Norway - Finland

[Diego Menendez]

Hi everyone,

I would like to request information regarding Norway and Finland.

Next summer I would like to do part of Europe. However, I will have to do it in periods of 5 or 6 days at the most. I have all summer for it but I would be limited to 6 days on the bike and 6 working in my country. The idea is to take round-trip tickets on low cost flights.

Taking advantage that one of those periods is long, of 15 days, and flights are more expensive in those latitudes, I would like to make Scandinavia all in one go.

I would like to know how much time you can take from Gothenburg to Norkapp (through Oslo, Trondheim and Tromso) and then go down to Helsinki through Finland.

I have seen in Google Maps that there are 4630 km approx. However I don't know if these are slow countries or if you can move fast.

So, are 15 days enough to do this?

In Norway, is it better to go along the coast or are there too many nooks and crannies?

In Finland, better/ more interesting go down to Romanievi-Oulu or by the East near the Russian border?

Thank you very much in advance.

Diego M.

[Snakeboy]

You can ride from Gothenborg to Nordkapp in 2-3 days and another 2 days down through Finland to Helsinki. But it means you will have to ride 12 hours a day at least so maybe not so conveniant.

Norwegian roads are generally quite slow, they are narrow and they twist around fjords and over mountains and during sommer months with many german campervans and other ditto it might go even slower. But then again - its daylight almost 24/7 so you dont have to stop at 5-6 pm to avoid riding in the dark. You can ride to 9-10 pm and even longer if you like.

West coast or E6? (E6 is the main south-north road in Norway, starts in Svinesund at the border of Sweden when you come up from Gothenborg and ends in Kirkenes, the bordertown to Russia)
Well - that depends. Most people would probably say the E6 is boring and full of campervans and other tourists and thus avoid it as much as possible. And I would have to agree in that. So do yourself a favor - try to ride at least some stretches on the west coast. Geirangerfjorden, Trollstigen and Atlanterhavsvegen should you try to travel at least. And the islands of Lofoten are great too.

In Finland I prefer to ride the roads closest to the russian border, I think its called «Via Karelia» after the piece of land Finland lost to the russians earlier on. Most entertaining road is if you travel almost all the way to the bordertown to Russia in Norway called Kirkenes. Some 30-40 kms before there is a small village called Neiden. From there you can cross over to Finland and ride the provincial route 971 until you meet E75 and continue to Ivalo. The r971 is actually quite entertaining, winding and narrow though. From Ivalo to Södankyla and theb tirn off the E75 to the E63 and continue to Kuusamo and further south along the russian border and via Karelia.

Timevise 15 days will be enough to see quite much of Norway at least. Maybe you should aim to spend 10-12 days in Norway and 3-5 in Finland.

[Diego Menendez]

Dear Snakeboy,

First of all, thank you very much for your response. I appreciate it enormously. It is difficult to decide on a road when you see so many and so surrounded by islands and sea. Your indications have been of inestimable value to me. Now I have a backbone from which to plan. After this, I do prefer West roads.

Little questions: when the road ends in the endless little capes of Norway, is it easy to take ferries? Do they increase the cost a lot?

It has also helped me a lot that you tell me that in 15 days you can do well.

The idea is to make an initial trip in April from Spain to Gothenburg to leave the bike there and continue with this in June.

If you come for Spain and want information about here do not hesitate to ask me.

A cordial greeting.

Diego Menendez

[PanEuropean]

Hello Diego:

Norway is a delightful country, but it is an extraordinarily expensive country to visit, especially if you smoke, drink, or use a motor vehicle. It makes Switzerland look cheap by comparison.

I am not trying to discourage you in any way from visiting Norway, but, to avoid an unpleasant surprise when you get there, do spend some time researching the cost of travelling in Norway before you go - especially the above-mentioned items.

