Norwegian Car Rental

 

The land of fjords, salmon and midnight sun is best explored during the short but intense summer (June to August) when temperatures are mild and days are long. Things can still get chilly at night, though, so a heated car is often a welcome refuge. The road network is extensive and well maintained and navigation is easy.

Oslo is the capital with lively nightlife, shopping and many interesting museums. The city truly comes alive in the summer months with open-air street performances and people staying up until late at night. The southern fjords are not far away and the surrounding forested hills offer plenty of natural attractions.

Driving west will take you to the famous fjords, with Sognefjord being the second longest in the world and Geirangerfjord home to an immense and beautiful waterfall. The fjord cities live off the sea and Ålesund is also known for its Art Nouveau buildings. Molde is the city of roses and jazz, hosting the annual International Jazz Festival. The largest city here is Bergen, with its famous Fish Market and Mount Fløien. Stavanger is Norway's oil capital and boasts a surprising number of old wooden houses in traditional style.

Central Norway is famous for its salmon rivers and has a rocky coastline in the north and deep forests at the Swedish border. Trondheim is the main city and the former capital. Today, it still plays a significant role as the place where the country's king is crowned. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, Røros is a mining town and Norway's only mountain city, featuring around 100 timber houses.

Northern Norway sits close to the Arctic Circle and is a huge region offering stunning scenery and some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. Despite the northern latitude, Finnmark in the extreme north boasts summer temperatures of over 25°C and winter temperatures around 0°C along the coast.

This isolated region is home to the indigenous Sami people, also known as Laps. They have their own culture and language and live off reindeer herding and fishing, but are not strangers to modern technology. When the sun says goodbye at the end of November, the miraculous Northern Lights make their appearance, often lasting for several hours. You can see the unique blue daylight here until the end of January, when the sun comes back again.

While public transport in the main cities is generally good, getting out to the fjords and the rivers is often only possible by hire car. Northern Norway is sparsely populated and driving is often the only means of transport. For those who travel in winter, a heated car is the most comfortable means of getting around.