Norway 2010

Route

• Days: 14 days
• Period: August 2010
• Weather: 20-25 degrees in the south. In de middle 15-20 degrees and much rain. In the North quite fresh especially at night. Throughout the whole country we had dry and sunny days but also a lot of rain (about 50/50)

General information:

• Currency: Norwegian Krone (NOK)

• Internet: Available at librairies. Quite of lot of campsites have wifi.

• ATM's: Available everywhere

• Creditcards: Accepted everywhere

• Safety: Norway is very safe.

Prices (per August 2010)

• Value Money: €1 = NOK 7,84

• Fuel:  Diesel costs NOK 11,88 per liter ( € 1,52)

• Camping: NOK 170 - NOK 200 per night for 2 persons and a car (no electricity)

• Bread: NOK 28

• Other prices: for everything Norway is a very expensive country.

Border crossing

• Entry: Nearby Kautokeino (coming from Finland). No checks, no costs.

• Exit: By ferry from Oslo to Frederikshaven (Danmark). Price was about € 300 for a car (max. 6 meters), 2 persons and a hut. The price can vary a lot depending on the period.

Roads

• All major roads are tarmac and in good condition.

• Excepts for some major roads near the big cities in the south all roads are single lane roads often with many curves going up and down hill. Your max. speed will be about 80 km/hour.

• Do not drive too fast. Be aware of speed cameras.

• As Norway has a lot of water many routes also includes one or more ferries.

• E69 from Alta to North Cape = This is a beautiful road to drive. Fast empty landscapes.

• E10 from Bogen to A = Driving the Lofoten. A must see once you are here.

• 63 - Trollstigen = Sharp curves against a steep hill. One of the nicest roads to drive in Norway. The view is great. When your vehicle is heavy you might  want to drive the road from north to south. This way you drive the steepest part up hill.

• 63 - Eidsdal - Geiranger = Beautiful route.

• 55 - Lom - Gaupne = Beautiful route.

• 13 - Vik - Vinje = Great route.

• 52 - Borlaug - Gol = Great route.

• E16 - Bergen - Borlaug = Comfortable tarmac with an endless range of tunnels. 

Fees for Toll roads, briges, tunnels and ferries

• North Cape tunnel = NOK 145 (1 persons and a car max. 6 meters) and NOK 47 per extra person.

• Ferry Moskenes (Lofoten) - Bodo = 3 times a day. The trip takes about 3,5 hours and the price for 2 persons and a car was NOK 726.

• Ferry Nesna - Levang (road 17) = NOK 118 (2 persons and a car)

• Ferry Halsa - Kanestraum = NOK 105 (2 persons and a car)

• Ferry Solsnes - Afarnes = NOK 91 (2 persons and a car)

• Ferry Linge - Eidsdal = NOK 83 (2 persons and a car)

• Ferry Hella - Vangsnes = NOK 98 (2 persons and a car)

Highlights or not

• North Cape = Entry NOK 470 (2 persons and a car for 48 hours). Although there is not much to see, there is a special atmosphere to this place. It feels like the end of the world. Inside they show a great movie (free of charge) and if you have your own facilities you can camp on the parking. This is for free. The weather here is mostly windy and chilly.

• Lofoton = Stunning landscape. Do not miss it once you are in the north. We like it a lot.

• Nusfjord Lofoten = Protected historic village. A great place to visit. We visited it at the end of the day and camped at the parking for free. Nobody checked upon us. As we visited the village outside visiting hours (10:00 - 17:00) we did not had to pay the entrance fee. Outside visiting hours the village is still open and you can walk around everywhere. Also the toilets stay open all night. Normally the entrance fee is NOK 50 per person.

• Kabelvag (Lofoten) - Restaurant Preastengbrygga =  According to many people one of the best restaurants of the Lofoten. Nice place and delicious food. Even the price is reasonable. If you want to taste stokvis try the delicious Baccalao.

• Henningsvaer (Lofoten) = For us one of the nicest villages of the archipel.

• A (Lofoten) = Nice to reach the end, but the place itself is not very special.

• Nigardsbreen = NOK 30 per car entree fee to the Nature Reserve. From the parking you can walk to the glacier. An amazing experience. If you do not want to walk you can also go by boat. Price is NOK 40 per person for a one way ticket.

• Bergen = For us the nicest city of Norway. Bryggen, the old town (Unesco), and the fish market are great places to visit. Bergen is known for its rainy weather, but we had at least one day of sunshine. No entrance fee for Bryggen or the market. Just take a stroll through the city center and the park.

• Borgund = One of the oldest stav churches. Nice and well preserved.

• Trollstigen = Very curved path along a steep hill with dramatic views.

• Geiranger fjord = Very beautiful fjord. Worth a visit.

• Driving Scenic routes = Norway had some very beautiful scenic routes (see above). Driving one or more of these is part of any adventure in Norway.

• Oslo = Pleasant city and definitely worth a visit.

• Cinema (in Oslo) = Modern movies most of them English spoken. Great thing to do especially on rainy days. NOK 95 per person.

• Viking Museum = NOK 60 per person. There are three old viking ships. Nice to see but not very special.

• Holmenkollen = Olso's famous Ski Jump. From the top you have great views over the city. NOK 90 per person to go to the top of the ski jump.

Tips

• Do not be afraid of the automatic toll fees. It is said that you will be charged once you are back home, but this is not true. We never receive any bill.

• If you need a shower just ask at gas stations. Sometimes you can shower here (about NOK 30 per person). Sometimes you can also just pay for a shower at campings even when you are not a quest (10 - 30 NOK)

• In Norway camping in the wild is legal, but good places are hard to find. Take you time to find one.

• Parking in Oslo is hard and expensive. A very good option is the parking at Songsvann Metro station. Here is a huge parking where you can park for free. We also camped here (more campers do this). It is allowed and totally free. In the nearby park there are toilets and with the metro you are in the city center within 20 minutes. Parking and camping here is safe, just do not use the right side of the parking. This is a popular spot in the gay scene. At Bogstad camping (about 15 minutes) we had a shower (10 NOK per person).

• Bring good mosquito repellent. There are many mosquito's here and they bite. Also be aware of thicks they are common and many carry lyme disease.

• Oslo pass. Free public transport and entrance fees to the cities sights. We did not buy it, but when you plan to see many museums etc it might be worth it especially when you park at Songsvann and must take a metro into town every day. (Songsvann - Oslo city center = NOK 26 per person / one way)

Links

• http://www.horizon-taal.nl/verborgen-schatten/tronasen.html - special routes (hidden secrets) Website is in Dutch. GPS files for each route.

• http://www.stenaline.com/stena-line/ - ferries to Norway. Online booking.

GPS-waypoints

Grid: Lat/Lon hddd°mm.mmm"