A few friends and I will be flying in/out of Oslo from Sept 4 – Sept 26. Is this a realistic (basic) itinerary for a 3 week road trip?
A few friends and I will be flying in/out of Oslo from Sept 4 – Sept 26. Is this a realistic (basic) itinerary for a 3 week road trip?
48 comments
Hi everyone. For a bit more context, I have been doing some research on driving conditions, ferry times, “must see” places etc. I mapped this out and then looked at the driving time… there will be a few of us willing to switch driving & pay for gas and we’re all willing to put in the hours to pack in as much as possible. But does anyone think I’m missing anything? Can I take any particular place out and shorten the drive?
This is just the beginning stages of my planning so please be kind! I know travel is so different now post-pandemic so I’m trying to put a little more effort than I usually would into saving money ahead of time and seeing as much as possible. All insight is valuable, so thanks in advance!
Are you sure driving for hours on poor roads is how you want to spend the days of your vacation? It’s not something I would enjoy.
It’s doable; I did almost this exact route over ~~2~~ 3 (corrected) weeks (starting from the top, clockwise, minus the detour to Helsinki, plus going through Jylland and taking the ferry from Fredrikshavn) with my parents as a kid.
Lots of driving though. That’s the main thing I still remember.
My first thought is that you might have a better trip if you aim to cover less ground. That would allow you to explore places for a few days rather than watch them through the car window as you drive by.
Most of your planned journey through Sweden and Finland is through countryside that’s pretty flat and covered in trees. If your aim is to spend weeks driving through forest and small towns or villages then you’ve picked an excellent route. But I’d find that a bit boring. To get an idea just look at Google streetview for the places on your route.
If you were to cover less ground you could then plan on spending 2-3 days in some locations so you could see the attractions in major cities or go on hikes to spectacular views.
Make a stop at Saltstraumen, the worlds strongest tidal stream. Its near Bodø in Northern Norway. I live just a fem minutes away, worth the small detour:)
The scenery in finland and sweden are all woods and huge marshes.Not much to see from the road.It was quite boring actually
On average, if everything goes 100% smooth all the time, then the average is 4.5 hours of driving every day. With traffic and breaks you will be on the road 6-8 hours every day. If you come to a nice place you want to take a closer look at, then you get it damn busy driving the rest of the trip. And nice places there are thousands of In Norway. Sweden and Finland are just flat forests … hahahahah
You may want to try to incorporate some of the ‘official’ scenic routes.
You can check them out [here](https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/travel-tips-a-z/norwegian-scenic-routes/).
Having done 2 weeks in Norway with driving from Oslo to Flåm to Geiranger to ålesund to Bergen – it’s a lot of driving. It will absolutely take longer than you expect as a driver from the US (the roads are good, but much narrower than you’d expect coming from the US, and the sharp turns going down into and coming out of the fjords are not something many Americans are used to, unless you do a lot of that kind of driving).
I highly, highly, highly recommend you cut a bunch of the driving and actually spend more time in these places to get a better feel for a few of them and have more time for hiking and walking the towns or cities. Like, you can definitely spend a few days in Oslo, a few in Bergen and surrounding areas, a few in Gothenburg and Copenhagen and Stockholm… so. To me this just looks like too much to reasonably do in 3 weeks and actually get some relaxation / get a feel for the places you’re visiting.
From that loop the exciting part will be the entire Norway and down to Copenhagen via Sweden. The rest of Sweden and Finland will be very much just open plains or dense forest, with the exceptions of Stockholm and Helsinki which will be nice to visit.
So with that in mind I’d recommend that you plan to spend 2 weeks from Tromsø to Copenhagen and at most 1 week on the CPH-Sthlm-Hel-Tromsø. I would actually suggest skipping the part north of Stockholm and go straight to Helsinki from there, or even go to Tallin (to get in another interesting city) and then to Helsinki and continue from there.
I have drove around quite alot in Scandinavia, this looks completely doable. If any changes were to be suggested would maybe take ferry from Turku to Stockholm, other then that you have quite good route and locations to visit. Bergen is a highlight here, and kinda biased since i’m from Tromsø but Northern Norway is quite spectacular if you dont mind the shitty roads you have to deal with some places.
It’s realistic but why would you do that? The road speeds are so slow they can put you to sleep and gas is crazy expensive. Moreover, the cuisine in many of small towns along the way are €20 hamburgers or hotdogs at the Circle K gas station. I hope your making a documentary to recoup your expenses.
I live in my campervan part time in frequently go on road trips through Norway. From my experience this trip is way too long for 3 weeks. For comparison, I’m doing a 10 day trip from Oslo to Jotunheimen – Kristianssund – Ålesund – Bergen – Lysefjorden – Kristiansand – Larvik – Oslo (that’s still 3-5h on the road almost every day, especially if you explore some more of vestlandet). It’s a similar tour to a 2 week road trip I’ve done before that left me wanting to explore lots more places I’ve come across and didn’t get around to seeing the first time around. Norway is such a spectacular country and there’s more than enough for months of road trip just between Oslo and Bergen.
