Norway Road Trip Itinerary: The Perfect Route with Map

The Most Important Facts About Our Norway Road Trip

#1 Travel Duration: 18 days

#2 Destination: Southern Norway, from Oslo via Ålesund and Bergen to Kristiansand

#3 Motorhome: Sunlight Cliff 600

#4 Miles Driven: approx. 2,100

#5 Number of Fjord Ferries: 9

One important thing to keep in mind when planning your norway road trip itinerary is that you should not plan too much ground or too-long stretches in a single day!

We basically always used Google Maps as our GPS. However, you can’t rely on the time estimates. Where there are no speed limits, the maximum speed on country roads is 80 km/h.

But even that is often not realistic in a motorhome or a regular car, because the roads are narrow, winding, and steep. On top of that, the scenery is so beautiful that we wanted to stop around every bend to take a new photo!

A quick note about this article: The driving times given always include photo & snack breaks. The opening hours and prices for the campgrounds apply to the summer season and may differ during the shoulder season and in winter. You can usually find current information on the campgrounds’ own websites.

Our Route Through Norway on a Map

To give you a sense of where our trip took us, we’ve plotted our norway road trip route and our favorite spots on a map.

The red sections of the route mark the scenic routes.

Days 1–6: Oslo to Geiranger

Day 1: Ferry from Frederikshavn to Oslo

We definitely wanted to include Oslo on our route, so we booked a ferry from Frederikshavn in Denmark directly to Oslo. It’s not the shortest connection between Denmark and Norway, but it gets you right to Oslo.

We booked the ferry so that we arrived in Frederikshavn in the evening and could catch the morning ferry at 9:15 AM. The crossing took about nine hours.

We recommend booking your ferry tickets early — they’re often significantly cheaper that way. During the summer months, a ferry can fill up quickly, leaving you without a spot if you don’t have a reservation.

Compare ferry prices and book tickets here

In Oslo, we chose a simple pitch at a marina. It’s definitely not the prettiest spot, but if you know what to expect, it’s perfectly fine for one or two nights.

The biggest advantage of this spot in Oslo is its great connections to the city. You can get to the city center by bus or train in just five to ten minutes. If you have a bike, you can cycle along the waterfront and reach the city in 15 minutes.

That said, don’t expect too much from the site itself. It’s a basic asphalt surface with basic bathroom facilities. The RVs are packed in tight, but if you’re there just to sleep — like we were — it’s perfectly adequate.

Heads up: We arrived on a Thursday evening, and by Friday evening the site was full. So make sure you either arrive on a weekday or early in the day in Oslo if you want to stay here. Unfortunately, reservations are not possible.

Day 2: Oslo

Oslo itself is absolutely stunning. A mix of old and modern architecture, a great vibe, and a relaxed atmosphere. We could easily have stayed another day or two.

Things you absolutely must see in Oslo:

• The Opera House and the surrounding area
• Karl Johans Gate & the Grand Hotel
• The Royal Palace — if the flag is flying on the roof, the royal family is in residence
• The Changing of the Guard in front of the Palace, held daily at 1:30 PM — a grand spectacle with a marching band, lasting about 45 minutes
• Aker Brygge, the restaurant & nightlife district
• The Storting (Parliament Building)
• The National Theater
• The Cathedral

Our tip: If you’re up for eating and drinking out despite the steep prices, check out Lekter’n at Aker Brygge. You get to sit in a fantastic spot right on — or rather on top of — the water.

We can’t say much about the food itself since we only had drinks, but there’s a selection of burgers, sandwiches, and seafood. It definitely looked delicious at the table next to us.

If you still haven’t had enough after that, grab a beer at Beer Palace. A fairly large yet cozy pub with a great selection of craft beers on tap, and if you get bored, just play a round of shuffleboard.

Day 3: Oslo - Holmenkollenbakken - Nes

Miles: 109

Duration: 2.25 hours

Highlights of the Day

• Holmenkollenbakken Ski Jump
• Idyllic lake (Vestre Bjonevatnet)

On Day 3, we spent the morning in Oslo and then headed out in the motorhome to Holmenkollen.

As winter sports fans, we of course had to make a detour to Oslo’s Holmenkollenbakken ski jump. But even if you’re not a fan, a visit is absolutely worth it.

The ski jump is an impressive structure, and from the very top you get a breathtaking view over all of Oslo and the surrounding countryside.

