Roadtrip North Cape

Example round trip North Cape (3.5 weeks)

We love a road trip and wanted to go to the North Cape, up via Finland and down Norway. You can book your car trip through camping huts via Buro Scanbrit or compose this trip yourself. https://www.buroscanbrit.nl/vakantie/zweden/rondreizen/sisko

We took a ferry from Travemünde naar Helsinki met Finnlines. https://www.finnlines.com/ferry-trips/board/helsinki-travemunde. An advantage is that you can fill the car with groceries, because certain products, such as wine and beer, are much more expensive in Scandinavia.

We had booked a trip with camping huts. If you have a food allergy such as celiac disease, it is useful so that you can cook your own food. The supermarkets in Finland and Norway are well equipped. Take sleeping bags with you, a cool box for on the go, cooking utensils, etc.

Example route North Cape (up via Finland and Norway down):

Day 1/2: Travermünde

The Finnlines ferry to Helsinki in Finland departs from Travemünde in Germany. The ferry leaves at night. The trip then takes 2 nights and 1 day.

Day 3/4: Helsinki> Porvoo> Hankasalmi 51+ 270 km

The Finnlines ferry arrives in Helsinki at 09:00. So you are early enough to explore Helsinki first. The Dom (Tuomiokirkko) is beautiful, especially when there is a clear blue sky. The Orthodox Uspensky Cathedral is also fun to visit.

Located 50 km east of Helsinki, Porvoo is the third oldest city in Finland. This city has beautiful old wooden houses, steep cobblestone roads, a cathedral from 1480 and red wooden warehouses along the river.

In 3 hours you drive to Revontuli camping in Hankasalmi. https://www.revontuli.fi/en/. The camping hut is located on a site near a bowling and golf course. You have a view over a beautiful lake. Most camping huts have a refrigerator, beds, chairs and a table. Sometimes there is also a cooking plate, but you can often cook in the kitchen of the campsite.

You can do all kinds of activities at the campsite, such as bowling, mini golf, golf, rowing, jacuzzi and a sauna, etc.

The city of Jyväskylä is nearby. This is the 7th largest city in Finland. It’s fun to stroll through the shopping streets. You can climb the steep Nero steps to the Vesilini tower to enjoy the view of the city next to Finland’s second largest lake.

Day 5: Hankaslami> Manamansalo 351 km

On the way to Manamansolo you can visit the city of Kajaani, where you can view the remains of Fort Kajaanu Linuu. This Swedish fortress was blown up by the Russians in the great Northern War in 1740. There are also locks, where the boats carry the boats with tar. Then you can visit the 18th century wooden church in Paltaniemi with its famous wall and ceiling paintings.

The cabin in Manamansalo has a kitchen unit, 2 bunk beds and a spacious veranda where you can have a nice barbecue. It has a beautiful beach on a large lake, idyllically situated saunas and also a number of well-marked hiking trails.

Day 6: Manamansalo> Tornio 272km

On the way to Tornio you can view the city of Oulou. This is the 5th city of Finland and the largest city, which is located so northerly in Scandinavia. This city is located on the Gulf of Bothnia.

Day 7: Tornio> Inari 446 km 

In Finnish Lapland you can visit Rovaniemie. You can visit Santa there. He talks to you in Dutch and then you take a picture with him. You can then send this photo as a Christmas card. There are also all kinds of souvenir shops and you can take pictures on the Arctic Circle.

Inari is last night in Finland. This campsite is located on a beautiful lake, where you can enjoy the sunset on the jetty. The book ‘Never sleep again’ by WF Hermans is set at the Inari Lake.

Day 8/9: Inari> Honningvåg 355 km

Once in Finnish Lapland you can see moose and reindeer crossing the road.

You leave Finland today. On the way to the North Cape you can stop in Karasjok in Norway. In the Sami park there you get an impression of the Sami culture and traditions. https://www.visitnorway.com/places-to-go/northern-norway/land-of-sami/

The 7 km long Nordkapp tunnel takes you from the mainland to the island of Magerøya. The scenery along the route is very beautiful. The trees have disappeared and you drive with beautiful views of the water and the villages along the Porsangerfjord.

The campsite is 5 km north of Honningsvåg. http://www.nordkappcamping.no/welcome.86082.en.html At the campsite you will receive information about the visit to the North Cape and you can book a bird excursion for the next day. In the evening you will drive towards the North Cape, so that you can see the midnight sun at midnight. You often hear that it is nothing special, but the view is very beautiful and you just have to have been there once. Make sure you get to a spot with a nice view in time. It gets busy around 11pm. Many buses then arrive, probably from the cruise boats, which are moored in Honingsvåg.

When you book a bird safari, you sail to a group of islands off the coast; Gjesværstappan. This area is a protected nature reserve, where millions of birds nest in the summer months. You can spot puffins, sea eagles, cormorants, guillemots, petrels, razorbills and various gulls.

In Honningsvåg you can shop for groceries and visit the museum.

Day 10: Honningsvåg> Alta 225 km

On the way to Alta you drive south again along beautiful landscapes and the Porsangerfjord. In Alta you can visit the ancient rock paintings. These are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The drawings were made in the Stone Age and range in age from 2500-6200 years. People, animals, boats and weapons are depicted. A wooden footpath passes by various locations along the beautiful Altafjord.

In Kåfjord you can take a nice walk. In World War II, the German battleship Tirpitz, which was hiding there, was bombed in Kåfjord. There is also a museum.

Day 11: Alta> Trømso 330 km

The road to Trømso passes several fjords, such as the Lyngenfjord. This fjord runs along the snowy mountainous peninsula of Lyngen. We thought this was the most beautiful fjord we have seen.

Along the road and at restaurants along the way you sometimes see a Sami souvenir shop. There you can buy souvenirs such as a reindeer skin or a reindeer antler.

On our trip to Trømso you also use 2 ferries. Nice to sail through a fjord instead of driving. You are on the road for a long time because of all the winding roads.
In Trømso is the famous Ice Sea Cathedral. This is one of the most beautiful churches in Norway. It is a modern design that is somewhat similar in shape to a collapsed tent. The cathedral has a large stained glass wall.

Day 12/13: Tromsø> Gullesfjordbotn > 350 km

Over the island of Tromsø you drive towards the ferry to the island of Senja. This boat trip lasted 45 minutes. The trip on the island of Senja is beautiful. Then take the ferry from Gryllefjord to Andernes. This ferry takes 1 hour and 40 minutes and can rock a lot.

When you arrive in Andernes on the island archipelago of Vesterålen, you can first view the lighthouse and go shopping. You can recover from the long driving days at this campsite. There is a marked walk from the campsite. It is indicated with red posts. It is a fun climbing and scrambling tour along a wild stream and a waterfall.

Day 14/15 Gullesfjordbotn> Laukvik 85km

It is a short drive to Lofoten. The Lofoten is an island group known worldwide for fishing villages, mountains and beautiful nature. You can make nice trips from the campsite. Svolvær is located on the island of Austvågøy and is the capital of Lofoten.

On the way to Henningsvær you drive along beautiful high ridges and along a beautiful white sandy beach. Some dare to enter the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean.

Henningsvær also consists of a number of islands, connected by bridges. This is definitely worth it. It is a pleasant, quiet and beautiful fishing village.

Eggum is located on the island of Vestvågøy. In that place is a beautiful sculpture along the coast. It is a sculpture of a face. When you walk around it, the attitude changes. On one side the head is upright and on the other side it is upside down. To get there you have to go up a dirt road in Eggum to a German fortress and then walk 900 meters along the coast. It’s worth the effort.

The Viking museum is in Borg. https://www.lofotr.no/en/ In addition to a museum and a film, you can look there in a long house, where a Viking chief used to live with his family. That long house is like a Viking ship, upside down. In that house you can see how the Vikings lived in those days. Then you can walk 1400 meters on a path that leads to a fjord. There you can sail with a Viking ship and do all kinds of games such as archery, ax throwing and pony riding.

Ballstad is a picturesque fishing village.

On the jetty of the campsite in Laukvik https://www.camping-lofoten.no you have a beautiful view over the water and the mountains. There are also 2 hot tubs on the jetty, which you can rent. The location is really great!

Day 16 Laukvik> Fauske 260 km

Today you will return to the mainland of Norway. You can take the ferry from Lødingen to Bognes. This boat takes an hour and you do not need to reserve it in advance. After that it is a 160 km drive to Fauske on the E6. That is the main route to the south, but you can usually not go faster than 60-80 km per hour.

Day 17: Fauske> Namsos 500 km

On this ride you will pass the Arctic Circle again, but now in Norway. You can take pictures there and walk around in the souvenir shop. There is a bit rougher nature here and colder than in Rovaniemi (Finland).

Mosjoen is a cozy place with old wooden buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Day 18 Namsos> Oppdal 315km

You can visit Trondheim on this route. The Norwegian kings are crowned in the cathedral (the Nidaros cathedral). The cathedral is built on the ground where the Holy Norwegian King St Olav is buried. Next to the cathedral is a square where in the summer there are all kinds of stalls of the Sint Olavsfesten, an annual festival. These stalls are completely in Medieval style. Children can enjoy archery and stone cutting, there is music and medieval food

Also walk to the red painted Bybroa Bridge over the river. There are also beautiful large warehouses along the water (Bakklandet).

A slope starts on the other side of the bridge. Cyclists can easily go up by a kind of foot lift. They put their foot on an iron support and that support is raised by pressing a button.

Day 19 Oppdal> Loen 300 km

If you drive south-west from Oppdal you can first go to the Snøhetta viewpoint in the Dovre Fjell National park. https://www.norske.nl/noorwegen-info/zomer/excursies-2/viewpoint-snohetta/ This is a beautiful vantage point from a pavilion built in 2011. For that you have to walk 1.5 km to the top of the Tverrfjellet. In the beautiful pavilion you can see musk oxen walking in the distance with binoculars.

In Dombas is a square with shops and a troll museum. In that shop they sell beautiful Norwegian sweaters.

The next stop is the Lom stave church. This church dates from the 13th century.

You drive through the Otta valley and you can stop at Donfoss Bru. That is a campsite and kiosk along a beautiful rapids.

Then take the longer route on a panoramic road: the Gamle Stryneweg. This partly unpaved mountain road went above the tree line along beautiful snowy peaks and along several lakes.

Along the way you can also stop at the Nasjonalparksenter Jostedalsbreen. There you can see everything about the Jostedalbreen. A beautiful nature reserve with a large glacier.

Day 20/21: Loen> Balestrand 175 km

The road continues along the North Fjord and then along and under the Jostedalbreen. You can stop at the glacier tongue Bøyadalsbreen. There is a parking lot with a restaurant. The glacier tongue is very beautiful. Ahead is the Norsk Brae museum. That is a glacier museum, where you can also see a beautiful film about the Jostedalbreen.

After a ferry you arrive in Balestrand. There are 2 Viking burial mounds and a statue from Norse mythology nearby.

There are various nature trails in Balestand. At the starting point, various routes are indicated with colors and names. All hiking trails go up the mountain for a beautiful view over the Sognefjord.

In the chic, beautifully situated Kvikne hotel, you can enjoy a drink. Walk along the beautiful St. Olav Kirke from 1897 towards the campsite.

Day 22/23: Balestrand> Hemsedal 160 km

Today you drive to the last house of this trip. On the way you can stop in Lærdal. You can visit the salmon museum. There you can watch a movie and walk around the museum. Lærdal is also known for its historic wooden houses.

The next stop is the Borgund Stave Church. The most beautiful historic stave church in Norway.

In Hemsedal you can take the chairlift up to the Hemsedal ski center. You can walk nicely on top of the mountain.

Day 24: Hemsedal>Oslo 200 km

In Oslo you can park at the ferry, because it is near the center. Don’t forget to buy a parking ticket. Along the fortress and the Town Hall you can walk to Aker Brygge (a shopping and office center along the water). You can then pass the working palace, the parliament building and the cathedral over the Karl Johannsgatan towards the central station.

The ferry to Frederikshaven leaves at 7.30pm. At 7.15 you will arrive and then drive about 1000 km home.