Mini Vacation Self-tour [London + Norway] is not a dream!

This was my first time taking a long-haul flight, and also my first time leaving the Asian region to go to a different country.

This brief trip was planned as follows: Taiwan -- London -- Norway -- London -- Taiwan, with the main focus on Norway. Since China Airlines has direct flights to London, we chose to stop over in London first, then head to Norway, and finally return to London for shopping.

Since it was my first time going to Europe and my available time was limited, I wanted to make use of the most efficient itinerary to achieve the maximum travel benefits.

First, here's the itinerary I planned using Excel:

Due to the rush of writing my thesis and preparing for final exams before summer vacation, I only had time to buy the air tickets. The rest of the arrangements weren't made until mid-July. The planning was a bit rushed, it would have been better if we could have prepared earlier.

Apart from using Excel for planning, I also used Google Maps to mark the places I wanted to go. Map URL: https://goo.gl/maps/8hkUViW66uW7grjL9 (I marked 42 points of interest, and achieved 33 of them)

・London:

In London, the main places I wanted to go to were King's Cross Station (Harry Potter's Platform 9¾), the British Library, Westminster (Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, Big Ben, London Eye), Regent Street (the tailor shop from Kingsman), and the British Museum. A place my travel companion suddenly wanted to go to: London Bridge. Places we didn't get to: Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden.

Rough map of the first day's itinerary

Rough map of the second day's itinerary

We only stayed in London for one night. Since China Airlines' direct flight lands at Gatwick Airport, the airport express train will definitely go to Victoria Station, so we decided to book our accommodation near Victoria Station. Accommodation: Astor Victoria Hotel (youth hostel, breakfast is cheap and delicious, highly recommended, only stairs, need to carry your own luggage)

Last day in London for shopping spree

Transportation in London is really expensive. I originally thought I could use a credit card directly to enter the subway, but ended up having to buy an Oyster card. The Gatwick Express can be taken directly to Victoria Station, but I forgot how much it costs for a round trip (single trip is 19.8 pounds). Remember to buy a round-trip ticket, it's a little cheaper.

If you want to save money, try to take the bus instead of the tube as much as possible, the price difference is really big. If you only take the bus, it's 1.5 pounds per trip, with a daily limit of 4.5 pounds for Zone 1-2; for the tube, it's 2.4 pounds per trip, with a daily limit of 7 pounds for Zone 1-2. If you don't want to keep the Oyster card as a souvenir, you can refund the 5 pounds deposit for the card at the airport. You can also download the Oyster card App to track your spending in real time (you need to register before taking the first ride, otherwise you will have to wait until the next day to register).

Basically, my time in London was a flash trip, because I was just there for a stopover. I went to all the major attractions, and personally, I was very satisfied.

・Norway:

Originally, I planned to travel to the North Cape of Norway, but due to budget constraints, I had to give up. Since the plane tickets were pre-booked, it was a night flight, arriving at Oslo Airport in the early morning. We boldly planned to sleep at Oslo Airport (there were many people staying overnight at the airport that night, so there was no need to worry. As mentioned on the internet, the area near Starbucks is indeed the best location, and for more comfort, the entrance to Flytoget also has benches that are good for lying down).

In the morning, we went straight from Oslo Station to the Norway in a Nutshell tour. As mentioned on the internet, buying tickets in advance is not difficult. The article I referred to the most is this one, which I recommend to everyone: https://justgotraveler.blog/2017/11/12/norway-in-a-nutshell/.

Although the route I took was the opposite of the one in this article, there were no major problems. A special note is that the internet generally recommends staying overnight in Flam, but because the accommodation in Flam is either too expensive or fully booked, we chose to take a ferry from Flam to Gudvangen directly. Accommodation: Gudvangen Camping. (This was my favorite night, it was super beautiful, absolutely no regrets, even though it was a 10-15 minute walk from the ferry station, but the scenery and enjoyment were unparalleled. A 10-minute walk nearby is a supermarket called Joker where you can buy things. As long as it's not raining, dragging luggage is not too painful.)

First day in Norway - nutshell itinerary

Second day in Norway - nutshell itinerary + Bergen tour

Voss is actually great. You can spend 3-4 hours leisurely walking around and having a picnic.

Originally, on the first day we arrived in Bergen, we planned to climb the mountain to see the night view, but it rained again, so we changed it to leisurely shopping. Yes! Shopping, the nearby tourist attractions are all shopping areas QQ Wallet is not safe. Bryggen of the Hanseatic League is basically a shopping center, each store is better to buy than the last, and they all stay open late (about 9 o'clock, Oslo only opens until 6 o'clock).

Compared to Oslo, I like Bergen a little bit more. The overall feel is very comfortable, the scenery is also beautiful, it exudes a relaxed atmosphere. As the former capital, I think it has everything it should have, but it doesn't have the hustle and bustle of Oslo. It's more humane in comparison.