We had to wait about 20 minutes for the elevator to the top, which was totally reasonable. If you’re in Oslo during peak season in July or August, we’d recommend planning your visit to Holmenkollen as early as possible.

In the afternoon, we headed inland. Our general direction was Ålesund, but we had no fixed schedule and more or less took it day by day — looking at what was along the way, what we wanted to see, and how far we’d get.

We made an overnight stop near our route on the E16, between the small villages of Nes and Bjoneroa, at a beautiful lake.

We found this spot thanks to the Park4Night app.

Day 4: Nes - Sjoa, on the Valdresflye Scenic Route

Miles: 173

Duration: approx. 5 hours

Highlights of the Day

• Valdresflye Scenic Route
• Lake Gjende
• Jotunheimen National Park

The route took us from the E16 onto Route 51 toward Randsverk. Part of Route 51 is designated as one of Norway’s 18 scenic routes.

Our first scenic route was Valdresflye. The road winds through the mountains and we were immediately blown away by the vast high plateaus, the snow-capped peaks, and the sense of calm that this landscape radiates.

If you’d like to make a stop here, Lake Gjende in Jotunheimen National Park is a great spot for a short or longer hike.

That day we drove as far as Sjodalen Campground. It sits peacefully in the woods with views of mountains all around, and just a few steps away you’re right on the Sjoa River, which had been keeping us company alongside the road for quite a while.

Day 5: Sjoa - Geiranger, via the Gamle Strynfjellsvegen Scenic Route

Miles: 181

Duration: approx. 6.5 hours

Highlights of the Day

• Donfoss Bru
• Gamle Strynfjellsvegen
• Stryn Summer Ski Area
• Europe’s highest fjord viewpoint
• Flydalsjuvet Viewpoint
• Geiranger Fjord

Route 15 guided our Norway road trip itinerary toward Geiranger, one of the most famous fjords and a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

Along the way, we made several great stops.

First at Donfoss Bru, next to the campground — not to spend the night, but to admire the waterfall and the swimming pool fed by the river.

Definitely worth a quick stop. Unfortunately it was too cold to go swimming.

A bit further up the road, we stopped again for a snack and another waterfall.

From Route 15, we made a detour onto the Gamle Strynfjellsvegen scenic route. It’s a small detour, but it was absolutely worth it!

You turn off the fairly well-maintained country road to the left and suddenly find yourself on a gravel road.

Progress here is very slow, but that’s fine, because the scenery is absolutely spectacular.

A stark mountain landscape dotted with snowfields and frozen lakes — and all of this in mid-June! But we were prepared for the possibility of cold weather.

The road leads up to the Stryn Summer Ski Area and yes, if we’d been there earlier, I could totally see us renting a pair of skis and doing a run or two. Just for the feeling — and of course to say we skied in Norway. But we were running late and the lifts had just closed.

After a quick stop at the ski area, we headed down our first real set of switchbacks and continued toward Geiranger.

On the way there, you pass Europe’s highest fjord viewpoint. We skipped it, having already read that it’s not the famous overlook of the fjord. Still, you’ll no doubt have a breathtaking panorama of the fjord and the surrounding mountains.

More than 20 hairpin turns lead down to the fjord, and we wanted to stop after every single one to take a photo. Unfortunately, that’s not really possible — the road is narrow and there isn’t always room to pull over.

Keep a close eye on oncoming traffic, which consists 90% of other motorhomes and tour buses. Things can get tight in the curves.

About 4 km before Geiranger, you’ll reach the Flydalsjuvet viewpoint. From here you can take the iconic photo of the Geiranger Fjord.

In Geiranger itself there’s a campground right at the foot of the fjord, but it and the village get very crowded. Cruise ships regularly dock at Geiranger, and a full shipload of tourists is enough to overwhelm the small town quickly.

We stayed at Vinje Camping. Here you’re surrounded by greenery and waterfalls.

Day 6: Geiranger - Ålesund, on the Ørneveien and Trollstigen Scenic Routes

Miles: 191

Duration: 6 hours

Highlights of the Day

• Hike to Storsetfossen
• Ørneveien Scenic Route
• Reinheimen National Park
• Trollstigen Scenic Route
• Trollstigen Viewing Platform

On Day 6 of our Norway road trip, we did a short morning hike to another waterfall. Waterfalls are a dime a dozen in Norway, but we loved every single one of them.

