It’s time to move on again and this time we drove a mere 90 miles in something like 6 hours at 30.4mpg. This is the worst economy we have experienced and a reflection of the mountainous terrain we traversed. I’ve lost track now of how many ferries were involved but it was probably two – and we always seem to arrive just as the barriers are coming down.
Trollstigen is an impressive mountain pass that twists through eleven hairpin bends up the steep mountain sides in the Romsdalen valley.
After walking around the top of the mountain and taking in the various viewpoints, we arrived at Vinje camping, Geiranger, in the middle of the afternoon. We found a nice pitch but this area is a real tourist honey trap and it wasn’t long before the “Campsite Full” signs were out.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 44, Malmefjorden to Geraingerfjorden via Trollstigen
* * * * *
Trollstigen (or the “Troll Path” in English) is a serpentine mountain road and pass in Rauma Municipality, Norway.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 44, Trollstigen
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 44, Malmefjorden to Trollstigen to Geiranger
It is part of Norwegian County Road 63 that connects the town of Åndalsnes in Rauma and the village of Valldal in Fjord Municipality. It is a popular tourist attraction for its steep incline of 10% and eleven hairpin bends up a steep mountainside. During the peak of the tourist season, about 2,500 vehicles pass this landmark, daily.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 44, Mountain pass at Trollstigen
The road is narrow with many sharp bends, and although several bends were widened during 2005 to 2012, vehicles over 12.4 metres long are prohibited from driving the road. At the 700-metre plateau are a car park and several viewing balconies overlooking the bends and the Stigfossen waterfall. Stigfossen falls 320 metres down the mountainside. The pass has an elevation of approximately 850 metres (2,790 ft).
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 44, Viewpoint at Trollstigen
Trollstigen is closed during late autumn and winter. A normal operating season stretches from mid-May to October but is sometimes shorter or longer because of weather conditions.
Once we had chosen our pitch at Vinje camping, we set off down the hill into Gerainger. The town was very busy, mainly due to the visiting Cruise ship. However, the cruise passengers, inevitably on an “all-inclusive” don’t spend much time in the cafes or restaurants so we found a nice cafe with shaded patio area for a couple of beers and a snack. A tough walk back up the mountain to the campsite thereafter.
The Atlantic Road is a spectacular 8.3-kilometer section of County Road 64 in Norway. Spanning eight bridges across small islands and skerries, it connects the mainland to Averøy. Known as “the road in the ocean,” it is an architectural marvel renowned for dramatic curves and open-sea views.
The round-trip from Malmefjord was 101 miles with 37.7mpg. We started our journey around 09:30, arriving back at the campsite late afternoon.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 43, The Atlantic Highway
* * * * *
The route was originally proposed as a railway line in the early 20th century, but this was abandoned. Serious planning of the road started in the 1970s, and construction started on 1 August 1983. During construction the area was hit by 12 European windstorms.
The road was opened on 7 July 1989, having cost 122 million kr, of which 25 percent was financed with tolls and the rest from public grants. Collection of tolls was scheduled to run for 15 years, but by June 1999 the road was paid off and the toll removed.
The road is preserved as a cultural heritage site and is classified as a National Tourist Route. It is a popular site to film automotive commercials, has been declared the world’s best road trip and been awarded the title as “Norwegian Construction of the Century”. In 2009, the Atlantic Ocean Tunnel opened, connecting Averøy Municipality to the neighbouring Kristiansund Municipality; together they form a second fixed link between the towns of Kristiansund and Molde.
Key Highlights
The Storseisundet Bridge: The longest and most dramatic of the bridges, which features a cantilevered design that creates a breathtaking optical illusion as you approach.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 43, The Atlantic Highway – Storseisundet Bridge
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 43, The Atlantic Highway – Storseisundet Bridge
Askevågen Viewpoint: Features a viewing platform located right at the edge of the ocean, allowing you to experience the crashing waves safely.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 43, The Atlantic Highway
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 43, The Atlantic Highway
The “Visit Norway website claims the route is popular for storm-watching, fishing, and cycling.
Day 41 and we delayed our travels north for 24 hours. We had a beautiful pitch at Arskogvika Camping near Lote so we decided to chill for the day by the Fjord. Nordfjord is the sixth longest fjord in Norway and is the central feature of the entire Nordfjord region. It is up to 106km long, 2.5km wide and 565m deep. Currently the water temperature is around 13C and there were several brave souls swimming.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 41, Sunset at Arskogvita Camping, Nordfjord
Today we awoke to a clear and sunny day across Nordfjord with the temperature just ok to eat breakfast by the water.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 42, Arskogvita Camping, Breakfast at Nordfjord
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 42, Arskogvita Camping, Sunrise across Nordfjord
Fortunately, Moe had read reviews for our next stop, Kviltorp Camping in Molde and apparently the site is full as it is the Molde Jazz festival this week. Plan B was the lovely Bjolstad campsite a few miles North on Malmesfjorden.
