Two Weeks Itinerary: South Norway Caravan Road Trip Adventure

A Norwegian road trip

Who doesn’t love a good road trip?

Here’s a chance to drive into the unexpected, go where the road takes you, wake up wherever you’d like, get lost and then get back out there for more.

We had never been to Norway together before. Quickly, we fell in love with this wild, beautiful country.

Before going, we chose to stick to the south of the country to spend more time exploring and less time driving.

We thought that this might mean that we perhaps wouldn’t see Norway’s best side.

We still don’t know if we did, of course, but it sure felt like we got to experience everything we could have dreamed about with an abundance of clear lakes and fjords, impressive mountains and empty roads.

Our two weeks itinerary

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Day 1: From Copenhagen to Northern Jutland

After picking up Alexander’s father’s car in the middle of Zealand, we drove towards KG Camping in Kolding, Jutland.

Crossing Storebælt and Lillebælt to get from Zealand to Jutland across Funen is always a fun experience, and we arrived at KG Camping excited to finally experience the caravan we had talked and thought so much about.

We got a demo of the Eriba Troll 530 “Rockabilly” from Mads who showed us the ins and outs of our new home.

After our prior experience with our RV tour of the Southwest USA in 2018, we quickly understood the basics.

Our first stop was only a few hundred metres away at the huge Bilka supermarket at Kolding Storcenter.

Here we stocked up on food and snacks for the road – and then we were off towards Hirtshals in Northern Jutland.

Driving with the caravan meant that we could only drive 80 kilometres an hour, and as visibility was really low and it was raining a lot, we were even slower.

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Hirtshals Camping

When we got to our camping spot in Hirtshals at Hirtshals Camping (adlink) it was already dark.

We found our spot and made our little camper ready for the night for the first time.

We slept like babies.

Day 2: From Hirtshals to Langesund

Next morning we had delicious coffee and saw the Hirtshals Lighthouse up close before we headed towards the ferry.

From Hirtshals Camping (adlink) it’s only about a 10 minute car ride to the ferries, making the campground very conveniently located.

We got in line, showed our tickets and parked inside the ferry.

The crossing was smooth and the 4-5 hour journey quickly sailed by.

You can book with Fjordline or Color Line.

From Hirtshals you can travel to Bergen, Stavanger, Kristiansand, Langesund and Larvik in Norway. You can also take the ferry to Torshavn in The Faroe Islands and Seydisfjordur in Iceland.

Arriving in Norway

Arriving in Norway, we were greeted with sun and clear weather.

From the ferry, it was only about 15 minutes of driving to Rognstranda Camping where we parked our car and caravan near the glistening water.

The campground is located with direct access to the sandy beach, called one of the most beautiful in Telemark.

We jumped in from the rocks and enjoyed our first day in Norway profoundly!

Day 3: From Langesund to Rjukan

On the way to Rjukan from Langesund, we drove some very scenic roads giving us a taste of what Norway’s nature has to offer.

We stopped in at Heddal Stave Church, Norway’s largest stave church. It was built in the beginning of the 13th century, but it has since been restored.

Usually, we aren’t big church-goers, but we were really impressed at Heddal.

The area is serene and we enjoyed stretching our legs here.

To get to Rjukan, it was only about an hour of additional driving, and we arrived at Rjukan Hytte- og Caravanpark in time to relax, eat a good meal and work a bit before tucking in for the night.

Day 4: Gaustatoppen

After a slow morning, we set off towards Gaustatoppen on day 4 of our South Norway trip.

Our timing wasn’t great as it turned out an extreme triathlon race was going on – with the finish line at the summit of Gaustatoppen.

On the two hour hike to the top, we were passed by several triathletes, who had at that point swimmed 3.8 kilometres, bicycled 180 kilometres and run about 38 kilometres…

When we got to the finish line (Gaustatoppen’s summit), we also felt like winners – albeit having only climbed about 700 metres of vertical and walked a distance of 5 kilometres.

The view was amazing.

It is said that on a clear day, it’s possible to see about 1/6 of continental Norway from Gaustatoppen.

Walking back down, the light got better and better and we stopped several times for photos and for flying our drone.

Where to stay near Gaustatoppen:

Adlinks
• Rjukan Hytteby – Cosy camping cabins.
• Rjukan Hotell – Centrally located hotel.
• Skinnarbu Nasjonalparkhotell – Amazing hiking right outside your door in the national park.

Search for the best value accommodation near Gaustatoppen here.

You might be interested in:Gaustatoppen Hiking Guide: How to Visit & Routes to the Top All you need to know to climb Telemark's highest mountain with the easiest hiking routes Read more

Day 5: Hardangervidda Visitor Centre & Bosnuten

Once again, we woke up to a clear view of Gaustatoppen.

Having just climbed it, we felt a sense of accomplishment looking at how far away the top looked from down at our camping site.

After less than half an hour of driving on very scenic road, we reached the Hardangervidda Visitor Centre, which is beautifully located next to a lake and lots of hiking options.

We got recommended a hike to Bosnuten and enjoyed walking on the outskirts of Hardangervidda’s fjäll.

Fun fact: Hardangervidda National Park is Norway’s biggest national park.

Day 6: Haddelandsveien

We decided to stay in Rjukan for an extra day to catch up on some work.

Alex trekked and ran Haddelandsveien from the centre of Rjukan town to Krossobanan and back down again – a nice 9-10 kilometre trail with an elevation gain of about 900 metres.

Day 7: Across the plateau

Day 7 of our road trip started with a run up near Gausta towards Torekyrkan.

It was a very rainy and foggy day so Alex decided to turn around right about when visibility dropped to a metre or two.

We did some final shopping in the Kiwi store in Rjukan before heading out on the road.

With Vøringsfossen as the drive’s destination, we had about 200 kilometres of driving slow on winding and inclining roads ahead of us.

And how we loved it.

The road was spectacular all the way; especially once it turned into the Norwegian National Road 7 going across the Hardanger plateau.

At Vøringsfossen, the fog was so thick that we couldn’t see anything. We could just hear the roaring water.

We had originally planned to see the falls on the way down to Eidfjord about 20 kilometres away, but instead, we parked our car and caravan at Vøringsfossen to wait the weather out.

And so we did – until the next morning.

Day 8: Vøringsfossen

Our first night in Norway without a camp spot went smoothly. Lots of other campers had joined us during the evening.

Thankfully, the weather had cleared up quite a bit during the night and we could now see the majestic waterfall and the valley created by it.

We went to all the viewpoints by the parking lot and also drove up to see it from above, which was even more spectacular.

Next time, we would love to hike to the base of the waterfall as well.

You might be interested in:Vøringsfossen Waterfall in Norway: All You Need To Know What to expect from visiting Norway’s most famous waterfall Read more

Day 9 to 12: Eidfjord

The weather got incrementally better during the day and once we arrived at Eidfjord in the afternoon, the sun was shining and we could jump in the (still very cold!) fjord water.

Our camp spot at Kjærtveit Camping was just perfect with direct views to the fjords and mountains.

We walked around Eidfjord and soaked in the area’s natural beauty.

Fun fact: Eidfjord is one of Norway’s least populated municipalities with just about 950 inhabitants.

Four nights in Eidfjord

We spent four nights in Eidfjord in total and loved the complete serenity of staying by the water.

A hike around the plateau starts just behind the campground. Following the road “Simadelsvegen” also provided great views.

Eidfjord is, by all means, a small town, but it was a perfect base to explore the nearby areas.

Search for the best value accommodation in Eidfjord here (adlink).

Day 13: Røldal

We had originally planned to stay in Odda to hike the famous Trolltunga, but as the weather looked especially grim, we skipped Odda and headed to nearby Røldal instead.

Here we stayed at Seim Camping Røldal (adlink) right next to the lake Røldalsvatnet.

With mountains all around us, the scene was spectacular, and we spent our time hiking the nearby trails while picking lots of wild strawberries and raspberries.

Day 14: Back to Denmark

After driving from Røldal to Langesund and taking the ferry back to Hirtshals in Denmark, we drove directly towards Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse (Rubjerg Knude Fyr) in Northern Jutland.

We left Norway with rain behind us and Denmark greeted us with a glorious sky. The sunset at Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse over the water was unforgettable.

To experience Denmark’s northernmost point next morning, we headed to Skagen and stayed at CampOne Grenen Strand as our last night in the Eriba caravan.

Day 15: Skagen

Though we have both grown up in Denmark, we haven’t really experienced much of what our own country’s nature has to offer.

Grenen

Our final day started with walking to Grenen – the point at which the two seas Skagerrak and Kattegat collide.

We had hoped to spot seals in the early morning but had no luck in that regard.

We did witness a beautiful sunrise, though, and rising early was nonetheless essential as we had a long day ahead of us.

The Sandburied Church

From Grenen we stopped at The Sandburied Church (Den Tilsandede Kirke), which to be honest let us down as we had our expectations all wrong.

It’s not, in fact, a sandburied church, but rather just the church’s tower. The history is interesting and the area is nice. Just don’t expect to see an actual buried church.

The Migrating Dune

We also had to make a stop at The Migrating Dune (Råbjerg Mile) – a huge sand dune more reminiscent of a desert than of what we normally associate with Northern Jutland.

Returning the van

After that quick tour of some of Northern Jutland’s highlights, we drove all the way back south to KG Camping in Kolding to return our beloved caravan, marking the end of our road trip.

Visiting South Norway during summer

We visited Norway in August during the Norwegian summer (normally defined as June, July and August).

During summer, the whole country is in full bloom and you can expect the highest temperatures of the year.

That doesn’t necessarily mean warm water in a Scandinavian context.

Some weeks during some years there’ll be heat waves and temperatures soar. Other weeks just rain away.

We experienced a bit of both with nice sunny days as well as several grey and rainy days. The weather changed almost daily.

Crowds

Crowds are at their peak from June to August, so it can be a good idea to book accommodation in advance if you plan to travel during summer.

None of the campsites we stayed at were full.

Other seasons

Spring and autumn are definitely also great times to visit Norway as you can still get great weather and will see less tourism.

In spring, especially, you will see fjords and waterfalls at their best.

Winter is beautiful but can be very cold and dark.

Always plan and pack for unpredictable weather.

Thanks for reading

Thanks for reading our itinerary to South Norway. We hope you have been inspired to go on your own Norwegian road trip.

If you’ve been to South Norway, it would be awesome to hear your best tips in the comments.

If you haven’t been yet but would like to, please don’t hesitate to ask us about anything.