You do not need to book a tour of Norway. Certainly not if you are traveling with your own car, campingcar or motorcycle. But you may still have some questions. For example: what about that Autopass. I heard that I can get a discount on the crossings / ferry companies in Norway, is that correct. Which routes are recommended. What do I have to think about when I go on a tour of Norway with car + caravan. We try to answer all these questions on this page.
The roads in Norway are generally good. You do pay a price for that. Because you have to pay toll for the construction and maintenance of tunnels, bridges and roads. We will come back to this later. There are not really highways in Norway. The E6 sounds a lot, but is only 4 lanes at Trondheim, at Stjørdal (Trondheim airport) and from Lillehammer south towards the Swedish border at Halden. In rush hour, try to avoid the cities of Trondheim, Bergen and Oslo. Then it can be very busy.
Make no mistake about the distances. To give you an idea: at the Lindesnes lighthouse (the most southern point of Norway accessible by car) is a sign saying "North Cape 2.518km."
If you now think: that is something like 25 hours…. Wrong. You're really not going to make it. If you want to make a travel schedule, keep an average of 50km. per hour. Make regular stops along the way and enjoy all the beauty that Norway has to offer.
If you are looking for campsites in Norway along the route, use the region page www.mt-campingsnorway.com/regions or the areas page www.mt-campingsnorway.com/areas on our website. In addition to information about the mentioned regions and areas, you can choose MAP on both these pages and the main page of Norway www.mt-campingsnorway.com/campsites-in-norway. This way you can clearly see where the campsites are located. Do you prefer to use a camping app? That's possible: it can be downloaded free of charge at this page www.mt-campingsnorway.com/download-free-camping-app-norway.
By the way: we are aware of the fact that Norway has given the regions new names. For example, the Hedmark region and the Oppland region has now become the Innlandet region. To prevent long lists of campsites on our website, we use - for example - Innlandet (Hedmark), Innlandet (Oppland North) and Innlandet (Oppland South).
Just a few years ago you could sign up for an Autopass to (automatically) pay the toll. And you could purchase a discount card through all ferry companies (such as Fjord1). These 2 have now been combined in an Autopass agreement. You will find all the information on this website: www.autopassferje.no/om-autopass-for-ferje/?lang=en. After registration you will then receive a tag which you can place in front of your windscreen. The crossings and the toll are then settled via this tag. If you do not register, you will automatically receive an invoice (based on your license plate).
The discount for the ferry services is no less than 50%. There are some exceptions, but the discount applies to most ferries in Norway. Also, for example, on the fairly expensive trip from Bodo to Lofoten. When entering into the Autopass agreement, you must deposit an amount of NOK 3.700 (year: 2021 - length up to 8 meters!). The crossings are then settled via this credit. For more information and all questions, take a look at the above website.
Making a Tour Norway by car is of course no problem. But if you are traveling with a caravan or campingcar, you have to make some more preparations. Some people will find a road map or road map old-fashioned, but the road map or route map provides mostly advice on which routes are not recommended for car + caravan.
For the record: the routes are not prohibited for car + caravan. The bends are often very sharp, the gradient is quite high or the roads are very narrow. On the "55" (1 of the 18 Nasjonale Turistveger in Norway, see below) i also regularly come across cars + caravan. Now you should know that sometimes that road is not much wider than the combination you are driving in. No problem. Until you meet someone. Someone who, for example, also drives a car + caravan. And who may not be able to reverse very well on a narrow road….
If you are making a tour of Norway with the campingcar, think before you go into the mountains of Norway, how high and how wide your campingcar is. If you rent a campingcar, do not go straight into the mountains, but first gain some experience on “normal” roads.
For all tips and rules about, for example, lighting, driving in the mountains, refueling and what to do in the event of an accident, check out: www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/getting-around/by-car/?lang=uk.
Norway is of course THE dream land for motorcyclists.
You can of course book a Tour Norway by motorcycle through a tour operator, but you can also plan a nice route yourself. Even then you can use the above Ferry discount card and the rules and tips for car drivers also apply to motorcyclists.
Good preparation is also of great importance now. Is your motorbike technically okay? What baggage do i take with me? Which routes are ideal to follow by motorcycle. Where can I refuel on the way. What are the weather forecasts. If the route goes over a great height, what clothing do I wear. Can i find campsites on the route which cabins (hytter) rent out or do i bring camping gear myself, just to be sure.
What someone likes is of course personal. But the Norwegian government is happy to help you on your way and has developed no fewer than 18 Nasjonale Turistveger (National Tourist Roads). The routes feature beautiful picnic areas, viewpoints and various attractions. But above all: these spectacular routes run through the beautiful nature of Norway with unforgettable views.
On this website: www.nasjonaleturistveger.no/en/routes you will find information about all these routes. To put you in the mood in advance, we have selected a few. If you click on the picture you will see additional information about the area and the campsites where you can stay overnight.
1. The Nasjonale Turistveg over the Lofoten:
2. The Kystriksveien - 1 of the most beautiful coastal routes in the world:
3. Trollstigen - 1 of the 5 most spectacular mountain roads in Europe:
4. Jotunheimen - route “55” (Sognefjellet) and route “51” (Valdresflye):
5. Sognefjord - route on the Aurlandsfjellet (“the snow road”):
