Norway
Overview
Siobhan and I visited Norway from July 26th 2022 through August 11th 2022. We took a direct flight from Newark, NJ to Bergen. Our trip started there and we traveled around the west side of the country up to Gerainger. During this time we visited Stave Churches, ventured through fjords, and experienced the Nordic culture. We then took a flight from Bodø to the Lofoten Islands. These islands are incredibly beautiful and weren’t too busy compared to the hot spots down south. We hiked a lot here, kayaked through inlets, and checked out a Viking festival at a local museum.
Common Phrases
"Snakker du engelsk?" - Do you speak English?
Takeaways
⦁ EVs are everywhere in Norway. The Tesla we rented was much more intuitive than the VW Golf. Charging took roughly 30 minutes for a 50-60% charge. Our Tesla had free charging and the Golf cost about $60 dollars for five 30 minute charges over 9 days. *Phone apps are needed to charge at these stations and not all use the same app.
⦁ The max speed limit in Norway is 80km or 50mph.
⦁ Highways cut through mountains and into tunnels to keeping roads flat.
⦁ Houses in Norway are typically white, yellow, and red.
⦁ Rema 1000, Coop, and Kiwi are grocery stores and are all basically the same.
⦁ Only convenient stores like Europris are open on Sundays.
⦁ Ferries were easy. You drive up to a line of cars then wait for a worker to direct you onto the ship. Our car had a toll pass so we didn't have to leave the vehicle at all for the 30 minute trip across.
⦁ Gas station stores are nice and have take out food and WCs.
⦁ Not the usual courtesies like "excuse me"… They aren’t mean, people just tend to keep to themselves.
⦁ Lots of roundabouts and yield signs, less traffic lights.
⦁ Paid toilets in tourist areas (20kr).
⦁ Drinks (soft and hard) are expensive when eating out. Otherwise eating out is comparable to the U.S. considering there isn't tipping. They are paid livable wages here in this industry.
⦁ Everyone we spoke to spoke English even though Norwegian is the primary language spoken. In touristy areas English takes priority. I would ask "Snakker du engelsk?" which means "Do you speak English?" and people reacted as if it was obvious that they did so why was I asking!
⦁ All lodging had comforters on the beds. One for each person.
⦁ Only one AirBnB had a dryer. Dryer racks are essentially dryers in Norway.
⦁ It is illegal to fly the actual Norwegian flag at night so pennants are used instead.
⦁ The Lofoten Island mountains were smaller than we were expecting. Especially after seeing the fjords in the south first!
⦁ Booked most of our AirBnB a night or two before. While we were limited there were enough to choose from to book each day.
⦁ Some AirBnBs make you remove linens and empty your trash outside.
⦁ Never had an issue with coffee being available where we stayed.
⦁ We rarely used cash. Just about every place we went to took cards, some wouldn’t even take cash. Take out a couple hundred Kroner when you get there and you should be all set.
Hidden Gems
Hjelle Hotel, Henningsvær, Helvetestinden
Journal
Day 1:
We left Knoxville with our rental car and headed towards Newark, NJ for our flight. Flights were outrageously expensive so we decided to make the long drive. After staying the night midway, we returned rental (within the 24-hour window!) and began the process of checking for our flight to Bergen. We ate at the airport then waited until our delayed flight was ready to take off. I didn't sleep at all and Siobhan only got a little in. We landed around 10AM then went through customs which was short and pleasant compared to the U.S process.
After retrieving our bags we took a cab to the Edvard Grieg Hotel for $22. We found out later that we could have take the train from the airport for a third of that price and a short walk. The hotel was large, nicely decorated, and comfortable. It took us a few minutes to figure out how the lights worked. There are slots next to the front door where you insert your room card activating them. We dropped our luggage off and took the train (80kr for both of us) towards Bergen city center. Our first stop was at Fantoft to see the stave church there. It was rainy, cold, and we got soaked on the walk.
Though this is a restoration of the church that was allegedly burnt down by Varg Vikernes in 1992, it was visually impressive inside and out. After the church, we continued on to Bergen center where we exchanged some money at the visitor center (You really don't need cash in Norway so don't worry too much about exchanging) then wandered through the famous fish market. This is a small stretch of tented restaurants and shops with an exciting atmosphere that can also be considered too crowded for some! It leads to the old town of Bryggen where we walked the side streets, touring shops and galleries inside historic buildings.
