Driving in Norway

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DITTRICH

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 16, 2004
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Location
London
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S205 C200SE & W202 C230K
In 2 weeks I'm off to collect the family from Arlanda Airport (Stockholm) and after a few days there, we're off to Norway. Trondheim - Andalsnes - Geiranger - Laerdal - Oslo. After that home via the Oresund bridge to Eurotunnel. Frankly, I can't wait for the trip.

Driving in Norway apparently has its own little foibles:-

1 Low speed limits.
Very low as far as I can see.
2 Police very good at enforcing astronomical fines and jailing people.
Do they hide behind rocks?:D Are they all over the place? The police that is!
3 Toll roads all over the place. Loads of change / cash required in car?

Any advice from people who have already driven there?

Now I have done quite alot of reaserach on the net and been to the ferry timetables and the state road authority's website amongst others.

My hit list of things to do:-

1 Trollstigen and Ornesveien
2 Geiranger - Hellesylt ferry
3 Dalsnibba Lookout
4 Borgund Stave Church
5 Snoveien and 24.5km Laerdal tunnel
6 Oslo - Bugdoy museums - Viking Ships
7 Visit a glacier - trying to decide which one at present

All advice gratefully received.

Les
 
DITTRICH said:
Driving in Norway apparently has its own little foibles:-

1 Low speed limits.
Very low as far as I can see.
Click to expand...

And speed cameras. I get a whole load of "Fartsboks_NO" files downloaded onto my TomTom whenever it gets updated (I subscribe to their European speed camera service).
 
I took the overnight coastal steamer from Bergen to Trondheim, a beautiful peaceful trip.

On the return drive down the East coast from Trondheim back to Bergen I never saw any cameras or police. The only problem is that everyone drives at the speed limit and it is difficult to overtake. You just have to learn to be patient.:rolleyes:

Lovely trip with ffords and mountains. Geiranger is well worth a visit, I stayed in the hotel there and drove round to Hellesylt and came back on the the ferry. Listen out for the tale of the seven sisters.;)

On a seperate holiday I went from Bergen through Oslo to Gothengurg, my advise is don't bother, Oslo is a dive to drive through and Stravanger Ferry back to Newcastle doesn't run any more.
 
bolide said:
Which car are you taking?

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk
Click to expand...

c230k at present.
I know I have to be careful but want to get there quickly.
And your point was to be? Curious!
Les
 
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BTB 500 said:
And speed cameras. I get a whole load of "Fartsboks_NO" files downloaded onto my TomTom whenever it gets updated (I subscribe to their European speed camera service).
Click to expand...

Fartsboks...translates well, doesn't it! A box that produces something unpleasant.
 
DITTRICH said:
Fartsboks...translates well, doesn't it! A box that produces something unpleasant.
Click to expand...

Fartkamera_SE (Sweden?) is similar! The others are:

Blitzer_AT
Blitzer_DE
Radar_ES
Radar_FR
Radar_PT
Kamerat_FI
Autovelox_IT
Flitspaal_NL
Safety_Cam_UK

:)
 
Further to the answer above.

The most famous Glacier and biggest in Europe is the Jostedal, where you can take a boat ride to it and walk along it with a guide.

Also well worth a visit is Voss and stay at the Fleischers Hotel, and if you have time take the seaplane trip for half an hour, and the Mountain Train to Flam.:rock:

The mountain road at Leikanger is worth a trip on the way south from Trondheim too.

A book to get before your trip is called "West Norway, nature and attractions", published by Ernest Press in association with the tourist board. Full of photos and places to visit. You also need a good ordinance map.;)
 
Brian,
Thanks for your advice.
Much appreciated.
I bought the Cappelens 1:325,000 turistkart at stanfords the other day even though I have Garmin coverage for whole of Norway.
I note your point about Oslo. I cut time there to 2 days because it didn't seem worth it. The Aker slott and the bugdoy museums are the only bits we're interested in. Fjords seem much nicer.
Leikanger - found it between balestrand and sognedal - seems to be a road up the mountain to a viewing point - will research it.
Les
 
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Bill,
Thanks for the file information.
I have a garmin unit and I'll look up similar files for it.
I have a hidden unit and its a pain to get at in the passenger footwell.
If time available, I'll pay a visit to my ICE dealer who can seemingly strip trim out of a car in the blink of an eye.
Les
 
DITTRICH said:
I have a garmin unit and I'll look up similar files for it.
Click to expand...
I've used the POI database from SCDB.info for the last 3 years and have found it to be pretty accurate. It costs €9.95 for a year's subscription and covers fixed camera locations for the UK and most European countries (including Norway!).
 
If only those files could be downloaded to COMAND.........:mad:
 
Hi Dittrich,

I lived in Norway for 2 1/2 years.
The Police do enforce the speed limit very well. I've known of a husband and wife who were driving home one day coincidentally along the same piece of road and ended up getting consecutively numbered tickets!

The maximum speed limit was 85 KPH apart from one stretch of road outside of Oslo. This may be slow but at these speeds you don't miss much of the scenery, which is, as other posters have said is spectacular.

Another thing to watch-out for is the drink driving rules. The limit is about 1/8th of ours and if caught the sentence is 21 days imprisonment. The Norwegian Police have a tendency to block an entire road and breathalyse every driver going through - and to catch those that see the road block and turn off, they have other police up the turn offs to ensure they get everyone. So don't drink and drive.

