How to plan a road trip in Norway

Norway is an amazing destination for any nature lover or adventure traveller. The dramatic mountains, long coastlines and old forests offer a variety of experiences for visitors. However, as most of the iconic sites are rural and might require a hike to get there the best way to get around in Norway is by car.

Luckily, the dramatic landscape makes for some epic road trip scenery. And gives you the freedom to plan stops to all your bucket list locations. Keep in mind that Norway is a long country and the number of mountains and fjords makes the road winding with low-speed limits which means you might not be able to cover as much distance on a map as you might think. A lot of the iconic sites in Norway also require hiking for a couple of hours.

Even though renting a car might sound expensive you could potentially save money on travelling by car. Public transport is expensive in Norway and rural accommodations can be a lot cheaper than city accommodations. Meaning you could save money on transport and accommodation by renting a car!

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The roads in Norway are managed by AutoPass with toll booths that register your license plates and send a bill at the end of the month. When you rent a car you will get a bill from the Norwegian car rental agency after your trip. Meaning you don’t have to think about slowing down or paying in toll booths as you drive along.

If you’re visiting Norway with your own foreign-registered car, AutoPass will send an invoice to the address registered with the vehicle. But you can also register with the Euro Parking Collection (EPC) in advance to receive a digital invoice.

If you are driving along the coastline in Norway you will most likely have to cross fjords or open sea with a car ferry. For most of the ferries, there is no need to book any tickets in advance and a lot of the ferries run so frequently, especially during the summer season, that you don’t really need to plan for them at all.

As you’re driving onto the dock you will be able to pay in a booth and the crew on the ship will guide you to where they want you to park. Most ferries have a kiosk and a communal area for you to sit down in while on the boat.

If you want to visit Norway during the winter months, be prepared for snow and icy roads! Ask for studded tires for your rental car to stay safe on the roads, especially if you plan on driving up the mountains for some skiing activities. There will, of course, be trucks ploughing and gritting the road but you should be prepared for heavy snow as you drive, meaning the roads will be slippery. Just drive slowly and try to minimize the use of breaks and you should be fine!

Be advised that because of Norway’s northern position the country has polar winters, which means fewer hours of daylight during the winter months and for the northernmost parts of Norway – no daylight at all! However, this gives you plenty of opportunities to spot the breathtaking phenomenon of Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights.

When visiting Norway, you will want to seek out scenic routes to take in the amazing Norwegian landscape. Even though Norway has a lot of these roads, it also has its fair share of boring highways and tunnels. The best way to plan your road trips and find the best routes is through the national tourist routes map.

Read more: Visiting Geiranger