We have spent two months in our converted Sprinter Campervan travelling Norway. In this blog we share how to pay the Norway tolls as an international camper, Epass 24 Norway, speeding fines and limits, motorhome parking, dump stations, LPG fill up points and all the things you need to know. Plus we give a personal insight into driving a campervan around Norway. Driving in Norway as a tourist isn’t as bad as you may think, read on to find out all the things you should know before you hit the road. Here’s all the information you need for driving in Norway with a UK License.
Chapters
No time to read now?
Save this guide on Pinterest
Basics of driving in Norway
- Side of Driving: Right
- Speed: km/hr
- Documents to take: Van Insurance, V5C, Breakdown cover, Passports, Driver’s license.
- Items you need: High vis-vest, warning triangle, headlight adapters (to prevent dazzling other drivers with a left-hand drive vehicle)
- Tires: Winter tires from November 1st (More Information Here)
Driving to Norway? Explore possible routes from the UK
🗺️ Your Ultimate Norway Map
On our way, we created a Google Pinned Map with all the places we visited in Norway. Grab your Pinned Map today and start planning your adventure!
Norway Tolls
When we left for Norway, we had lots of people tell us it was going to be really expensive and cost a fortune. Although not the cheapest place we were surprised that after one month in Norway our road toll bill was £42.22. This doesn’t include internal ferry tolls which cost us £56.19.
How To Pay Norwegian Road Tolls As A UK Campervan
There are two different options for the toll roads in Norway:
- Autopass – Autopass is a small device that sits in the windscreen of your car and registers your vehicles when you drive under a toll camera. There are a few positives to autopass. Firstly, your payment is already set up, secondly you receive 50% off internal ferries and 20% off each transaction meaning this is great for visiting Norway on a budget. You will need to go on the Autopass website and contact a toll service provider. The downside is you need to order the tag in advance of your trip. We were not this organised, so we went with option 2 (Epass24).
- Epass24 – Epass24 allows you to drive without a tag. You register the number plate of your vehicle and this is captured when you drive under a toll camera. To pay the toll they will send you an invoice at the end of the month. If you register with the company who processes ULEZ you can get your invoice emailed to you and your payment taken automatically. We went with this option. Don’t forget to add your card to your online profile so you don’t miss paying the fee. This means you won’t end up with any unexpected fine.
How To Pay Norway Ferry Tolls As A UK Campervan
- If you have Autopass then your tag will be registered by the cameras when you enter the ferry port, and you will be billed the same way as your road tolls. You will also receive 50% off ferry costs (which do add up!)
- Ferrypay – This is what we used. It is an online company that you register your vehicle number plate with. When you enter the ferry, a worker will scan your plate and the card you entered onto the website will be billed. The bill comes through a couple of days after the ferry journey. We can recommend that you use Revolut for good exchange rates. Find out more about Revolut here.
- Pay on the ferry – You can also pay directly on the ferry. A worker will come round with a card machine to take your payment.
Fluctuating Diesel Costs In Norway
It is important to note when driving round Norway diesel prices change daily. They can be 19.99NOK/L in the morning and rise to 25.0NOK/L by the evening. Therefore, if you see cheap petrol, get it! We found the cheapest times to be early morning and the most expensive to be late afternoon. We also heard Sundays and Mondays were cheaper, but we didn’t notice this too much.
Planning a Van Build?
Our custom long wheelbase design, the Workspace Adventurer, has all the measurements and details of our van, with two office spaces & flexible layout
Speed Limits in Norway
We bumped into a lovely guy at a petrol station who had travelled the world and had countless stories to share while we did our tyre pressure. One of these stories was his speeding incident in Norway. He was caught speeding 11kph over the speed limit and was fined 4749NOK (£350)! We noticed quite a few police with speed guns during our time in Norway.
Norway’s roads are slow. They are often winding and narrow and therefore the speed on most roads is much less than in the UK. We loved our time on the roads in Norway as the views are so breath-taking you don’t want to drive fast.
Rough Speed limits in Norway
- Residential area: 50km/hr
- Central town areas: 30km/hr
- Motorways: 90-100km/hr
- Larger main roads: 60-70km/hr
Campervan & Motorhome Parking in Norway
In Norway you have the right to roam. Just remember to be considerate and sensible! There are endless park-ups in Norway on P4N, many large and open with room for lots of vans. We travelled in the off season, October – November and even park ups with 1-2 spaces we found empty. We have heard in summer there is nowhere to park, and it is full of vans so consider this when planning your road trip.
Campervan & Motorhome Dump Stations & LPG
There are also plenty of motorhome dump stations. Most of these have waste disposal and freshwater. Some even have hoses so you don’t have to use your own. Many park ups have bins and if not, there won’t be one far away. The services in Norway for campervans are just amazing!
We filled up our LPG in Norway twice. There are a few self-service LPG stations dotted around but there are not many so check if one’s near and fill up. There are also places to fill up gas canisters, again it’s worth checking where these are. LPG prices aren’t cheap, but we definitely thought it was worth it when we were toasty inside the van when it was -6 and snowing outside. We used MyLPG to find fill up stations.
Lengthy drives and Windy roads
Norway is huge, vast was one of the words we kept using. From southern Norway to Nordkapp the drive is 28 hours long. To Lofoten from Kristiansund the drive takes 22 hours. There are no motorways up the country so when planning your road trip be mindful about lengthy drives and time spent in the van.
Windy roads and switch backs are inevitable on your road trip. Places such as Geiranger and Trollstigen are famous for their mountain roads. We were in a LWB sprinter, and we managed the switch backs of Geiranger just fine. We did accidently end up on a mountain pass where we could have taken the main road so be sure to check your route. The road we were on was narrow and steep and we stopped to let the brakes cool down, if there is a ski slope sign, you’re probably heading up a mountain!
Tunnels are another feature of driving in Norway. On our trip we drove through the longest road tunnel in the world (25km). The tunnels are bare rock and amazing features of engineering. We even had a roundabout inside a tunnel, we couldn’t believe it. The tunnels can be unlit so just remember to switch your lights on.
Driving to Norway? Explore possible routes from the UK
Bucket List Norway
Norway, the land of giants and trolls, meandering roads, epic fjords and much more is a prime destination for a road trip, holiday or cruise. After spending 2 months exploring this Nordic country, we share our top picks from our time on the Scandinavian road.
Top Hike: Pulpit Rock
An outcrop extends over a deep fjord, as you stand on the edge of Preikestolen you’re above the clouds and high on life. A 3 hour trek that is worth every minute.
Epic Viewpoint: Rampestreken
Rampestreken is a 20m extended platform looking out over mountains and fjords, one section is even mesh so you can see the drop right below you. You can hike or catch a cable car here.
Top Waterfall: Trollkirka or Låtefossen
It was too hard to choose just one, so I’ve gone for two. Trollkirka is a waterfall inside a marble cave which involves hiking to a Trolls Church, and Låtefossen which is right on the road but just as spectacular.
Off The Beaten Track: Sleep in a Cabin In The Woods
Norway is a country of adventure, and what better way to experience this than sleeping in a traditional hiking or hunting cabin.
Essential Items for Norway
Allowing you to fill up water whenever and wherever with peace of mind, plus you’re helping the environment
Norway is a hiker’s destination and with challenging hikes such as Pulpit Rock, we were glad to have our poles. We would also recommend reliable Hiking Boots.
If you’re visiting in the shoulder seasons or winter a head torch is a must. The days are short and if you’re camping this is essential.
Life while travelling will never be the same again! Charge multiple devices all at once in any country… game changer.
Top Tips For Travelling Norway
If you’re visiting the Norway here are our top travel tips:
- Book flights in advance – they can become expensive if you leave it last minute. Also don’t forget Apple Airtags to track your luggage
- Norway is vast, take it slow – don’t feel the need to see everything if you only have a short time. Instead spend the time you have discovering the beauty and culture of the area you’re in… plus then you have an excuse to come back.
- Hire a car or motorhome – in our opinion this is the best way to really see Norway. You get to drive down hairpin roads such as Trollstigen and explore the lesser known nooks of the country.
- Be prepared for changing weather – it can be sunny one minute and snowing the next so pack for a range of temperatures and remember “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inadequate clothing.”