We parked at Hotel The View, where you can park for free until 3 PM, after which the lot is reserved for hotel guests. From there, we hiked via Vasteras to Storsetfossen waterfall. It’s an easy hike, mostly along wide stone steps heading upward.

What makes this waterfall special is that you can walk behind it!

Heads up: The narrow path down to the waterfall is wet and can be slippery. The rock overhangs are also very low, so we had to duck. Watch your head! It was so tight that we left our backpacks up top.

Only one other couple was up there with us, though we passed more hikers on the way back down. So start your hike early if you want the waterfall to yourself.

Plan roughly 1.5 to two hours for this hike, depending on how long you want to spend at the top.

After that, we continued along the Ørneveien Scenic Route toward Ålesund. We of course didn’t take the direct route, because we definitely wanted to catch another Norwegian highlight: the Trollstigen.

The Ørneveien and Trollstigen scenic routes essentially flow seamlessly into one another, separated only by the Norddalsfjord, which you cross by ferry.

The route runs right along the edge of Reinheimen National Park. Loosely translated, Reinheimen means something like “home of the reindeer,” which are said to be plentiful here — though we were unlucky and didn’t spot any.

Your chances are supposed to improve if you hike deeper into the national park. Reindeer apparently aren’t fans of cars and engine noise.

Trollstigen is one of Norway’s most famous mountain roads, and its iconic image appears in every travel guide.

You can’t miss the viewing platform from which you can photograph the classic shot.

A huge parking lot and a sprawling visitor center with souvenir shops and a restaurant are hard to overlook. The viewing platform is correspondingly crowded. Still, you shouldn’t skip this spectacular vista into the valley 852 meters below.

Our tip: A small hiking trail branches off from the path to the viewing platform. We walked a short way up it — not far at all — and had a great view looking back at the visitor platform with the panorama behind it.

Driving the switchback road itself wasn’t all that different from other mountain roads in Norway, but the tight curves are always an experience.

From there, we headed straight to Ålesund and Volsdalen Campground. It’s very well located — you can walk into the city in 15 minutes.

You also have the option to use the parking lot for free after checkout the next day while you explore Ålesund.

We arrived around 7 PM, which was already pretty late. But we got lucky and snagged one of the last spots. If you want to stay here, plan a little better than we did so you arrive earlier, and it’s best to call ahead to check availability.

Days 7–12: Ålesund - Odda/Trolltunga

Day 7: Ålesund - Gurskøya

Miles: 69

Duration: approx. 1.75 hours

Highlights of the Day

• Ålesund — “City of Art Nouveau”
• Café Trankokeriet Antikk
• Mount Aksla and the Byrampen Viewpoint

We absolutely loved the little town of Ålesund. After a fire in the early 20th century, the city was completely rebuilt with German help, thanks to Kaiser Wilhelm II, in just three years.

And it was rebuilt entirely in the Art Nouveau style, which has left a distinctive mark on the city’s appearance today. That’s why Ålesund is also known as the “City of Art Nouveau.” It’s simply a pleasure to stroll through the streets and admire the building facades.

Our tip: For a great cup of coffee away from the tourist crowds, we recommend Café Trankokeriet Antikk. It’s not just coffee — you’ll also find antiques, secondhand items, and more. An indoor flea market & café all in one.

The best view of the city is from Mount Aksla, which you can conquer via 418 steps from the city below. It’s crowded here too, of course, but the view is genuinely worth it!

We skipped the paid viewing platform at the top — it was super crowded. Besides, we thought the view from the steps themselves was already so great that we didn’t want to bother with the fee and the crowds.

The vantage point from the “Byrampen” viewpoint is especially beautiful, located about halfway up the 418 steps.

From Ålesund, we drove just a short distance further down the west coast and found ourselves a nice overnight spot on the island of Gurskøya.

Here, with a view of the sea, we were completely alone for the first time in a while, parked on a quiet road, enjoying a glass of wine and the sunset.

Day 8: Gurskøya - Viksdalen

Miles: 258

Duration: approx. 7.5 hours

Highlight of the Day

• Hoy Hyttegrend Campground

After a leisurely breakfast, we covered some serious miles today.

There really isn’t much else to say about this day. The weather was bad, the clouds were hanging low, and we didn’t make any noteworthy stops along the way.

