How much Norwegian Kroner per day?

[drefinnej15]

Hi! I'm visiting Norway Fjords next year and I was curious as to how much Norwegian Kroner I will need approximately for each day in each port. I will only be buying little things like t-shirts, (baseball) hats, keychains/fridge magnets. If anyone could guess, what would be the daily amount of Kroner I should have on me for these types of purchases...any guesses? Thanks:D

[LHT28]

How many trinkets are you buying?

You could use a credit card.

 

exchange rates

http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic

we will be doing some HOHO tours so planning on having several hundred Kroner on hand

It is all subjective

 

 

Lyn

[fllady]

First to say it is expensive in Norway. We were there last month and the Kroner is equal to about $6.00 give or take a few cents then. We bought lunch for 4 people, nothing fancy, just 2 sandwiches, 2 salads, 2 beers and a small pizza. Bill was (900 KR)= $147. american. I would wait till you are ready to go and check out the exchange rate. Using a credit card is also a good idea. Remember to let your credit card company know when you are traveling abroad.

[Giantfan13]

as was said, try and charge as much as you can. If you don't want to pay a foreign transaction fee from the credit card company for each charge, get a Capital One credit card. They are the only bank that doesn't charge any fees for using their card overseas.

 

In answer to your question, see what the exchange rate is before you go and get enough Kroner to buy a few things. If you see you need more then just hit any ATM machine and get how much you need. Again, try and charge as much as possible.

[kaisatsu]

How much your daily budget should be is really up to you. I know a lot of people who've cruised in Norway and chose to eat a large breakfast, skip lunch, and then run straight to late afternoon tea as soon as they set foot back on the ship.

 

However, I can try to give you some numbers to help you plan and make the decisions about how much you want to spend. Definitely check the exchange rate closer to your sailing date, because the USD-NOK exchange rate has fluctuated wildly over the last 1½ years. It shot up from 5 NOK/USD to over 7 in about six months, and at the moment it's back down to 5.8.

 

I've not actually shopped for souvenir t-shirts or hats, but I would guess that the price would be around 150 NOK (someone correct me if that's way off). Fridge magnets and keychains are in the range of 25-50 NOK. And as the previous replies mention, credit cards are widely accepted and may be a very good option if your bank or card company doesn't charge exorbitant fees. (We opened a Capital One card to use overseas, and some of our friends opened one specifically for their visit here.)

 

Honestly, unless you're planning to buy shirts in every port, you'll probably end up spending more on food. At a convenience store, a coffee usually runs about 20 NOK and a bottle of water or soda is about 22 NOK (or ~13 NOK at groceries). Note that the shelf price of bottled drinks doesn't include the deposit, so some small bottles may ring up 1 NOK more expensive.

 

For food, the cheapest options are boller (simple bread buns) for around 10-15 NOK, or the ever-popular pølse (hot dog) for 15-20 NOK. A take-away sandwich runs about 50 NOK (Deli de Luca has some nice options).

 

At restaurants, expect to pay about 25 NOK for soft drinks and 50 NOK for beer. A very inexpensive restaurant will charge 75-100 NOK for a dish, but the more common low-end range is 120-150 NOK. Mid-range restaurants land in the 150-220 NOK/dish area. (Though tipping is relatively low at 5-10%.)

 

Tap water in Norway is not just drinkable, it's usually very tasty (and even wins taste tests against bottled options). So it's definitely an option at restaurants, and you might even consider bringing along a refillable bottle so you don't have to buy bottled water. I would also recommend packing a snack from the ship if possible (a bread roll or piece of fruit).

[drefinnej15]

Thank you all for your very helpful info..We only plan to eat on the ship and perhaps just the bare minimum amount of snacks while in port...and we'll be buying basic trinkets in port also..I will definitely look into getting the capital one card..i was hesitant to use a credit card due to the high transaction fees overseas on other cards as well as the new system that they use in europe where i hear from time to time they give americans trouble using their credit cards with the magnetic strip because they all now use the chip card readers there instead because of all the credit card fraud...so we'll see!

[KCcruisin07]

What ports are you visiting?

[drefinnej15]

Hi..we are staying for several days in London prior to the cruise..Then off from Southampton to the following ports: Stavanger, Hellsylt, Geiranger, Trondheim, Honningsvag (North Cape), Tromso, Flaam, Bergen and then back to London...Can't wait!!!

[uppitycats]

I appreciate this information very much! We're going to Norway in April 2010, cruising up the west coast, and then back to Oslo, so this is very helpful.

 

I was about to close my CapitalOne account (they substantially raised our interest rates and annual fee - yet we pay off our card every month!) ..

 

but seeing this information about them not charging a conversion fee ...well, I think I'll just put it away and bring it out for this trip! :)

[KCcruisin07]

For the ports you are seeing we had found our best souvenirs at Bergen at the shops in the wooden buildings along the wharf. For others we also found some souvenirs at the Alta Museum. I have to agree that everything was expensive compared to the US.

[kaisatsu]

Today's currency conversion rate's : 1 Nkr= 6 USDollars- Change is not beneficial for US Dolar- Anyway...Norway is fantastic.

I think you have that backwards. :) 1 US dollar = 6 Norwegian kroner. (Actually closer to 5½ at the moment). I wish it was the other way around, though! I'd be rich!!! :D

[user8]

When I used to work in Norway, the first thing we would do for people coming over from the States was to ask how much money they had brought. Then, we would take them to our personel department to get a much larger amount. Things in Norway are extremely expensive!!

And I second the comment about the water. It is so good but we often had to ask for it as it was not always put on the table.

Norway has lots of souvenirs to seduct the tourists and many are really nice. A couple of the nicer things imo are their pewter and their seal skin house shoes. Just be prepared to open your wallet though.

[TLCOhio]

I know a lot of people who've cruised in Norway and chose to eat a large breakfast, skip lunch, and then run straight to late afternoon tea as soon as they set foot back on the ship. Honestly, unless you're planning to buy shirts in every port, you'll probably end up spending more on food. At a convenience store, a coffee usually runs about 20 NOK and a bottle of water or soda is about 22 NOK (or ~13 NOK at groceries). Note that the shelf price of bottled drinks doesn't include the deposit, so some small bottles may ring up 1 NOK more expensive. For food, the cheapest options are boller (simple bread buns) for around 10-15 NOK, or the ever-popular pølse (hot dog) for 15-20 NOK. A take-away sandwich runs about 50 NOK (Deli de Luca has some nice options). At restaurants, expect to pay about 25 NOK for soft drinks and 50 NOK for beer. A very inexpensive restaurant will charge 75-100 NOK for a dish, but the more common low-end range is 120-150 NOK. Mid-range restaurants land in the 150-220 NOK/dish area. (Though tipping is relatively low at 5-10%.)

 

THANKS, as always, kaisatsu, for the great details and very specific suggestions! I am saving a copy of these ideas in my trip files. It's very helpful. I especially like the idea of the large breakfast, skipping or doing a light/quick lunch and then "re-fueling" at the late afternoon tea. Then, you'll have plenty of energy for the later dinner. In St. Petersburg, we took box lunches from the ship on one of the days. It was more to save time, but it also saves your budget. It was a neat, special lunch as the van was set-up with a table in middle, eating lunch in Palace Square in front of the Hermitage on a beautiful sunny day. Terry in Ohio