Norway is one of the most impressive countries. In addition to metropolises and deep fjords, there are deep valleys and seemingly endless landscapes, which were mostly covered in snow during my trip.
Table of Contents
Overview
After surviving slave labour, I was finally able to explore Norway. It is winter and my destination is about 2,100 km from Oslo (if you stay in Norway). In my case, it was actually about 3,000 km one way! My destination was the northernmost point of Europe – the famous North Cape. As already mentioned, it is winter and what's more, it was one of the harshest winters in Europe...
I rented a car from Hertz and decided on a delivery van this time. Unfortunately, I got an ‘upgrade’ and was allowed to drive a large Ford Transit Custom. It was a bit too big for me, and its length of 5.6 metres and height of 2.1 metres were a major disadvantage at times. The winter tyres were no more than one season old, but unfortunately they didn't have studs. This severely limited my choice of roads. The E-roads were my friends, but every now and then I had to be very careful with the pedals.
First days
Am Abend des 6. Januar habe ich das Auto befüllt und noch die letzte Nacht, im zur Verfügung gestellten Apartment verbracht, bevor ich das Jedermannrecht zur Geltung bringe. Am Tag bin ich normalerweise so 300 – 400 km gefahren. Auto war noch ungewohnt und bin meisten in Tageslicht gefahren. Generelle Maximalgeschwindigkeit ist 80 km/h in Norwegen, ab und zu gibt es Straßen wo man aber bis zu 110 km/h fahren darf. In ca. 5h kommt man also nicht recht weit. In meiner ersten Nacht wurde ich gleich mit der nordischen Kälte begrüßt und durfte meine ersten -15 °C erleben. Ich besitze einen sehr guten Schlafsack, trotzdem bin ich mit einer Morgenkälte aufgewacht. Obwohl es beim Einschlafen angenehm warm war. Deswegen suchte ich gleich nach Kristiansand eine zusätzliche warme Decke.
In the footsteps of Harald Fairhair
In the coastal area of Stavanger, you can see various monuments to Norway's first king, Harald Fairhair. Immediately afterwards, I messed up my little route plan. After Stavanger, I wanted to visit Bondhusvatnet and then drive to Bergen and on to Borgund. That way I would avoid driving the same road twice and use as little fuel as possible. But after Haugesund, I automatically drove to Bergen... In Bergen, I spent two nights in a warm bed again. From there I went to the famous Bondhusvatnet and was greeted with a completely different picture than I had expected. I only know the summer pictures and in winter Bondhusvatnet looks completely different. This duality accompanied me throughout my trip. Places I should know reveal a completely different side when they are covered in snow and ice.
Nevertheless, my journey continues to the most famous stave church, besides Heddal in Norway, the stave church of Borgund. Unfortunately, the exhibition is closed in winter.
Jotunheimen and the weather
The next destination is the Valley of the Giants – Jotunheimen, at least that was the plan. If you take the fastest route from Borgund to Jotunheimen, you leave the E and double-numbered (10 – 99) roads. This means that priority road clearance is no longer guaranteed and you'll run into problems without studded tyres. Due to these problems and the unfavourable weather forecast (best weather app Norway Yr), I planned a major change of route. My trips are usually characterised by bad weather, but this time it was only these three days that were really nasty in my immediate vicinity. I didn't want to be buried in fresh snow in the Valley of the Giants. Parts of the E16 were closed, so I had to take a long detour to Lillehammer to get onto the E6. As a result, after more than 1,300 km, I was only 185 km away from my starting point...
After a long drive, I reached Innerdalen, which is considered one of the most beautiful valleys in Norway. It's a beautiful hike that is surprisingly strenuous; the first 2 km are very steep but run along a forest road.
Trondheim and Bodø
My next accommodation is in Trondheim. This small town has pleasantly surprised me. Snow-capped peaks on the horizon, a small old town and the mighty Nidaros Cathedral. I am now just below the Arctic Circle, which means that there is almost nothing but the blue and golden hours. The sky is bathed in beautiful colours, creating ideal conditions for photography. After a short break, I spent the next night at the Arctic Circle. In Iceland, I was just below this circle and in Norway, this border marks about half of my journey. Only about 1,600 km to go to the North Cape...
Coincidentally, it was the night of January 21st. The night of the G4 solar storm with a Kp index of 9. The Northern Lights could be seen as far away as Central Europe, but I wasn't aware of this and slept so well that I didn't notice anything... Nevertheless, this storm shaped my nights. Lady Aurora appeared every night I spent above the Arctic Circle. Unfortunately, I often didn't have a good background when I took out my camera.
After that, I went to Bodø to take the ferry to Moskenes. I knew nothing about Bodø, except that it was a small fishing town. When you have no expectations, you can't be disappointed. On the contrary, I was once again pleasantly surprised. The town is not as beautiful as Trondheim, but the landscape is more spectacular.
