Getting here and around
You are most likely to arrive by car from Sweden, but Norway also borders to Russia and Finland.
Toll roads
Norway has more than 70 years experience in using road toll payment as a financial instrument for building bridges, tunnels and roads.
Information about roads, distances, driving conditions
Phoning from inside Norway: 175
Phoning from abroad: (+47) 815 48 991
Please note that certain roads are closed during winter.
Speed limits
In general the speed limit for cars on Norwegian roads is 80 kilometres per hour.
•Residential areas: Sometimes as low as 30 kilometres per hour. Watch out for speed control bumps, they are not always signposted.
•Built-up areas/town centres: All vehicles 50 kilometres per hour.
•Dual carriageways and motorways: Either 90 kilometres per hour or 100 kilometres per hour for cars. Motor vehicles with a highest permissible gross weight of more than 3.5 tonnes and motor vehicles towing caravans/trailers may not exceed 80 kilometres per hour even if the local speed limit is higher. Motor vehicles towing a caravan/trailer without brakes with a gross weight of over 300 kilos, may not exceed 60 kilometres per hour even if the local speed limit is higher.
Mountain passes
When going over mountain passes there are often very long downhill stretches, when brakes may overheat. To avoid this, drive in a low gear (the gear you would use if you were driving up the slope). This means you will not have to brake so hard and that brakes will not heat up so quickly.
When driving up steep slopes the car is required to work hard. Keep an eye on the car’s temperature gauge, because the car can quickly overheat.
Headlights
It is obligatory for all vehicles to drive with dipped headlights at all times, even on the brightest summer day. This includes motorcycles and mopeds. Do not forget that right-hand drive cars will require black adhesive triangles, usually supplied by the ferry company you travel with, or clip-on beam deflectors, so as not to dazzle oncoming drivers. Carrying spare headlight bulbs is recommended.
Seat belts
Seat belts are compulsory. All children must be firmly strapped in using approved safety equipment that matches their age, size and weight. Children under 135 centimetres must have their own seat or safety restraint (babies in a cot). Children over 36 kilos, or 135 centimetres, can use a normal seat.
What documents do I need?
You need a full, valid driving licence issued in your country of residence. If your licence is not issued by an EC/ECA country, an International Driver’s Permit (IDP) may be required.
Please note that if you are planning to hire a car in Norway, you may need to have held the licence for at least one year. If you are planning to stay in Norway for more than three months, you will need to get a Norwegian driving licence.
Read more about the documents you need to drive in Norway on the Norwegian Public Roads Administration’s website.
In the event of an accident
You are required to carry a red warning triangle and a yellow fluorescent vest in your car in case of a breakdown or an accident.
Emergency telephones can be found on mountain stretches and in tunnels.
The following telephone numbers will provide help:
•Fire: 110
•Police: 112
•Ambulance: 113
Breakdowns and assistance
You are required to carry a red warning triangle and a yellow fluorescent vest in your car in case of a breakdown or an accident.
If you require salvage or technical assistance with your vehicle you can call the following 24 hour numbers:
•NAF: 810 00 505 (local rate)
•Falken: 02 222 (toll-free)
•Viking: 06 000 (toll-free)
Buses and coaches in Norway
Every city and town in Norway has a local bus service and there is an extensive network of express coaches throughout the country.
Express and long-distance coaches
Nor-Way Bussekspress operates routes all over the country except Northern Norway, providing connections with intersecting bus routes and other forms of transport including trains and ferries. In Fjord Norway, Fjord1 operates several routes.
Norway’s largest operator is Nettbuss Ekspress, a company that offers three different varieties of express coach service in much of Southern Norway, all of them withwireless Internet and air conditioning. See their coach route map here, and read more about their services here.
