From a visit to Scandinavia in the autumn to bringing the dog on a Spanish holiday, JOAN SCALESanswers your travel questions
Norway on a budget
We are looking to visit Norway in late August or early September for about a week. Can you recommend any specialist tour operators as we are finding it impossible to locate one? We welcome any advice on areas to visit, and would consider a package holiday or escorted tour. We have a budget of about €2,000 in total.
AOB, Louth
That would be a good time of the year to visit Norway, when it will be less busy but the weather is still warm. There is a specialist tour operator to Norway in Ireland, Project Travel (01-2108391, project-travel.ie), which has a number of tours ranging from four to seven nights.
The bad news is that it’s quite an expensive destination and with your budget in mind the four-night “Norway in a Nutshell” tour, which costs from €795pps, would give you a great introduction to the country. Travel is by air, train, bus and boat.
The tour begins with two nights in Oslo, where you can explore the city and visit the Kon-Tiki Museum, the Vigeland Sculpture Park, and the Fram Polar Exploration Museum.
From Oslo, you take the train across the country to the west coast city of Bergen. One of the highlights will be the Flam Railway, a 20km route that will take you through great mountain scenery and to see the waterfall at Kjosfossen. There will also be a boat trip to the Aurlandsfjord and Europe’s narrowest fjord, now on the Unesco World Heritage list.
The cost includes flights from Dublin with Scandinavian Airlines, three-star hotels in Oslo and Bergen, and the train, boat and bus tours.
The other option is to book it yourself. Three airlines fly to the various airports in the Oslo area. Scandinavian Airlines (flysas.ie) flies to the main airport at Gardermoen and fares are about €190 at that time of the year. Norwegian Airlines (norwegian.com) flies there too and has fares for about €95. Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to Rygge airport, with fares this week from about €50.
While getting there will not be expensive, accommodation and the cost of living in Norway can make it an expensive destination. Expect to pay in the region of €100-€160 per night in Oslo for three-star accommodation. Scandic Hotels (scandichotels.com) is always a good bet for quality rooms and often has special offers.
In Oslo, you could take advantage of the Oslo Pass which includes free transport, entry to museums and various other sights of interest. You can purchase it on visitoslo.com, where you will also find details of things to do in the city. The Norwegian tourism website is norway.org.uk/travel.
Soccer-free in Liverpool
I want to take advantage of a family trip to Liverpool. I don’t like soccer and wonder if the city has any places of interest, such as a history museum/art exhibitions, and good places to eat that you can recommend.
LR, Dublin
Liverpool has a lot more to offer than you might expect. The city has being going through a renaissance in the past 10 years. It is a Unesco World Heritage City, due to its maritime history and its status as a major trading city in the 18th and 19th centuries. It has great architecture and many listed buildings.
Museums to visit include the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the World Museum and the International Slavery Museum. The Liverpool Walker Art Gallery houses part of the British national collection with paintings by Rembrandt, Degas, Turner and Hockney to name a few. The Tate Liverpool is an outpost of modern art in the city. See visitliverpool.com for some other ideas.
Liverpool has a fine variety of restaurants and you could try any of the following. The Panoramic at West Tower, Brook Street (00-44-151-2365534, panoramicliverpool.com) has breathtaking views. Delifonseca at 12 Stanley Street, (00-44-151-2550808, delifonseca.co.uk) is good for lunch, while 60 Hope Street (00-44-151-7076060, 60hopestreet.com) is one for fine dining. The Philharmonic Dining Rooms at 36 Hope Street (00-44-151-7072837) is a pub with preserved Victorian interior and noted for traditional British cuisine, and the Monro at 92-94 Duke Street (00-44-151-7079933, themonro.com) is a gastro pub and famous for its puddings.
Taking the dog to Spain
We would like to take our large dog – weighing 50kg – with us on holidays to Nerja in Spain. I have checked out both English companies which transport dogs by land and sea in special vans, and also the international company, Airsea, which transports from Dublin Airport, but the costs are prohibitive – almost €1,000 one way from Dublin to Malaga by air, not including crate, and very similar by land transport. Is there a way we could send him by air ourselves, or how would you recommend transporting him? He has all the relevant papers – passport, vaccinations, etc – in preparation.
ES, Dublin
There is no way you can send the dog by air yourself from Ireland. Aer Lingus, Iberia and Ryanair do not carry pets. The only option for you is to drive to Spain with the dog which is less than the cost of sending him by air. Dogs are welcome on Irish Ferries (0818-300400, irishferries.com) services to France. There is an administration and kennel charge of €70 for a big dog.
Celtic Link Ferries (celticlink ferries.com) operating from Rosslare to Cherbourg does not charge for carrying dogs. He will be allocated a kennel on the car deck and you can visit him. Dogs must be booked in advance at 053-9162688.