Tips for Norway with a Camper Van

Are you planning a trip to Norway with a camper van? I traveled for two months through this wonderful camping country. Here, I have gathered all the tips and tricks for your journey. Whether you are traveling by camper van, motorcycle, car, or on foot with a tent.

From wild camping, campsites, and the most beautiful road trips and route suggestions to tricks to save money on tolls and ferry rides. Here you will find everything you need to know as a camper for road trips.

My experience regarding the best travel time, how long you need to plan, and of course, information on how to get there. The camper route by land or by ferry, good travel guides, or if you own your camper, my tips for renting a camper van in Norway for your vacation.

The country is an ideal destination for nature lovers, campers, and road trip fans. Words often fail me to describe the landscape. Unique, wonderful, or breathtaking-around every corner. Sounds cliché, but it is not exaggerated.

The regions from Northern Norway to the south could not be more different. You often find remote areas and can enjoy nature and the fascinating landscape fully on hikes without meeting other people. Popular regions include the Lofoten Islands and the fjords in the south between Trondheim and Stavanger.

An adventure often consists of narrow or even single-lane roads. It's fun to drive legendary roads and scenic routes through serpentines like the Trollstigen or Dalsnibba with the camper van. I love this country for that!

But beware: the country is large. Much larger than many travelers think. Focus on one region and do not plan too much.

In this article, I have written down my tips for traveling to Norway with a camper van to make your travel planning easier. I have been here multiple times, recently for the first time for two months with the camper van. You can read my travel report to Nordkapp here.

Check out all the sights and highlights in Norway here.

If you have limited time and don't want to start from Germany with a camper van, you can also fly to the capital Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, Tromsø, or Stavanger and rent a vehicle locally in Norway.

The following providers offer campers:

You can find the largest providers and availability for motorhomes in Germany and Norway through the search engine at Camperdays. The largest provider, McRent, is included in this search engine. I think it's great because friends have had good experiences with this provider. I own myPeugeot Boxer camper van.

This way, you can travel faster and don't have to worry about getting there by car or ferry.

In Norway, the most important means of payment is your credit card. Whether it's just a drink at the bar or campsite fees. You hardly ever need cash, and even the smallest amounts are paid with a credit card. Caution: EC cards are somewhat a "German thing", as they are not always accepted. Sweden is almost cashless. Only at parking areas is cash often required (Norwegians can pay with their own app, but this is unfortunately not possible for Germans). Sometimes Euros are accepted, but at a worse rate.

Check with your bank at home how many fees you have to pay when using your German EC cards or credit card. Some you have to enable at typical home banks or they often won't work abroad. Sweden does not have the Euro, which means you also have to pay fees for foreign currencies.

To avoid these fees, a good travel credit card with no fees for payments works best.

Currently, the best free credit cards for travel are the DKB Bank debit card, GenialCard (Hanseatic Bank), and the TF Bank Mastercard Gold. With a set-up of at least two of these cards, you can almost always withdraw money from ATMs for free abroad and pay on-site without incurring foreign fees with foreign currencies! -> Here you can find all tips with my experience for the best travel credit cards in comparison.

Norway is a camping paradise. In July and August, campsites in great locations, mainly in the south, by the fjords, and on the Lofoten Islands, are fully booked. It is essential to make reservations for this. For parking spots, you should arrive early so you can secure a spot at popular locations and sights.

In Norway, the weather is often unstable and changes within minutes. Significant climatic differences exist by region. The north has an Arctic climate, and in summer, you have 24 hours of sunlight there. The differences couldn't be more extreme. Therefore, for the first trip to Norway with a camper, I recommend summer.

In the summer months, you have consistent weather and the fewest rainy days in the entire country. Therefore, the summer months of June to August are considered the best travel times for Norway. However, summer break in Scandinavia takes place during this period (usually until mid-August). This means you need to book campsites and ferries in advance to avoid being left without a ticket or parking spot.

In summer, the sun shines for 24 hours; this phenomenon is called the midnight sun when the sun does not set. Travel to Nordkapp is particularly popular then. Temperatures are pleasant and stable.

In spring and autumn, you often have dense fog in the fjords and mountains, meaning you have no view of fjords, waterfalls, and stunning landscapes. I have experienced this all, and during my last trip, I was able to "discover" some places anew.

Once in a lifetime, I want to travel to Norway in winter. I love the Northern Lights, and they dance particularly intensely in the sky when the nights are cold and clear. However, most scenic routes and passes are closed then. Snowdrifts prevent passage.