We continued down a little further to the museums of Rosenkrantz Tower and Håkon's Hall. The Tower was built in the 1560s at the command of King Frederik II. Masons and stonecutters from Scotland were commissioned to build it which giving it a medieval feel inside. A German munitions ship exploded nearby in 1944 causing damage to the tower which was later restored.
Håkon's Hall was built by King Håkon Håkonsson in the 13th century and was used for his son's wedding and coronation. It was built for great occasions in the history of the monarchy and the realm. The hall was used as a storage facility in later years and re-discovered in the 19th century when it was restored. Unfortunately that munitions explosion in 1944 cause the hall to catch fire and only the walls remained. It has since been restored again.
Both museums were well done but quite small so we were able to get both in quickly before making our way over to Bryggeloftet & Stuene Restaurant for our first Norwegian dinner. Here we enjoyed our first, and best of the trip, fish soup and had a nice dinner of reindeer and trout for our main dishes. The restaurant has a quiet, classy atmosphere which contrasted nicely with the loud, busy fish market down the street from it. After dinner we worked our way back to the train for a half hour ride back to our hotel where we crashed after a long, long first day in Norway!
Day 2:
Enjoyed a nice buffet breakfast which included all the usual American foods as well as an assortment of fruits, deli meats and pastries that are common in Norway. We then met Tommy who lent us his Tesla through Getaround for our first part of the trip. He gave us the rundown as it was our first time driving an EV.
We took Highway 16 east towards Flåm. There are tunnels everywhere keep roads level. They cut through mountains and can belong, including one that is 25km (15.5 miles)! The max speed in Norway is 80km or 50mph so it can take a while to cover distance in the country.
Our first stop was Viking Valley in Gudvagen. However, we decided to skip it as it was much smaller and more kid-centered than we were expecting. There was a nice fjord view here though and had we had more time we would have rented a kayak here to paddle around the fjord.
We continued on to Flåm where we ordered from a food truck in the center and popped in and out of the souvenir shops through town. Flåm is full of tourists and kitschy shops but it is worth checking out to get a feel of what a cruise stop town is like.
Next, we drove through the Laerdal Tunnel (the 25km one) by passing the Aurlandsvangen view point in order to see the stave church in Borgund before it closed. There is a visitor center with a small museum nearby where you purchase tickets to enter. Stave churches were built all over Europe between 1130 and 1350 the only ones that still exist are the 28 in Norway. Borgund Stave Church is one of the most visually impressive and is the one with the least alterations since being built in the late 1100s by traveling craftsman.
Though much smaller inside than you might expect, this church's authenticity and attention to detail is something to behold. We met a couple here from Minnesota who we exchanged taking pictures with. It was nice to speak to some Americans for the first time since arriving!
We charged our car on the way to the Fodnal Ferry to Sognal for about 30 minutes to get from 30-80%. The ferry process was easy. Workers guided cars into five rows onto the ship. It was a quick and efficient process. Also, there was a transponder on our car so we didn't have to get out and pay on board. The ferry ride took about 20 minutes. We stopped at a Coop supermarket for some food before arriving a tour lodging for the night. Then cooked up a delicious meal of pasta with venison sauce and spinach!
Day 3:
Our first stop was Kaupanger Stave Church right when it opened. The inside of this one was much larger than the others we had seen and the views looking out at the fjord were picturesque!
After the church we stopped at a couple of scenic points along the way near Jotunheimen National Park towards Loen. This area was reminiscent of Glacier National Park and the Beartooth Highway in Montana.
Eventually, we made it to Loen Skylift and took one of the steepest cable cars in the world(1011m or 3316ft) to the top of Mt. Hoven. The trip takes 5 minutes and is much scarier on the way back if you have a fear of heights!
At the top is the Mountain Station and Hoven Restaurant. The station has WCs, a convenient store, and a zipline registration/gearpick up booth. It took us some time to get over our nerves as we watched other brave souls crossing from one side to the other, but we ultimately decided to give it a ago ourselves. It wasn't as bad height-wise as we were expecting and, although short, the ride was exhilarating and offered a unique view of the are and fjords while it lasted!
After that thrilling experience we took a three mile hike around up and beyond the station to get more views in of the fjords and mountains beyond. One of these stuck out to me (horned peak in center) and I made it a goal of mind to figure out what it was and how to hike to it later on...
We ate at the Hoven Restaurant which has huge glass windows allowing you to look out at the glacier lakes below while enjoying your meal. The food was OK but forgettable. The reason to eat here is for the view and convenience.
