Bicycle Touring in Norway Frequently Asked Questions

Is Norway Expensive?
Yes, the cost of living in Norway is high! Some tourists don’t discover this until they arrive; then they are surprised by the cost of meat, alcohol, restaurant meals, hot showers and phone cards. To our surprise, however, our cycling holidays in Norway have been cheaper than those in France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy because in those places we often use hotels and eat in restaurants. In Norway we cooked all of our meals and always stayed at camping sites, either in our tent or in a cabin. If you camp wild, costs can be very low indeed.

How cold is it in Norway?
Norway can be cold and wet! The length of Norway from north to south is more than 2500 km and the climate varies noticeably. In the far north, summer days are longer, drier but cooler than in the south. The western fjords have the highest rainfall in Norway and a wet cyclist is a cold cyclist! The weather can be fierce in the mountains at any time of year; as a matter of safety a cyclist must be prepared for bad conditions. Most of our clothing was functional: thermal underwear, wool jumper and hat, waterproof/breathable raincoat, overtrousers, overboots, thermal gloves and overmitts. We didn’t use the overtrousers or overmitts very often but on some days they were essential. We wore the thermal underwear almost every day.

When is the best time to go cycling in Norway?
July and August are the warmest months and they are the most popular for cycling. We’ve only been in June, which is cooler but drier. Some ferries and camping sites operate only during the summer.

Are the roads busy?
Not really, but it depends on the location. We spent most of our time on country roads, which seemed blissfully quiet and safe. Traffic can be heavy in and around the major centres but the worst roads can usually be avoided by the use of bike paths or minor routes.

Are the tunnels dangerous?
The tunnels are safer than they look. Most tunnels are spacious and reasonably well lit but the road surface can vary and some tunnels can be quite cold. The noise in a tunnel can be frightening; even a small motorbike can sound like a convoy of tanks. You should follow two basic rules; you must not cycle through banned tunnels, and when you cycle through a tunnel you must make yourself visible to other road users. We use reflectors and flashing LED lights on front and back. Norway’s longest rideable tunnel is the undersea tunnel south of Honningsvåg; it is almost 7km long and the gradient is challenging.

Which way does the wind blow?
We experienced mixed conditions; sometimes a headwind, sometimes a tailwind and sometimes no wind at all.
Near the coast the wind tends to blow from the ocean, so it generally a west wind. In fine weather the wind tends to blow from the northwest; in bad weather it is from the southwest.
It can be very windy on the islands of Vesterålen and Lofoten, particularly on the western side. However, the scenery is so spectacular that you can put up with the wind. In the western fjords the wind blows up the fjords in the afternoon. Before 10.00am there was almost no wind and the reflections in the water were most magnificent. It was a good reason to start cycling early!

Is it better to go from North to South or the other way around?
We still don’t know the answer; perhaps it doesn’t matter which way you go. We suspect that more people go from south to north.
Nordkapp is one of those iconic destinations that people aim for, a bit like climbing Mount Everest. We started from the north because our time was limited and we had no idea how long the journey would take. We did not regret it and would happily repeat the experience.
If cycling up to Nordkapp is like climbing a mountain, then going south from Nordkapp is a gentler experience: a descent from the cool, bare tundra of the north down to the warm, lush farmland of the south.

Where can I buy food?
It is useful to know where the shops are, because there aren’t many of them, particularly in the north and on the Coast Route! The opening hours vary and they will be displayed outside the shop like this: 8-18 (16) This means that the shop is open 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 4pm on Saturday. Nearly every shop is closed on Sunday, though petrol stations are open on Sunday and they do sell some food.