For your camper van, you should also put on spikes like the locals do. Snow chains can work too, but spikes are ideal.

For Norway (like for all my travels), the rule is: The longer, the better and more eco-friendly. Don't travel to Nordkapp for two weeks; it doesn't make sense. You rush through the country without seeing anything.

You should allocate at least two weeks for the south, Lofoten, or fjords. With a two-week travel time, you should focus on one region. The more time you have, the better.

I set myself a time limit of about two months to travel to the Nordkapp via Sweden and Finland, then slowly back through Norway. Therefore, a parental leave or sabbatical of 2 to 3 months is ideal for longer vacations in Scandinavia and Norway.

The highlight of the trip is nature itself. If you are in Norway for the first time with a camper, you should realize that the country is huge. The highways are more similar to our country roads, and the speed limit is usually at 70 - 80 km/h. You will need longer than Google Maps predicts. Whatever route you choose, all have their advantages and beautiful spots to offer.

Use ferries to save time. In any case, you should check in summer if you need to pre-book them for your road trip.

Beautiful places certainly include the fjords, the Lofoten, Senja, Vesterålen, and the Arctic regions of Northern Norway. You will find great trails everywhere for hikes with stunning views of islands, glaciers, lakes, coastline, or fjords.

The truly beautiful road trips are marked and documented in Norway as scenic routes. It's actually beautiful everywhere. However, these scenic routes really stand out and offer you the most beautiful views of the country.

In Norway, there are 18 scenic routes that you should check out before your vacation > nasjonaleturistveger.no. Check which of these routes are on your way and drive over these roads. I have already driven on 11 of these routes-a fantastic experience.

Everyone will say that the capital Oslo is a highlight. Oslo only impressed me on my fourth visit. Nowadays, Oslo is modern and architecturally very interesting. A few years ago, it was quite different.

The highlights and adventures can mainly be found on the 18 scenic routes. Of course, fjords like the Geirangerfjord (known as the "king of the fjords") are part of that. The Lofoten are truly as beautiful and unique as you can see in the pictures. The reality is even more beautiful, especially when hiking up peaks, where you can recognize the unique landscape even better.

Every mode of travel has its pros and cons. It doesn't really matter whether you are traveling with your own camper van, renting a vehicle in Germany or Norway. The direction you travel is also irrelevant. The country is beautiful in both the north and south.

From Flensburg to Malmö, it's about 350 km. You either have to cross the Størebealt and Öresund bridges or take the ferry from Puttgarden (Fehmarn) to Rødby (Denmark) and then drive over the Öresund Bridge.

For both, there are combo tickets. If you book the trips online in advance, they are cheaper (about 150 Euros for up to 10 meters of trailer or camper van).

If you cross the bridges both ways, the BroPas transponder pays off. It makes it much cheaper. Read more info here. From here, you then drive along the Swedish west coast to Norway.

These are your options for quickly reaching your desired region in Norway.

Pre-book your ferry on this website to compare prices: book your ferry here in advance and compare prices.

Especially for a shorter travel duration, you save a lot of time. If you book your ferry crossing early, you can save a lot of money. Additionally, ferries in spring and autumn are quite cheap, saving you fuel costs and driving time.

One downside is the sea swells. If you have problems with that, even the smallest ferry crossing in Norway can cause seasickness. Luckily, I have no problem with that, but I thought I'd mention it. On my ferry trips, some people had a tough time.

As a German, you can enter Norway with your ID card. Border controls in the Schengen area have been abolished. You should of course also have your driver's license with you. For those under 18: The driver's license for 17-year-olds is not valid.

For entry, you will need the EU pet passport with a valid rabies vaccination. Your pet must be identified with a microchip or tattoo. For fighting dogs, you must have breeding documentation with you. Entry is only allowed for fighting dogs of category 2 and only with a muzzle and leash.

Your dog must also be over 3 months old. Dogs, including puppies, must be treated against tapeworm (fox-tape worm, Echinococcus multilocularis).

Read all detailed info here.

In Norway, alcohol and tobacco are expensive. Therefore, there are strict import regulations that you need to know. Particularly if you enter by ferry, vehicles are often checked.

On the app or website of toll.no, you can read exactly how much beer, wine, spirits, and tobacco you are allowed to import per person. If you do not import tobacco, you can substitute it with wine or beer. Therefore, the calculator is quite interesting.

Without special permission, the import of potatoes is also prohibited. Why that is, I don't know.

