blog > Brussels to Oslo by train/ferry/bus (24 July 2023)

Brussels to Oslo by train/ferry/bus

I've been to Norway many times by now, and always by plane. But for this year's trip, I wanted to try doing it not by plane. Mostly for ecological reasons, as I've heard that planes are bad for the environment.

Index #

Index
Outward journey route & costs
Return journey route & costs
Comparing with plane
Other ferries
But was is better for the environment than a plane
Would I do it again

Index

Outward journey route & costs #

The reason it took 2 days is because a) there was construction work on the DB rail network so Brussels-Köln took around 3h instead of 1h50m, b) the first trains (on Thursday) didn't leave that early to have enough ease of mind that I will catch all connections and arrive on time at the ferry, c) I postponed too much so the first trains of the day (Thursday) were fully booked already.

Dep.	Arr.	By	From	To	Km^[1]	Cost
12:31	13:29	Train (NMBS)	Brugge	Bruxelles-Midi	90Km	€16
14:25	17:13^[2]	Train (ICE 17)	Bruxelles Midi	Köln-Ehrenfeld^[3]	180Km	€79.70
17:24	17:30	Train (S 12)	Köln-Ehrenfeld	Köln Hbf		€79.70
(one night in Köln)
8:21	10:22	Train (RE 7)	Köln Hbf	Münster(Westf) Hbf	125Km	€59.70
11:05	13:26 (13:54)	Train (WBF RE15)	Münster(Westf) Hbf	Emden Außenhafen	160Km	€59.70
17:00^[4]	10:45	Ferry (HNL^[5])	Emden	Kristiansand	540Km	€190
12:00	16:05	Bus (NOR-WAY)	Kristiansand	Oslo	250Km	€42.63^[6]

^[1] Point-to-point distance, not travelled distance
^[2] This route usually takes around 1h50m but it was longer due to ongoing construction work on the DB train network
^[3] This train usually goes to Köln Hbf but there was ongoing construction work on the DB train network
^[4] On the ferry, check-in closed at 16:00 and foot passengers were recommended to arrive before 15:30. There were also not many train connections, hence the early arrival at Emden
^[5] Holland Norway Lines ferry, filed for bancruptcy in Sep 2023
^[6] Converted from a roundtrip cost of 972 NOK divided by 2

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Return journey route & costs #

Departure Tue 18th July 2023, arrival Wed 19th July 2023.

Dep.	Arr.	By	From	To	Km^[1]	Cost
14:00	18:05	Bus (NOR-WAY)	Oslo	Kristiansand	250Km	€42.63^[2]
(I spent two nights in Kristiansand)
17:00	10:15	Ferry (HNL^[3])	Kristiansand	Emden	540Km	€190
(4km walk to Emden Hbf because there was no timely connection at Emden Außenhafen)
12:34	16:16 (17:22)^[4]	Train (IC 2203)	Emden Hbf	Köln Hbf	275Km	€61.90
17:18	20:35	Train (Thalys 9484)	Köln Hbf	Bruxelles-Midi	180Km	€0^[5]
19:41	22:35 (22:52)	Train (ICE 10)	Köln Hbf	Bruxelles-Midi	180Km	€135.30^[6]
23:08	00:07	Train (NMBS)	Bruxelles-Midi	Brugge	90Km	€16

^[1] Point-to-point distance, not travelled distance
^[2] Converted from a roundtrip cost of 972 NOK divided by 2
^[3] Holland Norway Lines ferry, filed for bancruptcy in Sep 2023
^[4] An hour into the journey, we didn't move for 45 minutes because of switch repairs. This delay slowly accrued to 52 minutes and before the final stop it came to over an hour delay, making me miss the connection with the Thalys that was going to bring me to Brussels.
^[5] I booked premium class on the Thalys because it was only €3 more than standard and it would be a nice closure to the journey. One side effect was that premium tickets allows you to change or refund it up to one hour after departure. So that's what I did. Original ticket price was €75.
^[6] Since I missed the Thalys and this was the first next train, I bought the most expensive ticket because it would give me access to the DB Lounge (and first class for this 'final' leg sounded nice). I've spent 2 hours before waiting in Köln Hbf on previous journeys and I really did not want to do that at this moment so I paid more to have comfort (and free drinks/snacks) in the lounge. The cheapest ticket for this journey would've been around €80 I think.

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Comparing with plane #

I've always taken Scandinavian Airlines when going Brussels-Oslo. Based on those experiences and a quick check, I'd guess the journey would've costed around €110 outwards and €90 return (both including 1 piece of checked-in luggage). Way cheaper than €372 and €429. And it goes directly from Brussels to Oslo, no need for trains or busses. In less than 2 hours (flying time).

The ferry was a really exciting experience though, it was the first time I've been on a boat in open waters.

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Other ferries #

See visitnorway.com: getting here by ferry . All other ferries are from Denmark/Sweden. I've taken trains to the middle of Denmark before and that's also a long journey, so I was glad to see there was a ferry from Germany (originally The Netherlands), even if that meant I needed additional transport to get to Oslo.

update: HNL filed for bankruptcy, so no ferries between NL-NO anymore.

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But was is better for the environment than a plane #

I have no idea. This calculation requires a plethora of factors. I'm just gonna assume that it was.

Bahn boasts that the ICE runs on 100% green electricity. The ferry I took was the M/S Romantika (operated by Holland Norway Lines), which was launched in 2001 (to give you an idea about engine efficiency I guess).

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Would I do it again #

Possibly. I would say 'yes' faster if it wasn't for the train part of the journey, that part gives me the most amount of stress. It is nice that you don't have to deal with baggage limits, as long as you are able to haul it all yourself.

update: since HNL filed for bankruptcy, I'm not sure what route I'd take instead...

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