This page explains how to travel by train from Oslo & Norway to other key European cities, and how to buy the cheapest tickets.  Click here to for journeys starting in another city.  Information current for 2024.

I want to go from Oslo to...

Before you buy your tickets

Take a moment to read these tips for buying European train tickets.  It answers all the usual questions, "Must I book in advance or can I buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or a €35 point-to-point ticket?".  How far ahead can you buy train tickets?

European train travel FAQ

Oslo to Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim & other destinations in Norway

• Norway's train services have been outsourced route by route to 3 private operators:

  Vy (www.vy.no) is the former NSB Norwegian State Railways, rebranded to Vy in 2019.  Routes include Oslo-Bergen, Oslo-Gothenburg, Oslo-Lillehammer-Dombas.

  SJ Norge (www.sj.no) is a Norwegian subsidiary of SJ Swedish Railways.  Routes include Oslo-Trondheim-Bodo.

  Go-Ahead Nordic (go-aheadnordic.no), routes include Oslo-Kristiansand-Stavanger.

• To find train times and fares on any route with any operator, use entur.no, Norway's government-owned public transport website or use Vy's website, www.vy.no.

  Both sites sell tickets for all the privatised Norwegian operators.  Entur.no charges no booking fee, www.vy.no charges no fee for Vy tickets, but adds a booking fee for other operators.

  At www.vy.no, the English button is top right.  You can choose to load your ticket into the Vy app, or download it in PDF format which you can either print out or simply show on your phone or laptop.

  Vy's website sometimes rejects overseas payment cards, but if you have problems simply call their telesales line on +47 61 27 90 88 or +47 61 05 19 10 and pay over the phone.

  You can also book trains run by SJ Norge & Go-Ahead Nordic (but not yet Vy) at Omio.com, in plain English in multiple currencies, overseas cards no problem, small booking fee.

• Seat reservation is compulsory on most long-distance trains, and there are cheap advance-purchase fares if you book ahead so it's well worth pre-booking. Flex is the flexible full-price.  Lowfare is a cheap advance purchase fare which only appears if it's available.

• Okonomi means standard class. 

• Any fare including the word Plus, Komfort or Premium (the name varies by operator) means first class with larger seats, more space, laptop power points and complimentary tea & coffee.  The actual seats may be exactly the same as the regular seats, but with power outlets at every seat and complimentary tea & coffee, that alone can justify the supplement.  Vy Plus class is available on most mainline routes including Oslo to Bergen, Oslo to Gothenburg.

• See here for more advice on using Vy.no including useful Norwegian words and what to do if your credit card is rejected, as their site sometimes struggles with some UK and overseas cards (but they now also accept PayPal!).

The Norway in a Nutshell tour

• The popular Norway in a Nutshell circular tour takes you from Oslo to Bergen to Flam and back to Oslo over 5 days.  Train-based tour specialist Railbookers can sort this for you with train reservations & hotels.

    UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk.

    US call free 1-888-829-4775, www.railbookers.com.

    Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, www.railbookers.com.

    Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au.

    New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

Oslo to Stockholm

• SJ (Swedish Railways) runs 5 trains a day from Oslo to Stockholm, 2 Intercity trains taking 5h46 and 3 SJ3000 trains taking as little as 5h16.

  Both train types have 1st & 2nd class and a bistro selling snacks, meals and drinks.

• Check train times & buy tickets at one of the following websites:

  - Omio.com which links to the SJ ticketing system, same prices, quick & easy to use, small booking fee, no problem with overseas credit cards, you can pay in various currencies including Swedish Kr, £, € and $.

  - SJ's own website www.sj.se, you pay in Swedish krona, no booking fee, you can usually choose a specific seat from a seating plan, but it can occasionally be fussy with overseas credit cards.  For step-by-step advice on using sj.se, click here.

  You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.

  Fares work like air fares, cheap in advance, expensive on the day.  Reservation is compulsory.

What are the SJ3000 trains like?

2nd class on an SJ3000 train.  Larger photo.		An SJ3000 train.  Larger photo.

Bistro on an SJ3000 train.  Larger photo		1st class on an SJ3000 train.  Larger photo

What are the Intercity trains like?

A Stockholm-Oslo train at Stockholm Central.

2nd class on an Oslo to Stockholm train.  Larger photo.		1st class on an Oslo to Stockholm train.  Larger photo.

Luggage racks on an Oslo to Stockholm train.		Photo courtesy of Dr James Benedict Brown.