If you travel to Norway with your dog, certain rules apply, which you can read here.

The great thing about Norway is that you can find good (nature) camping sites everywhere. The prices for overnight stays at campsites or parking areas vary greatly by region. In the far north and by the fjords, it is quite cheap. However, I found camping on the Lofoten to be quite expensive (occasionally I had to charge batteries at campsites and do laundry).

For finding a suitable camping site, there are various options. I found camping spots on this website or directly searched in the apps of NorCamp, Campercontact, or camping.info. On park4night, you can find good and beautiful places to wild camp as well as parking spaces if you just want to stop briefly in a city.

However, check the signs, as many tips in apps and on websites are no longer up-to-date, and at indicated places, there may now be signs prohibiting camping or overnight stays. At home, I therefore do not use the Park4Night app.

Note: You will often read in information that you need the Camping Key Europe card for Scandinavia if the site is part of the camping association SCR. However, the card is no longer mandatory, and mine was no longer needed. I wouldn't buy it again.

By the way, the high season in Norway is in summer from mid-June to mid-August. If you plan your trip then, it is best to book in advance. Particularly popular holiday areas like the fjords, Lofoten, and the south coast are quickly booked out.

You are allowed to put up a tent for the night in the countryside as well as in forests or mountains or sleep under the open starry sky. This does not apply to cultivated fields and parking or rest areas. Be sure to keep a minimum distance of 150 meters to the nearest inhabited house or cabin. This 150-meter rule also applies to parked cars and camper vans.

If you wish to stay more than two nights at the same spot, you must ask the landowner for permission. This does not apply to mountains or very remote areas.

Be careful and respect nature-do not park overnight at alternate pull-offs marked with an "M" sign (seen on the Lofoten), and do not set up a roof tent if a NO CAMPING sign is posted. Not even in the off-season, because that is part of the respect that you should show as a tourist in a travel country. Unfortunately, I have experienced that 95% of the time it was only Germans who did not adhere to these rules. It's embarrassing and frustrating.

You are not officially allowed to wild camp in the middle of the woods, but you may park in public parking lots as long as it is not officially prohibited and marked with a sign. At the ends of streets or at the beach, you may park in parking lots for a maximum of one night.

The first and most important traffic rule for Norway: You must always use low beam headlights while driving.

There is no general obligation for winter tires for vehicles (cars and trucks) up to 3.5 tons permissible total weight-unlike in Sweden. However, vehicles with summer tires must be equipped with snow chains in winter road conditions (snow and ice). If winter tires are used, they must have a tread depth of at least 3 mm. In Northern Norway, locals switch to tires with spikes. I recommend this if you travel to Norway in winter.

To drive in Norway, you only need your regular German driver's license. You do not need a separate international driver's license.

In Norway, the speed limits for cars and camper vans up to 3.5 tons are as follows:

In towns: 30 - 50 km/h

On country roads: 70 km/h (sometimes up to 90 km/h)

On highways and fast roads: 90 km/h (sometimes unusually 100 km/h) When speeding, you must expect high fines and penalties. The cruise control is your best friend in Norway! Norwegians drive as if possessed and race through serpentines, narrow streets, and even overtake before curves without visibility ahead. Scary.

Most people greatly overestimate the number of kilometers they can cover in a day while planning their travel. The roads rarely go straight. Usually, they are narrow, often single-lane with passing bays, and quite winding. I love to drive like this, but these routes require your full attention. They often go steeply up and down.

Two vehicles often can't pass each other. Always be ready to brake to let incoming traffic pass. Don't rush and take your time. You will definitely go below the 80 km/h speed limit on these roads; the cliff is close. Especially on the Lofoten, the island of Senja, in Vesterålen, or in Fjord Norway and in the south towards Lindesnes, the narrow roads with many sharp curves are plentiful.

Always expect reckless drivers from Norway.

Depending on the region you are in, you may need to use several ferries on some days. But don't panic-I mostly didn't worry about the departure times in Fjord Norway. Ferries here shuttle back and forth. There was always room for camper vans (in summer you should make a reservation in advance).

Note that your license plate will be photographed. I received the tip that Norwegians stick the length of their vehicle on the driver's door since otherwise, it is estimated. This has led to billing sometimes stating zero to six meters and other times six point zero one to eight meters, which I had to dispute. You will receive the invoice directly in the mailbox. My tip: Register with AutoPass and Ferjecort, input your data, and save money. Then the amount is debited from the 300 Euros you paid upon registration. This is not only convenient but also saves you up to 50% in fees.

