Your Ultimate Guide to Planning a Norway Road Trip in 2025

Planning a Norway road trip? There’s a lot to consider when planning a road trip to Norway, especially due to the size of the country. In this blog we'll outline some of the most helpful tips to help you plan an epic road trip in this beautiful country. 🗺️

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 can be seen at different times of the year. Do you want to try winter activities like skiing or snowmobiling, or would you prefer to hike? Do you want to visit with 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. Norwegians love skiing, so if that is your thing or you want to try it, winter is a great time to visit Norway. Winter is also a time for fun and unique activities such as snowshoeing, husky sledging, snowmobiling and tobogganing. 

If you want to road trip to Norway, summer is one of the best times. Norway can get a lot of rain, summer will give you the most reliable weather compared to any other time of year. If you want to hike, 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. 

How to get to Norway

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. 

For more tips on getting to Norway and preparing for your road trip, read our detailed blog below 

👉 Must-know tips for road tripping Norway in a campervan

4 Must-See Locations for your Norway Road Trip

Lofoten islands

The Lofoten islands are arguably one of the most famous parts of Norway, with 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 make up the Vesterålen archipelago. They are not quite as visited as the Lofoten islands next door but by no means less beautiful. The landscape changes once you reach Andøya, but the white sand beaches and turquoise waters continue. 

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. 

Hardanger 

Hardangerfjord, often called 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 in this area to soak up nature.

Activities and Experiences for your Norway Road Trip

Activities 

There are many ways to enjoy this incredible country, no matter what time of year you visit. The best part is that you can enjoy it without spending a penny, chase waterfalls, swim in lakes and hike mountains.

If you're wondering how much it costs to road trip Norway on a budget, check out our blog below.

👉 6 week Norway road trip cost on a budget

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 for fun snow activities like husky sledding, snowmobiling, skiing or snow-shoeing. There are 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 its 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 

When planning your road trip around 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 on the official Autopass website.

🚐 Due to Norway's fjords and islands, you may encounter 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. Another good tip is to look on Google Maps at the ferry quay 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.