food and drink) it really doesn't cost anymore than London and is a much more relaxed atmosphere. I'm going back next year for sure.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/s...026172,00.html

Oslo knocks Tokyo from top spot as most expensive city

Richard Adams
Thursday August 21, 2003
The Guardian

The Norwegian capital of Oslo yesterday found itself at the top of one league that it does not pay to win - as the world's most expensive city.

A comparison of the prices of goods and services around the globe by Swiss financial services group UBS found that Oslo has replaced the perennial high-cost city Tokyo as the league leader.

Using a basket of more than 100 common goods and services, but excluding rent and housing, the UBS researchers found that Oslo was 10% more costly than Hong Kong, Tokyo or New York, and nearly 20% more expensive than its Scandinavian neighbour Copenhagen.

London was ranked seventh, with an index rating of 98.9 compared with Oslo's 117.8 and New York's 104.5.

Mumbai, the financial capital of India, sits at the bottom of the list of 70 cities with a rating of 28.7, just below Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, with 30.6.

"It is interesting that Buenos Aires now ranks so far down the league table, since the Argentinian capital was the most expensive city in South America three years ago, before the economic crisis and the decoupling of the peso from the US dollar," UBS said.

The high-octane performance of Oslo can be put down to the strong appreciation of Norway's currency, the krone, while Tokyo's fall from the top spot after many years as the world's costliest city is the result of Japan's weak economy and lower prices.

The good news for Norwegians is that their higher prices are both caused and mitigated by higher wages. The survey ranked Oslo fourth highest in earnings, behind Zurich, Copenhagen and Basel in Switzerland.

Mumbai again propped up the table, with workers earning only 3.1% of the wages paid in Zurich.

The survey has some valuable evidence about the effect of the euro. It found that the euro has caused prices of many goods and services to converge within the single currency zone, but UBS said there was "still a long way to go before prices are harmonised."

fraisse10 wrote:
Believe me it wasn't! More of a warning, I suppose. I've missed many a train and bus because they left ahead of schedule.

Ok so there are no miles for using it but you can cruise to Bergen from England for three nights for £49 including a cabin.

That per mile has to be cheaper than a mileage run.

http://www.fjordline.co.uk/cruise_of..._frameset.html

And Oslo Gardemoen (sp?) is the world's most stylish airport - a real IKEA airport. It is way up in my list of favourite airports.

Norway, especially Oslo, are really fantatic places. My first alone trip abroad was to Norway.

Just some thoughts:
-I highly recommend a SCANRAIL railpass if you plan on doing extensive traveling around Norway. For under $300 I travelled to Trondheim, Bodo (very neat aviation musuem in Bodo, by the way), Bergen, and Oslo. I also spent two days in Tromso (had to take a flight from Bodo), which has to be one of the most incredible cities I have ever visited. Also, there are several night trains operated between Oslo and major cities. These are great, enabling one to spend a full day in one city and be in another city ready to go the next morning.
-Norway truly is a tourist friendly nation. I received a warm welcome from everyone I met.
-The airport is Oslo is really something else!
-I did manage to find some deals on Rica hotels online. I stayed in the Oslo Grand hotel (perfect location, a real amzaing place) for something on the order of $100/night. The hotel is huge and they upgraded me to an incredible suite at no extra cost (I didn't even ask nor was I told, I just got to the room and was awestruck!)

I have very fond memories of Norway and look forward to returning someday.

FlyerBeek

And while we're in on all the scenic stuff, and in no way trying to blow my own horn or trying to root with the home team: it has to be said that the fairer of the genders tens to be very exceptional in Norway http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif