Looking for tips for your Norway road trip, look no further! Norway is a huge country, in fact it is one of the biggest in Europe at approximately 385,000 square kilometres. Due to its size, there’s a lot to consider when planning a road trip but we’ll help you out in this blog.
If you love wild nature, beautiful landscapes and natural phenomena, then Norway is one of Europe’s must visit countries. Situated in Northern Europe, Norway is in the West of Scandinavia, sharing borders with Sweden, Finland and Russia.
Despite its size as one of Europe’s largest countries, it has a relatively small population. To drive the entire length of Norway by road, the journey would take you approximately 36 hours! Much of Norway is surrounded by water, with the Skagerrak inlet to the South, the North Sea to the South West, the Norwegian Sea lies to the West And the Barents Sea up North.
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Planning Your Norway Road Trip
When is the best time to visit Norway?
The best time to visit Norway depends on a lot of factors. Do you want to witness the Northern Lights or the midnight sun on your Norway road trip, each of these can be seen at different times of the year. Do you want to try winter activities like skiing or snow-mobiling, or would you prefer to hike. Do you want to visit when there are fewer crowds or do you want the best chance of good weather?
Norway is a popular destination in winter as it is covered in a magical blanket of snow. Norweigans love skiing, so if that is your thing or you want to give it a go, winter is a great time to visit Norway. Winter is also a time for lots of other fun and unique activities such as snow shoeing, husky sledging, snowmobiling and tobogganing.
If you want to do a Norway self-drive itinerary then summer is probably one of the best times to do this. Norway can get a lot of rain and summer will give you the most reliable weather compared to any other time of year. If you want to hike, then this is also the best time to go because there is no snow on the mountains so all trails are accessible.
Autumn and spring are also brilliant times to road trip Norway and there are chances you can see the Northern Lights at these times of year, but the weather is much less reliable than when visiting in summer.
If you plan to fly and rent a vehicle then your airport choice depends on what part of Norway you are planning to explore. The most likely airport you would fly to is Oslo, if you want to explore the North you can then get another flight to Tromsø. If you want to explore Western Norway, you can book a flight to Bergen or you can drive from Oslo.
If you’re driving your own vehicle then fear not, Norway can be easily reached from mainland Europe either by driving the whole way or by ferry. From our experience, these options are better in different circumstances. We took the ferry from Hirtshals to Kristiansand and then drove up through Norway to the North. This ferry route was a good option for us because we had just explored Denmark so it made sense geographically.
4 Must-See Locations for your Norway Self-drive Itinerary
Lofoten islands
The Lofoten islands are arguably one of the most famous parts of Norway, iconic mountains that rise straight out of the sea, white sand beaches and turquoise water. Depending on the season, the unique midnight sun and Northern lights bring many tourists every year and we can see why! The Lofoten Islands are simply a must for any Norway road trip itinerary.
Andøya
Andøya is one of the islands that makes up the Vesterålen archipelago. They are not quite as visited as the Lofoten islands next door but they are by no means less beautiful. The landscape definitely changes once you reach Andøya but the white sand beaches and turquoise waters continue.
Hardanger
Hardangerfjord, often referred to as the ‘Queen of the Fjords’ is known for its wild beauty and stunning landscapes. Close by is Hardangervidda, the largest national park in Norway, home to spectacular scenery, massive mountains and amazing waterfalls. There’s no shortage of activities to do in this area to soak up the nature.
Stryn
Stryn is nestled in the centre of Norway’s fjord region, surrounded by lush valleys, turquoise lakes and waterfalls in every direction, it’s perfect for nature lovers. It’s even home to mainland Europe’s largest glacier, Jostedalsbreen.
Activities and Experiences for your Norway Road Trip
Activities
There are so many ways to enjoy this incredible country, no matter what time of year you visit. The best part is that you can enjoy so much of it without even spending a penny, chase waterfalls, swim in lakes and hike mountains. There are also plenty of ways to experience Norwegian culture such as the Lofotr viking museum! If you visit in the winter, you will have the chance to take part in some fun snow activities like husky sledding, snow-mobiling, skiing or snow-shoeing. There's plenty of activities to add to your Norway road trip itinerary.
Cuisine
When you think of traditional food in Norway, you will most likely think of seafood as this is a big part of Norwegian culture.Norway is famous for it’s salmon, crab and cod. In particular, dried cod ‘Tørrfisk’ is one of Norway’s major exports and is very famous in Northern Norway. If you visit the traditional fishing villages in the winter you can see the unique sight of thousands of cod drying in the cold air and the smell that comes with it.
You can also enjoy some rare meats in Norway, including moose and reindeer, if you’re like Rach you might prefer to leave the reindeer to Santa Claus.
Practical Tips for your Norway Road Trip
Accommodation
If you're planning a self-drive itinerary in Norway, there’s lots of choice for accommodation depending on what level of luxury you would like. Hotels and B&B’s are always an option and you will be spoilt for choice for rooms with incredible views. If you are looking to travel Norway on a budget then a road trip either in your own campervan or renting a van might be a cheaper option and it’s completely legal to wild camp in Norway.
If you’re looking to head off even more into the wilderness and leave your van behind, the Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) runs more than 550 cabins all over Norway that you can book into! There are three types of DNT cabins: staffed lodges, self-service cabins and no-service cabins.
Driving tips
Norway has many toll roads, tunnels, and bridges, with electronic toll booths that capture your vehicle's licence plate. There are a few options for paying tolls as a tourist, which you can find out about here https://www.autopass.no/en/user/foreign-vehicles/. We didn’t have this information when we visited so we did rely on the automated invoice based on your number plate, however, we have not recieved this yet nearly a year later.
When navigating Norway's fjords and islands, you may encounter numerous ferry crossings. These are very easy to use and most are pretty affordable. You can find ferry routes for Norway on the Statens Vegvesen website - https://www.vegvesen.no/en/traffic-information/traffic-information/ferry/?lang=en. Another good tip is to simply look on Google maps at the ferry quay and you will be able to see what time the ferry goes on that day. This is easy too because you can see which ferries are along your route and plan your journey.
The Ultimate Guide for your Norway Road Trip
If you’re looking for a more extensive road trip guide to Norway including more detailed information about places to visit and a self-drive Norway itinerary, make sure to check out our full Norway Road Trip Guide and Map. Our Norway road trip map includes a road trip route for up to 3 months road tripping this Western and Northern Norway, hikes, lakes, overnight spots, photo spots and more.
Happy road tripping!