Only toward the end did our route lead us to another standout of our Norway road trip: the Gaularfjellet Scenic Route. But after seven hours of driving, we first wanted to find a spot for the night.

Right along the scenic route lies Hov Hyttegrend Campground. It’s surrounded by forests and mountains and sits directly on a river that widens into a small lake right where the pitches are.

The reception, kitchen, and bathroom facilities are housed in a spacious wooden lodge. It smelled faintly of sauna and radiated warmth and coziness.

Despite the bad weather, we really loved this campground. Daniel even named it his favorite campsite.

And we were lucky — that evening the cloud cover broke for about half an hour.

Day 9: Viksdalen - Nesheimstunet, via the Gaularfjellet and Aurlandsfjellet Scenic Routes

Miles: 223

Duration: approx. 8.5 hours

Highlights of the Day

• Gaularfjellet Scenic Route
• Gaularfjellet Viewpoint
• Sognefjord
• Aurlandsfjellet Scenic Route
• Vedahaugane Viewpoint
• Flotane Rest Area (hiking parking area)
• Stegastein Viewing Platform

Day 9 was another big driving day, and with stops we were on the road all day again.

Our route first took us further along the Gaularfjellet Scenic Route. After just a few kilometers, we arrived at Gaularfjellet Utsikten (Utsikten, by the way, means “the view” in Norwegian).

An impressive structure right in the middle of nature. From here you get a great look at the mountains all around and the valley below, while standing directly over the edge on a platform at 700 meters above sea level.

Our norway road trip route also took us along a stretch of the Sognefjord. At 204 kilometers, it’s the longest fjord in the world and is also a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

We followed the Sognefjord to Lærdalsøri, where the 47-kilometer Aurlandsfjellet Scenic Route begins from the north.

Heads up: Pay attention to where your GPS wants to take you. If you enter, say, Aurland as your destination, your GPS will route you through the Lærdal Tunnel. That’s certainly an experience in itself — this tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the world at 24.5 kilometers.

It’s also by far the faster route, but the scenic route is absolutely a highlight of any Norway road trip itinerary that you shouldn’t miss.

The road first winds along the river, climbing the mountain to an elevation of 1,300 meters. The first highlight of the route is the Vedahaugane viewpoint. From here you get a great view of the surrounding mountain landscape — and there’s even a bit of art thrown in.

Continuing along the Aurlandsfjellet, within just a few kilometers we found ourselves in the middle of winter again, surrounded by nothing but snowfields and frozen lakes.

Our thermometer kept dropping — all the way down to 3°C — and at one point we even had a brief spell of sleet. We stepped out at the Flotane rest area just to feel it, then got back in the car pretty quickly.

From that rest area you can set off on several hikes, and the parking lot is large and flat enough to spend the night. But it was definitely too cold up there for us.

The third highlight of the Aurlandsfjellet is the Stegastein viewing platform. A 30-meter ramp made of steel and wood juts out freely over the Aurlandsfjord at an elevation of 650 meters.

Of course it gets very crowded here too, but the view is once again absolutely breathtaking!

The Aurlandsfjellet ends at Aurland, and we followed the E16 to our overnight stop at Nesheimstunet. A quiet little parking area set slightly back from the E16 with views over a lake.

Day 10: Nesheimstunet - Bergen, via the Hardanger Scenic Route

Miles: 150

Duration: approx. 4.5 hours

Highlights of the Day

• Tvindefossen
• Hardanger Scenic Route & Hardangerfjord
• Steindalsfossen
• Bryggen in Bergen
• Fish Restaurant Enhjørningen in Bergen
• BarKollektiv (with indoor mini golf) in Bergen

We backtracked a short distance along the E16 to check out Tvindefossen waterfall. We had driven past it the day before but were tired and just wanted to find a place to sleep.

Tvindefossen is a popular tourist attraction, and sure enough, it was already busy at 10:30 AM. But it’s a beautiful waterfall where the water cascades down in tiers, so it makes sense.

The most direct route to Bergen would be via the E16, but we recommend taking a detour and making use of the Hardanger Scenic Route.

The road runs right along the water for most of the way, giving you a beautiful view over the Hardangerfjord.

