Norway’s main domestic airlines - SAS, Braathens and Widerøe Norsk Air - fly to nearly 50 airports scattered across the country. Distances are great in Norway, which means air travel should be considered even by budget travellers. Norway also has an extensive bus network, with routes connecting every main city as well as more remote areas. The national rail system is good, though somewhat limited, with main lines running from Oslo to Stavanger, Bergen, Ã…ndalsnes and Bodø.

Major car-rental companies have offices at airports and city centres but rates are expensive. Given its great distances, hilly terrain and narrow roads, Norway is not ideally suited for cycling. The one bonus for cyclists is that traffic is very light. A far-reaching system of ferries and express boats link Norway’s offshore islands, coastal towns and fjord districts. For more than a century, the coastal steamer Hurtigruten has been the lifeline linking the tiny fishing communities scattered along the northern coast. A ship heads north from Bergen every night calling at 33 ports on the six-day journey to Kirkenes. Local transport in the cities and towns is generally efficient and served mainly by public buses. Oslo also has an underground rail system, trams and ferries.