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Pycckuù

Information for Russian tourists Every now and then, we get an email from Russian tourists who want to visit Norway. The most commonly asked questions are answered in this FAQ.

Can you help us with visas? Can you send us an invitation?

Generally we can't. You should obtain visas from the nearest Norwegian consulate, or through a travel agency. If you're applying yourself, the consulate may require you to show hotel reservations, return tickets, certificate from your Russian employer listing your position and salary, etc.

Russians living in Norway cannot send you an invitation. There is no legitimate service that sells these. The invitation can be sent only in the case when you are visiting your friends or relatives who reside in Norway.

Usually, we cannot speed up your visa application. You can, however, call UDI yourself at +47 23351500 and check its status, ask questions pertaining to your case, ask nicely if they can finish it quicker because you are about to miss the trip, etc. Have your passport data and FK-number ready. If necessary, you will be told where to send additional documents, fax a speed-up request, or in some cases be connected to the person who handles your application.
If you are visiting somebody in Norway, you can also ask that person to call UDI.

By the way, Russia has no less ridiculous requirements to Norwegians who want to obtain tourist visas. Your suffering is revenged :-)

Neither Skazka nor other Russian clubs are into the tourist business. The best places to seek information and help are local tourist offices. That's their purpose, after all.

• Trondheim tourist office
• Norwegian Tourist Board
• You can find Web sites of local tourist offices by searching for something like <name of place> tourist office
• You can ask at the Norwegian consulate, too.

See also Travel category in the Russian-Norwegian directory.

To check if tours in Russian are available, contact the tourist office or the museum directly. Not all places offer them; you may need an interpreter if people in your group don't understand English.

Additional information for Oslo:

• There is a Russian guide certified for city sightseeing and museums. You can contact her through the Norwegian-Russian Society of Oslo.

You can travel by surface (train, bus, ferry). This can be inexpensive, and you will see other cities and countries on your way.

The cheapest hotels are probably Singsaker Sommerhotell (open in the summer) and Trondheim Vandrerhjem. See full list of accomodation alternatives in Trondheim. Since 2003 there is an InterRail centre open in Studentersamfundet in the summer, which offers the cheapest possible bed & breakfast accomodation. You can also plan your travel to spend nights on a train or in a bus.

If you are a Russian visiting Trondheim not as a tourist, or are organizer of such a visit, please contact us. Skazka may arrange stay in families and cultural program for guests of youth forums, conferences, participants in cultural exchanges, artists, etc. Please note, however, that we are not able to be the main organizer of a visit, and that our housing possibilities are limited.

What to see in Trondheim? Well, you can walk around the historical city center, visit Nidaros Cathedral, Sverresborg Folkemuseum (old tree houses, local history exhibits, etc.), Ringve museum (national museum of musical instruments founded by a Russian woman) and get up the TV tower. You can spend a day in Røros (a town 120 km away from Trondheim), get to know the old ways of mining by visiting Smelthytta museum and the copper mine, and enjoy the charm of this small town. Besides well-known attractions, there are many smaller places in and around Trondheim appealing to people with special interests. For instance, a friend of mine wanted to see U-boat bunkers in the port area, and asked about the wreck of Tirpitz (it rests up north in Tromsø, but there is a place near Trondheim where Tirpitz once stood). Then, he wanted to go fishing (another person on photo).

Try to visit the following links:
Page about Trondheim in Wikitravel
Tourist info on the official Trondheim website