🎯 Germany → Norway
Location: Kiel · Oslo Type: Ferry
Color Line sails between Kiel and Oslo (night ferry).
Ferries to Scandinavia
All routes at a glance
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Introduction
Ferries to Scandinavia
Drive onto the ferry, and that’s when the holiday really starts. With kids, a night ferry with a cabin is often an outing in itself. There are so many routes that choosing is hard; that’s why we’ve put them together at a glance, each with a link to the ferry company.
Researched by Arjan from Zuidlaren, so you don’t have to · Sources: www.colorline.com, www.fjordline.com, www.gonordiccruiseline.dk, www.stenaline.nl, www.ttline.com, www.finnlines.com, www.oresundsbron.com, www.oresundslinjen.com, www.scandlines.com, www.sales.vikingline.com, www.tallink.com, www.smyrilline.com · updated 24 October 2026 · About this page
- Shortest crossing to Norway: Hirtshals–Kristiansand with Fjord Line, 2 hrs 25 min (March–September)
- Night ferry: Kiel–Oslo with Color Line
- To Finland without Sweden: Finnlines Travemünde–Helsinki
Sorted before you leave
Also useful: Holiday homes & groups and all countries.
- 🏨 Staying near the portEarly departure? Spend the night before in Hirtshals or Kiel; our favourites are further down.See pricesAdvertisement · affiliate link
- 🚗 Hire car on the other sideTake the ferry without a car and hire one there: Sweden · FinlandCar hire NorwayAdvertisement · affiliate link
📌 Overview
In short
If you want to get to southern Norway as quickly as possible, Hirtshals–Kristiansand is the shortest crossing. If you want to save a day of driving, take the night ferry from Kiel. To Sweden and Denmark you can also go entirely overland, via the bridges.
| Shortest crossing to Norway | Hirtshals–Kristiansand: Fjord FSTR 2 hrs 25 min (March–September), cruise ferry approx. 3 hrs 55 min (all year) (Fjord Line) |
|---|---|
| Night ferry | Kiel–Oslo (Color Line), Kiel–Gothenburg (Stena Line), Travemünde–Helsinki (Finnlines) |
| Bridges instead of the ferry | Storebælt 235 DKK and Øresund 420 DKK per single trip (Storebælt · Øresundsbron) |
Overview
⛴️ All routes
Timetables and crossing times change with the season. We only checked the crossing time at the source for Fjord Line; otherwise we refer you to the ferry company.
| Route | Ferry company | Driving time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiel–Oslo | Color Line | Night ferry | colorline.com |
| Hirtshals–Kristiansand | Fjord Line | FSTR 2 hrs 25 min (March–Sep), cruise ferry approx. 3 hrs 55 min (all year) | fjordline.com |
| Hirtshals–Kristiansand and Hirtshals–Larvik | Color Line | See ferry company | colorline.com |
| Hirtshals–Stavanger and Bergen | Fjord Line | See ferry company | fjordline.com |
| Copenhagen–Oslo | Go Nordic Cruiseline | Daily, see ferry company | gonordiccruiseline.dk |
| Strömstad–Sandefjord | Color Line | See ferry company | colorline.com |
| Kiel–Gothenburg and Rostock–Trelleborg | Stena Line | See ferry company | stenaline.co.uk |
| Travemünde and Rostock–Trelleborg | TT-Line | See ferry company | ttline.com |
| Travemünde–Malmö and Travemünde–Helsinki | Finnlines | See ferry company | finnlines.com |
| Helsingør–Helsingborg | Øresundslinjen | Short crossing, see ferry company | oresundslinjen.com |
| Frederikshavn–Gothenburg | Stena Line | See ferry company | stenaline.co.uk |
| Puttgarden–Rødby and Rostock–Gedser | Scandlines | See ferry company | scandlines.com |
| Stockholm–Helsinki or Turku | Viking Line, Tallink Silja | See ferry company | vikingline.com · tallink.com |
| Hirtshals–Tórshavn–Seyðisfjörður | Smyril Line | See ferry company | smyrilline.com |
Select
🧭 By region
To Norway
🎯 Denmark → Norway
Location: Hirtshals · Copenhagen · Oslo Type: Ferry
From Hirtshals, Color Line (to Kristiansand and Larvik) and Fjord Line (to Kristiansand and to Stavanger and Bergen) sail. Go Nordic Cruiseline (formerly DFDS) sails daily between Copenhagen and Oslo.