Accommodation: Zander K Hotel (the most expensive stay, an average of 3000 Taiwan dollars per person per night, breakfast buffet is included. Because the previous few days we slept at the airport and the camping accommodation charged for showers, we hadn't showered for two days, so the stay was very comfortable!)

Third day in Norway - Bergen University + Mountain climbing

Bergen University Museum is free for students, and the adult fee is also very cheap, highly recommended to visit, the historical museum exhibition is well arranged and you can spend half a day there, the campus inside and outside are both very beautiful. I found a secret hiking route on the internet, it's really very secret. As the article says, I originally estimated that the total itinerary could be completed in two hours (climb up the mountain from the left and then walk to Mount Fløyen to take the cable car down), but in the end we probably walked for about five hours......

However, the scenery really beats Norway in a nutshell. First, it's not crowded, and second, you can overlook the entire city of Bergen, with a lake on the mountain, and the forest along the way is also super beautiful. Highly recommend people with strength and time to also climb the mountain, remember to bring enough water and energy.

Record made with a Xiaomi band

This record was made when I remembered to do it halfway up the mountain. I thought it would be over soon, but it was just the beginning..........

That night, we took the national rail night train back to Oslo, but we didn't buy a sleeper, it was too expensive, and since we were so tired during the day, I slept well and directly until we arrived.

Rough itinerary for the fourth day in Norway

We arrived in Oslo early in the morning and waited until 8am for the tourist center to open. I went to the tourist center to buy an Oslo pass, and students can get an 8% discount there (48hr-520kr).

The Oslo pass is also well introduced on the internet. Simply put, it allows free transportation in zones 1 and 2, including trams, buses, ferries, and subways, and many museums offer free admission. If you're an adult, you can make the cost back in no time, students need a bit more, but relatively speaking, it's still pretty worth it. By the way, Google Maps is not very reliable in Oslo! Basically, you can find the correct route with the map and guide book provided by the tourist center (there is a Chinese version).

We visited Aarhus Castle (with English audio guide; adults 100kr/students 60kr), the Forward Museum (adults 120kr/students 50kr), the Kon-Tiki Museum (adults 120kr/students 50kr), the Viking Museum (adults 100kr/students 80kr), and the Norwegian Folk Museum (the most worthwhile, you can spend the most time here; adults 160kr/students 120kr). The next day we went to the Munch Museum (you need to queue and go through security; adults 120kr/students 60kr), the Botanical Garden (Free), the Natural History Museum (a concept of a specimen zoo; adults 120kr/students 50kr), and the Vigeland Park (Free).

Approximate itinerary for the fifth day in Norway

・Expenses：

Spent in the UK, exchanged 250 pounds, left about 25 pounds. All expenses in Norway can be solved with a credit card except for the 950 bus in Norway, you can prepare a credit card with a higher foreign reward. I myself use the credit card in cooperation with the International Student Card Yongfeng, which is quite useful. Other credit cards, some consumption in Norway need a pin code, you can use the cash advance password, some can also be solved by signature, later found that if you can use the induction, not the way to consume the card, basically do not need a pin code.

I did a little bit of cost organization when I came back, you can refer to it.

The total consumption ticket occupies the most, including the boutique total consumption is within one hundred thousand.

The ticket is a direct flight by China Airlines. The economy class price is slightly higher. I went to Norway to fly Norwegian Airlines economy class. Norwegian Airlines is a low-cost airline, so there is no meal and other services on the plane. The price is similar to flying from Taiwan to Japan.

The transportation cost of Norway's miniature is also quite substantial, and it is much cheaper to buy it yourself than to buy a travel agency package tour directly.

The accommodation budget for all other nights except Bergen is around 1000~1500 TWD. (Fortunately, there are no pitfalls) The local food is too expensive, and I am not used to it. I mainly rely on going to the supermarket to buy things and cook them back for many meals, or occasionally eat some cheap sandwiches or hot dogs.

I also ate some food brought from Taiwan. But the salmon is really cheap compared to Taiwan, and I almost have salmon for every meal XD For drinking water, I personally think that London's water is super hard to drink qq, even the mineral water has a strange feeling, the mouthfeel is hard, it needs to be matched with tea bags or directly Buy sparkling water to improve.

Compared with Norway's water, it tastes sweet. The tap water is very good, and you can save money on buying water (I bought a bottle of 40kr mineral water in flam...).

If you are a student, remember to apply for an international student card. The student fee on transportation really makes a big difference. (There are half price, 75% discount, 80% discount, etc.)

・Language：

Norwegians speak Norwegian. Some places are super English-friendly. Supermarkets are mostly Norwegian. Daily communication in English is not a problem. Some places even provide a five-star flag Chinese translation version.

At the beginning of booking and researching some official websites, many of them only display Norwegian, which is a headache index. Basically, you have to guess one by one or use google translation. The most annoying thing should be that Norwegian will write many English words together 0.0 It can't be translated, and later found that looking at/recording the first letter and the root can guess about 80%. The above is an overview of the overall itinerary.

Pictures of each attraction, etc., if you have time to write it later~~~ Welcome to interact if you have any questions!