Norway is on almost every camper's bucket list. Fjords, glaciers, and roads where you want to stop every ten minutes. Still, plenty of people head there with the wrong expectations, especially when it comes to wild camping.
Our guests Jenny and Lukas have lived in Norway for over seven years and run the Camping app and the Nordcamp app. On the podcast, they talked about what makes Norway special for campers, their favorite spots, and what the "right to roam" actually means. Here are their tips.
Podcast · Episode 283
Norwegen für Camper: Geheimtipps, Lieblingsorte und das wahre Leben im Land der Fjorde
Why Norway is perfect for camping
Norway makes life easy for campers. Outside the cities, the speed limit is usually 80 km/h, and traffic stays relaxed. You'll find service stations for water and waste everywhere, many of them free, often with fresh water included at no extra cost.
Campsites here look nothing like those in southern Europe. No fenced-off pitches, little entertainment, lots of nature. You usually don't need to book ahead. If you're traveling spontaneously, you'll almost always find a spot.
Plan the route, pack the folding chair
The most important planning tip from Jenny and Lukas fits in one sentence: keep it loose. Count on an average speed of around 50 km/h. That's not just down to the roads. Small ferries, photo stops, and coffee breaks with a fjord view all eat up time, and that's exactly what you came for.
If you stick to a tight schedule, you'll miss the best parts. Jenny and Lukas admit they've driven right past herds of moose because they stubbornly followed their route. Since then, their rule is: fewer kilometers, more detours.
The right to roam: what you can and can't do
No topic causes more confusion among Norway travelers. Many people think the "right to roam" (allemannsretten) allows you to camp your motorhome anywhere in nature. That's not true.
The right to roam applies to people on foot, not to vehicles. It allows you to:
hike through nature, even across private land, keeping a distance from houses (around 150 meters)
pitch a simple tent for up to two nights on land that isn't used for farming
forage for berries and mushrooms and go fishing, with seasonal restrictions and sometimes a fishing license required
Different rules apply to vehicles. Cars, vans, and motorhomes belong on roads and designated parking areas. Your vehicle has no business being on meadows, in forests, or on beaches. Tire tracks in nature are off-limits.
Jenny and Lukas compare the mood in some regions to the frustration people feel toward cruise ship tourists. If you stay at campsites and legal parking spots, you put money into the local economy. That's what keeps the bike rental, the kayak station, the café, and the shop selling hand-knitted sweaters in business. And it means you're welcome in the region instead of just tolerated.
Jenny and Lukas's favorite regions
Stryn and Olden
Jenny and Lukas call this area "picture-book Norway." Glaciers, turquoise water, hiking trails, and small villages. One tip is Melkevoll Bretun Camping in the Oldedalen valley. The site sits right on the path to the glacier, has a sauna, and its grass-roofed huts make it look like a Hobbit village. Looking for more hikes? Check out 4 hikes in Norway you should know about.
Fjærland
Fjærland is a book village. Secondhand bookshops and bookshelves line the whole town. On top of that, there's the glacier museum and kayak tours.Bøyum Camping is just a few steps from the museum. You'll find more information about the village at fjaerland.org.
Flåm
Many people know Flåm from the Flåm Railway. Also worth checking out are the Ægir BrewPub, with beer tastings and a Viking-style menu in a Viking-style hall, plus kayak tours on the fjord. You'll find everything about the harbor at Flåm Brygga.
Valdresflye and Jotunheimen
The mountain road over the Valdresflye is usually open from around May to October. You'll drive close to Norway's highest mountain and, with a bit of luck, spot herds of reindeer. On the edge of Jotunheimen you'll find Randsverk Camping. The site is built in terraces, rents out e-mountain bikes, and moose sightings here are nothing unusual.
Senja
Senja is Norway's second-largest island. Jenny and Lukas call it "Little Norway" because you find everything packed into a small area: fjords, jagged mountains and coastline.
Vesterålen
Vesterålen sits right next to the Lofoten Islands but feels much calmer. Here you'll find whale safaris, where tourism and research work hand in hand.
Jæren
The coast south of Stavanger has lighthouses, fjords and plenty of farmland. It's less dramatic than the west coast, but also less crowded.
Vestfold and the Oslo Fjord
The sunniest corner of the country. Small harbor towns with galleries and restaurants. Tønsberg is considered Norway's oldest city. At the Oseberg Viking Heritage project, a Viking ship is being rebuilt, and visitors can even help out. In Åsgårdstrand you'll find the Edvard Munch House, furnished just as it was during his lifetime. Kragerø is known for its white wooden houses.
Oslo
Many campers just drive right past Oslo. Jenny and Lukas think that's a shame. The city is closely connected to nature — right in the middle of town, you'll find waterfalls along the Akerselva river. Their favorite café there is Hønse-Lovisas hus. The food in Oslo is genuinely excellent, too.
Røros
This old mining town is worth a visit in December, when the Christmas market takes place. Pack warm clothes — Røros is one of the coldest places in Norway.
