What train tickets to buy for NIN one day trip from Oslo to Bergen

Do you have one of Rick's books for this area (either Rick Steves Scandinavia or Rick Steves Snapshot Norway)? In them, he lays out, in great detail, everything you need to know about the Norway in a Nutshell route - tickets, options for stopovers, etc.

I can't duplicate a full chapter of information in this short forum post, but briefly, the NiN from Oslo to Bergen is a combination of regular train, rack railway, boat, bus, and regular train (in that order). You have to have separate tickets for each kind of transport. These can be bought separately or as a special NiN package. You do not buy a through ticket from Oslo to Bergen, because that would be on the regular train all the way (fine if that's what you want, but it's not Norway in a Nutshell).

As saud, it is a multi-modal combination tour--Train, train, boat.bus, train with four connections. And if you can't figure it out on your own, pay the mark-up to Fjordtour and have them work out the details for you:
https://www.norwaynutshell.com/original-tour/

If you decide to DIY, look at the Fjordtour NiN webpage to figure out the one day routing Oslo via Flam to Bergen.

Then check the Norwegian National Railroad website for trains schedule and pricing: https://www.vy.no/en
(Use to be NSB, now VR)

Start with the Oslo S to Myrdal departing Oslo about 8:35 (am) arriving Myrdal 13:07. Connect of Flam etc.

Note that you can only buy train tickets about 3 months prior.

Thanks for the information. I do have Rick's book and will study it more closely. I intend to buy separate tickets to make the trip work. I plan to purchase the tickets as soon as I can. Do you think that is a good idea? Traveling in May.

Some segments of the trip require reserved seats that can sell out. However, May is not yet peak season. So, while I think you should buy as soon as you are sure of your plans, you don't have to buy the first day the tickets become available, if you're not yet sure.

You may or may not have a price advantage with early buying of discounted (lowest fare) tickets. The old NSB.no website use to have early booking discounted "minipris" ticket. However, it appears that VY is going to a new discounted system that I have not used:
https://www.vy.no/en/travelling-with-us/train/tickets/minipris

Every month we release thousands of low-priced Minipris (MiniPrice)
train tickets. These tickets often sell out quickly, so purchase your
train travel as soon as possible.
Minipris is only available for departures prior to 21 April.

VY will be selling something called a "low fare" ticket:
https://www.vy.no/en/news/new-train-tickets
https://www.vy.no/en/travelling-with-us/train/tickets/lowfare

Lowfare is our cheapest ticket, as well as one of our most popular
ones. Be sure to book early if you want to secure a great value seat
on board.

BTW during our visit to Oslo last March we bought tickets at the train station with our American Chip & Signature credit cards at both the staffed counter and using the automatic ticket machine. The automatic ticket machine did not require a PIN nor a signature but those were airport to Oslo tickets that were not high value tickets.

Note that in the past, the old NSB website did not like American credit cards without 3D Secure.

https://www.vy.no/en/customer-service/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-about-bus/tickets-and-seat-reservation?item=2980

When you buy a ticket on vy.no, you can pay by card (Visa/Mastercard),
Vipps, PayPal or invoice.

https://www.vy.no/en/customer-service/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-about-bus/tickets-and-seat-reservation?item=2982

Can I pay with PayPal?

Yes. When you buy a ticket on vy.no or in the Vy app, you can pay via
PayPal. You must have a PayPal user account to use PayPal.

Create a user account on paypal.com. 

PayPal is a secure, easy payment method for those who do not have a
European bank card that supports 3D Secure.

I logged on to this forum to ask the exact same question! Thanks for the good advice.

Thanks everybody. I bought every necessary ticket with the exception of the boat ride. The owner will return from vacation on Feb. 24. The bus ticket can only be purchased on the bus and shouldn't be a problem. On with the adventure!

Frank

To piggyback on this topic - We plan to move from Oslo to Bergen at the end of our June trip. We fly home from Bergen. Right now we have two nights booked in Bergen and one night unaccounted for between Oslo and Bergen. Should we go from Oslo to Flam, overnight in Flam and then do the remainder of the train voyage on to Bergen the next day? Or should we complete the entire trip in one day and add that additional night on to Bergen? Bear in mind we will have our luggage with us....

I know Flam is a small town, if we decide to overnight in the area, is there a better place to lodge?