A summary of information, knowledge, and travel experiences from a trip to Norway.
Last year we got a taste of Norway. Similarly, after tasting high-quality and tasty food, we immediately included this country in our travel menu. After this tasting, we know that Norway is our dream country. It is a dreamland for travelers in motor homes, but also a dreamland for lovers of mountains and nature as such – whether in the form of many waterfalls, glaciers, lakes, fjords, and rivers, but also beautiful mountains. Of course, it is not a country that offers vacationers sweet idleness by the warm sea in hot weather… And I dare say that it is not even a country that can provide countless historical monuments in cities, similar to Italy, France, or Spain. And so I can imagine that some travelers can be disappointed by Norway and decide that the first visit will also be the last visit. Well, our case is precisely the opposite.
Journey to Norway
Since you have to cross the Baltic or North Sea, and there are several options, you have to choose from them. We made a comparison of the three options in terms of time and finances, and found that all of them are more or less the same in both considered parameters, i.e. price and time…. Transport companies have it set up so that none of the alternatives are too cheap or too fast. And so we chose a fast route towards Norway on the highway to Rostock and by ferry to the Danish Gedser (€154), continuing through the Øresund bridge to Sweden, and after crossing the southwestern part of Sweden, after crossing the Norwegian border, a fast connection north through Oslo. The second option was to cross Denmark as far as Hirtshals, from there by ferry to Kristiansand in the middle of southern Norway. We picked this one on the way back (€287). And the third option was a variant that is ferry-free and uses the two main bridges in Denmark – Storebælt and Øresund, both tolled. We didn’t use it, but we will definitely use it on our next trip.
Regarding the two ferries we used on the way, it should be added that we bought tickets at the last minute, namely Rostock – Gedser with Scandlines about 2 hours before departure, and the return Kristiansand – Hirtshals with Colorlines about 2 days before departure. Both their applications are very convenient. In our opinion, it is not necessary to plan transportation weeks and months in advance, the prices are roughly the same regardless of the time of ticket purchase. The surcharge is only in the case of buying tickets directly at the ferry location at the window… We buy ferry tickets directly from their operators, not from sellers, although I understand that they are the first to appear in search engines.
Before traveling to Norway, I recommend obtaining an Autopass and Ferjepass. They will enable not only comfortable crossings of toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries but also discounted prices. In our case, it was 20% for roads, bridges, and tunnels, and 50% for local ferries. In addition, with Autopass, you can also get discounted crossings of the two above-mentioned Danish bridges.
Autopass and Ferjepass.
Both discounted systems are worth every trip to Norway. First, because no one travels there for one or two days, and also because avoiding toll roads or ferries in Norway is more or less impossible. Autopass is a small sensor that must be stuck on the windshield. Compared to the past, when both systems were separate, they are currently combined into one system. However, the main one is the Autopass sensor, to which you can add Ferjepass or add crossing Danish bridges. Autopass for a given license plate has unlimited validity, just the batteries last about 5 years, and then the sensor needs to be replaced. The condition for requesting the sensor to be sent is to sign a contract online with one of the companies called “toll service providers”. There are three in Norway, namely Fremtind Service (our provider), Flyt and SkytellPass. In the past, sensors were sent completely free of charge, currently, a refundable deposit of NOK 200 is required, which is refundable upon cancellation of the contract. As for Ferjepass – for a 50% discount, it is necessary to send an advance payment in the amount of min. NOK 3.000, from which ferry crossings are deducted. Without advance payment, a 10% discount is provided on local ferries with Autopass within Norway. The vast majority of ferries are connected to the Ferjepass system, and only a small part is outside the system. It is thus possible to see an updated list of ferries that are connected to the system on the provider’s website.
Autopass is also a way to discount bridges in Denmark. It is thus possible to cross the Storebælt bridge for DKK 295 instead of DKK 610. It is also possible to use the Norwegian Autopass sensor to cross the Øresund Bridge, but the discount can only be obtained by buying the Danish Bro pass, which we also used. By default, crossing Øresund with a 7 m car costs 110 Euros. With the Bro pass (45 Euros), the first and then each subsequent trip will cost 48 Euros during the validity of the Bro pass, which is one year.