Only for the ferry in the Geirangerfjord should you definitely reserve your ticket well in advance (especially in summer). Therefore, I only traveled around Norway after the Scandinavian summer holidays. This way, I could spontaneously take this ferry and share the space with only two other camper vans.

For the ferry from Bodø to the Lofoten (Moskenes), you should also be sure to reserve a ticket in summer. Ferries to Senja (from Sommaroy) are also very popular, and you often have to wait for several ferries before boarding. Again, I can recommend the autumn for this. However, pay attention to how long the ferry rides. The ferry from Senja to Andenes, for example, only operates until mid-September, and I missed the last one by two days and had to take a longer detour.

On the ferries in Norway, you can remain in your camper van. Sometimes there is a small restaurant or at least coffee machines on board. Naturally, there are toilets too. You should turn off the gas as cooking during the crossing is not allowed. However, most rides only take 15 - 20 minutes.

Keep in mind that the weather can affect your travels. The weather is often changeable. While storms with lots of rain come in autumn and ferry connections can be canceled for days, you have to expect more rain on the west coast than inland. Bergen is the rainiest city in Europe. I have never experienced Bergen without rain.

In October, the first roads and passes were blocked due to snow. This can also happen in May. Therefore, check if the roads you want to take are open. If they are closed, you will have to take many hours of detours.

When refilling German gas cylinders abroad, you often face problems. You also need to know a few things about electricity and water supply. You can find these here:

For Norway, you don't need any special adapter when using electricity at campsites or camper sites. The same CEE adapters used in Germany are used here. At smaller campsites, you only need a standard CEE plug.

At sanitary facilities, the sockets are the same as ours: Type F plug.

Can I refill my gas cylinder in Norway? An important question that I also asked myself before the trip. I can reassure you. At LPG Norge, you can refill your gas cylinder without any problems if the station is manned. My gas cylinder ran out three days before the end of the trip. I could not find anyone at any of the LPG Norge stations, and I didn't dare to refill it myself. I found a map of LPG stations here.

If you find someone at a station, you won't even need an adapter, I was assured. The stations and staff typically have these on-site and are prepared for German tourists. If you have issues with that, contact a staff member at the campsite, as they can assist you. Since I had the "problem" at the end of the trip, I didn't care about it for three days since campsites were open, and I could either cook at my camper or with my little camping stove. My tip: Always carry a Euro withdrawal set so that you can definitely connect your cylinder abroad if you have to borrow one abroad. For Sweden, you need the D3 connection. To be entirely safe, you can use a leak detection spray to check if everything is tight.

In Norway, you will have no problems finding a gas station. Toward Nordkapp, the network becomes thinner. Check in advance how far away the next gas station is and refuel in good time. You shouldn't focus on the price anymore. The main thing is that your tank is full.

In Scandinavia, you often find only fuel pumps where you can only pay with a credit card. Therefore, I always carry two credit cards with me because often for reasons that are unclear to me, a credit card just doesn't work.

You must know: Gasoline and diesel are more expensive in Norway than at home. During my visit, about 20 - 30 cents more per liter. Diesel is cheaper as it is subsidized. The closer I got to Stavanger, "THE" oil city, the more expensive diesel became. The cheapest fuel was found in remote locations. I was often surprised by that.

In short, my conclusion: Norway is always worth a trip. No matter what time of year it is. The most important thing for you is:

1. Nothing works without a credit card. You can leave your EC card at home-it's a typical German thing.

2. The best travel time for me is the shoulder season (April - June) and autumn (September - October). In summer, you have many hours of sunshine, but even in September, you still have very long and warm days (especially in the south, it's pleasant). But winter is also wonderful if you have a vehicle suitable for winter conditions.

3. Inform yourself exactly about what Everyman's Right means. Because with a camper van, it is different than with a tent. Increasingly, height restrictions are being implemented in Norway, and camping signs are appearing. Please respect the rules; you are a guest in the country.

4. The journey was a great adventure, the nature magnificent, and my experiences were overwhelmingly positive. It just made me very sad that the glaciers are melting at an alarming rate.

5. Camping is uncomplicated, and I had spots with a fantastic view everywhere (I'm willing to pay a few euros for that).

I am already planning my next trip to Norway because I have not explored everything yet.

Leave a comment at the end of the article. Share with me your camper tour, your most beautiful experience, or which beaches and mountains you enjoyed the most. Here you can find an overview of all travel reports for Norway and these are the guides that I recommend for Norway.

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