Stockholm to Oslo - Train or Place?

Hi Steve,

This June, we took the train from Stockholm to Oslo. I don't recall it being very scenic, but the 6 hour train ride was fine We bought our tickets directly from SJ using their website https://www.sj.se/?l=en and printed the tickets from the pdf file they emailed us.. If you buy them 90 days or less from your travel date, you can get them for a good price. I think we paid around $60 each for first class one-way tickets. You also need to consider that the Oslo airport is far from the city center and the cost and time of getting to your destination in Oslo.

Brian

Great input, thanks Brian! My wife and I travel in Europe a lot and we enjoy trains when we can since, as point out, they are so much more convenient and relaxed. So I shouldn't book more than 90 days in advance?

Steve

I had heard that 90 days or less had the best prices. When I started planning our trip, it was more than 90 days before we were leaving. So I put in our travel dates (which then was about 120 days out) and then ones 90 or less than that day's date. It was always cheaper if the date out was 90 days or less. You could try now for your dates and ones 90 days or less from now to see the difference. We actually booked our tickets the first day the price dropped which was around 90 days before our travel date. Hope this helps.

Brian

Just to add my advice here – Brian has it right. You need to book around 90 days before for the best rates. Also consider the bus if you want to travel cheaply (Netbuss and Swebus are the main options). They are suprisingly comfortable, but obviously you won't be able to walk around like you would on a train. Book direct with SJ for the best prices.

Hope that helps!

Thanks to you both!

What I remember about driving a similar route is mostly forests. There are only two direct trains per day on this route. European train tickets are rarely sold more than 90 days ahead. If buying tickets through the Swedish railway's site, you'll notice a big difference between fare choices: "Non-rebookable" (cheapest, and often sell out in advance), "Rebookable" (these are the rates shown on our train-fare map above), and "Refundable" (much higher fare, but unrestricted).

Thanks, Laura!

steve,

i took the plane route when i did those 2 places. if i remember correctly the train trip would have been a long one. Too long for me and how i travel. It has to be something really cool for me to do a long train trip (> 4+ hours). I do prefer train over planes though.

happy trails

I would also opt for the train. I took the train from Stockholm to Oslo during December last year and it was great...very relaxing. It was kind of cool because we started out in a snow storm when we left Stockholm and emerged from the snow right as we were coming into a region that had forest and lakes. It was beautiful and sunny. Getting let off in central Oslo was terrific...very close to where I was staying. I would definitely do it again. Enjoy!!

Hi Steve. I took the overnight train route from Stockholm to Oslo several years ago and that turned out to be a great way to go. I didn't have to pay for a hotel and arrived in Oslo well rested and ready to go.

(You may already have your plans in Oslo set, but don't bank on buying a day trip to see the fjords when you arrive. I did, only to arrive and find they had sold out. This was in August, however, so your mileage may vary.)

There has been no overnight train on this route for a few years, leaving just the two daytime direct trains.