I would like to know if traveling by train is both economical and feasible to travel from Bordeaux, France to Oslo, Norway, instead of flying? I am hoping to be able to see the various countries on land rather than from the air. Any advice is appreciated.
Regards,
Ken
I guess i depends on how you define feasible, but it's certainly possible. There are few night trains that can be useful along the route so you'd need to spend a night somewhere, probably Hamburg. But even better if you can spend 2-3 nights along the route and see more of the towns and cities you pass on the way.
For this route a Eurail pass is probably the best option.
Look at bahn.de for possible connections. They give a 31 hour journey connecting up through Germany then the overnight train from Hamburg to Stockho!m for train to Oslo, as the most sensible connection. 5 trains in all.
But overnights in Hamburg and Copenhagen seem better. Or maybe a night in Hamburg, then to Kiel or Copenhagen for the overnight Cruise ferry to Oslo may be alternative options.
It will never be as cheap as flying. The bahn will give you an idea of the point to point fares. You wouldn't do this for cheapness, more for the experience.
It’s a 33-39 hour trip. I can’t begin to imagine doing it in one shot. Don’t get me wrong, I love train travel. One of the greatest memories of my life was taking the 20th Century Limited between NYC and Chicago. A great deal of your rail travel might be at night so you won’t really see anything and the cost of that trip by rail most likely would would be more than airfare - not including a possible hotel stay. I would definitely choose flying to Oslo.
But Greta Thunberg will love you for it. You will have a very low carbon footprint.
You could take a train from Bordeaux to Copenhagen, it's around 22 hours I believe. Then from Copenhagen you could take the overnight boat that goes from Copenhagen to Oslo. The boat ride is great, you book a small cabin so you can sleep and wake up in the am in Oslo.
I'm not sure of all the rail logistics in getting from Bordeaux to Copenhagen but this resource might be helpful for you, https://www.eurotransitguy.com/ in figuring transportation to get where you need to.
Apart from the link above (which offers paid services) you can also use www.seat61.com which is free and it's easy to plan a trip yourself using www.bahn.de
Here is what The Man in Seat 61 says are the options for getting from Bordeaux to Oslo (via Paris):
https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Paris.htm#Paris-Oslo