The page with basic information for Autopass is here: https://www.autopass.no/en
and the basic information page for Ferjepass is here: https://autopassferje.no/?lang=en
Norwegian local ferries work perfectly, they run often enough to not wait more than 20–30 minutes to board. In addition, the exact departure times of individual ferries can be found in advance by clicking on which ferry and its provider on this page: https://autopassferje.no/ferjesamband/?lang=en.
RVing in Norway
The roads themselves, except for some highway sections, are narrow, but of very high quality. We learned very quickly how to drive on narrow roads, using the turning points before turns or even narrower sections. Well, all of this is directly related to something else that pleasantly surprised us in Norway. And that was the incredible consideration of local drivers for each other, including truck and bus drivers. They drive slowly and carefully. Also, with a large distance behind the vehicle in front of them, so it was difficult for us to evaluate whether the car behind us wanted to overtake us or not. Simply driving in Norway with a relatively long and wide car and on narrow roads is a caress for the soul. However, that ended immediately on the way back – shortly after disembarking from the ferry in Hirtshals, Denmark, there was a dangerous circling, mice, honking, butt-pushing…we said to ourselves “we’re already home”… So there is no need to be afraid of narrow Norwegian roads because the quality of the surface and the consideration of local drivers make you forget about the fear.
Due to the summer temperatures and the lower need for gas, we have no own practical experience in procuring additional gas supplies, either by refilling the gas bottle or refueling gas at the gas station. We have both systems but haven’t tried either. According to information from other travelers, this should not be a problem in Norway (except for the area north of Alta), but personal experience is the best experience. Well, maybe next time.
As for fuel prices, in our case of course diesel, we observed that the more developed the area, the lower the prices, and vice versa. And also the fact that even within one city there are big price differences, sometimes even 20%, within a few kilometers. It is also not possible to rely on the fact that one network of gas stations is reliably cheaper. And so there is no recommendation as to where and with whom to refuel. You need to be lucky and intuitive, and pay attention to the price – when a better price appears, fill up. Prices ranged from 2.20 to 2.60 Euro/l (the highest price was in the town of Geiranger, as it is the only possibility of refueling far and wide).
Parking and overnight stays.
Despite the claims of travelers who have traveled to Norway in the past that the conditions for motor home travel have deteriorated rapidly in recent years, we as newcomers to the country say that it is still almost ideal. There are still plenty of wonderful places to park and spend the night. And finding a service point every 100 to 200 km to clean and refill water is still not a problem. And most of the services at these places are free, or for a symbolic fee (2-3 Euros) at gas stations. Although, service points are of different types – from antique to modern ones. But they are available. And this is something that makes traveling as such incredibly easy and enjoyable for our kind of travelers.
At well-known popular places visited by tourists in large numbers, there are sufficiently large, but paid parking lots. Whether it was the parking lots under the Briksdalsbreen, Buerbreen glaciers, or the parking lots at the beginning of well-known hiking trails such as Besseggen Ridge, Preikestolen, Lindesnes Fyr, etc. The maximum price of the parking fee was 250 NOK (approx. 25 Euro), while it was clearly stated whether it was a parking lot with the option of staying overnight or just a daily parking lot. These clear rules for parking and staying overnight were very nice to us.
As for campsites, we saw quite a few of them, especially in cities and their immediate surroundings, or in the vicinity of frequently visited attractions. But since we visit them only in an emergency, we cannot write anything about the quality of the campsites.
Scenic Roads
Norway offers car passengers a total of 18 scenic routes. They are officially marked with this brown sign as part of road markings: 
at the beginning and end of the road, as well as at intersections. Although there are many more scenic roads with literally panoramic views of mountains, waterfalls, and fjords, and we ourselves “discovered” some, these officially differ in that they have built-in parking or rest areas with views, toilets, information boards, or maps for hikes in the area.
We managed to pass 8 out of 18 scenic routes. They were these:
1. Valdresflye Scenic Route on road no. 51:
It provides a panoramic view of the mountains and is also one of the two entrance gates to the Jotunheimen National Park. Going north past the town of Beitøstolen, you suddenly find yourself above the forest line, on a huge plateau with views in all directions. You are heading further north and on the left, you can see the eastern part of the Jotunheimen National Park. The road provides motorists with many places to park, rest or spend the night, such as parking lot Rjupa or Flye 1389, and others, all of which provide wonderful views. For more active car tourists, it provides many options for hiking routes starting directly from the parking lots. The most famous route is the Besseggen Ridge starting in the town of Gjendesheim. But cyclists can also have their own way – the beautiful Mjølkevegen cycle route begins just after a short turn towards the Jotunheimvegen toll road. This area is simply beautiful. 
More photos here.
2. Sognefjellet Scenic Route on road no.55:
After passing the Valdresflye scenic route, it is quite quick and comfortable to go to the Sognefjellet scenic route, which offers views of the same Jotunheimen National Park, but from the opposite, western side. The Sognefjellet road passes through the highest mountain pass in Northern Europe. Coming from the north, it gradually rises through the valleys from 0 to 1,434 m above sea level. Its length is 108 km and it leads from Lom to Gaupne and is part of route No. 55. The road is also the second gateway to the Jotunheimen National Park with wonderful views of the peaks of the 2,000m mountains, including the highest mountain in Norway, which is Galdhøpiggen rising to a height of 2,469 m.
There are many parking lots and resting places on the way, such as Mefjellet, Oscarshaug, Vegaskjelet, including the possibility to complete many hikes directly from the parking lots or just enjoy the view of the surrounding snowy mountains and crystal clear lakes.
After reaching a place called Sognefjellshytta offering a parking lot and a short panoramic hiking trail, the road begins to slowly descend through the valleys and approach the famous Sognefjord, after which it is named.
Sognefjord is known for its clear water, which changes color from green to blue and reflects the mountains and light depending on the weather conditions. It is the largest Norwegian fjord with a depth of 1,308 m, a width of 4.5 km, and a length of more than 200 km. It is also the second largest in the world, after the 350 km long Scoresby Fjord in Greenland.
It is a place that has a lot to offer to all types of travelers. Whether it is the aforementioned gateway to Jotunheimen National Park, but also to the glaciers of Jostedalsbreen National Park, or the town of Flåm with its mountain railway or Rallarvegen cycle route, the beautiful Aurlandsdalen valley, cruises on the fjord, but also the Unesco monument Urnes Stave church in the town of Ornes.
3. Gaularfjellet Scenic Route on road no. 610 and no. 613
The Gaularfjellet scenic route is less known and therefore less visited compared to other well-known scenic routes. Well, it is a hidden gem among them. Its total official length is 114 km, and it overcomes a height from 0 to 784 m above sea level, it is divided into two parts, namely a shorter one: Sande – Eldalsosen on road no. 610 and the second longer Moskog – Balestrand on road no. 613. We passed the longer part. On the left, somewhere above us, the Jostedalsbreen National Park spread out with all the glaciers, including the Briksdalsbreen glacier. To the right in the distance are the hills of the nature reserve Stølsheimen.
The road runs along several fjords, climbing zigzagging, slowly, at a moderate pace upwards, as well as along a protected waterway called Gaula, which offers everything from wild rapids and waterfalls to calm stretches where the water just glides silently. There are plenty of smaller parking lots and rest areas along the road, for example, Haukedalen was very pleasant. Of the waterfalls on the Gaula river, the Likholefossen waterfall is probably the most famous. The climb up ends at the highest point called Utsikten – translated, this word simply means “view”. It is a resting place, with a built-in lookout point from which you can admire the fresh and beautiful landscape through which the serpentines that were waiting for us wind – for travelers in the opposite direction, there is an interesting view of the place from where they climbed up. After meeting the switchbacks, we found ourselves again at the old known fjord Sognefjorden. This time in his middle part. But instead of the town of Balestrand, we headed for the ferry Draksvik – Vangsnes, after which we continued through more mountains to another part of the Sognefjord, namely the famous tourist town of Flåm lying on one of its arms, and the most popular Norwegian cycle route Rallarvegen.
4. Hardangervidda Scenic Route on road no.7
The scenic Norwegian route Hardangervidda starts in the tourist town of Haugastøl, which incidentally is the starting point for the well-known and very popular Rallarvegen cycle tour in Hallinsgkarvet National Park. But immediately after a few kilometers, the Hardangervidda National Park begins on the left, next to which the road leads us to the largest plateau in Europe at an altitude of 1,250 m, which is said to be home to one of the largest herds of wild reindeer in Europe.
