How to travel around Scandinavia and not go broke

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The countries of Scandinavia are included in the lists of the most expensive to live and travel. However, if you know some tricks, then you can go around them all and save a lot.

We, Masha and Timur, have been traveling for several years in our free time in a Russian 2002 VAZ 2114 car with a range of 280,000 km and have visited 24 countries. We call our baby Eurotaz, because after thousands of kilometers in our native country we switched to the nearest European countries.

On trips lasting from a week to a month, we visited the most popular destinations in the EU, and Scandinavia has always remained a mystery that we wanted to solve for ourselves. We started our journey from the capital of Germany and ended the Scandinavian trip in the cultural capital of Russia - St. Petersburg - four weeks later, having driven 8,000 km. On the way, we have some tips that may be useful for travelers.

Nature Accessibility Act

The tent can be set up anywhere (except for private territory) in Norway, Sweden and Finland, so housing costs can immediately be deleted from the expense item. On the way, there are a lot of comfortable parking lots with toilets and recreation areas, many descents to the water and beautiful places where you can easily and simply call in by car and put up a tent.

Petrol

In the Scandinavian countries, we did not find 92nd gasoline and always refueled with 95th. There is also no fixed price for gasoline, each gas station has its own, so be careful. If there are 3-5 gas stations around you, then it is better to go around them all in search of a better deal.

In Norway, it is cheapest to refuel on weekends and Monday mornings. In some regions there are discounts on Thursdays, but not as significant. The higher you go north, the higher the cost of gasoline. We have met in Norway gasoline prices in the range of 12, 5-16, 8 kroons (90-120 rubles per liter).

Ferries

Study the map carefully and plan your route, as there are a lot of ferries in Norway. In some cases, it is more comfortable, easier and cheaper to go around them on the roads, but sometimes the ferry saves you both time and money that you would have spent on gasoline. The price depends on the distance and travel time and varies from 100 to 1,000 kroons (700–7,000 rubles) for a car with a driver and one passenger.

During the trip, we rode the ferries 10 times and spent 12,000 rubles on them. Each ferry is different in size, usually there is always a cafe and an open deck inside to enjoy the views of the fjords. Thanks to the water mode of transportation, we did not even have the idea of taking an additional excursion in the cities along the fjords.

Payment

Each of the Scandinavian countries has its own currency, so a universal approach to payment is to use a card. The card can be used to pay for ferries, toll bridges in Denmark, food, and even souvenirs.

For example, we did not have any cash with us at all and did not exchange it for local currency. At almost all gas stations, payment is made by card through the terminal. First you need to insert the card, a deposit of 800–1,500 kroons (5,600–11,000 rubles) will be taken from it. After you refuel the car and hang the gun in place, the rest of the amount will be returned to your card within 2 minutes or several days, depending on your bank.

If you do not have the required amount on your card, you will not be able to refuel. You will have to look for a gas station with a store and a cashier, where you can pay the amount you need. Only card payment terminals are open on Sundays and at night.

National Tourist Routes

In Norway, car travelers have been taken care of and have made a map of 14 routes with especially beautiful views. These roads are equipped with convenient parking lots with toilets, tables, a seating area and observation platforms.

You can download the Visit Norway app and plan a route around the country, including sightseeing roads. Each of the routes has a selection of places worth visiting. All places are marked on the maps themselves, and brown signs with a special symbol will help you along the way.

Trails and huts

For those who like to walk in the mountains, there is also a network of trails that connect huts with each other, where you can spend the night for a certain amount. The huts can also be used during the day, for us they have always been a landmark of a beautiful view on the trail.

All pedestrian paths are marked with a large red letter "T", so it is unlikely that you will get lost. Please note that the weather in the mountains changes and you need to have warm clothes with you. Trails can turn into streams after rains, so take care of your shoes.

Nutrition

Food prices in Scandinavia are not encouraging, especially in Norway. We took with us a burner and gas cylinders, cereals and canned food, nuts and dried fruits, powdered milk for coffee and cereals, so we mostly went to stores out of interest.

Products that reach the end of their expiration date are sold at a 30-50% discount. Unfortunately, we have never seen a red fish with a discount, but we bought it several times and without a discount. The most budgetary store is REMA1000. There we took smoked salmon, raw for frying / stewing and raw for SALMA sashimi. If you are in Norway, then be sure to try the red fish! Be aware that most grocery stores are closed on Sundays.

In Sweden, Denmark and Finland, food prices are generally lower than in Norway, and the choice is huge compared to Russia. Something can be bought even more profitably. In Finland, for example, we enjoyed tender mozzarella.

Toll roads

In Scandinavian countries in general, roads are free, but there are small pitfalls to consider.

In Denmark, roads are free, but bridges and ferries are paid. If you want to get from Denmark to Sweden, you can ride the bridge for 56 euros or take a ferry for about the same amount, but the bridge will save you a lot of time, and you will have time to enjoy the ferries in Norway.

Sweden has toll zones around Stockholm and Gothenburg. And in Norway, in Oslo, some plots are also paid, but payment is made in a non-standard way. Your numbers are read by a camera, and after a while the total amount is sent to your home address in the country of residence. On the forums they write that no one has received receipts to Russia, but we ourselves are still waiting.

Weather

The weather in Scandinavia is unpredictable, so you need to drive fully armed. We were just incredibly lucky: the sun was shining for almost the entire trip. We managed to sunbathe and swim in the icy sea water and mountain lakes. But there were days when an icy wind knocked me off my feet and tears flowed from the cold in the middle of summer.

Be sure to prepare comfortable, windproof and waterproof clothing and shoes for the road, especially if you plan to climb mountains. Bring light sandals with you and at least two comfortable closed pairs of shoes in case one gets wet. An umbrella is unlikely to help you: if it rains, then a strong wind is likely to come along with it. Therefore, it is best to have a raincoat with you.

Surprisingly, we recommend that you take a sunscreen with you and do not forget to use it, because regardless of the weather in the mountains, your face will still burn.

Nature

The most beautiful part of Norway is its nature. Snowy mountains in summer, endless fjords along the coastline, azure waters and sandy beaches, midnight sun, birdsong. Do not waste time on expensive and austere cities, look into them only for a moment and get lost in the beauty of nature, forgetting about city life for a couple of weeks. It is impossible to describe nature. You need to visit it yourself in order to give free rein to feelings and burst into tears from its beauty and scale.

Conclusion

I hope you take advantage of these tips and hit the road to check them out and perhaps thank you later. We are thinking about new trips, where any motorist could reach by any car in order to continue to share their discoveries (you can follow the travels in social networks using the hashtag #eurotaz).

And the most important advice: do not be afraid to travel on your own. A tent and food to go will make your trip anywhere on a budget, as gas is practically your only expense. Emotions from travel cannot be conveyed and bought, and then after a while put on the shelf to collect dust. Your memories are always with you, and new goals will light fire in your eyes for new discoveries!