Norway: Route of the Fjords and the Vikings, tailor-made by car

Important remarks

- Driving in Norway: 1.Cars drive on the right-hand side and trams must be overtaken on the right. 2.Motorists must use low-beam headlights both day and night. 3.The allowed blood alcohol level is the strictest in Europe - just 0.2 mg/ml. Fines are very high and must be paid on the spot. 4.The speed limits are as follows: in built-up areas 50 km/h; on country roads 80 km/h; and on motorways 110 km/h. 5.Petrol stations are normally open from 6.00 am to 7.00 pm. 6.Parking is not allowed on main streets. This is why there are many municipal parking areas. Parking zones have different colours. You can park for one hour in yellow zones; two hours in grey zones; and three hours in brown zones. 7.Norway has a people-oriented road culture, where pedestrians and cyclists have priority.Pedestrians expect you to slow down or stop when they're crossing the road and cyclists don't always follow traffic rules. Please keep the most unprotected travellers in mind when driving on Norwegian roads. 8.Roads are mostly toll roads. You can pay for tolls either manually or with the AutoPASS, whereby automatic payment is taken once you've registered your car and your credit card on the website https://www.autopass.no/en/visitors-payment. We strongly recommend the AutoPASS. A fixed amount is withheld that will be discounted as you go through a toll and press the AutoPASS button (any surplus will be returned to you eighty-five days later). You can activate it up to three days after having passed through your first toll booth. If you opt for manual payment, you can pay for the tolls you've already passed through at petrol stations. You'll know at which petrol stations you can pay when you see a sign that says 'Kr-service' (usually Esso petrol stations).

- Triple rooms in Europe are generally rooms with twin beds or a double, in which a folding bed is installed to accommodate the third person. Due to the inconvenience this causes, we advise against using this option as far the possible.

- Check-in time at the hotel on the day of arrival depends on each establishment, but in no case will it be before 3:00 p.m., unless otherwise indicated.

- The proposed excursions and tours for each day are purely suggestions, as you can tailor the trip to suit your times, tastes and needs.

- A credit card is considered a guarantee, so sometimes you will need one for check-in at hotels.

- Hotels usually have cots available. Otherwise, babies will have to share a bed with an adult.

- To pick up your rental car, you'll need a credit (not debit) card in the name of the person who made the booking, who must also be the named driver of the vehicle.

- Consult the necessary documentation to enter the destinations visited and for transit in the countries where air stopovers are made.

- We recommend you purchase the necessary ferry tickets in advance while purchasing your self-drive tour, since ferry tickets are not included in the trip and, depending on the time of year, your vehicle and your ship or ferry preferences, the dates and duration of your ferry trip will vary. To facilitate the planning of your trip, please consult schedules and rates on the shipping companies' websites before choosing your trip start date. Check: the Fjord1 website for the routes Linge-Eidsdal, Halhjem-Sandvikvåg and Arsvågen-Mortavika (https://www.fjord1.no/); the Visitflam website for the Geirangerfjorden cruise on the Geiranger-Hellesylt route (https://www.visitflam.com/); and the GoFjords website for the cruise through the Sognefjord from Kaupanger to Gudvangen (https://gofjords.com/).

- During 2024, for safety reasons, the Trollstigen road may be closed for periods of at least 2 hours, which may be longer. These closures will take place when rockslides, landslides or heavy rainfall is expected in the area. For this reason, it is important that you check the situation of the road before driving on it, as the safety of this section of the road is assessed daily by experts. The section that may be closed periodically is the section between Isterdalen in Rauma/Åndalsnes and the bends up to the Trollstigen plateau. If Trollstigen is closed, the Trollstigen plateau remains open. In this case, the road will be open from Valldal to the Trollstigen plateau. On the other hand, the cafeteria and viewpoints at the summit will remain open, although Trollstigen itself is closed. Trollstigen Gjestegård in Isterdalen will also remain open, if accessed from the Åndalsnes side. Please note that this may lead to increased traffic and parking problems. We therefore advise you to avoid accessing these sections if there are "rush hour" restrictions and to park only in designated areas. Bypass via Sjøholt (E136) If Trollstigen is closed, the alternative is to drive via Sjøholt to/from Valldal: Åndalsnes - Sjøholt (E136) - Valldal (fv 650) - Trollstigplatået (fv 63). In total, it is about 155 km, estimated travel time 2 hours 10 minutes. How to be notified if Trollstigen is closed? You can check at www.vegvesen.no/trafikk and/or download the application "Vegvesen trafikk", where you can you can set up alerts for fv 63 Trollstigen and receive messages relevant to the road section. The information on the website is partly available in English (select language at the bottom of the page). In the app, the information is in Norwegian. You can also call the Norwegian Road Administration tel. +47 22 175 175, for up-to-date route information.