Project Travel | Fly Drive Holidays in Norway


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Fly-Drive Holidays in Norway

Norway is a wonderful country to explore. One of the best ways to see it all is on a self-drive holiday which offers a range of hotels in a variety of locations, giving you a flavour of everything the country has to offer.

On the whole, driving is a very pleasant experience in Norway, particularly in the summer months. Drivers tend to be courteous and considerate. They drive on the right and overtake on the left. At a junction, unless you are on a priority route (marked with a yellow diamond) you should always give way to traffic from the right. The maximum speed limit on the majority of roads is 70kms per hour dropping to 50km/hr in built-up areas or even 30km/hr in residential areas. Due to the terrain you won’t find much in the way of straight stretches so speeding is not really an option but be warned - Norwegians like their radar traps and the fines are immediate!

Drink driving is not tolerated (the limit in Norway is so low it is easier to consider it zero); seat belts are obligatory front and back and you must use dipped headlights 24 hours a day (on most cars they come on automatically at ignition).

Everywhere is well signposted. The main routes are well maintained but rarely feature hard shoulders and tend to be one wide lane in each direction. The smaller roads are also generally in good condition but in the beautiful fjord region you'll come across some which cling to the sides of steep mountains which can be a bit hair raising for those on the passenger side! These roads frequently narrow to a single lane and meeting caravans, trucks and tractors coming the opposite direction is not uncommon. On narrow roads the vehicle going downhill has priority and the one coming up must reverse to one of the frequent passing spaces. It’s worth noting that if these kind of driving conditions are not for you, it is just as easy to explore Norway using the efficient bus, rail and ferry services as well as local tours.

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Petrol stations are plentiful across Norway and most cars use unleaded petrol which costs around 13 Norwegian Krone per litre (about €1.70, January 2013).

The other constant on Norwegian roads are tunnels. When you consider Dublin’s experience with building just one, you have to admire the Norwegian’s capability to look at a massive lump of rock soaring skywards, stretching for miles and just making the decision to bore through it. Many of the tunnels are short (less than 1km in length) and though cavernous are roughly hewn from the rock. Only about 20% of the total tunnel network is cement lined but all are lit and feature SOS points every 500m.

Norway has used road tolls for more than 70 years and they have become an increasingly important way of financing road projects. Having said that, you can drive for days and never come across a toll but if you do the payment will only be in the region of NOK 15 - 30 (€2 - €4) for a light vehicle. For full details of the toll system including the automated tolls, visit www.vegvesen.no. This site will also tell you all you need to know about driving in Norway.

A final ‘quirkiness’ is soon apparent on the map of western Norway - road numbers continue on either side of fjords even when there are no bridges! The crossings are made by way of roll on-roll off ferries which shuttle from side to side throughout the day every day (average cost for car with 2 passengers is NOK100 /€13). They are frequent (timetables available from tourist information) so delays are rarely a problem and waiting areas are well signposted.

A go-as-you-please, self guided fly drive holiday in Norway combines accessibility with the chance to stay in hotels which offer the highest quality local cuisine. It also offers time to stop off en route and visit attractions which interest you the most. Virtually everyone you meet will speak English and there are tourist information kiosks in most towns. Project Travel provides detailed information and leaflets on the regions you will be visiting allowing you to select which attractions you might like to incorporate into your day.

Project Travel can create a tailor-made fly-drive holiday package for you virtually anywhere in Norway, designed to match your particular interests. Since the fjord region is one of the most popular we have created 2 sample itineraries, both for 7 nights. One features historic hotels renowned for their traditional qualities and fine cuisine, all of which are members of De Historiske (Norway's equivalent of Ireland's Blue Book). The other features good quality 3* hotels, also in the fjord region. Both packages are completely flexible and we can add or reduce nights and even incorporate the Hurtigruten coastal voyage into your itinerary if you wish.


Photo Credits: CH/www.visitnorway.com, Marte Kopperud/www.visitnorway.com	Links