Southern Norway Road Trip: Awesome Route and Unique Destinations
Planning a Southern Norway road trip in a campervan and looking for the perfect route and insider tips? You've come to the right place!
- Published
- Reading time
- 13 min read
- By
- myvanture editorial team
Want to explore Southern Norway in a campervan and looking for the perfect route and great insider tips? You've come to the right place! We have the best tips for your Southern Norway road trip.
Wild and untouched nature full of fjords, lakes, mountains, forests, and wildlife. What country are we talking about? Norway!
If you want to know what you can experience during a road trip through Southern Norway, which hikes and cities are worth visiting, and what an awesome route could look like, then you're in the right place.
Simeon Baker traveled through Norway and shares the most beautiful spots in the south of the country. At the end of the post, you'll find videos of the road trip.
Get ready to plan your Norway road trip now!
Why you should travel to Norway
Before we reveal the route, we want to tell you why a camping holiday in Norway is so worthwhile.
- Pure nature experience: Norway offers breathtaking landscapes with fjords, mountains, forests, and lakes, ideal for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts.
- Freedom and flexibility: When camping, you can spontaneously adjust your itinerary and discover the most beautiful places at your own pace.
- Access to the wilderness: Many campsites are located in remote, untouched areas, far from mass tourism.
- Cost savings: Camping is often cheaper than hotels or holiday rentals, especially in an expensive travel country like Norway.
- Friluftsliv culture: Norwegians value outdoor living ("Friluftsliv"), and camping is an excellent way to experience this culture firsthand.
- Variety of activities: From hiking to fishing, canoeing, climbing, and skiing – Norway offers a variety of outdoor activities that can be perfectly combined with a camping holiday.
- Northern Lights and Midnight Sun: In Northern Norway, you can marvel at the Northern Lights in winter and experience the Midnight Sun in summer, making for an unforgettable experience.
- High environmental standards: Norway places great importance on environmental protection, and many campsites are sustainably operated and eco-friendly.
- Safety and cleanliness: Norway is known for its high safety and cleanliness, which makes camping holidays particularly pleasant and worry-free.
- Simplicity and slowing down: Camping allows you to escape the hectic everyday life, enjoy simplicity, and refocus on the essential things in life.
Rent a camper now and head north!
Southern Norway Road Trip: Route and Tips
- Sandefjord
- Telemarkskanalen Regional Park
- Kjerag
- Preikestolen
- Røldalsfjellet Fjellstølen
- Kinsarvik
- Voss/Mjølfjell
- Vikafjell
- Fjærland
- Lovatnet
- Geirangerfjord
- Gudbrandsjuvet, Trollstigen
- Dovrefjell
- Innerdalen
- Atlantic Road
Sandefjord
Sandefjord is beautifully situated on the Oslofjord and is a popular travel destination, especially in summer. On the two peninsulas of Østerøya and Vesterøya, you can explore the area on coastal hiking trails. The stunning beaches are perfect for relaxing.
Sandefjord is rich in history, with many reminders of the city's whaling past scattered everywhere. Whaling was vital to Sandefjord's economy, and its impact can still be seen today.
The Whaling Monument is located in the inner harbor, and nearby is the Southern Actor, the world's only functioning whaling ship. The Whaling Museum in Sandefjord is the only museum in Europe dedicated exclusively to the history of whaling.
Preståsen is a hiking area with views of Sandefjord and the harbor.
Simeon spent his first days at Asnes Camping & Badeplatz. This lovely campsite is right on the Sandefjord and is a good starting point if you plan to take the ferry to Larvik.
The campsite itself is a good, clean facility. It's very small but equipped with everything you need and ideal for swimming.
Telemarkskanalen Regional Park
The heart of the Regional Park is the canal landscape, supported by six different municipalities and the Telemark Canal. The Telemark Canal was the foundation for establishing the park.
The historic industrial heritage and the locks connecting the waterways give the surrounding landscape a distinctive character. This canal forms the core area of the Telemark Canal Regional Park.
You'll find a beautiful and unique wild camping spot here: 59°21'57.6 „N 7°47'07.7 „E. This is ideal if you need a few days to relax during your Southern Norway road trip. Read your favorite book and enjoy a campfire (fire pits are available, but be aware of Norwegian regulations for campfires during the summer season).
You can also fish, canoe, and swim here. Note: you'll need a permit for fishing, which you can get via an app.
Overall, a great place to relax for a night or two.
On the route to Kjerag
For years, people have admired this rock formation from the fjord, but more and more visitors are choosing to hike up to the mountain plateau. Once at the top, they enjoy panoramic views.