From the plateau, a stunning panorama can be seen to the right, with the Hardangerjøkulen glacier in the background. But the attractiveness of this road does not end there. After crossing the plateau, we arrive at the turnoff to Norway’s largest waterfalls, Vøringsfossen. They roll down the mountainside from a height of 182 meters, and it’s an impressive sight. Those who are not afraid of heights can try to cross the bridge over the canyon of the waterfall. Or explore Vøringsfossen up close, as the hiking trail also leads through the valley of the falls.
And after the waterfall experience, we will go down the serpentines through the beautiful and steep Måbodalen valley to the typical fjord landscape, all the way to the famous and beautiful Hardanger fjord to the village of Eidfjord, where this scenic route ends.
The Hardangervidda Scenic Route is 67 km long, is part of Route No. 7 and is open year-round.
5. Hardanger Scenic Route on road no. 79 and no. 550:
The Hardanger Scenic Route winds around the Hardanger Fjord. It goes along road no. 79 along the northern shores of the fjord from the town of Granvin to the town of Tørvikbygd, from there we have to take the ferry to the southern shores of the fjord to Jondal, from there on road no. 550 using the ferry Utne – Kinsarvik, where we ran onto road no. 13 going south to the Låtefossen waterfalls, where the Hardanger scenic route ends. It has a total of about 190 km.
The road is open all year round. It is an ideal destination for lovers of waterfalls because the road is literally lined with waterfalls – Steinsdalsfossen, Skjervsfossen, Låtefossen, Furebergfossen, to which you have to turn. On the very narrow road No. 550, we were impressed by extensive apple orchards with beautiful fruits, with a tradition of growing them since the 14th century.
There are many hiking mountain trails in the area. The most famous one is Trolltunga. We had it planned. However, for travelers in an RV, the implementation is a little more complicated due to the fact that the beginning of the trail, from where it is another 10 km on foot to Trolltunga, can only be reached by a personal car. Or to be taken out by two buses in the early morning.
Instead of Trolltunga, we chose the ascent to the Buerbreen glacier in Folgefonna National Park. And it was an experience – starting from crossing the road leading to the parking lot at the beginning of the trail to the actual ascent to the glacier.
On Hardanger road there is a newly built resting place with the possibility of an overnight stay, it is called Espenes: 60.290069, 6.631932:
6. Ryfylke Scenic Route on road no. 13 and no. 520:
The Ryfylke Scenic Route is one of the longest of Norway’s eighteen official scenic routes. It is 270 km long and is part of two roads – road no. 13 and road no. 520.
Going from the north, it starts in Håra, but immediately divides into two branches – the northern one follows road no. 520, the south goes along road no. 13. Both branches will later join again into road no. 13. It is necessary to use two ferries on the route, namely: Nesvik – Hjelmeland and Oanes – Lauvvik.
Part of Ryfylke, which leads along road no. 520, is closed in winter.
Ryfylke is truly a path full of contrasts. From the high mountains, including the Røldal mountain pass at an altitude of 972 m.a.s.l. through lush green slopes to deep fjords with rocky cliffs, while the area is not part of any national park. It ends in the town of Oanes, which lies on the famous Lysefjord. Lysefjord is beautiful in itself, but it is also world-famous for the fact that Norway’s most famous cliff, Preikestolen, rises above it. Above the same Lysefjord, directly opposite and deeper inland, rises another well-known rock on a cliff – Kjerag. Everyone who has gone to Preikestolen or Kjerag has therefore traveled at least part of this picturesque Ryfylke path. In 2020, both Preikestolen and Kjerag received the certificate of the most beautiful Norwegian sightseeing hikes. And so they joined the first-ever scenic hike in Norway, which is Fosseråsa to Storsaeterfossen waterfalls, which starts in the town of Geiranger.
In addition to these two cliffs, there are also a number of peaks worth climbing in the vicinity. For example, Reinaknuten or Skomakarnibbå, both offer impressive views over large parts of Ryfylke including lakes Tysdalsvatnet and Jøsenfjorden.
An interesting place can also be a circular route around the meteor crater called Ritlandskrateret, where a meteor fell 500-600 million years ago. Ryfylke, therefore, requires more time, not only because of its length but also because of the number of interesting places it offers.