In Bergen, we parked and stayed overnight at a motorhome pitch right next to the Bergenshallen ice rink. The spot is specifically designed for motorhomes and offers water and waste services as well as electricity, but no bathroom facilities.

For one night it’s perfectly fine, and ideal for exploring Bergen. You’re in the city center in just 15 minutes by tram, and from there you can explore all the highlights easily on foot.

We arrived around 2:30 PM and just barely managed to snag a spot. If you want to stay here, aim to arrive around noon.

Pitch fees are always charged for 24 hours. Many people arrive at midday and leave at midday, or they stay two nights and leave in the morning. So midday is your best bet for finding an open spot.

What you absolutely must see in Bergen

• Mount Fløyen viewpoint
• Fish Market Torget
• Bryggen
• Cross Church
• Cathedral
• Bergenhus Fortress
• Fish Restaurant Enhjørningen

In Bergen, you absolutely must treat yourself to a meal at Enhjørningen fish restaurant. It’s not cheap, but it’s definitely worth it. For a starter, you have to try the mussel soup. Mmm, we still rave about it!

If you want to eat here, arrive early in the evening or reserve a table in advance.

Since you’re already at Enhjørningen, you can stroll right through the Hanseatic quarter of Bryggen afterward.

Our tip: If you want to skip the shopping, come after the stores close. We practically had the little former trading quarter to ourselves.

If we’d had more time, we would have joined a guided tour. There are so many fascinating stories connected to the Hanseatic quarter in particular.

Bergen City Tour

And one more tip: If you want to grab a drink, we can recommend the bar BarKollektiv. Alongside tasty cocktails, mixed drinks, and a great beer selection, you can also play a round of indoor mini golf — all with a living room vibe.

Day 11: Bergen - Herand, via the Hardanger Scenic Route

Miles: 109

Duration: approx. 4.5 hours

Highlight of the Day

• Pitch near Herand with views over the Hardangerfjord

We spent the next morning in Bergen. We still had to check out the fish market, whose stalls had already closed the day before.

Despite the inflated prices, we couldn’t resist getting a fish sandwich and picking up a piece of fresh, marinated salmon of sashimi quality. The salmon was vacuum-sealed on the spot and keeps in the refrigerator for up to four weeks.

We ate it a few days later, but want to give you a heads-up right now: it was pure bliss! So even if you balk at the prices, at least treat yourself to a small piece! You won’t find that kind of quality and flavor again any time soon.

One thing did bother us a bit about the fish market, though: it’s not only Norwegian fish and Norwegian dishes on offer — most of the stalls are run by Spaniards, and paella and other Spanish seafood dishes were everywhere. It didn’t quite fit the picture.

We drove back to Norheimsund to continue along the Hardanger Scenic Route.

We only followed the scenic route a little further before looking for a place to spend the night. Of all the free pitches we found, this was our favorite.

Solitary on a rocky plateau, surrounded by trees, with a view of the Hardangerfjord and a breathtaking sunset. The last few days had been mixed weather-wise, so we enjoyed the evening sun at our pitch all the more.

Day 12: Herand - Odda, via the Hardanger Scenic Route

Miles: 96

Duration: approx. 4 hours

Highlight of the Day

• Sørfjord

The Hardanger Scenic Route accompanied us for a third day as well. This time it led us right past the Sørfjord, a branch of the Hardangerfjord.

The day was quite overcast, but also nearly completely calm. The surrounding mountains and little houses reflected beautifully in the water.

If you follow the Sørfjord all the way, you’ll eventually arrive in Odda. The town must have been very beautiful at one time and was considered Norway’s largest vacation destination, but from the early 20th century onward more and more industry moved in and tourism declined.

That said, Odda is still worth a visit, as it offers plenty of hiking and day-trip opportunities. One of Norway’s most iconic photo subjects can be reached from here via an almost 10-hour hike: Trolltunga.

If you plan on doing longer hikes, always build in a buffer day in case the weather doesn’t cooperate.

We had actually come to Odda specifically for the hike to Trolltunga. But bad weather was already forecast for the next day that evening, so we decided to save that plan for our next trip to Norway.

If you’re unsure whether you should tackle the approximately 10–12-hour hike to Trolltunga on your own, you can also book a guided tour to be on the safe side. Good fitness and proper gear are absolutely essential for a hike like this!

