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I am planning to go to Norway for two or three weeks next year.

Is it possible to get around the country by public transportation (busses and trains) only? Are smaller towns connected by public transport or would one have to rely on other means of travel to visit small towns, especially in the northern parts of the country?

I am thinking of bus connections like Greyhound in the USA or Stagecoach in the UK. What about train connections? Is there a public railway system and how developed is it? (Thinking about Iceland here, which doesn't have a public railway system)

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    Sorry, but this question is far too broad. Aug 31, 2017 at 19:23
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    Norway has trains. You should probably just have a look at the map: nsb.no/en/our-destinations/map-of-railway-lines
    – phoog
    Sep 6, 2017 at 13:54
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    Norway also has buses and ferries, which are not shown in the railway map. Sep 6, 2017 at 14:34
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    One major bus company. Under Routes there's a map of what areas they cover: nor-way.no/en-US Oct 15, 2017 at 21:05
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    There is an excellent network of bus and ship services, at least in places like Bergen and Alesund. Use Google maps to see both stops and time table.
    – Nightrider
    Jun 19 at 6:11

2 Answers 2

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Norway has one train service that covers the whole country, but you have to be aware that although you can technically get to "anywhere", the rail service for southern Norway is (almost always) connected through the capital (Oslo). In practice this means that two destinations that are fairly close together (such as Bergen/Stavanger or Gjøvik Lillehammer) require a stopover in Oslo to switch trains and go back. This makes the trip way longer that it has to be (way longer!)

But there are also busses and ferries covering more direct routes. These are often covered by more local companies, so what options you have and how to book them is highly dependent on where you are actually planning on going. It is also worth mentioning that Norway is very long. If you want to travel from the south to the north it is way faster (and potentially just as cheap) to book a flight as it is to take the train or a bus.

To answer a general question with a general answer: Yes it is possible to get to most (if not all) places in Norway using public transport. But you have to know which companies are providing transport where you are going, which can vary from place to place. Services like Rome2Rio can be a good start to discover options, although in my experience it is not always 100 % reliable and might suggest some weird connections that makes no sense.

Or, 2023 update, try Google maps and alike, as public transport in those is getting more reliable.

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The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries has a guide to traveling around Norway, including maps and links:

https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/getting-around/

They recommend the travel planner Entur.

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