7. Jæren Scenic Route on road no. 507 and no. 44 :
The Norwegian scenic route Jæren leads from Bore and is part of route no. 507 and No. 44. It is fundamentally different from other scenic routes in Norway. It runs along the southern coast along the North Sea, and the scenery that can be seen on Jæren is nothing like the typical Norwegian mountain roads or roads around the fjords. Despite this, or precisely because of this, it is a unique path. The coastal landscape in the south is unique and completely different from anything that can be seen in other parts of Norway. There are 70 km of sandy beaches in the Jæren area, the longest of which is the 5 km long Orrestranda, which although reminiscent of sandy beaches in warmer regions, is suitable especially for walking and exploring the coast with sand dunes and its own flora and fauna by hiking. There are also many lighthouses and other cultural monuments along the coast, as well as a unique area called Magma Geopark, which is made of unusual rock and the views of its cliffs falling into the sea are simply unforgettable.
8. Geiranger Trollstigen Scenic Route on road no. 63:
Probably the most famous scenic route in Norway is called Geiranger-Trollstigen. Coming from the south along road No. 63, it starts at Langvatnet lake and ends after crossing the Sogge Bru bridge. It is 104 km long and overcomes a height difference of more than 1,000 m. It is necessary to use one ferry Eidsdal – Linge.
It is surrounded by everything that Norway has to offer – the mountain massifs of the Reinheimen National Park and the Geiranger-Herdalen nature reserve, as well as fjords, of which Geiranger is the most famous, and of course waterfalls. I personally missed only glaciers…
The road itself is divided into two parts, the dividing point is the small town of Geiranger. The first section between Langvatnet and Geiranger is called Geiranger and is closed from November to May. In this first part, the walk to the Dalsnibba lookout is very popular among motorists, along which a high layer of snow is maintained even in summer.
The second section between Geiranger and Sogge Bru, called Trollstigen, is closed from October to May, except the Eidsdal section – Ørnesvingen viewpoint, which is open all year round.
The area attracts tourists from all over the world, who mostly come by road, but some of them also visit Geiranger by cruise ship.
In the area, in addition to the mountains, we also admired the lush green valleys, the views of Geiranger, which are among the most admired in Norway. It is not by chance that it is on the UNESCO heritage list.
National parks and protected areas.
There are a total of more than 40 national parks and 22 protected areas on the territory of Norway (not including Svalbard). In total, 17.6% of the territory is protected. During our first tasting, we literally only touched some of them. For lovers of mountains and beautiful nature, Norway is simply heaven on earth, as they say.
As for tourist routes, the Norwegians declare that they have more than 25,000. We only crossed a few, but also their national route called Besseggen Ridge.
Based on these short experiences, I would say that tourism as such is much wilder than we know it in our country. The routes are simply marked – with a red T on the rock, or with little men. The exception is those routes that are known abroad and serve as tourist attractions for foreign tourists. We went to one of them – Preikestolen, and the markings on it were exaggerated. Well, more than 300,000 tourists go there every year, mostly foreign.
As for cycling routes, there are far fewer of them. Especially if I don’t count the ones that are marked as part of mostly narrow highways. The most famous is the Rallarvegen cycle route between the towns of Flåm and Finse, leading along the road built during the construction of the railway at the beginning of the 20th century. We walked part of it in the beautiful territory of Hallingskarvet National Park. And we were intrigued by the fact that the vast majority of cyclists were local, and the fact that we met only one couple on eBay…and they spoke German. So cycling in Norway is not nearly as developed as hiking. And e-mails are not very popular there, yet.
We also covered part of another well-known Mjølkevegen cycle route:
Travel apps.
When traveling, we mainly rely on four areas of applications, namely – navigation, weather, hiking/cycling, and overnight stays:
1. Navigation
After many years of testing various navigation software, applications, and devices, we have narrowed down navigation when traveling in unknown areas to two:
a) Google Maps – it simply has the latest maps and, when connected online, also the current traffic situation. Thanks to Google, we have already saved ourselves from standing in queues many times when we noticed a problem on the route – an accident, traffic jams, or closures/detours. Unfortunately, Google Maps – we believe that only for now – does not provide the option of planning a route according to the dimensions of the car.
b) Also because we sometimes had to turn back from the planned route due to the height of the car, we use the Garmin Camper device in addition to Google Maps. Its maps are a little behind Google Maps, but it plans a route with regard to a specific car (height, width, length) and provides a so-called lifetime update of maps. There is no need to purchase updates as with other navigation software. In addition, it has a Smartphone Link application that can monitor the current traffic on the route, and it is also possible to send the location coordinates from the app to the Garmin device.
c) Despite these two navigation, it is very often necessary to use your own head and logic or to look at a paper map.