Guided Trolltunga tour with cycling, hiking, and climbing

Days 13–18: Odda - Kristiansand

Day 13: Odda - Røldal

Miles: 40

Duration: approx. 1 hour

Highlights of the Day

• Hike to Buarbreen Glacier
• Låtefoss

We took it easy this day because of the weather. By midday it had stopped pouring and we could at least squeeze in a “short” hike to Buarbreen Glacier.

You can drive up a narrow road to the hiking parking area, right next to a farmhouse. During peak season, it’s best to arrive early here too, as it can fill up quickly.

Heads up: Bison can be lying or walking on the narrow road. Watch out for them both on the way up and on the way back down to the parking area.

Parking costs about 150 kroner. But you can also stay overnight here. In a motorhome, you first drive a short stretch across the parking lot toward the farmhouse. Behind it there’s another large, level area for motorhomes.

The “short” hike of roughly 6–7 kilometers turned out to be a demanding, action-packed, and varied adventure. It was definitely fun, but it is absolutely not for the inexperienced. Good hiking boots, sure-footedness, and solid fitness are essential here.

We were out for about 4.5 hours. The trail is always well marked with a red T.

In places it gets almost via ferrata-level, just without any safety equipment. Rivers had to be crossed with no bridge or safety lines, you have to pull yourself up steep rock faces using ropes, and it can get very slippery.

If you want to do this hike, please be careful and don’t take any unnecessary risks. We passed several people who had turned back, and there were a couple of moments where Julie would have happily done the same.

Still, it’s an incredible experience to get that close to the glacier. But caution is also advised here — you may only set foot on the glacier itself with a guide.

We were pretty wiped out after the Buarbreen hike and only drove a short distance further before finding a campground in Røldal.

On the way from Odda to Røldal, you’ll pass Låtefoss. We unfortunately drove right past it because we missed the parking area and were too tired to look for a place to turn around.

You should definitely keep a closer eye on the road than we did — that way you’re guaranteed not to miss it.

The best part of the campground in Røldal was the fresh, homemade rolls available to buy on-site in the morning. We paid about 6–7 euros for four rolls, but they were still warm and tasted absolutely delicious.

Beyond that, the campground was also nicely situated and we really had nothing to complain about.

Day 14: Røldal Seim Camping - Jørpeland, via the Ryfylke Scenic Route

Miles: 156

Duration: approx. 6.5 hours

Highlight of the Day

• Ryfylke Scenic Route

The Ryfylke Scenic Route is wonderfully varied, taking you through green hills, steep mountain slopes, high alpine terrain, and deep fjords.

If you give yourself a bit of time here, you can make many great detours and side trips.

Beautiful weather was forecast for the next day, and since we’d already missed the Trolltunga hike, we absolutely wanted to do the hike to Preikestolen in good conditions.

So we drove straight through to Jørpeland while enjoying the scenery, and found ourselves a spot for the night there. From there it’s about 25 minutes to the Preikestolen trailhead parking area.

Our overnight spot was a hiking parking area with views over the Årdalsfjord, surrounded by plenty of greenery and sheep.

Day 15: Jørpeland - Brusand, with a hike to Preikestolen and along the Jæren Scenic Route

Miles: 95

Duration: approx. 3.5 hours

Highlights of the Day

• Hike to Preikestolen
• Jæren Scenic Route
• Sandy beach at Brusand

The hike to Preikestolen was considerably more relaxed than the glacier hike. The trail is mostly well-built with stone steps.

It also gets very crowded here — entire busloads of cruise ship tourists are shuttled up. Getting there early is definitely worth it.

Many people assume it’s an easy stroll to the top and set off in flip-flops or sandals. We’d strongly advise against that.

Even though the trail is well-maintained, it’s a hike over rock and stone. It can get slippery, and with so many tourists it can also get narrow in places. Sturdy footwear is absolutely a must.

Even though so many tourists make the trek up to Preikestolen, you absolutely should not skip this hike. The view, the Pulpit Rock itself, and the surrounding nature are incredibly beautiful!

And if you go a little further up past the rock for a photo, there’s plenty of space to find a quiet spot for a break.

We recommend taking the circular trail along the top as well. Most people return the same way they came.

That gave us at least a short stretch almost to ourselves, until the circular trail rejoined the main path.

In total, we spent about three hours on the roughly 8 km hike (round trip). Here too, the trail is always marked with a red T.