Express coaches in general are an underrated way of travelling in Norway, which is a pity because they offer a very extensive network of routes, for example in Fjord Norway and to rural areas. Many of the coaches connect with each other and with local services. Express coaches link all the major towns, airports and ferry terminals
Coach travel is usually a lot cheaper than travelling by plane or train, but takes longer. Most companies offer student, child, senior, and family discounts. Most companies encourage online booking in advance, and offer both discounts and guaranteed seating for those who do.
If you are travelling in a large group, you must book your ticket well in advance.
Usually there is no problem bringing bikes and skis with you, as long as you pay for their transportation.
Public buses
In the largest cities you will find bus stations and public transport information centres. Tourist information offices can also provide information about public buses.
You can buy your ticket on board, by telling the driver where you are going. One-day and weekly travel cards are available in some towns/cities, and these can be bought from the driver, kiosks and bus stations. However, in for example Oslo, it is cheaper to buy your ticket before getting on the bus.
Trains in Norway
The Norwegian State Railways (NSB) has a well developed network of tracks stretching from Kristiansand in the south to Bodø above the Arctic Circle.
Railway lines stretch for more than 3,000 kilometres across Norway, with a total of 775 tunnels and over 3,000 bridges. Most of the routes go through changing scenic countryside, offering panoramic views of suburbs, mountains, lakes and fjords.
The most famous of these rail stretches are the Bergen Railway, which runs between Oslo and Bergen over the mountain plateau Hardangervidda, and its side line, the spectacular Flåm Railway, one of the world’s steepest railway lines.
Other railway lines of note are the Dovre Railway from Oslo and Trondheim with its side line the Rauma Railway between Dombås and Åndalsnes, the alpine town by the fjord.
Travel like Harry Potter
Parts of the Harry Potter film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” were filmed on the Rauma Railway. The sequences filmed on the Rauma Railway were filmed in Bjorli and shot on a veteran train belonging to the Norwegian Railway Club.
See the northern lights or midnight sun
If you would like to travel through a different type of landscape, with a spectacular light and the possibility to see the midnight sun and the northern lights, travel north on the Nordland Railway between Trondheim and Bodø.
Scenic railroad lines
•The Bergen Railway
•The Flåm Railway
•The Dovre Railway
•The Nordland Railway
•The Rauma Railway
Ferries and boats in Norway
Especially in Western Norway, where all the world-famous fjords are, the road suddenly ends and the journey continues by ferry.
Express boats and car ferries
Express boats and car ferries sail up and down the coast, in sheltered waters and across open seas, to towns and villages, and islands large and small. They provide perfect logistics for a holiday of island hopping, or an itinerary entirely of your own choosing.
Be warned, there may be queues in the summer months. For the most popular ferries, you are wise to queue early: Geiranger – Hellesylt, Gudvangen – Kaupanger and Lauvvik – Lysebotn.
For more information about ferry and boat timetables, please contact the following companies:
Hurtigruten (The Norwegian Coastal Voyage)
The long-established Hurtigruten sails from Bergen to Kirkenes in Finnmark. The journey Bergen – Kirkenes – Bergen takes 11 days. This voyage is an exquisite way to experience the natural beauty of the coast. It is indeed “the world’s most beautiful sea voyage”. What fascinates tourists most are all the tiny and not-so-tiny communities they stop by at along the way.
Departures are daily and there are frequent stops along the coast. The ships can accommodate cars, making it easy to combine the cruise with a holiday in different places ashore.
Air travel to and in Norway
There are more than 50 airports in Norway, making even the northernmost places such as Lofoten accessible by plane.
Fly to Norway
All the large cities and towns have airports catering for both international and domestic flights. In fact, there are more than 50 airports in Norway serviced through regular routes, making even remote places such as the Lofoten Islands, the North Cape and Spitsbergen (Svalbard) easily accessible by plane.
However, you must be prepared to maybe change planes once in order to reach your final destination in Norway.
Book a flight to Norway – finn.no
Airports
Norway’s main airport is Oslo Airport Gardermoen where most of the international traffic arrives.
Air travel in Norway – more than 50 airports