As far as traveling in Norway is concerned, the marking of the roads and the places where the roads lead is very good. And so, in combination with the navigation software, it is almost impossible to get lost, but the attention of the passenger is clearly required.
2. Weather
Reliable weather forecasts are key when we travel, as we always travel to the mountains and nature, whether for hiking or cycling. There are many weather forecasting apps. We tested them a lot and very simply, even at home – we look out the window, and if the hourly forecast is completely out of line with reality, we take the app out of the game.
After years of testing, we would recommend the following apps:
a) YR – we discovered this one before our trip to Norway, and it was a great choice. During our hikes, the weather developed within the hour according to the forecast
b) Windy and Meteoblue – we used these by default before the discovery of YR
As is known, predictions differ depending on which calculation model they are linked to. It is the Windy app that offers a forecast by switching between different models… and then you can see what different mathematics the models use, resulting in weather forecasts that are often incomprehensible to us.
3.Hiking and cycling
We only use one app for outdoor activities, and that is Locus Map. After years of trying all sorts of other apps in the past, I dare say this is by far the best. And for the last 4 years, we have not needed another. It offers everything that a tourist or cyclist, but also a skier or cross-country skier, needs in winter. Outdoor maps contain a comprehensive worldwide network of hiking trails, cycle paths, and winter cross-country trails. And not only that. As for objects such as shops, gas stations, attractions, local transport, etc., it has more detailed maps than even Google Maps. We plan our every outdoor trail in the app because we often make our own circuit, and we also want to know the details – kilometers, elevation gain, etc. in advance. The app navigates us in the field and at the same time records the route traveled. Of course, it also offers the import of otherwise acquired routes. It also includes road navigation, but we don’t use it. But it seriously competes with Google Maps when it comes to finding anything while traveling – shops, gas stations, parking lots, etc., as it has maps with details that sometimes we can’t even find in Google Maps.
4.Overnight stays.
Finding a suitable place to spend the night and possibly embarking on the planned route on foot or by bicycle is an important part of our planning. Since we are not “come and see” type of travelers, we usually know in advance where we will stay for the night, while also having backup alternatives. In the past, we’ve used multiple sources of information on lodging options. But after the decent development of the Park4Night application in the last 2–3 years, it is our only reliable alternative. We are looking for not only overnight stays, but also service points as an essential part of our trips. However, its reliability depends on us – travelers, as the only sources of information. Therefore, we consider it important to add the evaluation of which place directly to the application by us travelers. Only thanks to the current posts and ratings, do we know whether the data given in the description of the place matches its current status or not. We tried both versions – free and paid. Paid is mainly intended for offline situations, but in offline mode, it offers a much narrower database. And so, in our opinion, the paid version mainly has one other advantage – it enables the display of the desired places along the specified route from point A to point B.
Either the free or paid versions, both make it incredibly easy to transfer a location’s position to Locus Map – by highlighting the coordinates in the description of the location in the Park4Night app and then opening and saving the location in Locus Maps, including a link to the location’s current information in Park4Night. And so the traveler can gradually create his own database of places in Locus Map maps, which he always has with him offline, including his own notes, clicks, photos, etc. We consider this option of combining two useful applications to be simply amazingly practical, even genius. For example, the view of the area around the highest Norwegian peak Galdhøpiggen (a tree in the middle) then looks like this in our Locus Map:
Color-coded routes (we determined the colors ourselves – purple are cycling routes, brown are hiking, red are scenic auto routes, blue are normal auto routes) as well as points – parking, overnight stays, service points, stars as attractions, trees as hills or national parks, etc. they are clickable and contain information, photos, and clicks, for example directly to a specific marked location in Park4Night or a website for the route/place.
Internet and data.
After reading various information from other travelers, we decided to try to top up our roaming data by buying a local sim card and extending our data through it. Because the so-called unlimited data from the providers meant data capped, from 35 to 60 GB as the maximum per month, depending on the provider. This would not be so little, but each of them stated that there is no guarantee for their use, on the contrary – we can receive an SMS at any time about stopping providing the data.
