Norway

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Introduction

To Norway with the family

Ask our boys what they want to see in Norway and they both say: “A waterfall you can stand under.” I dream of a tent by a fjord, with a ferry gliding past in the morning.

Norway needs preparation: narrow roads, bigger distances than you think and ferries as part of the route. Families who have been there advise: fewer places, longer stays.

Researched by Arjan from Zuidlaren, so you don’t have to · Sources: Friluftsloven (Lovdata), Statens vegvesen · updated 24 October 2026 · About this page

• Language: Norwegian; English is spoken almost everywhere
• Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK); paying by card is normal
• Driving: Drive on the right, dipped headlights compulsory during the day too
• Wild camping: Allowed under allemannsretten (the right to roam), with rules

Internet on the road: Norway is part of the EEA, so “Roam like at home” usually applies. Note: on ferries and at sea, maritime networks apply, and they are not included. For tolls in Norway and Sweden, you can set up a free account with EPASS24 in advance.

Days out

The 4 best days out around Bergen

Around Bergen you’ll find some of Norway’s most beautiful fjords, and for rainy days there’s plenty to do in the city itself. We’ve done the research for you: prices come from the providers themselves, and we calculated distances from Utrecht.

🎯 Fjord cruise on the Nærøyfjord (Flåm–Gudvangen)

📍 Location: Flåm🏷️ Type: Boat trip · fjord

💶 Cost: Adults, one way, from: NOK 640 (± € 61) (source)

The boat sails from Flåm through the Aurlandsfjord into the narrow Nærøyfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and ends in Gudvangen. Norway's best, the operator of the trip, describes it as quiet and emission-free. You can go one way and return by bus, or come back on the same boat.

Find out more

Distance: ± 1,810 km from Utrecht (± 21.7 hrs drive, one way, no breaks); ± 168 km from Bergen (± 2.9 hrs) (OSRM, 21 Oct 2026)

The button takes you to a comparable tour on GetYourGuide.

Prices according to norwaysbest.com, checked on 21 Oct 2026 · Euro amounts converted approximately at the Norges Bank rate of the same day.

👉 See current prices & availability

Also via Tiqets · official website · location on the map

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🎯 Vøringsfossen

📍 Location: Eidfjord🏷️ Type: Waterfall · nature

💶 Cost: Visit: free (no ticket needed) (source)

Vøringsfossen is Norway’s best-known waterfall: the water plunges 182 metres from the Hardangervidda into Måbødalen. Along the Nasjonal turistveg Hardangervidda there are more than a kilometre of secured paths, viewpoints and a stepped bridge across the river.

Find out more

Distance: ± 1,789 km from Utrecht (± 21.3 hrs drive, one way, no breaks); ± 173 km from Bergen (± 3.0 hrs) (OSRM, 21 Oct 2026)

Prices according to hardangerfjord.com, checked on 21 Oct 2026.

👉 See current prices & availability

Also via official website · location on the map

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🎯 Akvariet i Bergen

📍 Location: Bergen (Nordnes)🏷️ Type: Aquarium · indoors

💶 Cost: Adults (winter rate Sept.–April): NOK 380 (± € 36) · Child 3–15 (winter rate): NOK 245 (± € 23) (source)

The Norwegian national aquarium is at the tip of Nordnes in Bergen. Here you’ll see fish from the Norwegian coast, seals and penguins. A good plan for a rainy day.

Find out more

All prices: Adults (winter rate Sept.–April): NOK 380 (± € 36); Child 3–15 (winter rate): NOK 245 (± € 23); Family 2+2 (winter rate): NOK 1,040 (± € 99); under 3: free

Distance: ± 1,958 km from Utrecht (± 24.2 hrs drive, one way, no breaks) (OSRM, 21 Oct 2026)

Prices according to visitbergen.com, akvariet.no, checked on 21 Oct 2026 · Euro amounts converted approximately at the Norges Bank rate of the same day.

👉 See current prices & availability

Also via official website · location on the map

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🎯 Kayaking on the Nærøyfjord (Gudvangen)

📍 Location: Gudvangen🏷️ Type: Kayak · outdoors

💶 Cost: guided half day, adults: NOK 1,150 (± € 109) · guided half day, child: NOK 750 (± € 71) (source)

Nordic Ventures in Gudvangen rents out sea kayaks and offers guided half-day tours on the Nærøyfjord, including a barbecue lunch. You can also paddle on your own with a rental package including equipment and a safety briefing.

Find out more

All prices: guided half day, adults: NOK 1,150 (± € 109); guided half day, child: NOK 750 (± € 71); rental half day per person: NOK 650 (± € 62)

Distance: ± 1,828 km from Utrecht (± 21.9 hrs drive, one way, no breaks); ± 148 km from Bergen (± 2.6 hrs) (OSRM, 21 Oct 2026)

The button takes you to a comparable tour on GetYourGuide.

Prices according to nordicventures.com, checked on 21 Oct 2026 · Euro amounts converted approximately at the Norges Bank rate of the same day.

👉 See current prices & availability

Also via official website · location on the map

Advertisement · affiliate link

Some buttons take you to a partner such as GetYourGuide or Tiqets. If you book through them, we receive a small commission; you pay nothing extra. If there’s no suitable product, we simply link to the official site.

