11 ESSENTIAL Driving Tips for Tourists Traveling Norway
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- čas přidán 28. 04. 2023
- Norway is a modern country with great roads and infrastructure. But there are some nuances that are helpful to understand before venturing out on a road trip so that you are fully prepared. In this video we cover 11 tips that will help you navigate he roads of Norway as a tourist.
If you are interested in our full road trip adventure check the full video here: • Mind-blowing Norway Ro...
Renting a car can be expensive in Norway. To search for the best deal we recommend the following comparison site (affiliate link):
rentalcars.tp.st/mjAOSOsC
If that hotel on the water caught your eye then you can find it here (affiliate link):
booking.tp.st/45mUXpFY
Checkout theslowtraveler.net/ for more great travel content.
Our full list of driving tips for tourists traveling through Norway:
00:21 Norway’s legal blood alcohol limit
00:58 Expensive tolls
01:20 Norway’s unique tunnel network
02:04 How to get the best deal on car rental
02:39 Watch out for wildlife on the roads (mostly sheep!)
03:17 Ferries across the Fjords
04:07 Expect roadworks
04:36 Speed limits
05:11 Norweigan drivers
06:11 Paid parking
06:42 Narrow back streets
07:14 Bonus Tip
Song: VictorWayne - Calm Spirit
Music provided by Tunetank
I work with road maintenance and meet alot of foreigners that doesn't understand that they are supposed to stop or slow down and dangerous situations have occured. If you are going below the speed limit and u see cars pile up behind you let people pass. Basic english knowledge is also a major plus. Thank you so much for making this video!
Good advice! The roads and tunnel network is very impressive considering the terrain it is built on. Keep up the good work :-)
Thank you for valuable tips. We will start our Norway tour in coming mid-June.
Thanks for watching :-) You will have an amazing trip I’m sure!!
Me too. I love slow travel. Peace, love and harmony.
Thanks for watching :-)
Hei! We loved your video, and with your permission I will try to share it with all our customers.
Glad you liked the video :-) Happy for it to be shared.
Also remember when renting a car & choosing online to notice if the car is electric or fuel. I wanna go to Norway someday, but I'm renting a gas car. I don't wanna learn or wait at a charger on vacation. Just wanna pump & go. Some tourist from U.S., especially seniors may not be aware of this. I'm also glad to hear Norway has patient drivers. I'm from Ohio & when I visit California, they'll run you off the road even if you're trying to slow into a turn-out to let them pass.
Good point… there are plenty of charging stations for EVs but I wouldn’t want to wait for it either!!
Norway 🇳🇴 is so beautiful 😍
Absolutely. I cannot wait to go back and see more of this amazing country!!
Hello from Norway. Have to say all your tips in this video are excellent! Spot on! 👏
Thanks for watching. Great to see a local agree :-) I was concerned that my perspective could be incorrect on some points only being there for a short period of time.
Just returned from Norway. Some roads are very narrow. Be extremely careful as the speed limit both ways can be 80 kph. Many times, both sides have guard rails. It is difficult to judge the clearance between cars and guard rails. The issue is more evident in Lofoten. Locals drive fast! Also some sections allow only one vehicle passing. So be prepared to stop or even back up to a wider place.
Yes good points. I have not been to Lofoten yet but hope to start further north on my next trip. I'll keep this in mind when I get there :-)
4:36 YEP! Very good advice! I'm from the area you just visited and there are many stretches that defaults to 50 mph(80kmh) that is windy, with steep curves and also so narrow that only "Meet" location can be used to pass other vehicles.
This only works if drivers are driving by the condition and are courteous and patient.
The speed limit is a speed MAXIMUM not a minimum.
You will also pass a lot of village centers, or exits to and from denser neighborhood that demands 30-35, so be aware if you suddenly see more buildings around you and make sure you didn't miss a speed sign.
Cops LOVE to place radar guns on those places and a Norwegian speeding ticket is a really unpleasant dent for a vacation
Another thing, chances are you will also be meeting tractors and bikers slowing you down, just be patient and pass them when you are absolutly sure it's safe todo so. Because odds are you will be slowed down in the middle of a turn where you don't have a good overview of the opposite lane.
People generally pulls over if they see there is a large queue behind them and they have opportunity todo so.
And be EXTRA carefull if you want to overtake in a tunnel.
Fjords makes for nice scenery but they are a lousy place to build roads on, so be on your A game.
