Gorgeous landscapes, stunning fjords, friendly people… why wouldn’t you want to take your motorhome to Norway? We recommend taking the camper for a good tour of the immense country if you have the time. But here are 9 things we want you to consider when you want to go with your motorhome to Norway.
1: You will be doing a lot of driving
Norway is big. Yes, I understand that it depends on where you come from, but for a European country, it is significant. And with all the fjords and inlets, roads twist and turn a lot, giving you a LOT of kilometres to ride. Up and down mountains.
Be prepared to drive long ends if you want to go far. Or decide to take enough time to visit an area and take it slow, which is more our approach.
Some of the roads are stunning though, like the Aursjovegen. Check out our special blog about this stunning road.
2: Prepare for bumpy roads and small tunnels
The highways in Norway are great. The roads are well-managed and smooth. However, other roads aren’t always great, especially in the North of Norway. Especially in spring, after the snow melts, asphalt can be in bad shape. There are potholes everywhere, and the sides of the road can slope.
And those are the bigger roads, more driven roads. Some roads are gravel or lose stones if you get more inland. We’ve had muddy roads too. Make sure your campervan or RV is able to do roads like this and you feel comfortable riding on that kind of road.
And be aware of your height, especially in tunnels. We drove through quite a few tunnels that weren’t that big and where we had to drive in the middle of the road. Natalie was always happy when we didn’t have oncoming traffic in those tunnels because passing each other was quite a feat.
3: Be aware of changing weather
Even if you are going in summer, it doesn’t mean you will always get blue skies and sun. The weather in Norway is known for one thing: it changes all the time.
We mean that it can change within the same day. Don’t go up a mountain in shorts without bringing extra clothes. The weather can change in a second, and you might get really cold or really wet.
Talking about rain, we’ve had many grey days with temperatures of around 11/12 degrees Celsius in the North of Norway. So make sure you both have the clothes and amenities to cope with this and the right mindset.
If you hate dreary days, Norway might not be suitable for you.
4: Camp responsibly
In Norway, there are two main options for camping with your motorhome: you can go to a campground or park it anywhere else.
There are great campgrounds in Norway, with electricity, showers, waste facilities, and sometimes special facilities like saunas. But campsites in Norway are not cheap. In summer, they can cost about 35/40 euros per night. Which will add up quickly.
Your other option is to park the camper anywhere you’d like – well, almost. Norway has ‘allemannsretten’, which literally translates to everyman’s right. You have to right to roam free and park on uncultivated land in Norway. But it is crucial to do so responsibly. Take care of the land, the animals, the people and your neighbours. In doing so, we make sure we keep it fun for the people that come after us as well as the locals:
Think about the people around you. You can camp in uncultivated areas as long as you are at least 150 meters away from a house for a maximum of 2 days.
Apply the Boy Scout rule: Always leave the campground cleaner than you found it. Take your rubbish with you, and dump your grey and black water in the designated areas. Not in nature. It is terrible for the environment. And no one wants to find a nice spot in nature covered in filth.
And take care of the nature around you. Do not park on ground that will have trouble recuperating from your presence. We saw some people parked on moss that took 10 years to grow… and they destroyed it in a single night. It was uncultivated land, but the spot didn’t make sense. Several other spots on the same land were better suited for parking.
Be responsible with fire. Fires are mostly prohibited between the 15th of April and the 15th of September. It may be allowed if a fire hazard is very unlikely, so check the local regulations. When you build a campfire, make sure it is safe and put it out before leaving it.
5: Don’t underestimate the hiking trails
If you do not come from a very mountainous region and are not used to hiking in the mountains, please do not underestimate the hiking trails.
We knew we were not the best hikers, but we still had some experiences where we underestimated the challenge of a trail. Some trails had the rating ‘easy’ that we felt were far from easy-to-walk paths, but we managed to do them. Some you couldn’t even call paths as it was just painted markers on rocks. Multiple times we decided to turn around halfway because it became too difficult or too hard.
6: Keep your dog on a leash
By the way, no matter where you are, dogs must always be on a leash during spring and summer. The reason is all the wildlife and the babies they have in spring and summer. If dogs can roam free, they might scare animals, and parents might leave their newborns, who can not survive on their own. There is also the chance that dogs can severely harm or kill these vulnerable new animals. Although not all dogs chase wildlife, and the chances of anything happening might be small, you don’t want it to be your dog.
Letting your dog off leash where or when you are not allowed can lead to hefty fines. The fines again seem to differ per region, but we’ve seen fines of hundreds of euros. And that is if nothing happens. The consequences can be even more severe if your dog kills or harms wildlife.
The dates for this forced lead period depend a bit per region, but you can be sure it is in effect between the 1st of April and the second half of August. Check the local laws or signs for information. In autumn and winter, your dog can be off-leash if he/she is well-behaved and listens. But many Norwegians will still keep their dog on a lead, even in winter.
7: Use the public toilets
Need to use the restroom? There are public toilets at rest stops on bigger roads and popular roads, but smaller roads will not have any. But here is a little trick: most supermarkets in Norway have a ‘kunden’ toilet, meaning you can go there if you are a customer. A lot of malls have restrooms too.
If the above fails, and you need to go in nature, make sure to do this responsibly; use a shovel to dig a hole and make sure to cover it up nicely. But please only do this in emergencies.
8: Anticipate spending a lot of money
You probably already heard that food in Norway is expensive. You need to budget more for food than in other European countries. Or, if possible, bring your own stock of food and drinks. Although there are limitations on how much you can bring.
But did you know that is definitely the case for things with sugar? Norway has a sugar tax, meaning you pay extra for certain sugary goods.
Products that are notably expensive:
- Sweets and chocolate
- Sodas
- Chips (or crisps)
- Meat
- Fresh vegetables
- Alcohol
Oh, and did you know that not only is alcohol costly in Norway, but you also can’t buy it in the supermarket? You can get beer in supermarkets, but only before 8 pm on weekdays or 6 pm on weekends. For wine, spirits or stronger beer, you must visit the Vinmonopolet, the state shop for liquors.
But it’s not just the food that is more expensive. It’s just about everything: fuel prices, campsites, ferries. The nice thing is that the beautiful scenery is free and it is EVERYWHERE.
9: Don’t expect to eat out a lot
If you think food is expensive in supermarkets, you are in for a shock when you go out to eat! Finding nice restaurants outside the more prominent, touristy spots is difficult, and the food is costly. Oh, and you can almost forget about ordering a drink with it!
Storytime: Marten and I met some friendly people near Bergen that had just arrived and had gone out to eat on their first night. Without looking at the menu, they had ordered a bottle of wine. We were shocked because even a glass of wine will cost you about 15 euros in a restaurant. They were shocked too when they saw the bill! The couple had no idea of the prices of alcohol in Norway and had to revise their plans for the rest of the trip.
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We hope you have a great time in Norway with your RV or van!
