The Nordland Railway, Trondheim to Bodo
At almost ten hours, the Nordland Railway between Trondheim and Bodo is Norway‘s longest continuous train service. The 729km route crosses 293 bridges, travels through 154 tunnels and even crosses the Arctic circle on its journey northwards. In the winter passengers will get to the chance to see the country’s incredible northern lights, and in the summer experience the famed midnight sun. In the summer months the sun never sets in Bodo. This is such an incredible journey, it’s no wonder Netflix made The Northern Line, a great documentary about the line.
Prices from: 25 euros
Carriages: 8
Departing from: Trondheim Station
Journey length: 1 night
Nordland Railway Trondheim to Bodo route
The Trondheim to Bodo train leaves at 23:40 pm, arriving at Bodo at 9.16am. If you travel on a night train during the summer you will discover that north of the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets.
Nordland Railway train
This comfortable and modern train consists of five main carriages, one dining car and two sleeper cars.
Sleeper carriages on the Nordland Railway
Travellers on the Trondheim to Bodo railway line can choose from two ways to spend the night – in a seat or sleeping carriage.
Seat carriages – you can choose from standard seats or ‘VY Komfort Natt ‘seats. With a standard seat (where you will sit next to another passenger) you’ll be given a pillow, light blanket, sleep mask and earplugs in a bag. These are yours to keep after the journey. If you book a superior seat you will get two seats next to each other for yourself, giving you more space. As well as the overnight bag you will also get an 80 NOK voucher for the VY Kafé (in the restaurant car) plus a coffee, tea or hot chocolate for free. Surcharge to the standard seats is 220 NOK.
Sleeper Carriages – on the Nordland train you can travel comfortably in a private sleeping carriage with two berths that feature high-quality mattresses, quilts and pillows. The price of the carriage is NOK 930 per compartment. If you are travelling alone, you will need to pay this yourself as you cannot share with strangers on this train. There is a sink in the carriage and the WCs are in the corridor.
Food and drink
You will find the popular VY Kafé in the restaurant car. Here, you can enjoy a selection of tasty Norwegian hot and cold dishes, snacks and salads as well as tea, coffee and alcoholic drinks. You can also pre order a hot meal too.
Dress code
There is no dress code on this train so you can travel in whatever you feel comfortable in. Norwegian winters are bitter so make sure you take suitable clothing to protect yourself from the biting snow and cold.
Fellow passengers
Travellers from all across the world enjoy journeying on this very special train so you’ll meet all nationalities on board. The train is particularly popular in the summer and staying up throughout the night to see the midnight sun is a great way to get talking to those on board.
What’s included
The price of your train tickets and your accommodation is included in the fare. This is an extremely popular train journey, so it pays to book at least three months ahead.
Pros and cons
This is one of the best railway journeys in the world and whatever season you’re travelling in, you won’t be disappointed. The accommodation is very comfortable, the food on board is great and you’ll get to see one of the two natural wonders of the world. The only con is that solo travellers who would like to travel in a sleeper carriage have to pay more than a couple.