All excellent insights. Thanks for taking the time :-)
Hi James and Ahn!
Thanks for producing more adventure travel content - good to hear if the advice on driving in Norway!
My name is Elson, and I'm from Perth, WA. I'll will be exploring Norway for a week with my sister and have decided to rent a car to do a roadtrip (your Norway adventure inspired me use a similar route with some adjustments).
I do have one question though - and I've been getting mixed responses on this:
Given that I have an Australian driver's lisence, do I need to apply for an IDP - International Driver's Licence - to be able to legally drive in Norway?
Having said that, did you apply for one prior to your roadtrip in Norway?
My experience so far, I did not need an IDP when I was driving in the US, Canada and Mexico in past travels.
Cheers and keep up the awesome content!
Thanks for watching, and for the positive comments :-) You will have an amazing time I am sure!! I was able to rent our car with just a standard Australian license. No IDP required at the time (trip was Jul-22) and I would be surprised if anything has changed.
@theslowtraveler2047 Your most welcome!
And thank you for answering my question! I'll give the car hire company a call to make extra sure, I don't want any surprises - especially when the car will be key to getting around Norway! 😀
I visited norway in 2003 Sailing by cruise ms trollfjord on geiranger and narrow fjord.Driving by motor cycle on trollstigen road and on leadar tunnel 25 km long
Sounds amazing! As long as its not raining :-)
Be aware of the right of way rules, the default rule is that traffic from the right has priority. even if its a ''small road'' joining a ''major road'', if the yellow and white diamond priority sign is not shown, then the cars from your right has priority. this is especially true in residental areas.
Good point, thanks for sharing :-)
A very important tip, be courteous to the locals and pull over or slow down in straight roads from time to time to let cars pass you. There are so few opportunities to overtake on these roads and it might be easy to forget that people drive these roads every day and don't always appreciate slow driving tourists. Just check your mirrors that you don't develop a 'tail' of cars behind you.
Great point :-)
Nice!!! I too will be in Norway next week. Driving from Bergen to Eidfjord. Staying 2 nights. Where in the Fjords did you guys stay at?
We visited quite a few including Lysebotn, Odda, Laerdal, Olden, Geiranger, and Sjøholt on the way to Alesund. All have amazing views and slightly different landscapes. We stayed in a hotel in Olden where the balcony sat on the water's edge which was a highlight! Also loved the lake outside Odda a couple of KMs inland from the fjord. So much to discover along these waterways! If you haven't seen it yet we have a full trip video here czcams.com/video/ZM9kb98EnSw/video.html
Nice video!! Can’t wait to visit Norway in October 🤩 can you please tell me what rental did you use? I could see that you also have one way fee which is the most expensive, even than the cat itself:) we plan to get a car in Oslo and leave it in Stavanger
We booked through Hertz because they had the cheapest price and best terms at the time of booking. We generally use a comparison site to start with (link in description) and just go for the best price for a mid sized vehicle.... You're right that the one way rental does increase the price, you should also add another $100 for tolls that you'll pay after returning the car also.
Hertz, Budget, Avis..
All of them are kinda the same, so don't worry to take the "wrong" one.
I had Budget and Avis the last two times I rented, no problems with any of them 👍🏻
Thank you for the great tips. May I ask what is the name of waterfall at 7:31 ? Looks very beautiful. Thanks
This is Latefossen, and is a stunning place. We have done a video just on waterfalls in Norway if you're interested :-) czcams.com/video/c0KHCDP50Iw/video.html
My best tip is to MAKE TIME! Norway is a huge country if you flat it out like a pancake. Its fjords, its montains, its narrow roads, its ferries etc😊
Yes agreed. You could easily spend multiple days exploring any number of stop overs, especially in the mountain regions
@@theslowtraveler2047 yes, its a deversed country! Even the southwest is under aknowelaged I think😊
Norway have the second longest coastline on the planet after Canada.
Norway is bigger than it looks. If you turn Norway upside down, it would reach Africa.
Drunk driving is the only offense in Norway where you're fined based on your income. So if you earn little, the fine will be extremely low. Not sure if foreigners are fined differently, though. And btw, 0.2 or even 0.0 is the legal limit in most European countries.
I've rented cars here in Norway a few times, and I've never paid that much, and I too used the rentalcars and holidayauto sites to check different deals. Last time I paid a little over 400 NOK (40 USD) per day, plus optional insurance. The one-way fee was fairly cheap, though.