🎯 Sweden → Norway
Location: Strömstad · Sandefjord Type: Ferry
Color Line sails between Strömstad and Sandefjord.
To Sweden and Denmark
🎯 Germany → Sweden
Location: Kiel · Rostock · Travemünde Type: Ferry
Stena Line sails from Kiel to Gothenburg and from Rostock to Trelleborg; TT-Line from Travemünde and Rostock to Trelleborg; Finnlines from Travemünde to Malmö.
🎯 Denmark → Sweden
Location: Helsingør · Frederikshavn Type: Ferry
Via the Øresund Bridge (toll) or with the short Helsingør–Helsingborg ferry from Øresundslinjen. Stena Line sails from Frederikshavn to Gothenburg.
🎯 Germany → Denmark
Location: Puttgarden · Rostock Type: Ferry
Overland on the A7 or with Scandlines from Puttgarden to Rødby and from Rostock to Gedser.
To Finland and Iceland
🎯 To Finland
Location: Travemünde · Stockholm · Helsinki Type: Ferry
Finnlines sails directly from Travemünde to Helsinki. From Sweden, Viking Line and Tallink Silja sail from Stockholm to Helsinki or Turku.
🎯 To Iceland
Location: Hirtshals · Seyðisfjörður Type: Ferry
Smyril Line sails from Hirtshals via Tórshavn (Faroe Islands) to Seyðisfjörður in the east of Iceland.
Where to stay
🛏️ Staying near the port: our 3 favourites
An early ferry is much more relaxed with kids if you’ve already slept at the port the night before.
Practical
💶 Costs at a glance
| What | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Storebælt Bridge, single trip | 235 DKK | storebaelt.dk |
| Øresund Bridge, single trip | 420 DKK | oresundsbron.com |
| Crossing | Price: see the ferry company’s official website | see table above |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the shortest crossing to Norway?
Hirtshals–Kristiansand: with Fjord Line’s Fjord FSTR 2 hrs 25 min (March–September), with the cruise ferry approx. 3 hrs 55 min (all year).
Is there a night ferry to Norway?
Yes, Color Line sails between Kiel and Oslo.
Can I get to Finland without driving through Sweden?
Yes, Finnlines sails directly from Travemünde to Helsinki.
How much does the Øresund Bridge cost?
420 DKK per single trip for a normal car (Øresundsbron).
Can I take the car to Iceland?
Yes, with Smyril Line from Hirtshals via Tórshavn to Seyðisfjörður.
References
📚 Sources
Every figure and every rule on this page has a source. Here they all are at a glance, checked on 23 October 2026.
Show 18 sources
- colorline.com: www.colorline.com
- fjordline.com: www.fjordline.com
- gonordiccruiseline.dk: www.gonordiccruiseline.dk
- stenaline.nl: www.stenaline.nl
- ttline.com: www.ttline.com
- finnlines.com: www.finnlines.com
- oresundsbron.com: www.oresundsbron.com
- oresundslinjen.com: www.oresundslinjen.com
- scandlines.com: www.scandlines.com
- sales.vikingline.com: www.sales.vikingline.com
- tallink.com: www.tallink.com
- smyrilline.com: www.smyrilline.com
- fjordline.com: Fjord Line
- storebaelt.dk: Storebælt
- oresundsbron.com: Øresundsbron
- colorline.com: colorline.com
- colorline.com: colorline.com
- stenaline.co.uk: stenaline.co.uk