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Oslo to Gothenburg

• Comfortable Norwegian InterCity trains run from Oslo to Gothenburg.

  Monday-Friday:  Roughly every 2 hours from 06:11 to 18:00, journey time 3h30.

  Saturdays:  Roughly every 2 hours from 08:14 to 18:00, journey time 3h30.

  Sundays:  Roughly every 2 hours from 08:14 to 18:00, journey time 3h30.

  The trains have one class and vending machines serving tea, coffee & snacks, these accept contactless cards.

  The flexible fare is 666 Krone (€64), advance-purchase fares start at 249 Krone (€24).

  Check times & buy tickets using the Norwegian Railways website www.vy.no, see advice on using it.  This can sell the cheaper advance-purchase Lowfare fares.

  You can also buy using the Swedish Railways website www.sj.se, see advice on using it, but this can only sell full-price fares.

  Gothenburg Central is shown as Gøteborg C in Norwegian and Göteborg C in Swedish.  For Oslo, select Oslo S where S = Sentral.

Gothenburg to Oslo by Norwegian train. Courtesy of @AndyBTravels		The train at Oslo Sentral.  Photo courtesy of @Marcos Castro.

Scenery between Gothenburg & Oslo. Photo courtesy of @Simply_Railway.

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Oslo to Copenhagen

Option 1, Oslo to Copenhagen by train

• Trains link Oslo & Copenhagen multiple times a day with one easy change in Gothenburg.

• See the Copenhagen to Oslo page for timetable, fares & how to buy tickets.

Gothenburg to Oslo by Norwegian train. Courtesy of @AndyBTravels		The train at Oslo Sentral.  Photo courtesy of @Marcos Castro.

Scenery between Gothenburg & Oslo. Photo courtesy of @Simply_Railway.

Option 2, Oslo to Copenhagen by overnight ferry - comfortable, scenic and time-effective

• A luxurious overnight cruise ferry sails from Oslo to Copenhagen every day.

  See the Copenhagen to Oslo page for timetable, fares & how to buy tickets.

The huge DFDS luxury overnight cruise ferry Crown Seaways berthed at Oslo.  Courtesy of Ivor Morgan.

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Oslo to Helsinki

• Step 1, travel from Oslo Sentral to Stockholm Central by train as shown in the Oslo to Stockholm section above.  Allow several hours in Stockholm to make a reliable connection.

• Step 2, travel from Stockholm to Helsinki, either by direct overnight ferry or by Stockholm-Turku overnight ferry with train connection to Helsinki, as shown on the Trains & Ferries from Stockholm page.

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Oslo to St Petersburg & Moscow

• Step 1, travel from Oslo Sentral to Stockholm Central by train as shown in the Oslo to Stockholm section above.  Allow several hours in Stockholm to make a reliable connection.

• Step 2, travel from Stockholm to Helsinki, either by direct overnight ferry or by Stockholm-Turku overnight ferry with train connection to Helsinki, as shown on the Trains & Ferries from Stockholm page.

• Step 3, travel from Helsinki to St Petersburg by daytime Allegro train as or from Helsinki to Moscow by overnight sleeper train Tolstoi, as shown on the Helsinki to St Petersburg & Moscow page.  Train service on this route was suspended due to Covid-19, then it initially resumed in December 2021.  However, all services were then suspended again due to sanctions & the war in Ukraine and remain suspended in 2024.

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Oslo to Tallinn

• Step 1, travel from Oslo Sentral to Stockholm Central by train as shown in the Oslo to Stockholm section above.

• Step 2, travel from Stockholm to Tallinn by overnight ferry every second day as shown on the Trains & Ferries from Stockholm page.

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Oslo to Riga

• Step 1, travel from Oslo Sentral to Stockholm Central by train as shown in the Oslo to Stockholm section above.

• Step 2, travel from Stockholm to Tallinn by overnight ferry as shown on the Trains & Ferries from Stockholm page then bus or train to Riga.

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Oslo to London

• See the London to Norway page, this explains travel between Oslo to London in either direction.  Buy tickets as shown on that page.

Oslo to Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris & all other European destinations

Option 1, using a train from Oslo to Copenhagen, overnight stop, then onwards trains - daily departures

• Day 1, travel from Oslo to Copenhagen by train, using any of the trains shown on the Oslo-Copenhagen page.