Paid parking in towns/cities is fairly cheap (unless parking in a private facility). It's typically a little over $3 per hour during daytime, and usually completely free outside malls. I've driven a lot around Europe, and very few countries have such low prices.
Good video, thanks :)
That is an interesting system with the fines. I wonder how they would treat foreign drivers in these circumstances? Perhaps we booked our car rental too late to get a good rate, or maybe just in the busy season. And yes the parking is very reasonable - I visited Scotland recently and the parking there was outrageous in comparison!
@@theslowtraveler2047 There are no extremely low traffic fines in Norway. The fine for driving under the influence is generally 150% of your gross monthly income, but normally no less than NOK 10.000 (approx. EUR/USD1000). Only in special circumstances would you get a lower fine. If your BAC is above 0.05 ("0,5 promille" in Norwegian terms), you will get a fine and a jail term, which can be a suspended sentence. You will also lose your license, how long depends on your BAC, but no less than 12 months. If you have a foreign license, you will keep your license but you will lose your right to drive in Norway. If you're over 0.12 (1,2 promille) you will serve time in prison in addition to the fine. You could sometime get out of a mandatory prison sentence if you complete a drunk drivers education program, but I don't think non-residents would ever get that offer. For other traffic offences the fine is a minimum of NOK1150 (the lowest possible speeding fine) up to NOK15850 (the highest speeding fine). Other fines are somewhere in that range. It's worth mentioning the fine for use of a mobile phone which was recently increased to NOK10200 - get hands-free equipment! If you break the law and you need to go to court, but you are a non-resident, you can be remanded in custody until your trial as you are a clear flight risk. Not how you want to spend your time in Norway.
Good
Thanks for watching :-)
Where is that hidden gem at the end of the video? It’s beautiful.
Thanks for the tips, we're doing a roadtrip to Geiranger in 12days. Did you get an autopass when you rented your rental?
Where about is that hotel by the water and name of the hotel?
The rental car had all we needed for tolls fitted already do we didn't organise an autopass separately. We just got billed for our usage after returning the vehicle... The hotel is called Nesset Fjordcamping in the town of Olden. It is not far from Geiranger and is half the cost for a waterfront room. One of my favourite stays ever!! Link is in the description also :-)
@TheSlowTraveler
- Very nice video...! Hey you have any advice on hiring a petrol vs EV? What is better and less expensive for 24 day trip?
Good question. I have no experience with EVs but I can say that EV recharge facilities, are easy to find, and petrol is expensive and may add $500-$1,000 to your trip over 24 days.
Also, your toll and ferry prices is between 100% to 50% less as electric vehicles have a minimum of 50% rebate and some places pass completely free.
It used to be 100% free all the places, but electric vehicle subsidies are getting less and less as more and more people owns them.
Starting on saturday our 2 weeks roadtrip through southern norway
Nice tips, as specially the parking fee 😅👍🏻
Will the tolls be combined by your plate nr and you get a bill after you returned home?
Or is it like paying all tolls everywhere on the street
We got billed by the rental company a couple of weeks after returning the vehicle. Not sure if all companies will handle the same way… have a great time!!! B
Thanks for the information. Is it better to use public transportation or car in Norway?
We only used public transport for the overnight train from Oslo to Stavanger. This was smooth and very easy.... If you are heading into the mountains a car will give you the most freedom to explore and I cannot imagine doing it any other way :-)
Great video! Do you know if Europcar or Sixt are good rental company? Never tried them before but they seems to have better deals
I’ve never tried Sixt but Europcar have always been good for me… I generally just follow price, and make sure I have unlimited KMs in the agreement. Outside of that I don’t really care who the rental company is as long as it’s decent value and the security deposit isn’t crazy!!
@@theslowtraveler2047 thank you!
Where is 7:39? Looks nice, better then some 'popular' fjords, more open wich i like. Thanks for video btw, planning to drive there for few weeks with own car. I'm surprised it's only 90 dollars for 'Toll', i'm estimating 300 just to be certain.
Good spotting :-) This was just before the town of Odda and was a random discovery on the side of the road called Sandvevatnet. The footage was taken at a small picnic spot facing the lake opposite the Trolltunga Hotel in Odda.
@@theslowtraveler2047 Tyvm for answer, this will be added to list, since staying longest time near Norheimsund. Spots like this are worth just stopping, even if just for short time.
What route/towns visited during your video? Do you know if the roads will be icy during early November?