Michael

[Snakeboy]

Originally Posted by Diego Menendez

Dear Snakeboy,

First of all, thank you very much for your response. I appreciate it enormously. It is difficult to decide on a road when you see so many and so surrounded by islands and sea. Your indications have been of inestimable value to me. Now I have a backbone from which to plan. After this, I do prefer West roads.

Little questions: when the road ends in the endless little capes of Norway, is it easy to take ferries? Do they increase the cost a lot?

It has also helped me a lot that you tell me that in 15 days you can do well.

The idea is to make an initial trip in April from Spain to Gothenburg to leave the bike there and continue with this in June.

If you come for Spain and want information about here do not hesitate to ask me.

A cordial greeting.

Diego Menendez

De nada amigo. Its my pleasure to try to help other travellers a tiny little bit.

About «endless roads and capes» - if you use for example Google maps and enlarge it at the actual spot you wonder if its the end of the road or a ferry connection further on you will see if there is a ferry connection as it is marked with dotted lines.

Ferry prices - I did myself a really intensive west coast ride up north 6-7 years ago and found the prices for a motorbike to be relatively moderate. A 15-45 minutes ferryhop was usually between 40-60 NOK, which ~ 4-6,5 €. It will of course be a bit more costly by now as this was 6-7 years ago. I just checked the prices of the longest ferryroute in Norway between Bodø and Moskenes (out to the Lofoten islands) and the price is 359 NOK ~ 37-38 €. But this is a 3-4 hour journey across the Vestfjorden with very modern vessels runned by gas turbins. So environmental friendly and all that...
All those prices includes a rider as well, not a pillion.

I can suggest you parts of the westcoast if you like. I dont think you will have time to do it all so chose some parts of it.

Saludos!

[Snakeboy]

Originally Posted by PanEuropean

Hello Diego:

Norway is a delightful country, but it is an extraordinarily expensive country to visit, especially if you smoke, drink, or use a motor vehicle. It makes Switzerland look cheap by comparison.

I am not trying to discourage you in any way from visiting Norway, but, to avoid an unpleasant surprise when you get there, do spend some time researching the cost of travelling in Norway before you go - especially the above-mentioned items.

Michael

Norway is indeed an expensive country, both to live in and travel through. However the norwegian currency is quite low and have been so for 3-4 years compared to major currencies such as Euro, USD, BP etc so I belive it is a relatively conveniant time to travel in nowadays, as long as the currency landscape dont changes too much.

I do support your idea of doing a thorough research about the costs of travelling in Norway. Especially alcohol and cigarettes are very expensive compared to other countries. But then again - I cannot see that cigarettes and alcohol is a major part of expenses travelling on a motorbike. But I might be wrong of course... And to assert that Norway makes Switserland look cheap in comparison is a huge exaggeration. Take a look here please and you can see for youself: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-livin...by_country.jsp
Actually costs of living is ~ 16 % higher in Switserland compared to Norway. And the last time I rode through Finland fuel was more expensive there. Might not ne correct now though...

But Norway is expensive, no doubt about that. What you can do to keep your costs down:
1. Wild camp - yes in Norway that is not only allowed, its a right everybody have. There are restrictions of course, at least 150 meters away from nearest house, not on farmland, maximum 2 days in a row at the same spot etc.
Use Airbnb - as in most other places and countries using an Airbnb accomodation is much cheaper than a hotel or similar type of accomodation. Especially in Norway I would say as costs of running a hotel, paying staff etc are high.
Restrict from eating in restaurants, prices are high. Prepare your own food, make sandwiches for lunch etc. If you eat in a restaurant, coffeeshop, fast food joint - many places have an offer called “dagens middag” or similar which translates to “dinner of the day” which is often the more economical meal.

Speed limits are low, often 80 km/h, sometimes 50-60 km/h in build up areas so your bike wont use an exessive amount of fuel - if that can be of any comfort...

[navalarchitect]

Yes Norway is expensive if you try and travel in it in the same manner as a low cost country. Adjust your expectations; wild camp most nights, buy your food in the supermarkets, when you need to stay in a hotel stay away from the tourist ones and it can be surprisingly good value. I spent no more per day there than in many European countries.

Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

[AnTyx]

Originally Posted by Diego Menendez

I would like to know how much time you can take from Gothenburg to Norkapp (through Oslo, Trondheim and Tromso) and then go down to Helsinki through Finland.

I have seen in Google Maps that there are 4630 km approx. However I don't know if these are slow countries or if you can move fast.

So, are 15 days enough to do this?

In theory you could do Gothenburg to Nordkapp in three days. Day 1, Gothenburg to roughly Sundsvall. Day 2, from there as far as the Finnish border. Day 3, Kolari via Enontekiö and Alta to Honningsvag.

On the way back, if you start really early and get lucky with traffic, you could ride from Nordkapp to Kolari in a day, and arrive early enough to put your bike on the overnight car-carrying train, arriving in Helsinki around 10am.

However, that is just to get there, working hard on mostly boring roads. 15 days to get from Gothenburg to Nordkapp along the coast and then back down to Helsinki using the overnight train? Doable, but dubious. Certainly not as part of a long expedition where you are already tired.

In Norway, is it better to go along the coast or are there too many nooks and crannies?

The coast is slow and beautiful. The E6 main road that runs up the length of the country is full of traffic, annoying, and still slow.

In Finland, better/ more interesting go down to Romanievi-Oulu or by the East near the Russian border?

There is a western road via Oulu-Jyväskylä and an Eastern road via Rovaniemi-Kuopio. Both are kinda boring, but fast and safe, with not too much traffic until you get to within a few hours of Helsinki. There isn't a north-south road on the Russian border.

[AnTyx]

Originally Posted by Diego Menendez

Little questions: when the road ends in the endless little capes of Norway, is it easy to take ferries? Do they increase the cost a lot?

You can see on Google Maps if there is a ferry connection. Google the names of the start and end point and look at the timetable - some ferries run all day, others can leave you stuck for half a day or overnight. They are much cheaper for bikes than for cars (and don't be afraid to be aggressive and go around the queue of waiting cars! The loadmaster will find a place for you on deck where a car would not fit), but like everything in Norway, still expensive.

The idea is to make an initial trip in April from Spain to Gothenburg to leave the bike there and continue with this in June.

Note that the Arctic parts of Norway will still be very cold in June. By the time you get to Nordkapp, there might not be snow on the road, but there will be snow next to it.

[Snakeboy]

Originally Posted by AnTyx

In theory you could do Gothenburg to Nordkapp in three days. Day 1, Gothenburg to roughly Sundsvall. Day 2, from there as far as the Finnish border. Day 3, Kolari via Enontekiö and Alta to Honningsvag.

On the way back, if you start really early and get lucky with traffic, you could ride from Nordkapp to Kolari in a day, and arrive early enough to put your bike on the overnight car-carrying train, arriving in Helsinki around 10am.

However, that is just to get there, working hard on mostly boring roads. 15 days to get from Gothenburg to Nordkapp along the coast and then back down to Helsinki using the overnight train? Doable, but dubious. Certainly not as part of a long expedition where you are already tired.



The coast is slow and beautiful. The E6 main road that runs up the length of the country is full of traffic, annoying, and still slow.



There is a western road via Oulu-Jyväskylä and an Eastern road via Rovaniemi-Kuopio. Both are kinda boring, but fast and safe, with not too much traffic until you get to within a few hours of Helsinki. There isn't a north-south road on the Russian border.

Its correct that there isnt a north-south road that goes totally near and paralell to the russian border but for example the route suggestions on this will get you pretty near. Not very special or fun but still the best option imo.

Sodankyla-Kuusamo-Kuhmo-Joensuu-Villmanstrand-Helsinki.

Sorry - I couldnt post any link or photo of that route suggestion.

[Diego Menendez]

Greetings to all. First of all thank you very much for your answers, very helpful. I have not been able to answer until today, I just returned from a trip to Berlin, this time without the motorbike.

Originally Posted by PanEuropean

Hello Diego:

Norway is a delightful country, but it is an extraordinarily expensive country to visit, especially if you smoke, drink, or use a motor vehicle. It makes Switzerland look cheap by comparison.

I am not trying to discourage you in any way from visiting Norway, but, to avoid an unpleasant surprise when you get there, do spend some time researching the cost of travelling in Norway before you go - especially the above-mentioned items.

Michael

Thanks for the note, I'll keep it in mind, although I already have my notions, I've traveled between Bergen and Oslo by train and I've realized the norwegian cost of living.

Originally Posted by Snakeboy

Norway is indeed an expensive country, both to live in and travel through. However the norwegian currency is quite low and have been so for 3-4 years compared to major currencies such as Euro, USD, BP etc so I belive it is a relatively conveniant time to travel in nowadays, as long as the currency landscape dont changes too much.

I do support your idea of doing a thorough research about the costs of travelling in Norway. Especially alcohol and cigarettes are very expensive compared to other countries. But then again - I cannot see that cigarettes and alcohol is a major part of expenses travelling on a motorbike. But I might be wrong of course... And to assert that Norway makes Switserland look cheap in comparison is a huge exaggeration. Take a look here please and you can see for youself: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-livin...by_country.jsp
Actually costs of living is ~ 16 % higher in Switserland compared to Norway. And the last time I rode through Finland fuel was more expensive there. Might not ne correct now though...

But Norway is expensive, no doubt about that. What you can do to keep your costs down:
1. Wild camp - yes in Norway that is not only allowed, its a right everybody have. There are restrictions of course, at least 150 meters away from nearest house, not on farmland, maximum 2 days in a row at the same spot etc.
Use Airbnb - as in most other places and countries using an Airbnb accomodation is much cheaper than a hotel or similar type of accomodation. Especially in Norway I would say as costs of running a hotel, paying staff etc are high.
Restrict from eating in restaurants, prices are high. Prepare your own food, make sandwiches for lunch etc. If you eat in a restaurant, coffeeshop, fast food joint - many places have an offer called “dagens middag” or similar which translates to “dinner of the day” which is often the more economical meal.

Speed limits are low, often 80 km/h, sometimes 50-60 km/h in build up areas so your bike wont use an exessive amount of fuel - if that can be of any comfort...

Thanks SnakeBoy for your notes on the ferries. If it's not annoying, tell me some of your favorite places on the Norwegian coast, I'll try to pick some.

Regarding alcohol and cigarettes, it does not matter to me, because I do not drink or smoke. And concerning the way to keep costs down, wild camping is what I'm really considering to do. With respect to eating, supermarkets and own preparation is the solution for that. Not bad, and you can take with you your own gas stove.
What I will do well to investigate, is the price of fuel along the route, in different countries, because that is going to mean the highest outlay.

Originally Posted by navalarchitect

Yes Norway is expensive if you try and travel in it in the same manner as a low cost country.

Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

Exactly, as far as I can see, that is the point.

Originally Posted by AnTyx

In theory you could do Gothenburg to Nordkapp in three days. Day 1, Gothenburg to roughly Sundsvall. Day 2, from there as far as the Finnish border. Day 3, Kolari via Enontekiö and Alta to Honningsvag.

On the way back, if you start really early and get lucky with traffic, you could ride from Nordkapp to Kolari in a day, and arrive early enough to put your bike on the overnight car-carrying train, arriving in Helsinki around 10am.

However, that is just to get there, working hard on mostly boring roads. 15 days to get from Gothenburg to Nordkapp along the coast and then back down to Helsinki using the overnight train? Doable, but dubious. Certainly not as part of a long expedition where you are already tired.



The coast is slow and beautiful. The E6 main road that runs up the length of the country is full of traffic, annoying, and still slow.



There is a western road via Oulu-Jyväskylä and an Eastern road via Rovaniemi-Kuopio. Both are kinda boring, but fast and safe, with not too much traffic until you get to within a few hours of Helsinki. There isn't a north-south road on the Russian border.

Thanks for the note. I will take it in count.

Originally Posted by AnTyx

Note that the Arctic parts of Norway will still be very cold in June. By the time you get to Nordkapp, there might not be snow on the road, but there will be snow next to it.

This is cool, and with all the senses of the word and that can be a challenge to camp.

Originally Posted by Snakeboy

Its correct that there isnt a north-south road that goes totally near and paralell to the russian border but for example the route suggestions on this will get you pretty near. Not very special or fun but still the best option imo.

Sodankyla-Kuusamo-Kuhmo-Joensuu-Villmanstrand-Helsinki.

Sorry - I couldnt post any link or photo of that route suggestion.

Sodankyla-Kuusamo-Kuhmo-Joensuu-Villmanstrand-Helsinki.Thanks a lot.

[nordicbiker]

From Gothenburg to North Cape in three days. Seriously?

Come on guys, this web page is about travelling, not racing. While I understand that some people have not weeks of vacation for a Scandinavia trip, if the aim is just to get to North Cape in the shortest possible time, without looking at what's left and right of the road and choosing really the best route, why not simply take a flight to Hammerfest, get a rental car and drive to North Cape in three hours.

Scandinavia has so much to offer and the north cape is just a theoretical point on the map - yes it is the northernmost point in Europe that can be reached by public road, but if you want to get to the northernmost land point you need to walk anyway (something I am planning maybe for the coming summer).

Norway has spectacular landscapes both in the south (the fjord country) and in the north (Lofoten). Sweden at the other hand offers endless gravel riding, camping at lonely quiet lakes and is is the perfect place if you want to find relaxing camping spots with a campfire, fishing you own dinner. Same basically with Finland.

Remember that traveling is not about rushing from one place to the other as quickly as possible. It is about exploring and experiencing, about looking, hearing, tasting and smelling, about time to inhale atmospheres, about meeting people, something that I can't do if I need to cover 1.000km a day just to get to a certain point on the map!

[Snakeboy]

Originally Posted by nordicbiker

From Gothenburg to North Cape in three days. Seriously?

Come on guys, this web page is about travelling, not racing. While I understand that some people have not weeks of vacation for a Scandinavia trip, if the aim is just to get to North Cape in the shortest possible time, without looking at what's left and right of the road and choosing really the best route, why not simply take a flight to Hammerfest, get a rental car and drive to North Cape in three hours.

Scandinavia has so much to offer and the north cape is just a theoretical point on the map - yes it is the northernmost point in Europe that can be reached by public road, but if you want to get to the northernmost land point you need to walk anyway (something I am planning maybe for the coming summer).

Norway has spectacular landscapes both in the south (the fjord country) and in the north (Lofoten). Sweden at the other hand offers endless gravel riding, camping at lonely quiet lakes and is is the perfect place if you want to find relaxing camping spots with a campfire, fishing you own dinner. Same basically with Finland.

Remember that traveling is not about rushing from one place to the other as quickly as possible. It is about exploring and experiencing, about looking, hearing, tasting and smelling, about time to inhale atmospheres, about meeting people, something that I can't do if I need to cover 1.000km a day just to get to a certain point on the map!

Come on mate, nobody in this thread has suggested or advised that to ride from Gothenborg to Nordkapp in 2-3 days is good or enjoyable - just mentioned that its possible. I rode from Vardø to Oslo, a stretch of 2400 kms through Finland and Sweden in two days - but that was for a reason. Most probably I will never do that or a similar stretch again in so little time. I have also ridden from Oslo to Lofoten or opposite which is 1200 kms + 3-4 hours on a ferry tens of times in one long jump - also for a reason.

How each and everybody organises their trips must be up to everybody to decide. There are many who like to sit on the bike and swallow miles every day of the trip (not me though) Travelling can mean so much different to different persons. Not everyone like or prefer to stop and do all kinds of sidetrips and sightseing along the way. There is no such thing as a correct way of travelling For some travelling IS about rushing from one place to the other as quick as possible. Look to for example Nick Sanders who have ridden around the world many times and other long distance rides as well. He once rode from Alaska to Ushuaia and back in 46 days. He has organised many trips RTW for other bike travellers and those trips are almost only about riding. And his trips are very popular. Why is that? Because some people like travelling that way. Again - not me!
I started a Ushuaia to Alaska trip from Valparaiso in Chile in Nov -16 together with a german rider. After two days we split up as we found out we had totally different pace and goal with our travels. In June 2017 he had already reached Alaska and now in Des -18 I have only reached Guatemala... So there are definetively huge differences in how different kind of people like to travel. And let it be that way in the future as well...

[nordicbiker]

Originally Posted by Snakeboy

Come on mate, nobody in this thread has suggested or advised that to ride from Gothenborg to Nordkapp in 2-3 days is good or enjoyable - just mentioned that its possible. I rode from Vardø to Oslo, a stretch of 2400 kms through Finland and Sweden in two days - but that was for a reason. Most probably I will never do that or a similar stretch again in so little time. I have also ridden from Oslo to Lofoten or opposite which is 1200 kms + 3-4 hours on a ferry tens of times - also for a reason.

How each and everybody organises their trips must be up to everybody to decide. There are many who like to sit on the bike and swallow miles every day of the trip (not me though) Travelling can mean so much different to different persons. Not everyone like or prefer to stop and do all kinds of sidetrips and sightseing along the way. There is no such thing as a correct way of travelling For some travelling IS about rushing from one place to the other as quick as possible. Look to for example Nick Sanders who have ridden around the world many times and other long distance rides as well. He once rode from Alaska to Ushuaia and back in 46 days. He has organised many trips RTW for other bike travellers and those trips are almost only about riding. And his trips are very popular. Why is that? Because some people like travelling that way. Again - not me!
I started a Ushuaia to Alaska trip from Valparaiso in Chile in Nov -16 together with a german rider. After two days we split up as we found out we had totally different pace and goal with our travels. In June 2017 he had already reached Alaska and now in Des -18 I have only reached Guatemala... So there are definetively huge differences in how different kind of people like to travel. And let it be that way in the future as well...

Sure, the way people are travelling is as variable as the countries we travel in. However if we don`t give our fellow travellers inspiration to rethink their own way and give advice, we can as well shut down this forum! I don`t claim that my way is the only correct way, but there are both practical reasons (like not risking your safety by falling asleep after 10 hours of riding, or saving the money for speeding tickets...), as there are personal reasons for limiting your daily mileage.

[doogle]

Originally Posted by Snakeboy

How each and everybody organises their trips must be up to everybody to decide. There are many who like to sit on the bike and swallow miles every day of the trip (not me though) Travelling can mean so much different to different persons. Not everyone like or prefer to stop and do all kinds of sidetrips and sightseing along the way. There is no such thing as a correct way of travelling For some travelling IS about rushing from one place to the other as quick as possible.

Thank you Snakeboy for saying that. It saved me from writing it. I've ridden 6-8 1000 mile days in the past. Not for the 1000/mile day. Just to get somewhere or because I couldn't find a place I was comfortable camping. I rode a 990 mile day too. Inmates said I should slow down and smell the roses. I wasn't riding to smell roses. If I ride 800 miles in one day or two, it's still the same total number of miles and hours. Either way you see the same things. And I still stop and take pictures if I want. I'm a grown up and don't need someone to tell me when I'm tired and that I should stop.

The OP asked how long it would take. I think he was given a good answer. It's like buying a car. You now have your base price. You can add on the options after that.

I am also gathering information about Nordkapp. I may do the ride this summer or next. The few people I know that have been to Norway loved it. I'm lucky to be able to take as much time as I want. Diego will probably be doing this in 2-3 trips. After the first trip, he will know how to handle the rest of the ride.