We then took the steep cable car ride back down and drove over to Stryn to meet our next bnb host who showed us around and gave us tips on what to do in the area. She recommended Hjelle Cafe on the way to Geiranger after making sure the harbor wouldn't be too busy with cruise ships. They had strawberries, currants, raspberries, and multiple veggies in their garden which we were free to eat.
Day 4:
On our way out we picked some berries and drove to the local Tesla station in Stryn to charge our car to 70%. From there we drove to the Hjelle Hotel which is slightly hidden on a side road off of highway 15. This area is truly beautiful and was easily one of our favorite spots on the entire trip. Quiet and quaint with access to the bright teal water and majestic mountains of the fjord. We enjoyed Norwegian potato pancakes filled with brown cheese at the old café overlooking the water then continued our trek to Geiranger.
The road splits off Highway 15 to Route 63 taking you up, down, and around hills and switchback mountains. This was slow going as the road was clogged with RVs and tour buses who were cautiously maneuvering the narrow, windy roads. It took a while to arrive in Geiranger and, rather than try to find a parking spot we continued onto the Instagram viewpoint up the hill beyond the town.
This area was full of people taking a quick selfie or fully dressed up for a photoshoot. We snapped a few shots here then rushed back to the car to escape the chaos. On our way back we found a parking spot close to town and walked around, checking out the many souvenir shops. This town was too touristy for us so after scoping out the area we headed back instead of joining speedboat rides with cruise boat tourists. We regret not having stayed in Hjelle for the day to enjoy a nice relaxing boat ride on that beautiful teal lake!
After a long, slow drive back to Stryn we stopped at the Tesla station again to charge while we walked around town and picked up some food at the Rema 1000. We ended the night enjoying some pizza at a picnic table overlooking the town below and fjord beyond. This was an ideal spot to stay.
Day 5:
Remember that peak that I mentioned seeing in the distance in Loen? After doing some research I found out that the peak is called Hornindalsrokken and that there is a trail leading to a lake at it's base called Blåvatnet. We decided to head over and check it out. We left the trailhead around 5PM then drove to Njordfjordeid to stay at an old house with antiques, retro furniture and a glacier view.
Day 6:
Our last full day in southern Norway began in Nordfjordeid.
It was quieter than previous towns we visited, likely due to it being Sunday when most stores are closed. Our first stop on this rainy day was the Sagastad Museum. It is centered around the 30-meter long Myklebust ship found in the area. It is believed that it the chieftain of the this ship was slain by the legendary King Harald in battle and was buried with it. The museum is small but, being dedicated to a specific find, was quite informative.
We then took a walk around the town only passing a few people on our way to the burial mound sites. It was a Sunday so all the shops were closed making it feel like a ghost town!
We ate at one of the few open restaurants, Magnifikk. We had chicken parm and BBQ tacos and a traditional beef and salad dish. The food was better than we were expecting from a local pub. Then we made our way over to a fjord horse center which was open though looked deserted. We parked in the back and wandered around until we found a lady working there who told us we could walk the grounds and pet the horses (if they wanted to be pet!). These fjord horses are stocky and have prominent necks with manes that look like brushes.
After Njordfjordeid we took the Lote ferry down to Anda. There were WCs, a small convenient store, and seating inside. From here we continued our five hour drive to Bergen, stopping to charge at Lavik before the last ferry. We kept driving until we reached the Edvard Grieg Hotel which was the same place we stayed at for our first night in Norway.
Day 7:
We returned our rental car at Bergen airport then began the quick process of checking in our bags and security line. There are self service kiosks to check-in bags and a conveyor belt to put them on after scanning your ticket to the bag. We then went through security which was comparable to a quick Pre-TSA line. Since it was a domestic flight through Widerøe, there wasn't a customs process for this flight. We didn't have an option to fly direct to the Lofoten Islands so we had a layover in Bodø followed by short flight to Leknes. The airport in Leknes is small and is only a short distance from the center of town. We picked up our Volkswagen Golf rental and, after a couple minor issues, got some groceries at the local Rema 1000 before arriving at our dockside bnb in Sennesvik for the night.
Day 8:
Most of this day was used to rest and plan out our stays and itinerary for the rest of our trip. It wasn't a complete waste though, we took off after dinner for our first Lofoten hike called Mannen. Since it is light all day and night this time of year it is possible to hike whenever you feel like it! The main draw to the area is Hauklandstranda Beach which sits at the base of the mountain. Loads of RVs and people setting up tents filled the parking area and grassy patch before the beach.