A full written summary of the trip is here (eventually I will add a proper map to the post to make it a bit easier to digest): theslowtraveler.net/epic-norway-road-trip-itinerary-west-norweigan-fjords/
Icy roads and snow in November are certainly a possibility one needs to be prepared for. In fact, one must be prepared for that from now (early September) if one is crossing a mountain pass. Remember also that Norway is LONG. South to north in Norway is the same distance as going from southern Norway down to Rome, Italy or to Barcelona, Spain. Remember that roads go from sea level, up to 1300-1400 meters (4000+ ft) above sea level and down to sea level again. You can easily experience below-freezing temperatures from October. But in general main roads and city roads will be "dry" or salted until the snow really starts to accumulate.
Any rental car (except city cars) will be given studded tires during the fall, thus you are good for traction. But be aware that any mountain pass between east and west or south and north (like Hardangervidda, Filefjell, Sognefjell, Valdresflya, Dovrefjell, Saltfjellet (etc etc.) can be closed on short notice - or they can impose "convoy driving" where one must wait and drive slowly behind snowploughs for safety during late autumn and winter storms.
Thus follow the great advice in this video - make yourself lots of buffer time.
Many Norwegians will in fact take trains or fly between east and west/north-south during winter unless the forecast looks great. If not one risks getting stuck for days until the roads are cleared again after a good snowstorm.
But do not worry - driving in winter conditions in Norway is a breeze 99.9% of the time compared to any other place because it is what Norway depends on for half the year.
Also remember, Norway is the safest place to drive in the world, despite us driving in arctic conditions for half the year. The only nations being safer are the 3 micro-nations of Hong Kong, Monaco and Micronesia when measured per capita of population.
The worst driving conditions you can get are in general in the large cities that do not often have snow. They will salt the snow, but if the temperatures are too deep below freezing this can cause some very slippery conditions. But this is a situation that usually occurs later in December and January - or if a surprise snowfall drops into said larger cities during autumn with a majority of cars not yet having changed tires.
Here is the trick - our studded winter tires are not only for grip. They also rub/carve up the snow and ice, thus causing a much better grip than you can imagine. However if the majority drives on summer tires, they will instead polish the snow and ice making roads practically undrivable.
To conclude (depending on where you are going) you have a good chance of driving on dry roads - and if not - it is still just fine.
Have a fantastic visit and enjoy yourself and look to the sky - with luck, you can get a glimpse of the Northern Light anywhere in Norway in November (at least if you are not in a bright city very far south - I just checked - there is a small but significant chance to see the Aurora as far south as Bergen even tonight (if in a dark place without city lights). 👍
Some stunning footage there! What is the name of the village at 2:10 please?
This is the old town in Stavanger. This was where we first started this road trip. Nice little town :-)
@@theslowtraveler2047 thanks for letting me know!
Ticket for ferry ... you pay as u arrive or buy in advance online?
It was all done automatically and paid along with the tolls directly to the car rental company a few weeks after returning the car.
Hey,
The small tunnel at 1:45, where was it? :)
Took some digging to find the original video footage to give me a clue. Fairly sure this is the "Lysetunnelen" that is between the town of Lysebotn and the car park at Kjerag :-)
Thanks
I refer to your ferry tip No 6: you didn't mention the cost (not cheap) especially for motorhomes over 6 metres in length.
I’m actually not sure of the cost. You don’t pay on arrival for the ferry and there are no signs (that I found). I was just billed for all tolls through the rental company after returning the vehicle in one charge.
Hi is norway right hand drive or left? And what are the requirements for indian national to drive in norway? Do we need international or just the normal license ? And those rental cars do we need to make it full tank before returning?
Like all of continental Europe you drive on the right side of the road. You can let the rental company fill the car for you, but it will cost you mor than if you do it yourself.
I just had an Australian license and didn't have an issue... Filling the tank was alreday expensive and I shudder to think what it would cost for the rental car company to do it for you!
Licenses from outside the EEC/EU area are valid for three months in Norway. You must be old enough to acquire the same type of license in Norway for your license to be valid (example: A 16-year old may have a valid US drivers license for a car, but that's not valid in Norway as you can't get the same license until you're 18 - that 16-year old must wait two years before driving in Norway). Your license must meet a few other requirements, such as a picture, latin alphabet, and standard international vehicle classes. If it does not, you might need an international drivers license in addition to the one you have.
Unless I've missed it, I am surprised that you didn't mention that driving over the speed limit could ruin your vacations as fines could be very expensive in Norway.
