From Bergen to Oslo up to the magnificent Lofoten Islands in the north of Norway. Some great insights on transportation during this three-week journey: from car rental and ferries over Norway’s splendid Scenic routes. An great overview in this blogpost.
In general
Norway is a huge country with splendid national parks, magnificent fjords, impressive mountain passes, great beaches and pleasant cities.
Driving distances are long and take a lot of time. The average speed limit is around 60 kilometers/hour. You often cross mountain passes with superb views so there is a lot to see.
So in essence, you have to choose what you want to do.
We started our itinerary in Bergen and traveled from there to Oslo. In Oslo, we took a flight up north to the Lofoten Islands in the north.
You can easily flip the itinerary around and travel from Oslo to Bergen. You then take a flight to the Lofoten in Bergen.
You can even start first with traveling to the Lofoten Islands and then do the Oslo-Bergen itinerary.
For the Bergen – Oslo itinerary you need at least 12 days. For the Lofoten Islands, 5 days is a minimum.
For our detailed itinerary, read our blogpost ‘Explore Norway & the Lofoten Islands – top tips for a great itinerary’.
By plane
Norway is easily reachable by plane. All major international airlines fly to Bergen or Oslo.
For travel to the Lofoten Islands, we recommend you take an internal flight.
We booked Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) from Oslo to Evenes (Harstad/Narvik) at the Lofoten. There are regular flights between other major Norwegian cities too.
By car
First, decide whether you will travel with your own car. Alternatively, you can take a plane and rent a car. All options are possible.
All major and even local airports have the usual car rental facilities, offering all major brands. However, we noticed 2 things
- drop off costs are huge. Pick up a car in Bergen and drop it off in Oslo is expensive
- on top, it’s not easy to rent a van in Evenes, the availability is limited. As such, prices are very high
When traveling from Europe, it’s perfectly feasible to travel to Norway with your own car. That makes sense for Sweden and Finland. Even from the southern parts of Europe, taking your own car is pretty easy. You just have to decide if you will drive all the way. Alternatively, make it easy on yourself and take a ferry to cross the distance.
By ferry
A ferry to Norway
Drive the whole distance? No, a bit too far. So we choose for a very comfortable way of travelling. to get to Norway. We took a ferry to travel to Bergen. But we didn’t only take a ferry to get to Norway, we also took several ferries in Norway.
There are several reliable ferry companies to reach Norway from the European continent. In general, you travel from Germany or Denmark. Several ferries operate the routes.
We traveled from Hirtshals, in the far north of Denmark, to Bergen and chose the excellent ferry company Fjord Line. You can find timetables and routes on their website.
In returning, we took a ferry from Color Line between Oslo and Kiel, in the north of Germany.
There is a variety of cabins on both ferries. Options range from family cabins for up to 5 persons with bunk beds to more luxurious cabins. On top, you can also book breakfast and dinner in the buffet restaurant.
On the route Hirtshals – Bergen, we traveled on the MS Bergensfjord in the Captain’s Corner suite.
It provided a superb view on the front of the ship. We also enjoyed a miniluxe cabin with a sea view. The ferry leaves in the evening around 19 pm. It arrives in Bergen around 13 pm. There is a first stopover in Stavanger earlier in the morning.
We traveled on the Color Fantasy on the route Oslo – Kiel. We stayed in a family cabin with bunk beds. It was good for 5 people. We left Oslo around 14 pm and arrived in Kiel around 10 in the morning.
We booked breakfast and dinner in the buffet restaurant.
Both ferry companies are very good. Breakfast and dinner were very good, with an extensive and good range of dishes. On top, there are various places to enjoy the views, inside and outside.
The Color Line ferry offered an extensive outside deck, with sunbeds and chairs and even had an indoor swimming pool.
The Fjord Line ferry had a decent, covered outside deck with nice rotan sun loungers. Both ships have a range of restaurants and shops. In the shops, products are offered tax-free.
I preferred the ferry Fjord Line between Hirtshals and Bergen. The ferry is smaller and much less crowded. We even had the outside deck for ourselves (where on the ferry home the outside deck was overcrowded). In the evening, part of the upper deck is shielded, so it offers a cosy place to sit. The food was excellent. The ferry had a very pleasant restaurant at the back. It offered a view of the sea and had very friendly staff.
Ferries in Norway
No travel in Norway without taking a ferry. Local ferries are a common way of transportation within Norway.
