Tour 6

Winter holiday with skiing or other activities.

This ‘tour’ offers some specific advice and information to help create a winter holiday that will best suit your needs from the many options described  in the Winter Pages of this web site.  

The mountain areas of southern Norway offer reliable snow conditions for skiing and other activities throughout the winter. There is a wide choice of resorts of various sizes offering both cross-country and downhill skiing as well as other winter activities. Access from the UK is straightforward, usually via Oslo or Bergen airport from where rail and/or bus services will take you to your destination in just a few hours. You can of course hire a car if you wish. Families and groups usually prefer self-catering accommodation in a log cabin or apartment, while couples and small families may find a mountain hotel offers better value for money and a more relaxing holiday.

All our tour suggestions can be varied to suit your own requirements. Prices vary according to the dates of travel, standard of accommodation and many other factors. We do not quote headline prices 'from £xxx' which can be very misleading. An indication of costs is given above. We can normally prepare a costed itinerary  to suit your requirements free of charge.

If you would like us to prepare a tailor-made tour to suit you please contact us.  We will need to know your preferred dates of travel, number of passengers and your most convenient UK airport.

Season:

Christmas / New Year: Mid-December is the earliest you can reliably expect good snow cover, so the Christmas / New Year period is a good time to go. Even at this time there is plenty of daylight for a full day outdoors and the long periods of twilight at the beginning and end of the day create stunning colours in the sky.

January / February: This is the coldest part of the winter but daylight hours gradually increase and snow conditions continue to improve until the school holiday period starts in February.

March / April:  If you are free to travel at any time March offers the best combination of excellent snow, stable weather, plenty of daylight and higher  temperatures. Easter and the week before is best avoided if possible as it is relatively busy and expensive, and often rather too late for good skiing conditions.

Travel to Norway: Several UK airports have direct flights to Oslo and Bergen which give the shortest transfer times to the most popular destinations. Fares start at well under £100 per person return. Ryanair flights from Stansted (or elsewhere) to Oslo Torp (Sandefjord) and Oslo Rygge (Moss) are often the cheapest and most frequent option, though onward travel will take an hour or two longer to most destinations.  Fortunately both these airports are well served by rail services.  We are always happy to advise or research flight options for you and include them in a complete itinerary.

Travel in Norway: Scheduled train or bus services offer straightforward transfers from the airport although a local bus or taxi is often necessary for the last few miles up to the resort.  Costs obviously vary according to the distance, but a typical overall cost would be £100 to £150 per person. Hiring a car is well worth considering for a family or group for convenience and sometimes lower overall cost.  This option will also give you access to a wider range of accommodation (especially log cabins) which are always cheaper away from the resorts.  Family size cars are available from about £380 per week.

Accommodation:

It is especially important for a winter holiday to choose accommodation in the right location as it will be much more enjoyable if skiing or other activities are close by, and it is high enough to be reasonably sure of stable weather and good snow conditions.

Self-catering: There is a wide choice of privately owned log cabins and other holiday homes available with rental agencies, as described on the Self-Catering page on this web site. You can try your own search on the Novasol web site by selecting ‘Mountain Area’  which includes many of the most popular places for a winter holiday.  The start day is usually Saturday or Sunday and a car is often necessary for access and local shopping. Many ski resorts such as Gala and Skeikampen offer more flexible booking periods and more practical locations when using public transport.  Prices vary very widely according to the dates required, with peak weeks in school holidays often three or four times the price of a low season week in January or March. Size is also a factor of course and most holiday homes sleep six people or more, so couples and small families may find a mountain hotel offers better value.  As a very rough guide self-catering accommodation rates start at about £500 a week for a log cabin or apartment in January or March, to over £2000 for a large house at New Year or during the half-term period.  Energy costs, linen hire and final cleaning are often charged extra.

Mountain Hotels: The mountain hotels page on our web site gives details and links for a wide range of options, any of which could be used for a winter holiday. We can especially recommend the Kamben Hotel for a cross country skiing holiday which can be included easily in an itinerary featuring rail travel on the most most spectacular parts of the Oslo to Bergen rail line.  The large hotels at Skeikampen are typical of downhill resort hotels. Rates vary widely according to the standard of the hotel and type of room and also to the dates of travel, but the variations in price are not as great as with self-catering accommodation.  As a very rough guide, prices range from £60 per person per night in a small mountain hotel in low season, to £120 or so in a large hotel in a downhill ski resort. A buffet breakfast and evening meal and either a packed or served lunch in the hotel is always included.

Duration:   A full week is best if possible, but we would always recommend staying at least five nights to give three full days at your destination.