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Some travel companions and I are planning to take a train from Oslo to Bergen Norway in the first week of August. Now (1½ months in advance) prices are around 500 NOK per person for a daytime train at that time.

Do these tickets tend to increase in price as the date gets closer and therefore it behooves us to book in advance? Or do they tend to stay steady so we can book at the last minute for the same price (e.g. contingency if our incoming flights are delayed)?

Anecdotally, I feel that Italian train tickets are steady til date of travel but German trains tend to increase. How's Norway work?

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    German prices only increase for tickets that tie you to a specific train.
    – Jan
    Jun 21, 2016 at 19:55
  • You can (often) test it by looking at prices for the same train on a different date. But you do need to use a good site, there are re-sellers that do only offer the top prices and not the cheap deals. For Norway I would look for NSB.
    – Willeke ♦
    Jun 21, 2016 at 19:59
  • Italian one increases in price. I bought a ticket for rome to milano in silver arrow two months prior to travel for €29, my friend bought same, one day before travel, for €179
    – DavChana
    Jun 22, 2016 at 11:11

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Yes, NSB offers 'minipris' tickets starting as low as 249 NOK (about 27€) for any distance on the Norwegian railway network. They can be bought up to 90 days in advance, are only valid for the booked train and cannot be changed or refunded.

There are usually only a few tickets available in the cheapest allotment on each train and then the price increases based on demand. This is basically the same concept as 'advanced saver fare' in the UK or 'Sparpreis' tickets in Germany.

Full fare tickets (865 NOK from Oslo to Bergen) can be refunded without charge up to 24 hours before departure.

If you are flying to Oslo Lufthavn and continue more or less immediately by train to Bergen, it might for some strange reason be cheaper to buy a through ticket from the airport to Bergen via Oslo S than just from Oslo S (central station) to Bergen.

You should also be aware that most of Oslo S is closed in the first week of August. Trains between Oslo Lufthavn and Oslo S are replaced by buses.

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  • Tor-Einar, can you elaborate on this closure of Oslo S? I happen to be traveling by train from Trondheim S to Oslo S on 4 August and from Oslo to Bergen on 8 August and didn't notice anything about this when booking tickets, so I am a bit dismayed to see this...
    – Michael Lugo
    Jun 21, 2016 at 21:31
  • @MichaelLugo You should ask a new question for that. Comments are not for discussing different topics.
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Jun 21, 2016 at 21:36
  • @Tor The Oslo Central Station to Bergen route I asked about won't include the Oslo S - Oslo Lufthavn stretch of closure, right?
    – Jeff G
    Jun 23, 2016 at 9:11
  • @JeffG Exactly. You have to go from the airport to Oslo S and then take the train from there to Bergen.
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Jun 23, 2016 at 10:08

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