Norway in Camping-Car: advice, areas, routes

How do I visit Norway by camping-car or furnished van?

Go to Norway camping-car , van or van is part of your dreams and you want to realize it for these next holidays? This is a great idea.

It must be said that this country, which is the most northern point in Europe, offers a fascinating historical heritage and cultural sites, as well as many unforgettable activities and great landscapes; Especially since Norwegians are particularly warm and welcoming with nomadic visitors, backpackers or motorhomes, they often let themselves settle for a night in their own garden! Whatever the reason you come to visit Norway in a furnished van, this stay will transform you: guaranteed on invoice!

If you are ready to jump the step and travel more than two thousand kilometers to visit this viking land, we have concocted you a concise and efficient mini-guide that will give you all the necessary advice to carry out your trip.

Come on, let's go!

Ideas of itineraries in Norway by motorhome

Norway is a country of 385 203 km2, all in length: it seems to stretch over two thousand kilometers along the coastline bordering the Scandinavian peninsula!

Its landscapes are rich and magnificent: the relief of the country, consisting of mountains and glaciers, is very steep with the presence of the famous fjords, gigantic crevices dug by glaciers during the glacial period. The glaciers in question are, again today, numerous and with the waterfalls of the postcard landscapes dignified to the country.

Ideas of itineraries are not missing, and depend on your desires: rather salmon fishing or boreal aurora? It is therefore quite difficult, given the size and especially the size of the country, to propose a typical course, especially if you have little time. If you've made the trip from France, there's a great chance that you've come to the wheel of your camper by the south of the country: by ferry from the Denmark or along the Swedish coast from Gothenburg.

In any case, where to go from north to south to visit Norway by motorhome in a week, two weeks or even a month? Here are some itinerary ideas depending on the season, your desires, your means and especially the time you have on site.

• One week: Discover the southern part of the country, between Oslo and Bergen, taking a nice loop from the capital, which will make you pass through the National Park of Hamangervidda and its sumptuous mountain plateau, to Bergen and the famous fjords of the Atlantic coast of the country, to finish with the seaside resort of Kristiansand.

Photo credit: Caramaps

• Fifteen days: Fifteen days to visit Norway in a furnished van is sufficient to explore the country more in depth, and to venture further north, for example by making a superb journey of the city of Lillehammer (yes: the city of the 1994 Olympic Winter Games to the splendid mountains of Trollheimen and the pretty town of Trondheim and its many cultural sites.

Photo credit: Caramaps

• One month: In a month, you can visit Norway by camping-car in its entirety, from the north to the south, taking the famous Nasjonal turistveg, the national tourist routes highlighting the splendid Norwegian heritage! For example, you can couple one of the two routes mentioned above with a journey to the Lofoten Islands, to the city of Tromsø to finish the famous North Cape: if you have the chance to make the route in winter - which implies some precautions to take for your vehicle, explained further in this guide- you can admire superb boreal aurora.

You will have understood, these routes are only indicative and your goal must be to spend as much time as possible on the road!

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

It is now easy to rent a motorhome in France. How? By passing through interrelationship platforms between tenants ( yourself) and particular camper owners as Yescapa For example.

How does it work?

• Start by choose the motorhome in your city (For example Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Paris, Montpellier or Marseille).

• Careful choose unlimited mileage, to check the number of beds available and if it is possible to travel abroad.

• Perform one online rental request and share your travel information (dates, rental options, mileage, etc.) to the owner.

• If your application is accepted, you will have after payment access to the owner's contact information to set up a First meeting.

• On the day of departure, present your driver's license and pour the bail.

• L’status of premises is executed and a lease is signed between the two parties. On return, after having made an unforgettable road trip, sign the state of the return places and the tour is played!

How and where to rent a motorhome in Norway?

Before arriving to visit Norway by camping-car, it is recommended to make an online reservation. And yes, it would be a shame to arrive at Oslo , Tromsø, Bergen or Trondheim and discover that there is no vehicle available in any agency, or worse, that the rates have climbed up.

To have a camping-car, we recommend you go through a rental platform for motorhomes and vans arranged online. These sites are now numerous on the road-trip and wild camping market. The principle is simple: you choose the desired vehicle – depending on the daily price, the type of camper/van/van fitted, the equipment of the vehicle -, you send an inquiry to the owner.

Last step: After the online payment, you receive a confirmation email and here you are going to visit Norway on a camper!

Drive to Norway by motorhome: traffic rules to be known

As in France, driving to visit Norway by camping-car is done on the right track and the same rules of the road code apply for both vans and cars and are, in little way, similar to French. It is obviously mandatory to have a licence, a gray card of the van and a valid insurance. In Norway, all vehicles must circulate with dipped-beam headlamps always, and that same in the sun.

In addition, it is mandatory to own a signage triangle and one vest fluorescent in the car in the event of an accident. The safety belts are mandatory and no one has the right to go to the rear of the camper when the latter is in motion! Children, for their part, must be properly attached, if necessary, in uplifting seats.

The prices at the pump may vary greatly depending on the region or station service; prices are a little higher in France, knowing that LPG is quite rare . In addition, in this Nordic country, snow tyres are mandatory in winter.

For speed limits to visit Norway in a fitted van, they are:

• 30 km/h in town
• 50 km/h or 60 km/h near the towns
• 80 km/h off agglomeration
• And the speed is limited to 90 km/h on the (rare) portions of the highway

As for alcohol level maximum allowed, it is only 0.2 g/l: attention to too much glass!