The National Scenic Routes
Norway has 18 National Scenic Routes. These are roads the government has selected and developed specifically for their scenery. Along the way you'll find viewing platforms, rest areas and restrooms, many of them designed by architects. There are benches positioned to line up perfectly with sunrise or sunset, and rest stops with panoramic views. Jenny and Lukas love planning their trips along these routes, because you almost automatically end up stopping at the most beautiful spots.
Important for campers: you're not allowed to empty toilet cassettes at the rest stops along the scenic routes. You'll find proper disposal stations in the towns along the way instead.
Senja: Little Norway in 102 kilometers
The route across Senja runs 102 kilometers along roads 862 and 86, from Botnhamn to Gryllefjord. Along the way you'll see everything packed into a small space that earns the island its nickname "Little Norway" from Jenny and Lukas: steep mountains rising straight out of the sea, white sandy beaches and tiny fishing villages.
These stops are worth it:
Bergsbotn: a viewing platform high above the fjord — a great spot for the northern lights in winter
Tungeneset: a wooden boardwalk across the rocks with a view of the jagged peaks known as the "Devil's Teeth"
Ersfjordstranda: a sandy beach with the golden restroom hut, said to be one of the most expensive toilets in Europe
Mefjordvær and Husøy: fishing villages worth a short detour — Mefjordvær also has a disposal station
Sukkertoppen and Husfjellet: two hikes with great views; Husfjellet is the easier one
You can empty your tank in Skaland, Senjahopen and Mefjordvær. Senja combines well with other routes — a ferry runs from Botnhamn toward Tromsø, and another from Gryllefjord to Andenes in Vesterålen. That way you can reach the whale safaris without any detour.
Helgelandskysten: 433 kilometers, six ferries
Helgelandskysten is the longest of the 18 scenic routes. It runs 433 kilometers from Holm in the south to Godøystraumen near Bodø, mostly along road 17. Along the way, you'll take six ferries. That's exactly what makes this route special: you drive a stretch, stand on deck, then drive on. This is a perfect place to follow Jenny and Lukas's tip of planning for an average speed of just 50 km/h. Budget at least three to four days — more if you can.
The landscape keeps changing. In the south, thousands of small islands and skerries dot the coast; further north it gets more mountainous. Between Jektvik and Kilboghamn, the ferry crossing takes you over the Arctic Circle.
These stops are worth it:
Torghatten: a mountain near Brønnøysund with a huge hole you can actually walk through
Vega: an island group with UNESCO World Heritage status, reachable by ferry
Ureddplassen: a rest stop right by the sea with a view over the islands
Engabreen: a glacier tongue of the Svartisen ice cap that reaches remarkably far down into the valley
Saltstraumen: at the end of the route near Bodø — one of the strongest tidal currents in the world
With an AutoPASS ferry contract, you'll save the most on this route, since so many crossings add up. Disposal stations can be found in Brønnøysund, Sandnessjøen, Nesna and at Storvika, among other places.
Valdresflye: 49 kilometers across the mountains
Valdresflye is short but high. The route follows road 51 for 49 kilometers from Hindsæter to Garli, climbing up to 1,389 meters. A large part of it runs above the tree line. You'll drive across an open plateau with views of the Jotunheimen peaks. If you're lucky, you might even spot reindeer crossing the road.
These stops are worth it:
Flye 1389: the highest point on the route, with panoramic views
Steinplassen: a viewpoint with a large boulder balanced on top of another
Gjende:Detour to the lake, starting point of the famous Besseggen ridge hike
In winter, the road between Garli and Maurvangen is closed, usually from around mid-December to late March or early April. Even after that, it can be closed at night or in bad weather. Check the road conditions before you set off. You can only empty your tanks further down in the valley, in Vågåmo or Fagernes. There's a place to stay nearby on the edge of Jotunheimen at Randsverk Camping.
Stop along the way: the steel elk on Route 3
Not an official scenic route, but one of Jenny and Lukas's favorite stops: at the Bjøråa rest area on Route 3 stands Storelgen, a ten-meter-tall elk made of polished steel. Route 3 is a popular stretch from the Oslofjord toward Trondheim and Røros.
More day-trip ideas
Telemark Canal: a historic staircase of locks you can experience by boat
Runde: a bird island on the west coast with huge colonies
Under in Lindesnes: an underwater restaurant
Elgtun: an elk park in the south with parking, including spots for motorhomes
Handy apps for your trip
AutoPASS: toll box for Norway. With a ferry contract you get up to 50 percent off on many ferries.
EasyPark: parking via app. Many private pitches are linked to it.
KvoteAppen: app from Norwegian customs. It calculates what you're allowed to bring in and whether duty applies.
Camping App and Nordcamp App: Jenny and Lukas's own apps. The Nordcamp App brings together spots, routes, and accommodations specifically for Scandinavia.
In Norway, you can only buy alcohol at state-run Vinmonopolet stores, though low-alcohol beer is also sold in supermarkets. Expect high prices.
By land, the journey usually goes via the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark and the Øresund Bridge to Sweden. Alternatively, you can take a ferry straight to Norway. We explain what to watch out for in Traveling by Ferry with a Caravan or Motorhome.
What about winter?
No need to fear winter. Norway's infrastructure is built for cold and snow, and many campsites stay open all year round. Of course, you'll still need winter tires and a vehicle fit for winter conditions.
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