Å faen, lykke til
I’ve done that, would not recommend. Do the whole coast of Norway, fly to Stockholm / Helsinki / Copenhagen.
There’s many things to explore around the Norwegian coast and when you’re further north, it gets closer to Sweden. But crossing northern Scandinavia like that to get to Umeå or Helsinki is so pointless when you can fly, because the drive there is not very special. I’d focus on exploring Vestlandet, Lofoten (including Røst) and a bit of the Arctic. Better use of the midnight sun as well.
Good luck.
This sounds like a horrible trip if you ask me, but then again, i’m not you.
If you enjoy (or can endure) hiking, i highly recommend rondane nasjonalpark. The view from some of the mountaintops there is the single greatest sight i have ever seen in Norway (and the rest of the world for that matter) after living here for 28 years.
You could spend a whole week driving in Lofoten, or from Northern Finland to the south. Depending on what you want to do, you’re going to have to cut come sightseeing or drive a heck of a lot on many days. All depends on how much you’re used to driving, too. Suddenly driving 12 hours a day can leave you exhausted for a couple of days if you’re unaccustomed.
Tromsø to Helsinki is probably boring wooded forest drive.
Sweden is generally pretty boring drive as well.
I’d fly more in Sweden and Finland personally.
Driving in Norway however, is worth it.
My GF and I did a similiar trip a couple of years ago, driving up through Sweden but basicly the same route as yours down south. We spent about 2 and a half weeks with only really staying at the same place for a night or two.
Its doable, but i wouldnt recommend it if you actually want to enjoy your trip and have some experiences along the way. I would shorten the trip and try to plan activites like scuba diving in Lofoten, rafting in Jotunheimen etc.
Amazing route, have fun!
Honestly i would drop Sweden and Finland to go further north, theres so much to see and explore past Tromsø that would also be worth your time and make it a more chill trip.
If you are doing this route in september, be aware that winter may hit some of the mountain passes in that time, especially in the north. Just be aware that you may have to have winter tyres or you might be stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
As for the trip itself i would concider flying from Tromsø to Helsinki, there are direct flights going there from Tromsø. I don’t know if it is possible to leave the rental car there and so on, but could be worth looking into to save yourself some travel time.
Also I would go straight from Helsinki to Stockholm.
I live in Tromsø, so if you are here and need anything, you can just send me a message here.
With that route, you would really be familiar with the inside of your car, but not the countryside. I support the idea of driving perhaps half way up the Norwegian coast, maybe to Trondheim (remember the slow speed limits and the Waits for the ferries). Then take a plane to Stockholm and/or Copenhagen. When driving up the coast take the time to take hikes an see the sights along the way. Also, shop for food in the Grocery stores and only have the occasional meal in a restaurant. Also, take several days in Oslo, Bergen, Stockholm and Copenhagen.
We did more or less the same road trip, but starting from Helsinki, going up to the North Cape and slowly driving south to Bergen. It was a beautiful route, but it was really a lot of driving. I recommend taking the car sleep train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, that saves a lot of time. I liked driving in Finland, but it is mostly a road between the trees. The ‘problem’ with driving in Norway is that you can’t be in a hurry, because Norway doesn’t care. There is always a ferry you need to take, or a slowly driving caravan. But you have to take your time and enjoy the scenery. If you do not mind that, driving from north to south is one of the best trips you will ever have.
The drive isn’t the trip, the places you go are.
When you are in norway i recommend that you drive kystriksveien.beautiful scenery with fjords islands and mountains
https://kystriksveien.no/?lang=en
That is going to be a lot of driving, and for a lot of it there’s going to not be much interesting to do or look at. You won’t have much time to actually see stuff, really.
Personally, I’d cut it by at least a third, either flying from Tromsø to Helsinki (cheap fast boring option) or taking the Hurtigruten from Bergen to Tromsø (slower more expensive option, but you get a gorgeous view of the coastline and a few days on a boat).
Also, if you’re in Helsinki anyway, Tallinn is a short ferry ride away and it’s really pretty. Plus there’s a medieval tavern in the bottom of the old town hall where you can eat pies and sausages-on-a-stick while the waitresses insult you, it’s great.
It’s WAY too long. And if you’re gonna be driving around Sweden and Finland you’ll mostly just be seeing a bunch of trees. I’d stick to Norway.
That’s way too much driving. You’ll be doing nothing but driving. Not a nice vacation IMHO. Just do one country and explore it without time restraints.
Looks like you’re cutting out the entire midwestern coast. I’d recommend driving kystriksvegen instead.
https://www.visitnorway.com/places-to-go/northern-norway/kystriksveien/?lang=uk
Holy shit..thats alot of driving.
You can travel a lot of distance through Finland with a train that takes your car onboard.
https://www.vr.fi/en/carcarrier
There’s also a possibility to bring a car on the Hurtigrute cruise boat that goes between north and south between Kirkenes and Bergen in Norway.
I would honestly drop both Finland and Sweden, and do a 3-week road trip along the Norwegian coast (start in the west coast, then drive north along Helgelandskysten, then Lofoten, before driving back south along the main inland road (faster). Or drive north on the inland road and south along the coast depending on the weather forecast.
