Hi Team
Going on an 8 days Norwegian fjord cruise and will be in Oslo for two nights and taking the train from Oslo to Bergen - spending night in Flåm etc. Total of 4 nights on own in Norway plus 5 ports from ship. Any advice on currency to have on hand would be helpful. Also doing Baltic Sea cruise so trying to order different currencies from my bank. Thank you!
Kroner is the local currency
Yes but wondering how much cash I will need on hand for transportation, food, tours etc. hope to use my credit card as much as possible. Thank you!
I haven't been in Norway in 15 years so I don't have recent experience but I just returned from Denmark and Sweden where there is virtually no need for any local currency. Everything can be paid by credit card. I exchanged some kroner in Denmark and left with almost all of it intact. The only time I needed cash is at museums and castles where they required you to put your backpacks and purses in a locker, which required a 20 kr piece though the money was refunded when you returned. In both places where we encountered this, the cashier where we paid for admission gave us the required coin and asked us to return it when we were done.
I was in Norway last month for a week. I got 500 Kroner out of the ATM. I still have it. I paid for everything with a credit card.
You don't want to order currency from your bank. The price they charge will be very high compared to getting money from an ATM, if you even need it, at your cruise stops. Check what fees your bank charges for getting currency at foreign ATMs (could be a set $ amount or a percentage or a combo of both) and compare that to what the bank would charge to get some for you before you leave. Even if they claim no fees at your bank, the price they charge has the fee built in.
As others have stated, you almost need no money at all in most Scandinavian countries. I would start with a couple hundred US equivalent you get from a bank owned ATM when you arrive for your days in Norway and just use it when necessary using your credit card for most purchases.
I went to Norway in 2017 ; planned on getting the local currency from an ATM at some point but never did it.
Not once did I need to ; only time I have ever gone to a country and never had any cash.
Credit card worked everywhere and I was driving so that includes small towns, small shops, gas stations, toll boats, etc...
The only time I needed the local currency in the Scandinavian countries was for public restrooms and to use the baggage lockers at the Munch Museum. For everything else, a credit card works great. Even the Munch Museum lent me a coin for the locker.
Thank you so very much everyone! I will not be getting any cash at this time. I will travel with my card and go from there!
While you can tour Norway with a minimum amount of cash, I would reiterate what others have noted about needing the proper coin for public toilets. For example, Vigeland Park has a cafe but the cafe's public toilets require a coin to enter. I don't remember if it was a 5 NOK or 10 NOK coin. You will be fine if you can wait until you board the train at Oslo S, but if you must go before the train arrives, I think the Oslo S toilets required a 10 NOK coin. Not exactly a small denomination coin, but a lot cheaper than a 500 ml mug of beer.