We walked the beach first then crossed the main road which led toa side road heading up to the trailhead. For our hiking post on Mannen click here. If hiking up isn't your thing then there is a trail that follows the beach around the base of the mountain called Haukland - Uttakleivthat is 4.5km or 2.8 miles long.
Day 9:
We made our way to one of my most anticipated spots on the trip, the Lofotr Viking museum, for it's Viking Festival. We skipped the main museum at the start and checked out the external ship experience before heading down to the festival. The ship exhibit was really nice. Inside had displays including fire pits, huts, bedrooms, tables, wardrobes, paintings, statues, etc. It gives you a feel of what it was like to live back in Viking times.
We continued on walking down to the water about a mile away where the festival was being held. There were tents setup as they would have been in the past. Vases and bowls laid out on tables, furs sprawled out on beds, and people dressed in Viking garb around campfires. There were vendors mixed in selling jewelry and other handmade products designed from times past.
We made our way to the end of the road where a mock ritual was taking place. A woman dressed white and red with a brown apron was surrounded by fellow Vikings as they were offering prayers to the Allfather Odin. This was followed by traditional music from a band called Gjaldulei. If you ever watched the show Vikings you will be familiar with their sound. The chanty, solemn, and soulful sounds of their ancestors were recreated.
After the opening presentation we continued touring around. Siobhan received advice from Odin through a Tova Volve while I watched the sideshow of a man on stilts juggling bottles and knives with another man lower to the ground while shouting in Norwegian to rile up the crowd! We then enjoyed mock sword fights where four men battled it out to see who would prevail. We ate a pancake wrap and pork meal from the lone food vendor before enjoying more music from Gjaldulei. We decided to skip the Viking boat ride as it was full of families in bright orange life jackets.. The festival was good overall but we could have cut it short as it was smaller than expected and it was more geared toward families. We stopped by the main museum on the way out and honestly it was disappointing. It is an audio tour with several videos playing on one and on the other are a handful of displays of Viking artifacts. The highlight being the hilt of a sword while most of the rest was pottery or jewelry.
We headed back to Leknes center to check-in to our next bnb then walked over to eat at Maukhaus in Leknes. I had another meatball burger (guess this is how they do it here...) and Siobhan had whale steak! It tasted like a mixture of beef steak and cod.
Day 10:
We walked over to Huset Kafé for breakfast then drove over to checkout the town of Ballistad. The area was mainly full of neighborhoods with a couple businesses and restaurants that were offside roads. There didn't seem to be a strip of shops or any actionreally. Then we began our first "tinden" ("peak")hike of the day, Nonstinden, around noon.
After Nonstinden, we drove around town which didn't have much going on then continued our drive to other areas we hadn't seen yet. Eventually we made it to the town of Napp for our second "tinden" hike of the day, Stornappstinden.
The wind and rain really added to the challenge of these hikes and to be honest I wasn't feeling up to doing a second. However, we pushed through mentally and physically and completed it and are glad we did. Stornappstinden was one of our favorite hikes on the islands. To check out our full post on these hikes click here.
Day 11:
Left Leknes and made our way to Henningsvær. Were were lucky and found a parking spot right in town. It cost 50kr for 2 hours of parking. There are free WCs right next to lot. This was a cool town with a strip of shops and restaurants. We really enjoyed the vibe here.
There were crowds of people but it didn't feel too crowded. The strip was full of nice local and souvenir shops and fishing boats were lined up in the canal. Sit-down restaurants offer menus which include freshly caught fish from the area. We ate at Fiskekrogen on the dock for lunch and it very good. We ordered fish soup and some of the best fried cod I've ever eaten! It had a nice atmosphere and great service. We'd highly recommend checking it out.
We enjoyed the town enough that we went to the lot and put in 50kr more for parking then ventured to the end of town and over the bridge to the other side. Here we found a sea urchin light store in a garage. We thought it was a clever idea and purchased some for our family. The rest of the walk was a bust though. There was one hotel/restaurant at the end of the road but the vibe really ends when you cross the bridge. It started downpouring and we got soaked! There is room for town to grow and we are curious to see what it will look like in a few years. Henningsvær is a cool town worth checking out when visiting Lofoten.
On our way to the next bnb we tried charging our car at a café that we found on PlugShare. The charger wasn’t working and after a few minutes trying to eject the plug from our car, a guy who worked there came out and helped us get it unlocked. He had to call a friend who had the same issue before and figured it out! We had to hold the lock button on the key fob and the charge button on the car at same time to unlock it. Since this didn't work, we had to drive back to Leknes and charge at the Rema 1000.