Ferries are a very comfortable way of crossing fjords. Depending on the fjord you cross, there are several ferries available. They move back and forth frequently. Usually, waiting times are not too long. You just drive your car up the ferry and enjoy the magnificent view.
Sometimes, a local ferry is the ideal way to explore the fjord.
We further took several during our holidays. We visited the fjord area, for example, from Laerdan to Skjolden. We also traveled between Stranda and Alesund.
And from Hellesylt, a car ferry leaves to Geiranger, crossing Norway’s queen of fjords, the UNESCO world heritage Geirangerfjord.
It’s a cheap and excellent way to enjoy one of the most famous fjords in the world. We enjoyed the ferry ride of about an hour from a very comfortable sun deck.
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Norwegian Scenic Routes
Norway selected 18 Scenic Routes. These are roads that run through landscapes with unique natural qualities, along coasts and fjords, mountains and waterfalls.
The routes are intended as alternatives to the main roads. The drive usually takes a lot more time than the usual ‘direct’ road, but the views are splendid.
When mapping your itinerary, it’s important to map these routes upfront. They often connect one beautiful destination with another.
Scenic route Aurlandsfjelle. The snow road between the fjords. From fjord to fjord across a barren mountain noticeably marked by the snow, and with the view of Aurdalsfjorden as the grand finale. One of the most characteristic features of this route is the desolate and apparently completely untouched landscape it runs through. The contrast between the fjord and the year round snow covered high mountains is splendid.
We explored 4 scenic routes with superb viewpoints, more than worth the detour
Scenic route Sognefjellet. A magnificent route ‘above the roof of Norway. The Scenic Route travels from the cultural landscape in Lom across the highest mountain pass in Norway to the innermost part of Sognefjorden, along the gateway to Jotunheimen. Towards Gaupne, the road runs down along the beautiful Sognefjorden whose clear waters change colour from green to blue in tune with the light and the weather
Scenic route Geiranger – Trollstigen. Bendy roads along precipitous mountains rich in tradition with the dramatic scenery that is distinctive to Western Norway. With lush valleys, sheltered strawberry farms and precipitous mountains.
Scenic route Lofoten. A drive through a well-established destination with breathtaking scenery and a vibrant coastal culture. Along the wall of jagged peaks rising from the expanse of ocean. The combination of the ocean, jagged mountain peaks, tiny sheltered fishing villages, and white beaches with crystal clear waters will never cease to enchant .
Toll on roads and ferries
For several decades, Norway has charged road tolls from both locals, tourists and commercial vehicles. On ferries too, you pay a price for crossing.
The income has contributed to the construction and maintenance of the country’s road grid.
And I have to admit: the Norwegian roads are very good. In particular, the enormous amount of tunnels is impressive. We even drove through tunnels under sea level. Some of them were kilometers long. Others had a roundabout in the middle of it.
Every toll booth registers all passing vehicles using cameras. The charges are then gathered in the central AutoPASS system (the automated system for collection of road and ferry tolls in Norway). They are invoiced to the owner of each car. It doesn’t matter whether you preregister or not. If you don’t register upfront, you receive the invoice per mail after your trip.
Before starting our itinerary, I read quite some blogposts. Many sites suggested saving a lot of money on these tolls.
In the end, these are my conclusions, when experiencing it myself
- You can register on Autopass before enter Norway and receive an Autopass toll tag, enabling you to getting reduced rates. You have to order this tag upfront, it will be send to your home address.
- If you are driving an environmentally friendly car, in many places you will pay a lower rate.
- Heavier and bigger vehicles pay a higher rate than smaller ones. One exception: – motorhomes pay the same rates as regular cars.
- On the Scenic Routes, you don’t pay toll.
- still get to most places without driving on toll roads. All it takes is a bit of planning and some extra patience while driving. And while doing this, you not only save money, but also see more of Norway’s incredible scenery! .
- You can use the road toll calculator here to find out what a certain route might cost.
For ferries too, there are prices to pay for each crossing. There are some good websites with more information, such as the Autopass one and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.
In the end, it’s not worth the hassle of pre-registration. I simply forgot to do it.
We didn’t particularly pay attention to whether or not a road was tollfree. I didn’t calculate toll upfront either. We just mapped our itinerary taking into account major sighseeing and Norway Scenic Routes.W We drove a lot and took quite some ferries, both in the south and in the Lofoten. In the end, the invoice was not high at all
Combining these transportation tips with a great itinerary? Read more in my blog Explore Norway & the Lofoten Islands – top tips for a great itinerary.