Hi; I am looking to decide on my 2014 trip and I am stuck between either Croatia or Norway. I have heard great things about both places, but wanted to see if anyone here had any thoughts or recommendations? To give you a little insight to me, while I do enjoy good scenery and locations, I do find myself sometime enjoying good roads and twisties more than the view (if that makes sense?). Cheers
Ive heard from ppl who went to either place. Both are great but Id say very different. Norway is MEGA pricey !! ( So I've heard ). Go to Germany, mega twisty roads and great scenery.
Norway is mega pricey. We went to a nephew's wedding in Oslo a few years ago. Pint of beer was £10 and a normal sized pizza was £25.
Norway is very expensive, at least to us! To the locals it isn't, but their wages are better than ours! There are some fantastic roads in Norway, but the speed limits are low ( 50mph mostly) and the speed cameras are the same colour as the rocks, but they do give you good warning that there is one coming up! The mobile ones are not easy to spot, and the fines are hefty to say the least, but if you want a country with great people, great roads, superb scenery then Norway has it all! I haven't taken a bike there, just driven as Nicky has family in Arendal, but it's a country I love and will take the bike one day. The biggest problem you might have is getting there! The ferry from Newcastle used to stop at Kristiansand but now doesn't, so last time her mum and dad went home they had to go Harwich to Hook of Holland, drive up through Denmark and catch another ferry from Hirtshals to Kristiansand which is a bit of a faff to say the least!
Got a mate on another forum looking to arrange a 2014 trip to Norway. If your interested I can PM a link.. Looks a very expensive place btw
I rode up through Norway the year before last, I'd say apart from beer the prices are around the same as here, stunning scenery, friendly people, roads are very quiet, once you've left the south I never saw a speed camera or a cop for that matter. Getting there isn't good though as there are no longer any direct ferries except for freight. Probably not as warm as Croatia though and that was in August. Lots of long straight roads though to get where you want to go which is further north, then it gets more twisty, especially in and out of the fjords and along the coast road, which does need lots of short hops on ferries.
Croatia is a fantastic country. Can also be expensive if you stray into the tourist areas. The Adriatic coast around to Slovenia and then the Gulf of Venice is stunning. So good that I am going again in July 2014. Holland - Germany - Austria - Slovenia - Croatia - Italy - France.
Done a bit more digging as I too have been interested in this country, but I think the cost currently is too prohibitive for me. The standard VAT rate in Norway is 25%. There is a reduced rate of 15% for food and drink. There is also an 8% VAT rate for: passenger transport; hotel accommodation; and other. Their fuel costs are the highest in Europe Fuel-prices-europe.info - Current Fuel Prices in Europe To put it in context though, as a national your income tax is lower (so I am told) so the tax is recovered against what you actually purchase on the whole. Great if your a local, but not really an ideal national economy to stimulate tourism.
Never been to Norway but the Dalmatian coastal road is fantastic; drop down from Dubrovnik into Montenegro to get away from the crowds and great mountain roads. ..and its lovely and warm from Spring onwards!
The scenery in Norway is truly incredible... And most of the local populace speak English... But it's cold most of the time. Croatia also has some pretty spectacular scenery... And it's cheaper than Norway... You won't be disappointed by either.
