Our Winter Roadtrip Through Southern Norway
We usually go towards the Alps for a winter sports holiday, this time we tried something different: a winter roadtrip through Norway! Not only did we visit several ski resorts, we also went to the Norwegian fjords, did cross-country skiing and visited several cities. We thought it was our best winter sports holiday ever! And besides, it was really winter here: daily fresh snow, a true white Christmas, driving with chains and powder skiing! Are you interested in a winter road trip through Norway? Then take a look at our Google Maps travel guide Norway!
Day 1: Traveling to Norway
Activities: ferry/car transport to Norway
Accommodation: on the ferry
Our journey to Norway started with a ferry to Kristiansand, the starting point of our roadtrip. For us, a ferry (Holland Norway Lines) departs from here to Kristiansand with a few sailings per week. UPDATE – unfortunately this route is no longer available! You’ll need to plan more time to get to Norway.
Day 2: Kristiansand to Sandnes
Distance: 230 km
Activities: Kristiansand (1)
Accommodation: Smarthotel Forus
We slept surprisingly well, the beds were (for a ferry) quite okay and luckily there was no rough sea. So after arrinving, we quickly visited Kristiansand. Keep in mind that you have to pay a toll here when you drive into the city (electronically, with cameras). We only stayed for a short period, because we still had a few hundred kilometers to go to our first overnight stay. Looking for this to do in this city? Check out the blog from Travelcanyon about Krinstiansand.
After our visit to Kristiansand our winter roadtrip through Norway could finally start, as we drove to our first overnight stay: Sandnes. The roads in Norway are generally quiet and of excellent quality, but there are a number of toll roads. This works slightly differently (just like in Iceland, for example): the construction costs of a new route must be reimbursed by means of toll. This means that the road will become free after a while. So there are only a few toll roads, however these are expensive.
Day 3: Hiking to Preikestolen
Distance: 50 km
Activities: Preikestolen (2)
Accommodation: Smarthotel Forus
After two days of travel, our third day from this winter roadtrip Norway was reserved for the hike to the Preikestolen. We had already prepared ourselves at home by purchasing sturdy walking shoes and crampons (which are really necessary!). It really was a winter hike through deep snow, unfortunately without a nice view over the Lysefjord due to the bad weather. We will definitely come back once in summer time. For more information, read our extensive article about the winter hike to the Preikestolen.
Day 4: Sandnes to Bergen
Distance: 210 km
Activities: Bergen (3)
Accommodation: Bergen Hostel Montana
We left the hotel early in the morning for a long drive to Bergen. There are no highways and moreover, we had to take a ferry twice. Taking a ferry in Norway is quite easy, by the way. Just like other toll roads, this works through license plate recognition. You will receive the bill afterwards at home (or register on epass24, the amounts will then be automatically debited from your credit card). We didn’t reserve the crossing and were always able to get on the boat immediately. Todays scenery was very beautiful; sea and frozen lakes alternated snow height was increasing during our drive.
We arrived in Bergen in the afternoon where we slept in Hostel Montana few kilometers from the city center. It felt more like arriving late in the evening, as it was getting dark really early at 4.30 pm. From the hostel it was about 4 km to the city, a nice evening walk for us.
Day 5 & 6: Bergen to Voss
Distance: 100 km (day 5)
Activities: ski area of Voss (Voss Bavallen) and Myrkdalen Mountain Resort (4)
Accommodation: Sandvik Garasjeloft
Today would be the first sunny day of our holiday, or at least for those few hours when the sun is shining. We were still getting used to the dark. The first light of day was around 9.30 in the morning. The further we drove, the higher the mountains got and the more snow depth increased. It really is a beautiful route through the fjords!
We would spend several nights near the town of Voss, because there is a lot more to see here and there are several ski resorts in the vicinity. On the first day we visited the ski area of Voss (Voss Bavallen) and on the second day Myrkdalen Mountain Resort. The snow was perfect in both areas!
Day 7: Hardangerfjord
Activities: Skorvofossen/Hardangerbrua/Hardangerfjord/Ulvik (5)
Accommodation: Sandvik Garasjeloft
The first stop on the route of about 75 kilometers for today were the Skorvofossen falls. The parking lot was covered in snow, so we parked the car on the side of the road. It was a nice short walk through deep snow towards the waterfall and we didn’t see any other tourist during our short stay.
After the short walk we drove further to the Hardangerbrua. This suspended bridge crosses the Hardangerfjord and looks quite impressive between the steep mountains. We didn’t pass the bridge, but turned left to the small village of Ulvik. By the way, this brigde is an expensive toll road.
The route to Ulvik was spectacular, especially because of the tranquility and the arctic winter landscape! Along the way there were several places to take a winter hike, for example the Espelandsfossen.