More highlights with kids

• Preikestolen and the Lysefjord (demanding hike, unfenced edge)
• The Flåm Railway between Myrdal and Flåm
• Geirangerfjord (UNESCO World Heritage)
• Lofoten under the midnight sun
• Oslo: Norsk Folkemuseum and Holmenkollen

Camping

⛺ Campsites in Norway: a first selection

A first selection to go with the regions and days out on this page. The details come from the campsite’s official website or from Booking.com.

We only fill in “Who for” and “Setting” when the source says so; otherwise you’ll see –.

We haven’t (yet) found a campsite for this group where a source says so. Choose “All” to see the whole list.

Amounts in Norwegian kroner (NOK), as the providers give them. As a guide: on 21 Oct 2026, 1 euro was about 10.51 NOK (Norges Bank mid-rate). Prices read on the official websites on 22 Oct 2026 (days out: 21 Oct 2026).

Checked on 22 Oct 2026. The button goes to Booking.com (affiliate link); the campsite’s own website is listed below it. We haven’t (yet) stayed there ourselves.

Rules for wild and free camping are on Camping in Norway and in the right to roam guide. An overview by country: camping in Scandinavia.

Tolls & bridges

🛣️ Tolls, bridges and tunnels

There are hardly any barriers: cameras read your number plate. Handy, but good to know what to expect along the way. Overland to Norway you cross the Danish bridges; with the ferry from Hirtshals you skip the Øresund Bridge, and with Color Line from Kiel you skip both bridges.

Amounts checked on 21 Oct 2026 (bridges, Transportstyrelsen, AutoPASS) and on 22 Oct 2026 (veggjald.is and the Øresundsbron, AutoPASS and EPASS24 websites).

Everything about AutoPASS, EPASS24 and the Swedish charges is in the guide Tolls and AutoPASS/EPASS24; we compare bridges and ferries in Ferry or bridges?

On site

💡 Prices & good to know on site

How expensive is Norway in the supermarket or a restaurant, and do people still pay cash? We looked it up at Eurostat, the central banks and the official bodies. More figures in the cost guide.

Supermarket

Price level 133.1 (EU = 100). For comparison: the Netherlands 99.4.

Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind_1, 2025

Photo: Wolfmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo credits

🍽️

Restaurants and accommodation

Price level 139.7 (EU = 100). For comparison: the Netherlands 119.9.

Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind_1, 2025

🍷

Alcohol (price level)

Price level 226.4 (EU = 100). For comparison: the Netherlands 99.5.

Source: Eurostat prc_ppp_ind_1, 2025

Buying alcohol

Wine, spirits and beer over 4.7 % are only sold at Vinmonopolet. Beer up to 4.7 % in the supermarket, but only Mon–Fri until 20:00 and Sat until 18:00; not on Sundays and public holidays. Minimum age 18 (under 22 %) or 20 years (from 22 %).

Source: Vinmonopolet

Photo: Ssu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo credits

💳

Card or cash?

Paying by card is standard: in spring 2026, according to Norges Bank, only 3 % of the most recent purchases in shops were paid in cash.

Source: Norges Bank

Northern lights & midnight sun

Midnight sun: Tromsø 20 May – 22 July, Lofoten 28 May – 14 July, North Cape 14 May – 29 July (Visit Norway). Northern lights near Tromsø: late August to early April, usually between 20:00 and 2:00 (Visit Tromsø).

Source: Visit Norway, Visit Tromsø

Photo: Bouke ten Cate · CC BY 4.0 · Photo credits

Right to roam

Wild camping is allowed if you’re considerate. How long, how far from houses and when a campfire is allowed is explained in our guide.

Go to the right to roam guide →

Photo: Tony Warelius · CC BY 2.0 · Photo credits

Do you notice while planning that Norway is blowing your budget? On our sister site Oost-Europa Reizen you’ll find cheaper destinations with wild nature and mountains, in the guide Nature & mountains on a budget.

Language

🗣️ A few words of Norwegian

A friendly “thank you” in the local language works wonders at the checkout or the campsite. Let the kids practise in the car!

The Norwegian alphabet has three extra letters: Æ, Ø and Å.

Source for the words: Norwegian Armed Forces (Forsvaret), updated 15 Oct 2026, checked on 22 Oct 2026.

English: In the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, Norway is number 5 out of 123 countries (score 613, level “very high”). Germany is number 4 (615), the Netherlands number 1 (624). So you’ll get by with English almost everywhere, but a few words of Norwegian always go down well.

Source: EF EPI 2025, checked 22 Oct 2026.

Good to know

🧭 Plan further

Our guides are available in English. The day-out guides and some practical pages are so far only available in Dutch; the prices, maps and links in them are still easy to follow.

🧖 Sauna in Oslo? Floating saunas by KOK: see Sauna & wellness.

More ideas

🧭 Routes and travel ideas

• 🗓️ Travel ideas by season
• 🚗 A 3-week Scandinavia road trip
• 🧭 Lapland and the North Cape
• 🛣️ The Atlantic Road and Trollstigen
• 📚 Camping guides
• 🥾 Hiking
• 🚗 Car hire
• 🚆 By train

References

📚 Sources

Every figure and every rule on this page has a source. Here they all are at a glance, checked on 21 and 22 October 2026.