Unless you’re doing a midnight hike to catch the sunrise, the sheer number of other people around means you’re unlikely to lose your way.

If we come back here, we’ll definitely do a guided sunrise tour. Standing up there nearly alone and watching the sun come up must be indescribably beautiful!

Preikestolen sunrise hike — book here

After the hike, we continued south along the Jæren Scenic Route, driving right along the coast to Brusand.

On the way to the scenic route, the surroundings suddenly changed. Before, the landscape had been defined by mountains, steep cliffs, and fjords. And then all of a sudden we felt like we were somewhere on the Dutch coast.

The Jæren Scenic Route winds through flat countryside, past beaches and dunes.

We would have loved to find a free pitch close to the sea, but just couldn’t manage it.

Still, the Brusand campground we ended up at was solid. In late June it wasn’t too busy and all around us was nothing but green meadow.

But it was a noticeably more organized and larger campground than the other places we stayed on our Norway trip.

There are also many permanent campers here, and you even have to pay a few kroner for hot dishwashing water.

But from the campground there’s a path leading through the dunes to the sea. And it was simply stunning out there! Turquoise blue water, a long white sandy beach. Just unfortunately too cold to swim.

Day 16: Brusand - Flekkefjord, with a swimming stop in Sira

Miles: 102

Duration: approx. 8 hours (including 2–3 hours swimming stop)

Highlights of the Day

• The scenery along the route
• The swimming stop in Sira
• Flekkefjord

Even though this wasn’t an officially designated scenic route, the landscape along the E39 to Flekkefjord was genuinely stunning.

The landscape had gotten a bit more hilly again and was dotted with small lakes that shimmered in the sun and reflected the surrounding nature.

It was simply a pleasure to drive through.

Since it was a warm day and temperatures here in southern Norway were around 25°C (77°F), we made a quick swimming stop at a river in Sira.

We found the swimming spot through the Park4Night app. Locals come here to swim with their kids. It’s a designated swimming area with access to the river running alongside it, which is fenced off — and as far as we could tell, there are rapids and currents. Please stay on the official swimming side.

It’s essentially a small pond with a shallow non-swimmer area and a deeper swimmer area. It’s truly small and not suited for lap swimming, but perfect for cooling off — the water was ice cold.

The Norwegian kids didn’t seem to mind at all. They just splashed around in the water for hours.

It wasn’t far to Flekkefjord from there. We spent the night on a paved surface right on the water, designed specifically for motorhomes. But first we had to fight for a spot.

When we arrived in the evening, it was already pretty full. Since we had such a small motorhome, we managed — with the help of a few other campers — to squeeze into a spot. As always, the earlier you arrive, the better!

The motorhomes are packed in tight again here, and unfortunately it’s fairly noisy in the evening, as the site appears to be right next to the local car tuning club. They play loud music until late and drive their modified cars up and down the street.

Still, Flekkefjord is a really charming little town during the day, with nice restaurants right on the water, so a stop here is definitely worthwhile.

Day 17: Flekkefjord - Kristiansand

Miles: 118

Duration: approx. 3 hours

There were no major highlights on this stretch — we just wanted to get to Kristiansand and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing.

The scenery was of course still beautiful along the way. We chose Hamre Familiecamping for our last overnight stop in Kristiansand, since we had to catch the 8 AM ferry the next morning.

Hamre Familiecamping is a very large, impersonal campground with a big play area for kids and beach access. It’s probably great for families.

When we were there, one side (farther from the playground) was still fairly empty and we could pick our spot. But when it gets truly busy in summer, you’ll be packed in tight — if you can even find a spot at all.

If you’re also catching the ferry from here, it’s best to call ahead and check whether there’s still availability.

Overall, the campground didn’t impress us much. Very large, crowded, and expensive, and the bathroom facilities were noticeably worse than at every other campground. There were enough toilets and showers and it was reasonably clean, but when we went to shower there was virtually no water pressure — just a tiny trickle. And the showers cost an extra 20 NOK for five minutes.

Day 18: Ferry from Kristiansand to Hirtshals

The ferry was considerably smaller than the one to Oslo, but the crossing only took about three hours.

We had also booked our return ferry ticket before our Norway trip through Direct Ferries. Since we’d booked so far in advance, we were lucky enough to be able to cancel and rebook once during our trip at no charge, since we ended up arriving a day later than originally planned.