With this itinerary you’re really missing out on some amazing parts of southern northern Norway (or basically anywhere north of Trondhein). Google Vega, Lovund, Træna, se Syv Søstere, or just more generally “Helgelandskysten”. It’s amazing and a bit less touristy than both Lofoten and the west coast. Also in Lofoten, you’re not even driving out all the way to the tip… a bit of a waste, in my opinion, since you’ve already taken the detour to drive out to Lofoten.
Seriously, cut out Finland and Sweden and you’ll have an unbelievable 3 weeks 😎
Not realistic at all.
You will spend all your time just driving.
Honestly, if you‘ve never been in Norway before, you can easily spend the three weeks just in southern and western Norway and it will never get boring. Even if you don‘t go further north than Trondheim, you’ll have so many amazing mountains, fjords and valleys AND actually have time to hike, swim and enjoy them.
What you posted here is a vacation in the car. For me, that would be a very shitty experience.
Many have said that it’s ambitious they way it’s planned. I also believe there are better routes. Driving Oslo-Bergen and barely touching Hardanger is not recommended, even in September.
Driving north of Steinkjer, the scenic route on the coast (not E6) is something completely different.
Just the Norwegian leg could easily take you those 3 weeks, and that would still be a lot of time driving. Google is pretty bad at estimating travel time in Norway, as you can rarely drive the speed limit. Add on top of that that you might actually want to see things, not just drive nearby….
3 days in Oslo
1 day drive to Flåm with activities on the way
Drive to Bergen
Stay 3 days in Bergen
5 days driving up to Trondheim with hikes and activities (Trolltunga, Geiranger…)
Stay 3 days in Trondheim
That’s already over 2 weeks
3 days driving North
1 day in Tromsø
Fly back to Oslo, then home.
Yes, if you only want to sit in the car.
Not really, there is a lot of asphalting done in summertime, that will add delays. Additionally you will be driving “all” the time, and not having any time to get introduced to the locals. I would also change the driving to follow the coast, inland is a lot of forests, and only trees to watch…
You Are missing the south of Norway. Beautiful places like Lillesand, Kragerø, Risør, Tønsberg Kristiansand, Mandal. Google them.
This trip is suicide. Don’t do it
Just wanted to mention Stavanger can be worth adding to your norwegian cities tour.
We have old stavanger, preikestolen, kjerag bolten, 3 different Michelin star restaurants and be dubbed Norways food capital! Cause we cover a wide range of food cultures.
Never been to Finland and just a few places in Sweden.
But to do each country justice i would do less driving and more exploring.
And just visit one of the 3 countries then come back.
That way you have actual time to see the countries, met people and get deeper experiences.
All 3 countries for sure has something spesial to offer.
So i would see what the majority of the group wants to explore.
Thats just what i think and i grew up family road trips to Denmark from Stavanger in Norway. We drove to Kristiansand then ferry to Hirtshals then drove and drove and drove. 🤪 So thats why as an adult when vacationing always go for the “cheapest” but fast way to travel between point A and B. 😅 Love trains but dont do them in Norway cause it takes too long.
So consider if you really want to spend 89+ hours in a car with the same people and might get fucking sick of their faces. So many road trip fights growing up. 😅
Lol. Typical American vacation. Sitting on their ass the whole day.
lmao. Well I suppose if you want to see absolutely nothing and just speed down the highways than it’s possible but I really wouldn’t recommend it. I just did a Roadtrip through Norway for 2 months and only went up as far as Lofoten, and I was still in a hurry quite often. For 3 weeks I would recommend just staying in he southern half of Norway and just taking your time to actually enjoy and explore the area. The best way to see Norway is by hiking in my opinion and that simply takes time. For the roadtrip you posted i would at a minimum take 2 months but to properly do it it would be more like 4 months.
I spent three weeks backpacking through Scandinavia by hitting all the capitals and major cities. Honestly I’d do that instead of this tour. Feel free to PM me and I’d love to give you travel tips! (Also, if you make it out to Helsinki make sure you go to Tallinn for a day trip!)
Driving from Tromsø to Oslo in september you will have the low sun in your eyes all afternoon. Its a drag
When my parents where on honeymoon some 30 years ago they drove north in Sweden since the roads are straighter there so you get further north. If you can skip into Sweden from Trondheim to Lofoten through Åre and take E45 to Lofoten, that miiiiight help with the length you’re driving. But I think this is way too far.
Driving from Bergen to North Cape is basically like driving from Norway to Croatia. But you dont have the autobahn to drive on.
You can easily spend 3 wks on only the Norwegian part of your adventure, and then getting to spend a few days in Helgeland. It’s one of the most beautiful areas of Norway. Up to you.
I have done that with 2 friends but just in the south of norway in two weeks. And even then we were sometimes in a hury and could only fully make our roundtrip due to one or two rainy days we drove 8+ hours.
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The thing is, if you want to truly appreciate the landscape/cities you would need to stop at least a day at those locations. Your route IS simply too long for that!