Good point! I had only mentioned the safety aspect as I am (luckily) not familiar with the fines. How large can they get?
@@theslowtraveler2047 Here's an answer to another thread I posted above: There are no extremely low traffic fines in Norway. The fine for driving under the influence is generally 150% of your gross monthly income, but normally no less than NOK 10.000 (approx. EUR/USD1000). Only in special circumstances would you get a lower fine. If your BAC is above 0.05 ("0,5 promille" in Norwegian terms), you will get a fine and a jail term, which can be a suspended sentence. You will also lose your license, how long depends on your BAC, but no less than 12 months. If you have a foreign license, you will keep your license but you will lose your right to drive in Norway. If you're over 0.12 (1,2 promille) you will serve time in prison in addition to the fine. You could sometime get out of a mandatory prison sentence if you complete a drunk drivers education program, but I don't think non-residents would ever get that offer. For other traffic offences the fine is a minimum of NOK1150 (the lowest possible speeding fine) up to NOK15850 (the highest speeding fine). Other fines are somewhere in that range. It's worth mentioning the fine for use of a mobile phone which was recently increased to NOK10200 - get hands-free equipment! If you break the law and you need to go to court, but you are a non-resident, you can be remanded in custody until your trial as you are a clear flight risk. Not how you want to spend your time in Norway.
Hi! What month did you travel?
This was in July
Hie Anila from India we are planning to go Norway in june .
Its my first European trip never done right side driving ,as indian driving Rules are different ,will it be difficult for me to drive there ? And any other option for traveling there who don't know driving .
I don’t think so. I am from Australia and we drive on the left hand side of the road. I didn’t have much trouble adapting to most things. The turning signal being on the other side of the steering wheel was the toughest :-)
Thank u
doing a little market research. would you like to have driven true norway in a "camper van" to avoid having to find an hotel every nigth? you are renting a car anyway, so why not have it be car and hotel in the same package. the idea is spesificaly designed for nature tourist, so this seemed like a good place to ask
Yes a campervan would be a great way to do it… we had done this in Iceland previously and had been looking for a different kind of experience in Norway. When I go back to Norway I will probably go for the campervan.
@@theslowtraveler2047 il try to make sure its available for you by that time. thanks for the reply
Can you share the route you traveled by car by creating a route on Google Maps? I want to visit the same places and travel the same roads!
I have a full list of destinations we visited here. This should help get you started :-) theslowtraveler.net/epic-norway-road-trip-itinerary-west-norweigan-fjords/
Thank you! :) @@theslowtraveler2047
Alcohol accompanied with lunch is ok only if you are driving the next morning
Wise words :-)
If you are renting a car for several days it will be cheaper to rent the car in Sweden. They might charge you a cross border fee, but it will still cost you a lot less.
Good tip, I wonder how much extra driving time that would be.
@@theslowtraveler2047 depends on where you rent, but Gothenburg to Oslo is less than tree hours.
4:36 Now I've heard it all. Norway has speed limits that are too high. I had to rewind three times before I was certain my ears weren't deceiving me. What is this guy even talking about, I thought, and still do. Apart from that, the tips are good and accurate.
Perhaps when the roads are more familiar the speed limits would be fine. For a tourist new to the area there will be some sections of road where a more conservative speed may be warranted. But everyone has their own risk tolerance :-)
Animals GPS sensors light on road sir
I was not aware of this. Thanks for sharing :-)
How did you get a Toll Pass for your car ?
Everything was included in the car rental. Didn't have to do anything other than pay the bill after returning the vehicle :-)
@@theslowtraveler2047
Since you had a rental car you paid extra for the toll roads.
If you have your own car with a European toll road chip you automatically get 20% off toll roads and minimum 10% off ferries from the standard prices.
Since you had a rental car you get billed the full price and have to pay an additional 25% tax on top of that full price.
Example, the toll road is 100 Norwegian kroner and you are a European citizen with your own car and have an autopass chip or similar, you pay 80 NOK (100*0,8).
Your neighbor didn't want to drive all the way to Norway and went on a flight and picked up a rental car, they will be paying 125 NOK for the same toll road (100*1,25)
So you end up paying 56% more, yeah I know, I don't like it either ...
Let truckers pass you, we dont have time for your slow driving, most og you going 20 below the speedlimit…
Same for anyone who has a backlog of vehicles behind them. Get out of the way and let them pass :-)