Transport

For those of you coming from outside of Norway, we hope the process of travelling here will be as smooth and painless as possible. There are several flight options available, and once you are in Norway, we’ll do our best to inform you of the cheapest and most efficient ways to get around during your stay.

Flights To/from Norway

Airports in Norway

• Torp [map] – Most often the cheapest airport to fly to (with Ryanair) however it is the furthest from Oslo, and the wrong side of the Fjord from Fredrikstad! If you are staying in Oslo before/after the wedding, then you only need to think about that part of the trip, which is 1:50 by coach. If you need to go straight to Fredrikstad from the airport then you will need to travel into Oslo (1:50) then change for another coach/train to Fredrikstad. There are no (useful) trains between Torp and Oslo. Car hire may also be an option – there is a car ferry that can take you across the Fjord (Horten to Moss) and cut out some of the journey if travelling directly to Fredrikstad.
• Gardermoen [map] – Oslo’s main airport and the fastest for getting into Oslo (half an hour or less). There are direct buses from here to Fredrikstad, but since the airport is north of Oslo it does take a couple of hours. This is the main base for norwegian.no and also most other mainstream airlines including SAS, Lufthansa, KLM and British Airways.
• Rygge [map] – Situated South of Oslo and on the same side of the Fjord as Fredrikstad this is by far the best airport to fly to/from if you will be travelling directly to/from Fredrikstad. It is less that half an hour’s drive so there is even a chance for pick-ups. If travelling to Oslo before/after the wedding, this airport is still ok – since you’ll spend about an hour on the bus to get to/from the city. Rygge is becoming a main base for Ryanair which is good news – they may even announce more routes before the wedding (Birmingham please!). Norwegian.no also uses Rygge for a fair few routes.

Low cost airlines

I use these all the time despite the bad press. Bottom line is check the price when you get to the last page – forget all the “extra charges” in between. If the price is still good, then it’s still good! Follow the luggage rules and you will have no problems. Look out for tax free deals which often look more expensive on the “select flights” page. (A £10 flight is probably tax free whereas a £4.99 flight is likely to be +tax so around £25 – just click and check!). I have flown return for less than £15 all inclusive in the past.

• Norwegian.no to/from Gatwick to Torp/Rygge. Gatwick is a pain, but these flights are to Gardermoen or Rygge which are more convenient than Torp when you actually get to Oslo.
• Ryanair to Torp from Stansted/Birmingham/Liverpool/Ayr. Stansted normally offers the best deals, and with 4 flights a day it’s hard *not* to find a good deal.  Liverpool is easy to get to by train (from the Midlands) and offers cheap flights at a reasonable time (around the weekend).
  • Update: There will definitely be no Birmingham route opening up this year. It may be possible to fly to Rygge via Dusseldorf or Dublin if the prices/times fit.
• Ryanair to Rygge from Newcastle/Stansted.
• Ryanair to Rygge from East Midlands (indirect!). It may be possible to fly via Berlin or Dublin if the times/prices fit.

Direct flights with “normal” airlines

• Heathrow to Gardermoen with British Airways or SAS. Price gets down to about £60 each way at it’s best, with the benefit of having no “hidden charges”. The flight is also to Gardermoen which is more convenient than Torp.

Indirect flights

• Check Expedia and other such sites for all the other available flights. Some good deals can be had from Birmingham via Brussels, Amsterdam and Copenhagen if you don’t mind changing. Still not cheaper than Ryanair, but can work out more convenient based on times etc.

Inside Norway

Unfortunately as is no secret, Norway is not the cheapest of places! Getting from the airport into Oslo will cost you between £15 and £20 depending on the airport, and coaches & trains to/from Fredrikstad can cost between £15 – £20. Transport in Oslo for a week (unlimited) on public transport is £20 for adults, other options (like  an 8-clip card) are available depending on the length of your visit.

What I hope, is that people will arrive at similar times, in which case we can try to arrange minibus taxis which will work out better when shared. It’s also a good idea to look into car rental, as basic models are not that much more expensive to rent than in the UK. If you are 3 or 4 people sharing then a rented car may well work out best for transport to/from Airports and Fredrikstad.