We have another location with amazing views across the Fjord.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 42, Our pitch at Camping Bjolstad, Malmefjorden
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 42, Our pitch at Camping Bjolstad, Malmefjorden
Todays journey was 104 miles in about 6 hours elapsed time. This included 3 ferries along the E39. The Flyt tag (also linked to the Auto Pass Ferry account) appears to be working. We just drive on and off the boats without interference. Must check my Autopass account but we are supposed to be saving about 50% on each crossing.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 42, Travelling to Arskogvita Camping
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 42, Camping Arskogvita, Nordfjord to Camping Bjolstad, Malmefjorden
We left Bratland Camping a day early and despite the site being full of transit campers every night, we weren’t apparently eligible for a refund of 1 day. As we had stayed nearly two weeks – probably their longest staying customers – we felt this wasn’t quite the right spirit…
We drove 177 miles today at 34.4 mpg to reach a Camspite near the town of Lote. This included two ferries where we assume our autopass has saved us some of the cost.
Everywhere is busy and our first choice site was full. Arskogvita Camping is on the banks of Nordfjord. Views are spectacular although there is quite a haze surrounding the mountains.
We will stay here a night or two before heading further north to the Scenic Atlantic Highway.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 40, Our pitch at Arskogvita Camping
We arrived at Bergen on the posh ferry, “Hurtigruten” a week last Sunday. Everything was on schedule and the Loadmaster was fairly flexible allowing Moe to enter the car deck with me and the luggage. In theory only the car driver with no luggage can enter the car and the other passengers with all luggage are supposed to alight via the terminal building. We again needed to use the car lift, which was very tight for the California, in order to disembark.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 29, Disembarking Hurtigruten Nordkapp
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 29, Disembarking Hurtigruten Nordkapp
We had reserved a pitch at Bratland Camping a few miles outside of Bergen for 12 nights. We wanted to stay in one place for a while and also use it as a base for travelling to Oslo. The site is conveniently located on a regular bus route and we had a campervan pitch high up with great views. The toilet facilities were all individual cubicles and allocated to our area, the panorama section.
On the less positive side, the pitches were small and the around 15 campervans were sharing the 4 toilet and shower cubicles. Most people were using it as a transit site so there was a high turnover of inmates. There was also some traffic noise from the nearby road.
The views were lovely.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 30 – 39, Our Pitch at Camping Bratland, near Bergen
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 30 – 39, Our Pitch at Camping Bratland, near Bergen
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 30 – 39, View from Camping Bratland, near Bergen
We caught the bus and tram into Bergen on several occasions. Although the tram is presently being replaced by a bus service due to engineering works.
For us, the main highlights of Bergen were…
Bryggen, the old Wharf of Bergen, is a reminder of the town’s importance as part of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century. This UNESCO World Heritage centre is constructed entirely of timber and many fires, the last in 1955, have ravaged the characteristic wooden houses of Bryggen. It’s rebuilding has traditionally followed old patterns and methods, thus leaving its main structure preserved. Some 62 buildings remain of this former townscape.
The esplanade between Bryggen and the water is a haven for outside trendy bars and restaurants.
The Floibanen is a funicular railway which connects the city centre with the mountain of Floyen with its mountain walks and views of the city. The line is 848m long and covers a height difference of 302m, carrying in excess of 2 million passengers every year.
We disembarked from the Hurtigruten ferry a week last Sunday and the Campervan has been pitched at Camping Bratland, near Bergen since then. We reserved 12 nights here to relax and wind down from the huge journey North and the equally tiring Hurtigruten trip from Kirkenes from Bergen.
We will leave Bergen later this week but in the spirit of not relaxing too much, we have just spent a few days in the Norwegian capital city, Oslo. We booked a train ticket a few days before we knew that our arrival in Oslo would coincide with the quarter final tie between England and Norway. In reality, we didn’t have a lot of choice as the iconic Bergen to Oslo trains were mostly fully booked and the idea was for Moe and I to celebrate my big birthday with a train journey.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 35, Bergen to Oslo train
The trip from Bergen to Oslo is around 7 hours in duration and reaches its highest point of 1222 metres above sea level near to the village of Myrdal. The mountainous region between Bergen and Myrdal is most spectacular and several of the mountain villages such as Finse (population 15) are only accessible by the four trains a day between Bergen and Oslo Central.
In this area we could see that the summer population is much higher with many hiking and cycling tourists. In fact, there appears to be some fantastic cycling around the Myrdal – Finse region with some great dedicated cycle routes. It would be a nice idea to return to this part of Norway with the bikes…
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 38, Oslo to Bergen train views
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 38, Oslo to Bergen train views
Our journey to Oslo was on time until we were around an hour away from our destination when the driver announced a problem with the engine unit. After several attempts to reboot (aka switch on and off) he declared the engine kaput and radioed for a replacement.
We arrived into Oslo over three hours late and with just a half hour until the start of the football game. Here we learnt more about the restrictive Scandinavian alcohol policies as the shops aren’t allowed to sell beer after 6pm on a Saturday. All the bars were ticket only, sold out and Oslo was rammed with football fans.