Day 8: Flåm
Activities: Flåm (6), Aurlandsfjord
Accommodation: Sandvik Garasjeloft
Flåm and the nearby Aurlandsfjord are quite popular among tourists, so we decided to visit this place today. We could have done this better on the route to Hemsedal, however for the next day there were blue skies expected, perfect for skiing. We think Flåm is not that special (probably also because of the rainy day it was that day). It was, however, possible to make the train journey, despite being winter. Instead of taking the train, we took a short walk to the Brekkefossen. This waterfall was completely frozen, giving it a very special look. Furthermore, it is worth looking over the Aurlandsfjord. You can drive to the paid viewpoint (Stegastein) or stop a little earlier and view the beautiful view at Aurlandsvangen Viewpoint.
Day 9: Voss to Hemsedal
Distance: 175 km
Activities: Myrkdalen Mountain Resort (4)
Accommodation: Fanitullen Apartments
At the first day of the year we had clear skies for the first time! After a lot of fresh snow, it would become a perfect day for skiing. The snow in Myrkdalen was even better than before and skiing in the sun was actually much better. We stayed until closing time and then continued our winter roadtrip Norway to Hemsedal.
This turned out to be a tough ride, as snow depth increased along the way. The last part (the 52) even went over a real mountain pass well above 1000m. This is no longer considered ‘main road’, so the snow plow was nowhere to be found. We drove over the snow and it was so cold that the windows even started to freeze on the inside. The temperature would fluctuate between an arctic -20 and -30 degrees in the coming days! Nevertheless, all roads were open and fairly easy to drive over, even without having to put on snow chains. Our next stop was the Fanitullen Hotel for a few days. Here, we had a very spacious 6-person apartment.
Day 10: Cross-Country Skiing
Activiteiten: Helsingvatnet (7)
Overnachting: Fanitullen Apartments
When you visit Norway, you have to go cross-country skiing at least once. So we did: after finding a suitable route and a rental company (Tunet Sport), we drove towards Helsingvatnet for a round of 12 kilometers cross-country skiing. There were marked parking spaces. We cound’t find whether it was paid or not, but we took our chances. It seems that tourists do not have to pay for the parking here. Don’t expect it to be easy, we think cross-country skiing is quite demanding. Again, the temperature did not exceed an icy -20 degrees. It was, however, well worth it to see the winter scenery here, exactly as we imagined of the Norwegian winter.
Day 11: Hemsedal Ski Center
Activities: Hemsedal (7)
Accommodation: Fanitullen Apartments
Near the village of Hemsedal you will also find the ski area of Hemsedal. From the apartment we took the (free) bus to the ski area, it is possible to return to the village on skies: take slope nr. 49. This piste ends right in front of the hotel. The weather for today was beautiful and we were skiing in the sun for the second time this trip! Yet it was extremely cold at -25 degrees. The views from the ski area were very beautiful and it is clear that you are not in the Alps here, the experience is much different.
Day 12: Hiking in Hemsedal
Activities: winterhike Rjukandefossen
Accommodation: Fanitullen Apartments
Again, there was half a meter of fresh snow, so no lack of winter surroundings for this day. There are hikes in multiple directions from the city center, however most of them are suitable in summer time. We ended up walking over the cross-country route, along which there are regular hiking trails, towards Rjukandefossen. Unfortunately there was so much snow that we couln’t find the path at all. During our walk (total of 18 kilometers) we constantly had to use the crampons under our shoes.
Day 13: Hemsedal to Oslo
Distance: 200 km
Activities: Oslo (8)
Accommodation: HI Oslo Haraldsheim
One of the last stops of our winter roadtrip through Norway was the capital of the country: Oslo. The drive, which was more than 200 km, went almost entirely over snow-covered roads. So it was a long drive, but again you can expect nice landscapes!
Even Oslo was covered in snow when we visited the city. After checking in at the hostel (HI Hostel Haraldsheim) we went towards the city center and visited the some highlights.
Day 14: Oslo to Malmö
Distance: 600 km
Accommodation: Good Morning Lund
As we had to drive back to the Netherlands, there were two options: return by ferry or taking the highway through Denmark. We chose for the latter as we also wanted to visit Copenhagen. We expected the snowy roads to be over after Oslo. Unfortunately. It was snowing really hard and they couldn’t keep up even on highways. So in the end it was a long and demanding route all the way to Malmö in the south of Sweden.
Day 15 + 16: Malmö and Copenhagen
Distance: 50 km (day 15)
Activities: Copenhagen
Accommodation: Copenhagen Go Hotel
We crossed the Øresundsbron (Oresund Bridge) into Denmark, an expensive toll-road, €57 one-way (January, 2023). After checking in at the hotel we took the metro to the center of Copenhagen. We found that the nicest part of the capital of Denmark is Nyhavn, a harbor with colored houses.