The next bnb was great! It was well designed and clean with a nice view of the water and mountains. We made burgers (non-meatball ones) and did some laundry in the dungy basement. *Every washer was different and Google Translate wasn't fully accurate (i.e. one had a label for Lava Food?). It may be worth asking for a manual or a quick overview of how to use the specific one before arriving at your bnb.
Day 12:
The whole day was rainy. We drove to an old church to check it out but there was a wedding going on so we continued on to Svolvaer. Here we ate our best meal in Norway at a place that used to be called "Oh My Gosh" and is now part of the Thon Hotel. I had the stockfish which is a staple aged fish meal and Siobhan had a leg of lamb.
After lunch we went to the Magic Ice exhibit. The exhibit is small but had cool pagan artwork inside made of ice. We received a complimentary drink in ice glasses which was enough for the time spent there.
After the ice hotel we stopped at a few shops and grabbed a cinnamon bun and coffee at a local bakery. We took the opportunity to charge while here got some groceries while waiting for it at the Kiwi in the mall. Then we headed back and stopped at Rørvikstranda Beach by the Henningsvær split which we missed due to high tide the day before.
Day 13:
Packed up and charged car fully at Rema 1000 again. Though it was another rainy day we got some nice views in on the way to Reine. We checked into our nicest place on the trip, Reinefjord Sjøhus. The view from the windows and balcony of the nearby claw-like mountain was beautiful! We drove around the area which was busy for how small it was then picked up some famous fish burgers from Anita's Seafood. There is a store inside the restaurant which is worth checking out for local foods and gifts. We ate our burgers back at the hotel while enjoying the view outside our window.
Day 14:
The owner of the sea urchin light place in Henningsvær recommended to us to check out a hike called Helvestinden (or Hell's Peak). We chose to hike this on our best weather day and it paid off, giving us our favorite views in Lofoten! Checkout the full post for this adventure here.
Day 15:
We slept in then got ready to go kayaking on a tour with Reine Paddling. The group was too big for our taste and felt crowded at first. Some people were completive while others were noisy and playing music on their phone, but we found our groove midway and were able to space out and enjoy our own pace.
The perspective of the area from the water really added to the experience of Reine. We even kayaked over to Vinstad, where we hiked the day prior. On the way over our guide stopped at a rocky bank where she picked some seaweed off and threw some over to us. Apparently it is suppose to taste like a truffle or chocolate and, being a huge chocolate fan, I can say that it certainly did not! It tasted more like salty seaweed to me... It was a fun time and we were glad to finally make it out on the water. We'd recommend checking them out but be prepared for a long intro, possible crowd, and only a couple of hours kayaking.
After kayaking we made our way over to the most hyped hike in all of Lofoten, Reinenbringen. Here is our full post on this hike. We got in a good workout and felt a sense of a achievement after completing this one. After the hike, we made our way to Leknes and stayed in a private room, sharing a house with the guest and other hikers, to save money for our last night in Lofoten.
Day 16:
Chatted with the other couple staying at bnb. They were from Germany on their way through the area and on to Senja soon for a WorkAway until December. They did a trip from Lisbon to Athensearlier in year and are currently biking and camping in Lofoten while staying in private rooms from time to time when they need a break.
Our first flight to Bodø was close to being cancelled due too stormy weather. The flight took off late and we barely made our connector. We made it to Bergen and checked into hotel next to airport. We stayed at the Comfort Inn. It has a cool vibe and we'd recommend it as it is only a 10 minute walk to check in at the airport.
Not wanting to waste our last night in Bergen ,we decided to take a train to the center one more time. The weather was much better and there were way more people! There are lots of bars and restaurants of all kinds of themes from English Pub to Thai to Mexican.
The town is lively and has a melting pot of culture which was non-existent everywhere else that we had visited in Norway. We picked up the last of our souvenirs and enjoyed some fresh fish for dinner in the hustle and bustle of the fish market. After eating we took the hour long ride back to the airport stop then hotel to get ready for our flight back to the U.S. Our flight from Bergen to Newark was delayed for 4hrs so we took our time at the breakfast buffet and added an hour to our hotel checkout time to relax before waiting at the airport. On the flight back we were lucky enough catch amazing views of Greenland from the plane!
Reinebringen is the most popular hike in all of Lofoten. It is special for it's picturesque view at the top which you can get to by taking 1978 stone steps placed by a team of sherpas from Nepal.