Good to know: Norwegian law prohibits the movement of a motorized vehicle outside the roads; The trails are therefore forbidden to your van, but it is possible for you to park along the road if this parking is not inconvenience to other vehicles and local regulations permit it. In some cities, car parks are specially designed to accommodate motorhomes and caravans, whose width can in no case exceed 2.55 metres .

In addition, emergency telephone stations are appropriately placed on mountain roads or in tunnels. If you need help, dial one of the following numbers, which will put you in touch with 24/7 support services:

• NAF: (+47) 23 21 31 00
• Falck: (+47) 02 222
• Viking: (+47) 6 000

Road traffic regulations are very strict in this country, and you will have to adapt to them when you come to visit Norway in a fitted van, since fines can be extremely high: for example, a small excess of speed, between 11 and 15 km/h, can be sanctioned with a penalty of a fine of 321 € !

Finally, it is also useful for its wallet to ensure respect for parking in urban areas, as dedicated staff is important and rather zealous. In the city, the white-digit blue panels of the type "8-17 (9-15)" correspond to "paying parking on weekdays from 8am to 5pm, Saturday from 9am to 3pm, and free the rest of the time".

Motorway to Norway: what price for your motorhome category?

Before planning to visit Norway as a furnished van, it is essential to inform yourself of the rates of tunnels, bridges, city entrances or other: for example, a right of entry (a few dozens of Norwegian crowns, or a few euros: to achieve the conversion, divide the amount by ten). If there are few motorway sections in Norway, there are some paid roads called “toll roads” or toll roads, which are recent, which do not always display their rates in advance!

When this is the case, blue panels displaying the sign Kr (Norwegian courts) and the inscription “Bomstasjon”. Toll Plaza » followed by the distance to go before the toll station indicate the presence of a toll; or a “Autoisk bomstasjon” panel. Automatic Toll, indicating an automatic toll in the form of a metal portico with cameras. To adjust it, it is enough to have a sort of gray case of payment type “swipe”, named AutoPASS . In Norway, all rental vehicles are equipped with it, but if you come from another country with your own van, you will have to subscribe to the site of AutoPASS a contract type “Visor’s Payment”.

In addition, coming to Norway by equipped van often involves a part of the ferry crossing: to pay the right price, and not overpay your crossing, we advise you to have a photocopy of the documents describing the dimensions of the vehicle; rates increase considerably over six metres, if yours were smaller, don’t hesitate to let them know!

Camping-car areas in Norway: where to park?

In the longest country in Europe, there are more 600 areas dedicated to motorhomes, more than 115 service areas and almost 400 campsites: it will be easy to visit Norway by camping-car, and to make water supply, propane, fuel or wastewater drains!

As explained above, Norwegians are extremely benevolent towards motorhomes; the wild camping is tolerated and it is not uncommon that the inhabitants leave, for free, foreign visitors park in their own garden. In fact, the few prohibited areas for parking are indicated by a sign; for the rest, it is normally allowed to park wherever you want.

If you’re going to visit Norway in a fitted van that you’re a tough guy, the mobile app Park4night serves as a reference point for bivouac in the wild: this 100% free app gives you access to numerous data on your proposed parking space for the night, such as the reviews of the previous travellers, accurate and detailed interactive maps, as well as the recommended areas, paid places and free parking. It’s pretty nice to visit Norway by camping because or by fitted van, right? Other pipes await you on the websites Campercontact or Caramaps real information mines.

How to get to Norway on a motorhome?

Regardless of the route chosen, the only certainty is that going to Norway on a motorhome takes time and requires a certain budget. Especially when we consider the stretched form of the country, the crossing of Norway itself takes more than 30 hours of road between Cape Nord and Oslo! However, this length is largely compensated by the beauty of Norwegian fjord landscapes on arrival.

Getting to Norway is first to choose your starting point. If you prefer to start from the north to the famous North Cape, after going through the Denmark , Germany and Switzerland or Belgium Depending on your residence, it is advisable to cross Sweden where roads are excellent.

Also without taking the ferry, you will have the opportunity to cross the sea thanks to the huge Øresund bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö in Sweden. Long 8km, his crossing is quite expensive: 108€ for a camping-car ( 100€ online ). Total cost: near 400€ to 500€ with petrol and highways.

The ferry option also exists: first of all, between Rostock in Germany and Trelleborg in Sweden, for a fare about 160€ for the only vehicle and a simple go. Finally, starting from the south of Norway, you must go to Hamburg, Germany, to the north of Denmark to Hirtshals to take the ferry to Kristiansand, Norway. The cost of the vehicle is about 150€ For a simple way.

What is the best time to travel by motorhome in Norway?

In this country, the most northern of Europe, weather and sunshine conditions are sometimes extreme: in the city of Tromsø, for example, the midnight sun lasts from 20 May to 22 July and the polar night, 27 November to 15 January ! On the entire Atlantic coastline, temperatures oscillate between -10 and 0°C in winter, 5°C and 25°C in summer, but can become critical and largely negative in winter when you sink into the land!

Generally speaking, the climate to visit Norway in furnished van is much more favorable April to end October , which leaves six months to travel under the sun and above all, without too much snow. But for lovers of Northern , you will have to visit Norway by camping-car during the winter season, October to March , and therefore think of installing snow tyres, effective insulation and scrupulously check its heating system: but the game is worth it, more than much, the candle!