The majority of tolls are to get into the towns or Cities with only a relatively few in the countryside. Those that are present are normally to cover the cost of a super tunnel or bridge. Of course, be prepared for when there is no road but a ferry as you will need to pay for these aswell. In planning your route you will need to factor in the time waiting for the ferry aswell as the duration of the trip.

Norwegians are not renowned for their indicating and will just pull out and force their way in to traffic queues. They expect you to do the same and once you have started to force your way in they will then give way. This is also how they behave in bars. They are not being antagonistic it is just the way they are. There is no phrase in the Norwegian language for Excuse Me.

Alcohol is extremely expensive in Norway and bottled spirits and wine are only available in the State Controlled "Vinmonopolet". Obviously, you are able to buy a bottle of wine at restaurants with a meal as you are able to buy a short in most bars. However, not all bars have a spirit licence!

Notwithstanding all of the above, my wife and I really enjoyed our time in Norway and would, work permitting, live in Norway again.


Steve
 
Thanks Steve,
Les
 
Interim Trip Report...

Finally offloaded the cat onto some friends and headed for Eurotunnel at 9pm on sat 16th. Used the Garmin unit to plot a much shorter route to stockholm than I managed before in 2005. Got to Linskopping by sun 17th and arrived at Arlanda airport 30km north of stockholm to pick up wife, son and mother in law on mon 18th and finally made it to scandic sergel plaza in central stockholm. Stayed 4 nights. saw the royal palace, gamlestan old town and skansen outdoor museum. skansen museum was very good with all sorts of practical exhibits showing what life was like in rural sweden many years ago. also fearsome bears, wild boars and piglets, elks and reindeers. Then 800kms to trondheim in norway. made it to andalsnes the next day. thereafter the famous "trollstigen" trolls ladder road past the "stigfossen" ("stig" waterfall) and then on to geiranger for 3 nights. Went up to dalsnibba lookout (1,500m) and went on the ferry with the car to Hellesylt. We're now in Laerdal and moving on to oslo tomorrow.

Observations...
1 Haven't seen any norwegian policemen.
2 Norwegians drive at more than 80kph (the limit)
3 Everything very expensive including fuel
4 Scenery absolutely beathtaking. even when it rains and you have to drive in the clouds.
5 There are people pulling caravans up and down these mountains and alot of germans with RVs.
6 Hotel food is expensive and much better to venture out into towns and eat in restaurants but still expensive.
7 everyone speaks english to some degree.
8 gave up taking photos of mountains and lakes and "views" there are so many.
9 approaching cars which turn their hazard lights on temporarily are telling you there will a problem up ahead (in our case sheep in a tunnel).
10 road tunnels very long 4 to 6 kms is nothing. longest is 24.5km. if weather improves we may use the 24.5km tunnel and then the snow road at 1,300m from Aurland back to laerdal tomorow.
11 Loads more speed cameras (new design) in sweden especially in rural villages and road junctions.
12 Can't see any speed cameras in norway (yet).
13 Grand Fjord Hotel just outside geiranger is better than being in the geiranger village.

Minor annoyances...
1 Petrol station attendant tried to fiddle my change when i stopped to get coins for the trondhiem road tolls.
2 Being charged NOK300 per person for a buffet at the lindstrom hotel in laerdal. I ate as much as i could and then some.

Slight regrets...
1 Needed more than one morning in trondhiem. missed nidaros cathedral.
2 Needed more than one morning in and around laerdal. missed the railway trip from Flam. Might miss the "snow road" from aurland to laerdal depending on the weather.

In all, I can thoroughly recommend the Norway Fjords and Stockholm. Fantastic scenery and twisty windy roads.

That's all for now...

Les
 
Now reached Oslo. Either I find an Esso petrol station in the next 2 days where I can pay or I can wait up to 3 months to be billed NOK25 for entering the oslo ring. Quite what is the point of trying to bill a tourist £2.50 to get to their hotel in their own car I don't know. Apparently there is a company which is contracted to bill and recover tolls from EU motorists. I should say the toll ring is 100% automatic so my only options were to buy an autopass contract widget and pay a deposit of NOK200 or cough up cash or credit cards. But toll stations are progressively being converted to all automatic and they then bill owners of vehicles every 3 months. Tomorrow morning will be interesting. I must go websurfing for esso stations in oslo now. Hotel is the scandic kna at 68 parkveien around 500m from the centre of town with its own underground garages. A bit of a squeeze to get in and had to move a duff oven from the last parking space (dragged it into a corner with helping hands from my better half and the mother in law!) and I got the last space. Bonus is lift direct to my floor from the garage.
Saw the Borgund Stave church today - only 800 years old - and went through the 24.5km Laerdal tunnel - longest in the world. Now 2 days in oslo and 2 days to get home via kolding in denmark.
Some photos may follow.
Les
 
I have been to Bergen a few times with work and absolutely love the place.

Great friendly people.

GORGEOUS WOMEN, a night out in Bergen town centre is like a giant FHM party, a great time.

Beer is expensive, so is food but the standard of service is far higher to.

Like you've seen the roads are breathtaking. I was driving to Voss every weekend and enjoyed every single part of the trip. I even found a tunnel carved out of bare rock with water dripping through the roof and it felt like the entrance to the batcave.

The only place i'd want to live apoart from the UK!

Dave!
 
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