Since we did not want to remain in the power of the operator, we decided to get a local SIM card. In Norway, it is not possible at all, because they do not sell sim cards to foreigners. However, long-term travelers recommended a different procedure – buy a SIM card from Telenor in Sweden, activate a data package (100 GB for 30 Euros), and use it in Norway as well, since there is no cross-border restriction there. So we visited the Telenor store in Sweden. And we left with a long nose, because just before our trip (from 1.8.22) they adopted measures in Sweden similar to those in Norway, so they do not sell sim cards to foreigners without residence or an account in a Swedish bank. And so we had to rely only on the flat-rate data package provided by our operator. They were enough. Well, we made one mistake that I want to warn other travelers about. Roaming data worked fine on the Rostock-Gedser ferry on the way there. On the way back on the Kristiansand – Hirtshals ferry, we thought that too…we were wrong. So both our phones were connected to satellite internet, in which 1 GB costs approx. 12,000 Euros…fortunately, after 5 MB was used up, the operator sent us both an SMS saying that the data flow was stopping. Luckily for us, really… but even so, the 2×5 MB cost 2×60 Euros. So it is best to turn off roaming data on ships.
Miscellaneous.
Food tends to be the second-largest item after fuel on our trips. It also applied to Norway. We visited Kiwi, Rema 1000, Spar, Bonpris. The prices were about 20-30% higher than in the continent, And at the same time very high quality, it was mostly domestic, made in Norway.
Card payments were possible everywhere, even at paid parking lots. We did not come across the method of payment that many travelers point out, namely putting the amount in Norwegian kroner in an envelope and dropping it in the box, but we were prepared – both with an envelope and in cash. Some of the parking machines were interesting, in which we worked out how to make the correct payment only after passing the imaginary high school graduation exam or obtaining a diploma… but even that belongs to small travel experiences.
Mosquitoes are a frequently discussed issue on various travel forums. Our experience is this. They are, especially near water bodies. They are smaller than ours. But they sting like ours. We were armed with two weapons against them, namely special sprays for Scandinavian mosquitoes and nets on the windows with smaller meshes than those installed from the factory. Well, and indirectly, by the fact that we only stay at water bodies for the necessary time. And a temperature below 10 degrees Celsius is also a solution – mosquitoes will disappear. Equipping mosquitoes with such direct and indirect weapons was no problem. But that doesn’t mean they won’t become one on our next trip.
Here is a map briefly containing all the basic information from this tasting in one geographically clear place:
Both places and routes are clickable on the map. That is, places to park and spend the night, service places, also routes – red are Norwegian scenic roads, brown are hiking trails and purple are cycle routes that we completed during this tasting trip. Blue is our auto route, representing approx. 5,500 km in total. National parks in all Scandinavian countries are marked with green stars. In addition to brief information, places, and routes are supplemented with photos or videos.
Videos of our trips are hosted on our Rving National Parks YouTube channel.
Conclusion.
In conclusion, I will just repeat what I mentioned in the introduction. Which of you RV travelers is a lover of mountains and beautiful nature, and you haven’t been to Norway yet…don’t hesitate and plan your stay in this beautiful country as soon as possible. It’s a shame to hesitate and postpone the trip to this beautiful country, also called the land of trolls.
Note:
For all the information given in this summary, it is valid that this is a motor home 7 m long, 2.22 m wide, approx. 3.2 m high, and two adult passengers in 2022.
The third, very important companion on our travels is this Hymer MLT 560 4×4 car. We are very glad to have it, focused on the technical parameters. Whether it’s all-wheel drive, a 3-liter engine, an automatic transmission, or Goodrich tires that accompany this four-wheeler. Thanks to other technical accessories too, we can easily overcome mountain roads and be self-sufficient in the mountains even for 4–5 days. We are grateful to the manufacturer for bringing a car of this type to the market.
And to you, the readers, thank you for reading and paying attention to this tasting. We will be pleased if the information collected by us is useful for any of you.
All travelers in motor homes, as well as lovers of mountains and nature, are greeted
Danka & Jozef
We also publish information, photos, and experiences from our trips on our Facebook page: