Oslo to Bergen transfer: private car vs train for American travellers

Oslo to Bergen is about 456 km (284 mi) by road, a drive of about 7 hours 42 minutes on a clear road by routed estimate from central Oslo to Bryggen in Bergen. The fastest road route heads west past Geilo and crosses the Hardangervidda plateau before dropping to the fjords. The train, the famous Bergen Line run by Vy, takes about 6.5 to 7.5 hours with six to seven departures a day.

So which should you book? For most travellers, the honest answer is the train: it is quicker, it reaches places no road does, and the views from the carriage are the reason many people make the trip at all. A private driver is worth it when you want to stop at the fjords on the way, travel as a family or group with heavy luggage, or turn the crossing into a two-day road trip. The one-way Oslo to Bergen fare is fixed and shown on the Elly8.net web booker before you pay.

How long is Oslo to Bergen by car, and by train?

A second road route, past Flåm and the inner Sognefjord area, is about 476 km (296 mi) and 8 hours 5 minutes by routed estimate. It is slower but brings you close to the Nærøyfjord, one of the most dramatic fjords in the country.

See Oslo prices and reserve

The honest case for the train

The Bergen Line is not just transport. Vy, which runs it, describes Northern Europe's highest railway line, 471.25 km long, with 182 tunnels and a highest point of 1,237 metres above sea level. It opened in 1909 after some 15 years of construction, and it crosses Hardangervidda, which Vy calls Europe's largest high mountain plateau. Finse, a stop on the line, puts you straight onto the plateau with no road access at all.

Vy also sells comfort upgrades, family carriages with a playroom, a café on board, space for luggage and a porter service, and on night trains lie-flat seats or berths in 2- or 6-berth compartments. For one or two travellers with ordinary luggage, and certainly for anyone who wants to see the mountains in comfort, take the train. It costs much less per person than a private car and it is usually the faster way between the two city centres. If you have heavy bags, a train station transfer from your Oslo hotel to Oslo S removes the first carry.

The train does have limits. You cannot stop for a fjord or a viewpoint, you carry your own bags between hotel, platform and carriage at both ends, and with six or seven departures a day, your timing follows the timetable.

When a private car is worth it

You want the fjords, not just Bergen. The road can take you down to Flåm, close to the Nærøyfjord. UNESCO lists Nærøyfjord and Geirangerfjord together as the West Norwegian Fjords and describes them as among the world's longest and deepest, with rock walls rising up to 1,400 metres from the sea. Many travellers make a separate excursion for this; by car it fits into the transfer.

You are travelling as a family or group. Elly8.net prices are per vehicle, never per person. A Business SUV or Van carries six passengers and six large bags, and an Executive Sprinter twelve passengers and twelve large bags. One vehicle replaces a stack of train tickets and two rounds of station transfers.

You have skis, golf clubs or a lot of luggage. Tell the desk at booking and the vehicle is chosen to fit.

You want a road trip with someone else at the wheel. The drive is a long day on mountain roads. A professional chauffeur who knows winter driving lets you watch the scenery instead of the road.

You are starting at the airport. From Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL) the routed distance to Bergen is about 467 km (290 mi) and 7 hours 53 minutes. A car can collect you in arrivals and head west without a trip into the city first.

Two routes over the mountains

Via Geilo and Hardangervidda (the faster road). By routed estimate, Oslo to Geilo is about 216 km (134 mi) and 3 hours 37 minutes, and Geilo to Bergen about 240 km (149 mi) and 4 hours 5 minutes. Most of the climb is on Route 7 across the plateau. Geilo, also a stop on the Bergen Line, is the natural lunch stop, roughly halfway.

Via Flåm (the fjord road). Oslo to Flåm is about 311 km (193 mi) and 5 hours 12 minutes, and Flåm to Bergen about 164 km (102 mi) and 2 hours 47 minutes, some 474 km (295 mi) and 8 hours of driving in all. This route spends more time in valleys and tunnels, and Flåm sits by the fjords that UNESCO protects. It is the better choice for travellers who want a fjord stop but not a separate excursion.

Voss lies on both the railway and the road towards Bergen, about 360 km (224 mi) and 6 hours 9 minutes from Oslo by routed estimate, and makes a late-afternoon break before the last stretch.

Doing it in two days

Seven to eight hours of driving plus stops makes for a very long single day, especially in winter daylight. Many travellers split the transfer:

• Day 1, Oslo to Geilo or Flåm. Leave mid-morning, stop for lunch in the valley, and arrive with time to walk or see the fjord before dinner.
• Day 2, on to Bergen. Two and three quarter to four hours of driving, with stops at viewpoints or in Voss, arriving in Bergen in the afternoon.

Ask the desk to quote the two legs on the web booker; the price for each leg is fixed when you book. Hotels along the way are your choice, and our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net can arrange them.

Winter: what changes on the mountain roads

Norway's mountain passes are well maintained, but winter is real up there. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration explains that in difficult conditions some mountain roads run as a convoy, with a snow plough or lead vehicle in front and at the rear, a limit on how many vehicles can join, and, on busy days, a long wait to set off. There are no petrol or charging stations on convoy routes, so vehicles need a full tank or battery before they join.

Its advice on driving on winter roads includes winter tyres with at least 3 mm of tread, extra clothes and food in the car, and fuelling up or charging before a mountain pass. Chauffeurs on this route plan for all of that, including charging stops for electric vehicles, which are common in Norway. Even so, a closure can add hours or force a change of route, and on those days the train is usually the more dependable choice. From November to April, keep the train in mind as your fallback, or build a spare half day into the plan.

Arriving in Bergen

Bergen is not an Elly8.net city, so this is a one-way transfer from Oslo, and the chauffeur drops you at your Bergen hotel or the address you choose. The old wharf, Bryggen, is on UNESCO's World Heritage list as a reminder of Bergen's place in the Hanseatic League's trading empire; UNESCO notes that some 62 of its wooden buildings remain.

What an Oslo to Bergen car costs

The fixed, all-in price for your date, route and vehicle appears on the web booker before you pay. It includes the chauffeur, vehicle, taxes and standard gratuity; tolls and parking are billed at cost. Because this is a long one-way drive, it is priced as a city to city car service rather than from the Oslo city price list.

For scale, the published Oslo rates are: the hourly chauffeur from US$95 an hour in a business sedan to US$190 in an Executive Sprinter, 3-hour minimum; the full-day chauffeur from US$700 to US$1,400; and Gardermoen to the city centre from US$265 to US$690. Those are city prices; the Bergen fare is calculated for the whole route.

As a rule of thumb, the car makes financial sense for groups. For a party of five or six with luggage, one Business SUV can compare well with five or six train tickets plus taxis at both ends. For a couple, the train will almost always cost less.

Planning tips for American travellers

• Daylight. Winter days are short in Norway, and part of a winter drive will be in the dark. In summer, long evenings make stops easy.
• Book the train early if you choose it, and look at Vy's ticket options for comfort seats or sleeper berths.
• Pack layers. Even in summer the plateau can be cold and windy at the viewpoints.
• Getting to the start. If you fly into Gardermoen and take the train to Bergen, the Flytoget or a car brings you into Oslo first; see our guide to Oslo taxis and rideshare and to Uber in Oslo.
• A day in Oslo first. Our Oslo day tours with a private driver covers the fjord towns and museums around the capital.

How booking works

Rides in Oslo are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk.

1. Pickup and drop-off. Enter your Oslo hotel or OSL with your flight number, your Bergen address and any stops such as Flåm.
2. Vehicle. Choose the class by passengers and bags; add child seats, skis or extra luggage.
3. Reserve. The web booker shows the fixed price; pay by card in US$ and confirmation arrives by email.

Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup; 10% at 72 hours or less; 50% at 48 hours or less; 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, with refunds to the original card. See the cancellation policy and the Oslo chauffeur service. Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer, seven for Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley; see the fleet.

Book any address

Elly8.net books the car only; our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net handles flights and hotels. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.