Lofoten
Probably the most famous ferry in Norway takes you to Lofoten, the rugged peninsula in the far north. There I decided to spend a little more and found a truly beautiful accommodation in Hamnøy. The ferry arrived at around 6.30 p.m. and the dancing green lights were already visible in the sky. This gave me a beautiful background and my rest period got later and later. The next morning, the sky was once again bathed in the best light and I spent about four hours shooting almost non-stop. Northern lights, A i Lofoten, Reine and Hamnøy completed and in the evening I tried something new – star trails. The setup was complex: a power bank for external power supply to the camera; a cable for the lens heater to prevent the lens from fogging up; a tripod and setting the internal interval programme. Once everything was working, I spent three hours in my accommodation.
Afterwards I returned to the camera and was a bit disappointed. Of the 300 images I had set, only 86 were captured. I have no idea why the camera stopped after about an hour. The power bank still had capacity, all cables were plugged in and about 50% of the storage space was available. For me this remains an unresolved question. Be that as it may, perhaps the camera knows more than I do and deliberately stopped after 1/3. The post-processing was exhausting at times, but the end result is perhaps my favourite from my trip through Norway and also the best picture I took.
After this achievement, I completed the southern third and will be exploring the central part and the north of the Lofoten Islands over the next few days.
North Cape
After these highlights, the North Cape was within reach. I deliberately skipped Tromsø, the capital of the Arctic. I didn't want to sleep in my car there, but Tromsø is probably the most expensive city in Norway, with accommodation starting at €70 per night. So I saved myself the detour and drove straight to Alta. Most nights were around -10 °C and comfortable with the extra blanket. However, after the Lofoten Islands, the cold air from Finnish and Swedish Lapland reached Norway and the last night before the North Cape proved challenging.
It was a night in the freezer at -18 °C and in the morning the temperatures dropped to as low as -28 °C in some places. That night, I also realized why I feel cold in the morning when the temperature is below -15 °C. Your exhaled breath becomes your enemy and freezes your sleeping bag. Everything that is not protected by a thicker blanket freezes, i.e. usually your chest area. That's why you feel very comfortable when you fall asleep, but when you get up, an important part of your sleeping bag is frozen and therefore cold.
After this realisation, the final journey to the North Cape begins. In the early hours of the morning, I get behind the wheel and reach the northernmost point of Europe at around 8:30 a.m. The sky is slightly cloudy and bathed in a beautiful pink glow. With warm -7 °C, I get out and walk the last stretch to the globe at the North Cape. Now I am standing at the ‘edge’ of the world, gazing at the endless horizon of the Barents Sea. I have reached my destination and after a brief moment of silence, I ask myself, where do I go from here?
Gebühren Nordkapp
The car park and outdoor area at the North Cape cost NOK 115 (as of January 2026). There is also an indoor area with an exhibition, restaurant and souvenir shop. Admission to this costs NOK 360 (as of January 2026). This means you spend around €50 to explore the North Cape. It's an expensive exhibition, but you get a good insight into the northernmost point of Europe.
The largest town at the North Cape is Honningsvåg. I spent two nights there, which cost €114. Not cheap, but I needed the break. I was extremely exhausted and spent the second day in bed. This exhaustion affected my travel plans. In two days, I drove to Trondheim (distance 1,600 km) where I recovered and packed my things. On 5 February, I returned the car and flew off into vacation.
Final thoughts
Norway is a beautiful country, but the distances are relatively large. As I didn't have snowshoes or skis, I was only able to go on a few hikes. If you want to go hiking, you should visit Norway from May onward. It is an expensive country, but cheap compared to Iceland. The tolls are relatively expensive and the ferries work very well.
The European roads were all very well cleared. The E6 is the connecting road between Scandinavia and is very long at over 3,000 km. All roads lead to Rome and in the past, the E6 also led there. If you diverge from the main connecting routes, spikes or chains are mandatory. Even on the E roads, there are many places where you drive on ice. After travelling in January, the sunlight was not a problem; after all, I had 4-5 hours of daylight at the North Cape. In December, however, it will be dark.
The temperatures are quite bearable. The last week of January was extreme and a little out of the ordinary. But without an external heater, I would not embark on this adventure again. Either you leave the car running or you get a diesel heater. Every morning when the sleeping bag is half frozen is unpleasant and it won't thaw during the day. This creates a spiral and every day you have less heat.
The ‘official’ winter season usually lasts from the end of February to the end of April. That's why many attractions and other services are closed in January. The advantage is that there are very few tourists and the colours are magnificent thanks to the winter sun. There are still tourists in Lofoten, but the numbers are kept to a minimum. If you have the opportunity, you should visit Lofoten during this time. Overall the shoulder season is a wonderful time to explore Norway. If you still want to see the Northern Lights, then it should happen this year. The strong solar cycle 25 is entering its minimum phase and it will probably take a decade before similar conditions occur again.
It was a magnificent adventure! However, the last week of January pushed me to my limits. Nevertheless, it is a privilege to undertake this journey. I still have a little budget left, so let's see how it goes.
Expenses
I arrived in Oslo in mid-October and rented accommodation for two weeks for around €885. This means that the total cost of accommodation during my trip to the North Cape was around NOK 10,000 (as of February 2026) cheaper. As a result, accommodation accounted for 16% of my budget rather than 28%. In addition, my employer covered the cost of my flight to Oslo.
In any case, I spent €5,465.40 (+€300 for the flight) on this trip and earned approximately €4,350.
Information provided without guarantee.
As always, you can view more pictures in the gallery.