• Stay overnight in Copenhagen.  The friendly Astoria Hotel is a 1930s design classic right outside Copenhagen station main entrance, see photos & information here.  Other hotels near the station with good reviews include the Nimb Hotel (5-star luxe), Radisson Blu Royal Hotel (5-star), Axel Guldsmeden (4-star), Andersen Boutique Hotel, First Hotel Mayfair (3-star), Hotel Ansgar (3-star), City Hotel Nebo (2-star).

• Day 2, travel from Copenhagen to anywhere in Europe, as shown on the Trains from Copenhagen page.

  You can travel from Copenhagen to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Basel or Zurich on day 2.

  Another overnight stop (or sleeper train) is needed to reach London, Barcelona, Nice, Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice and so on.

Option 2, using trains from Oslo to Hamburg, overnight stop, then onwards trains- Mondays-Fridays only

• Day 1, travel from Oslo to Hamburg as shown in the Oslo-Hamburg section.

• Stay overnight in Hamburg.  The Hotel Reichshof Hamburg is the top choice here, just across the road 100m from the station's Kirchenallee exit, with art deco-based design and great reviews.  Other hotels near Hamburg Hbf with good or great reviews include (starting with the cheapest) the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.  If you're on a budget, cheap private rooms in the A&O Hotel near Hamburg Hbf can be booked at www.hostelworld.com.

• Day 2, travel from Hamburg to anywhere in Europe, as shown on the Trains from Hamburg page.

Option 3, using the DFDS Oslo-Copenhagen overnight ferry

• Step 1, travel from Oslo to Copenhagen overnight on the DFDS cruise ferry, as shown in the Oslo-Copenhagen section above.

• Step 2, travel from Copenhagen to anywhere in Europe as shown on the Trains from Copenhagen page.

  The ferry arrives in Copenhagen at 10:00.  You should easily make the 11:26 EuroCity train from Copenhagen main station arriving Hamburg Hbf at 16:03.  Or there are 13:26 & 15:26 EuroCity trains to Hamburg, see the Copenhagen-Hamburg timetable here.

  Change in Hamburg for most of western & central Europe - you might find the Trains from Hamburg page useful.

Option 4, using the Color Line Oslo-Kiel overnight ferry - a convenient & luxurious option

• Step 1, travel from Oslo to Kiel overnight by Color Line cruise ferry, usually sailing from Oslo at 14:00, arriving Kiel at 10:00 next day.

  The luxurious ships m/v Magic & m/v Fantasy have a full range of en suite cabins, suites, bars & restaurants.  Enjoy a scenic sailing out of Oslo Fjord.  See map of Oslo showing ferry terminal.

  Book the ferry at the Direct Ferries website or see www.colorline.com.

  Money-saving tip:  It appears that it's considerably cheaper to book on Color Line's Norwegian website www.colorline.no in Norwegian Krone, for example a €274 fare becomes the equivalent of €164.  You'll need to use Google Chrome translation to translate the Norwegian.  You are still able to enter a UK or other European address and contact details.  Feedback appreciated.

• Step 2, in Kiel it's a 7 minute 450m walk from the Color Line ferry terminal to Kiel Hbf, see walking map.  Regional trains leave Kiel Hbf for Hamburg Hbf every hour, journey time 1h10.

  The fare is a fixed-price €25.70 bought at the station, but if you're going beyond Hamburg it's cheaper to book a through ticket from Kiel to your final destination as explained in step 3 below.

• Step 3, travel from Hamburg to anywhere in Europe by train, as shown on the Trains from Hamburg page.

  You can leave Kiel after 12:30 and arrive in Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Warsaw, Basel, Zurich or even Paris by evening the same day.  That's right, you can leave Oslo at 14:00 and arrive in any of those cities in the evening next day, centre to centre with no airports, no flights!

  Book from Kiel Hbf to any of these cities from €37.90, or from Kiel Hbf to anywhere in Germany from €18.90 or from Kiel to cities in most neighbouring countries at the German Railways website int.bahn.de. 

  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead.  You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.  I recommend registering when prompted, so you can log on at any time and check or reprint tickets.

  You can of course spend the day in Hamburg, then catch the sleeper train to Vienna, Munich, Innsbruck or Switzerland, as shown on the trains from Hamburg page.

The Color Line ferry in Kiel.

A 5 Star Suite on the ferry.		More cruise liner than ferry!  The restaurant.

The view from the ferry...

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Hotels in Oslo & Norway

Backpacker hostels

www.hostelworld.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.

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