Are the roads open all year?
Some mountain roads are closed over winter. The opening dates will vary from year to year, but this is an approximate guide:

You may want to check road conditions early in the season:
Southern Norway road conditions
Northern Norway road conditions

When does the ferry go from Melbu to Fiskebøl?
If you are travelling in coastal regions or in the fjords you will probably need to use the ferries. Some of them run frequently all year round and some run infrequently or only in summer. Here are some links for ferry information, roughly ordered from north to south:

www.bjorklid.no Olderdalen - Lyngseidet
Senja ferries Gryllefjord - Andenes (summer only, infrequent)
OVDS Moskenes - Bodø, Ørnes - Vassdalsvik, Forøy - Ågskardet, Jektvik - Kilboghamn
www.helgelandske.no Melbu - Fiskebøl, Nesna-Levang, Tjøtta-Forvik
www.tts.no Anddalsvågen - Horn, Vennesund - Holm, Hofles - Lund
fjord1 the largest ferry company in Norway
Hurtigruten Coastal Steamer Bergen - Kirkenes

Would you make any changes to your route?
We would not make many changes to our route. In the far north you cannot avoid the E6 because it is the only road, but we found it to be mostly quiet.

From Olderdalen on the E6 many cyclists take the ferry to Lyngseidet as an alternative to staying on the E6. This avoids a 40 km detour along Kåfjord, but we had the winds in our favour and didn’t mind the quiet scenic detour. From Lyngseidet you can go west to Tromsø and then take a ferry from Brensholmen to Botnhamn on the island of Senja. This way you can then follow the scenic route around the north of Senja to Gryllefjord, then catch the next ferry to Andenes.

In Vesterålen and Lofoten there will sometimes be a road on each side of the island, so you can make a choice depending on the weather, the wind, the traffic and the amount of time that you have. I think that we always chose the roads on the sheltered side of the islands, even where the windier side was considered to be more scenic!

You can avoid Lofoten entirely by staying on the E6. Although this is a shorter route don’t expect it to be easier, because there are many hills.

In the middle of Norway you have a choice between the E6 and Route 17, the Coast Route. We enjoyed Route 17, which is almost certainly quieter and more scenic than the E6.

We are not sure of the best route past Trondheim. We took route 755 from Steinkjer to Rørvik but it is possible that route 720 (to the north) is better. Neither route has much in the way of shops or accommodation.

The fjords in the south have many good cycling routes - we are only considering some of the possibilities here! You could take a route close to the coast that will avoid the biggest hills but you will miss out on some of the best fjord scenery and you will encounter many small hills (particularly true south of Stavanger). Our detour from Geiranger to Lom and back over Sognefjellet was very scenic but not the shortest way. An alternative route that we can recommend is: Ferry from Geiranger to Hellesylt, south on Rv 60 and E 39, then Rv 13 over Gaularfjellet. We have not done the Gamle Strynfjellet road, unsealed but popular with cyclists apparently. It was still closed in June on our two trips to Norway.

Rv 13 between Sognefjord and Røldal is a very good route with some big hills and no banned tunnels that you cannot go around or over. There are alternative routes both to the east and the west, but you will need to check for banned tunnels.

If you are heading to Oslo rather than the southernmost point of Norway, there are various good routes over the mountains, of which Route 7 (Hardangervidda) is probably our favourite. Avoid the E16 where possible, because this is the main road between Oslo and Bergen.

In the far south an alternative route to the E134 is the remote but scenic Rv 13 between Røldal and Stavanger, which will take you past the famous Lysefjord and Preikestolen.

What else do I need to know?
Watch out for cattle grids, particularly on descents from high passes. There aren’t many of them, but you don’t get much warning either!

I’ve never been bicycle touring before. Is Norway for me?
Possibly yes, possibly no. Cycling in Norway can be challenging; it is not the easiest place to start.

Where can I get more information?

Trento Bike Cycle touring accounts - there is a list by country
To the North Cape An account of a trip from Holland to Nordkapp
Lonely Cyclist An account of a trip to Nordkapp
Cycle Tourer Good practical information about cycle touring in Northern Europe
Torodd Fuglesteg Old but good Information about cycle touring in Norway, written by a local cyclist
Misty Mornings Trips in southern Norway
Bliss on Wheels Various cycling trips, including some in Norway

The Coast Route Guide - has useful ferry information
The weather in Norway
www.camping.no Online camping map
NAF camp Online camping map
Bed and Breakfast accomodation
Wheelbuddies camp site map
Wheelbuddies camp site list
Visit Norway Tourist Information
Wiki Travel - Norway

Copyright © Brian Fish and Karen Strojek 2007