Van Life in Norway is known to be expensive but what costs more – a flight to Oslo or a beautiful drive with your home through Europe? Let’s find out! Throughout this blog we share our road trip to Norway from the UK including all the information to answer the question: How to get to Norway by car or Motorhome.
We have spent the last month exploring and travelling Norway on a budget. The reason we have been able to do this is due to driving our campervan to Norway from the UK. We haven’t spent on accommodation, but we have spent rather a lot on diesel. Does it cost more to travel this way? Can I take my Campervan to Norway? If you’re planning on driving to Norway from the UK, read on to find out as I breakdown our route, the cost and where we stayed on our road trip up to Norway.
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Routes To Drive To Norway From The UK In Your Car Or Campervan (Step 1)
Eurotunnel to Calais
35 Minutes
From $150 pp
Ferry to Calais
1.5 Hours
From $50-200 pp
Ferry Hook of Holland
8 Hours
From $150-200 pp
Ferry to Amsterdam
15 Hours
From $350-550 pp
How Do I Get a UK Campervan to Norway?
If you’re asking yourself, can you drive to Norway from the UK? Yes! You can definitely take your UK Campervan to Norway (or car), however there is no direct UK to Norway ferry. To get to Norway in a campervan from the UK you have a few options.
- Eurotunnel into France and drive from there.
- Ferry from Harwich to the Hoek Van Holland and start your road trip in The Netherlands.
- Ferry from Dover to Calais
- There are a few more ferry terminals such as Hull and Newcastle but when we looked the prices were extortionate and it was cheaper for us to drive down from Scotland to Harwich. From a recent check I found a ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam for £451 for two adults and a camper but it does take 15 hours.
Once you’ve decided how to get onto mainland Europe you also need to consider how you’re getting from Denmark to Norway. There are a few options, the main two are a ferry from Hirtshals to Kristiansand or the bridge into Sweden followed by a drive to Norway.
Discover more with our Norway Travel Guide
Getting Out of the UK: Harwich – Hook of Holland
We decided to take the ferry from Harwich to avoid a longer drive on mainland Europe. For us the ferry from Harwich to the Netherlands was the cheapest way to drive from the UK to Norway. The ferry is a longer option than the Eurotunnel, taking 8 hours, but you do cut down on driving time and therefore diesel costs.
The ferry cost us £200 for 2 adults, and our Mercedes Sprinter Campervan. We went with Stena Line and didn’t pay for a cabin. For us we travelled in the daytime and there was no need to add on extra costs but it is worth noting there were no plug sockets on the boat and that you had to pay extra for Wi-Fi. We didn’t pay for the Wi-Fi and instead listened to our downloaded audiobook. We can recommend ‘Ultra processed people’ it definitely made the time go quicker.
The cheapest cabin we found was £80, but the website also notes that you get 50% off when you book a cabin on a day sailing.
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Getting Out of the UK: The Eurotunnel
We didn’t decide to get the Eurotunnel on the way as it adds around 5 hours of driving. We did opt to get the Eurotunnel on the way back and we enjoyed exploring Northern France in the days beforehand. The Eurotunnel cost us £150 and it only takes 35 minutes which is super quick and I would definitely recommend it to people wanting to explore Europe.
Getting Out of the UK: Ferry From Dover To Calais
The last choice is a Ferry From Dover to Calais. The ferry can be the cheapest option, especially if you book in advance. The prices can start from £50 per person and the crossing takes an hour and a half.
Driving Mainland Europe: Getting to Denmark
Once we were in the Netherlands we gave ourselves a week to get to Norway. We actually ended up taking 5 days with this route here
The route cost us around £247 in diesel. We also had some of the most beautiful park ups. The most memorable was a German lake where we could cool off in Oldenburg. If you would like to stay there here are the what3words: deaden.communties.traps
Getting into Norway: Bridge or Ferry? (Step 2)
Direct Ferry
4 Hours
From $150+ pp
Øresund Bridge
6 Hours
From $80 pp
Sweden Ferry
20 mins + 5Hour drive
From $20 pp
There are two main ways to get into Norway. The first is the Øresund Bridge into Sweden. The toll for this road is DKK 880.00 (£102). Then you need to make your way into Norway from here, it is around 6 hours of driving to Oslo.
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When driving to Norway from the UK we chose to get a ferry from Hirtshals to Kristiansand’s. The ferry takes 4 hours and cost us £210 with Fjordline. The crossing was fantastic and the ferry felt very luxurious We even saw dolphins out the window!
It is important to note you can also get a ferry from Helsingør (Denmark) to Helsingborg (Sweden) which will be cheaper (from £20) than the bridge. We took this ferry on the way home from our road trip and it only takes 20 minutes!
Final Costs Of Getting To Norway
Overall the final cost from the UK to Norway was… £647 for two people and a campervan. After looking at flights from the UK to Oslo the average price was £300. This is undeniably cheaper, however when you arrive in your campervan you have your home and accommodation for FREE! This is how we like to travel and it has been worth every penny. We are further mindful to use Revlout when spending abroad to avoid transaction fees as well! We have also tracked how much we spent travelling Norway for 2 months in our camper.
Interested in finding out the cost of travelling Norway? Explore our Norway budget breakdown
Our Route To Drive To Norway From the UK
Day 1 – We got the Stena Line ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. We got the ferry at 10am and arrived at 4:00pm CEST. We then drove to our first park up in the Netherlands at 3861NG, Nijerk, Arkemheensepad. (What3words; unrealistic.study.nuance)
We had the most fabulous sunset and woke up to two hot air balloons floating past. A magical start to our trip!
Day 2 – We drove across to boarder and into Germany. We stayed at 26135, Oldenburg, 129 Holtmannsweg (what3words: deaden.communties.traps). This has to be one of my favourite park ups. There was a path around the lake perfect for a morning jog then a small beach where we could enter for a cold dip. The road here was a little bumpy but we managed fine in our LWB.
Day 3 – On day three we had plans to get to Denmark, but in the end we stayed in Northern Germany. We stayed in Neumunter (what3words:rowers.affinity.club). Again this was AMAZING. There was a beach with easy access to the water so we could deploy our kayak and there was even a pontoon out on the lake where we ate our breakfast. Another 10/10 park up.
Day 4– This was our long driving day. We drove across to boarder and the whole way up Denmark to Hirtshals. The drive was around 6 hours on one motorway and we didn’t really see much of Denmark which was a shame. We were however greeted by the best sunset we have both seen across the sea at our ferry terminal park up (what3words: sensed.cranes.bonus). We parked here ready to get the ferry over to Norway in the morning.
Top Things To Do In 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.
🗺️ 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!
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.”