Some hikers even go a step further and get their photo taken on the Kjerag Boulder, wedged in a rock crevice. Kjerag is also popular with climbers and base jumpers.
The hike starts at the Øygardstøl mountain lodge car park, located south of Lysefjord on the road from Lysebotn to Sirdal. There is a fee for using this car park.
Simeon decided not to take the usual path from the official car park. This costs 300 NOK and is very crowded.
He chose to hike from the other side, which was a bit longer (about 12 km) but had far fewer people. He only saw 4 people on the entire route.
From the campsite, he drove up the road to the end, where there's a gate. There was a small, free car park there for the start of the hike to Kjeragbolten.
The hike was long but not too strenuous, and the scenery was breathtaking. He returned via the other path to see both trails, and although the traditional path is shorter, he would recommend the trail he took up more.
In total, it was a 19 km round trip.
Southern Norway Road Trip Stop: Preikestolen
Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock, towers 604 meters above the Lysefjord and is one of Norway's most famous mountain hikes.
The 8 km trail starts at the Preikestolen Fjellstue mountain lodge and takes about four hours to complete. The hike is somewhat challenging but manageable for most people. Guided tours are available daily from April to October, depending on weather conditions, if you're interested.
The Preikestolen campsite is a good starting point for the Preikestolen hike. It's a very large campsite, which makes sense because Preikestolen is very famous and therefore very busy.
The facilities are very clean, and especially in the off-season, there's plenty of space.
Another option is to view Pulpit Rock from a sightseeing boat in the fjord.
> Discover the Lofoten Islands by campervan!
Røldalsfjellet Fjellstølen
Continuing the Southern Norway trip, we headed to the wild campsite at Røldalsfjellet Fjellstølen.
This wild campsite is located on a breathtaking mountain road. The scenery is stunning. The roads are quite narrow but not heavily trafficked, and there are good spots to pull over.
Simeon stopped in Odda on the way, the town where the famous Trolltunga hike begins. However, he decided against the Trolltunga hike and opted for a hike up to the glacier instead.
The hike starts at "Bondhusdalen Parkering" in Sundal and is 24 km long. It's a beautiful hike through magnificent scenery, with incredible views and right up to the edge of the glacier.
It's best to start early in the morning and bring plenty of provisions. It's a fairly strenuous hike with 1400 meters of elevation gain.
Kinsarvik
Kinsarvik is a village in Norway, located near the confluence of Sørfjord and Eidfjord. These two fjords together form the main arm of the Hardangerfjord.
Kinsarvik is known for its waterfall hike.
Simeon stayed at Kinsarvik Camping AS. From here, you can start the hike to the 4 waterfalls directly. It's about 18 km round trip. If you prefer a shorter hike, you can also just hike to the 3rd waterfall and then turn back.
However, visiting the waterfalls is truly worth it.
The campsite itself is very clean and one of the nicest Simeon visited on his Southern Norway road trip. The staff are very friendly, and the campsite offers everything you need. There's even a supermarket nearby.
Voss/Mjølfjell
When Simeon was researching the Voss area, he found some photos of a beautiful river, but not much information about it. The river is very sacred to the locals because of its crystal-clear, blue-turquoise water.
Therefore, they are reluctant to share information about beautiful swimming spots so that they don't become overcrowded and spoiled. With the exception of one swimming spot near the town called "Bjørkemoen Badeplass."
He decided to simply follow the road along the river and explore and stop at a few beautiful places himself.
The drive was really nice, and he encountered almost no other cars. He drove to the end of the valley and camped at a randomly found wild campsite.
From there, you can do several hikes in the area.
Southern Norway Road Trip Stop: Vikafjell
The Vikafjell is just a few kilometers from the Sognefjord and Hardangerfjord, which are among Norway's most picturesque fjords. If you plan to drive over the pass along RV 13, keep in mind that there can still be snow at 1,000 meters above these bays.
This drive offers many breathtaking views and impressions.
A wild campsite Simeon can recommend here is located at: 60°58'44.4 „N 6°30'58.4 „E.
This wild campsite is perfect for an overnight stay. Very beautiful, quiet area, and there are many options for camping nearby.
If you leave the spot and drive down the mountain to Vik, you should definitely stop at Hopperstad Stave Church.
Rent a camper now and explore Norway!
Fjærland
Fjærland is one of the highlights of a Southern Norway road trip. The floating sauna there, in particular, is a standout.
In the sauna, you can chat with very friendly locals who share a lot about the town and explain why it's called the "Book Town."
It's an old couple, not originally from the region, but they always felt drawn to this place and loved books above all else. When they retired, they moved to Fjærland and opened a series of antique bookstores, deciding that the town should become a book town.
Today, you'll find a wide selection of used books in all categories and languages there.
At the very end of the town, a gravel road begins that runs along the fjord. There, Simeon found a parking spot for the night and was lucky enough to find a great spot with a beautiful view over the fjord.
The road was not busy at all, making it a very quiet spot with a few other campers along the road.
Lovatnet
Another great campsite in Norway is Sande Camping, right on the beautiful Lovatnet lake.
It truly has everything. A large communal kitchen with a nice common area that can also be used as a co-working space.
At Lovatnet lake, you can rent canoes or boats. There are also fire pits for campfires and wood for sale.
The campsite even has a sauna. Inquire at reception for current opening hours.
From here, you can also take a hike to some cabins and a waterfall. You'll have a beautiful view of the area, the lake, and the fjord on the other side.
In the nearby town of Loen, you can also take the "Skylift" up the mountain for an incredible view over the fjord, Lovatnet, and the area in general.
Southern Norway Road Trip Stop: Geirangerfjord
Solhaug Fjordcamping is a small campsite run by a very nice and friendly couple. The campsite is primarily for cabins, but there are also some spots for large motorhomes, and down by the jetty, there's space for smaller campervans.
The hike to Skageflå can be started directly from the campsite and takes about 3 hours. The path is good, very muddy depending on the season, but manageable.
Another option would be a boat trip. The campsite offers a boat service to Skageflå. From there, you hike about 50 minutes to the old farm and about 2-3 hours back to the campsite.
There are also round trips with pick-up from the town, for example, with "RIB Geiranger."
The jetty at the campsite is also a good spot for fishing. You can also rent SUP boards there to explore the region from the fjord.
Gudbrandsjuvet, Trollstigen
You'll find one of the best cinnamon buns on a Southern Norway road trip at Gudbrandsjuvet Café. It's a very nice café with a beautiful view of a waterfall and fresh, homemade, delicious cinnamon buns.
From there, we continued on scenic route number 63 and to the famous Trollstigen mountain road. At the top, there's a tourist center with all the information and also a hiking trail from which you have a great view of Trollstigen and the valley. So definitely stop there.
Very close by, there's a very good campsite called Trollveggen Camping AS.
Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell is a great area to spot musk oxen, moose, and perhaps even reindeer if you venture far enough into the fells.
There's a hiking trail called the "Musk Ox Trail," where the chances of seeing musk oxen are said to be very high. However, there are many other paths, and we recommend choosing a different hiking route that is further away from people and the road.
The car park where Simeon camped is a good starting point for all the hikes there.
Innerdalen – Norway's most beautiful mountain valley
Definitely an area where you can stay for a few days and simply enjoy the beauty of Norway.
There are several options for hiking. Simeon decided not to do the most popular hike to "Innerdalstårnet," but rather one where you can actually see the beautiful mountain peak, the lake, and the waterfall.
So he hiked up on the opposite side.
Here, you can simply follow the hiking signs to "Bjøråskaret," and you'll experience an incredible view over the picturesque region.
At the "Renndølsetra" cabin, you can get original Norwegian waffles with brown cheese.
Simeon stayed right at the beginning of the hiking trail in the hiking car park.
The Atlantic Road
The Atlantic Road is part of Norway's scenic routes. It connects small islands with 8 bridges. It's also famous for being featured in the latest James Bond film, "No Time To Die."
If you're an early riser, we recommend driving the Atlantic Road at sunrise, as it's less busy then and the light is beautiful.
The road is heavily trafficked during the day as it's an important connecting road to Kristiansund.
Simeon camped very close by at a small and unique campsite. It's located on a small fishing island. The reception is also a museum with many unique old items. The owners are very friendly.
If you're lucky, you'll get a very nice spot right on the water, from which you can watch breathtaking sunsets and the fishing boats coming and going.
> The best tips for your trip to the North Cape!
How much time should I plan for a Southern Norway road trip?
For a route like this, we recommend a period of 21 to 28 days. In this time, you can discover everything at a leisurely pace, without feeling rushed.
The best time to travel to Southern Norway is August and September. In the off-season, there are fewer people around, which makes traveling and exploring much more pleasant. Additionally, the often snow-covered mountain regions are still easily accessible then.
Rent a camper now and start your Norway road trip!
Conclusion: Southern Norway Road Trip
High mountains with unique views and picturesque fjords with crystal-clear, turquoise waters. Norway offers a unique landscape, and it's definitely worth exploring the country in a campervan.
Questions about your trip? Just give us a call.
Whether it's choosing a camper, planning a route or booking — our team is happy to help. No bot, no hold music.