Our Hotel was centrally located just around the corner from City Hall.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 37,Oslo City Hall
The bar at our hotel had also latched on to the opportunity and was charging guests 500 NOK (£40) for entry to watch the game. Eventually they allowed us to buy a pint which we took back to the room to watch the game. The result (2-1 to England) and the accompanying torrential rain somewhat subdued the Norwegian supporters.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 36, Oslo and Norway in mourning
Sunday morning was breakfast at a local Bakery before we visited the harbour and Akershus Fortress nearby. Also known as Akershus Castle, it is a medieval castle built on the banks of Oslofjord to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. It is believed that the construction was started around the late 1290s.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 36, Akershus Fortress
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 36, Akershus Fortress
Later in the day we visited the Opera house and dined at a Mexican restaurant nearby in Bjorvika.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 36, Akershus Fortress
Monday was a visit to the Royal Palace, which unbeknown to us, later in the evening would be surrounded by 100,000 Norwegians celebrating the return of their World Cup team. We had wondered why the town was extremely busy, after the departure of the cruise ships and on a Monday evening!
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 37, Royal Palace
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 37, Royal Palace gardens
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 37, Royal Palace Gardens
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 37, Royal Palace, Changing of the guard
Before then we had taken a ferry to the peninsula to Bygdoy and visited the Kon Tiki museum.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 37, Kon Tiki museum
The museum was originally built to house the Kon-Tiki, a raft of balsa wood that Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl used to sail from Peru to Polynesia in 1947. Another boat in the museum is the Ra II, a vessel built of reeds according to Heyerdahl’s perception of an ancient Egyptian seagoing boat. Heyerdahl sailed the Ra II from North Africa to the Caribbean after a previous attempt with the reed boat Ra failed.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 37, Kon Tiki museum
Beneath the raft is a model of the whale shark that the crew encountered on the voyage.
Dinner was at a restaurant in Aker Brygge, the upmarket harbour dining area of Oslo.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 37, Aker Brygge
Tuesday we returned to Oslo central, via the Cathedral for our return journey to Bergen. This time it was punctual and un-eventful but we had the comfort of Pluss seating, which whilst expensive, was all that was available when we booked.
The Cathedrals in Norway are uninspiring and less aesthetically pleasing than their grandiose counterparts in much of Europe. This reflects that Christianity arrived late into a Norwegian culture that is largely pagan in origin. In fact, it is believed one of the Norwegian kings was keen to adopt the Christian faith in order to not become a target of the Crusades…
We woke up early on Tuesday morning. The Camper Stop at Kirkenes Harbour isn’t the most conducive place for a good night’s sleep and we were slightly apprehensive about the boarding onto our ship at Kirkenes.
There’s a policy of no Motorhomes and campervans with kitchens incorporating gas appliances must be removed. When we booked, the company agreed the weight and dimensions of our Campervan were OK and that so long as we removed the gas bottle we would be granted safe passage onto the boat.
However, pre-trip research revealed that several VW Califorinia travellers had been refused boarding, even with pre bookings.
The cost of the ferry for our Campervan was something like £250 – which is a bargain for a 6 day crossing of around 1300 miles. The associated cabin and meals for Moe and I were nearer £5k.
That’s because this is no ordinary ferry.
This is the original Norwegian mailboat ferry, one of which every day sets sail from Bergen in South West Norway to Kirkenes on the Russian border. And back again.
Our trip on the Hurtigruten Nordkapp would be that Southbound route from Kirkenes all the way to Bergen. Assuming we were allowed to board.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 24 – 29, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Our ship MS Nordkapp
Which we were. There’s a small car deck for around 50 cars which is accessible via a tiny lift. Nellie fitted fine, with the wing mirrors tucked in. The Loadmaster and the guys on the car deck were very helpful and we picked up our bags and headed to reception check-in.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 24, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Nellie on-board
Boarding the vehicle was by the left hand small cargo door and lift.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 24, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Loading ramps
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 24, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Loading ramps
The sailing information is below. Click on an image to see it in full resolution.
The Hurtigruten is one of those “bucket-list” trips on a par with the Orient Express. Here’s some history about the Norwegian mailboat.
Hurtigruten, originally established in 1893 as a vital mail and cargo carrier, continues to operate its iconic Coastal Express along the Norwegian coast. Running daily between Bergen and Kirkenes, the fleet stops at 34 ports acting as a working lifeline for local communities while offering scenic passenger voyages.
The classic voyage takes 12 days round-trip, though you can book shorter, custom point-to-point journeys. Because the ships serve both tourists and local commuters, passengers get a unique look at authentic everyday coastal life, far beyond what typical sightseeing cruises offer.
As we are traversing the final stretch of water to Bergen, we are happy to report that this ferry journey has exceeded our expectations. The double room was comfortable with a nice view from the port hole.
The sales agent was helpful in identifying the best room within our budget for location, coastal facing and with unobstructed views from the cabin.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 24 – 29, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Our Cabin, 339
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 24 – 29, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Our Cabin, 339
The food was superb. Drinks were expensive but not prohibitive at around £11 for a pint and similar for a glass of house wine. Buffet for breakfast and lunch with waiter service in the evening.
The highlight of the culinary calendar was the four course farewell meal. Now, whilst I’m always likely to be first in line, Moe and I never are. On this occasion we had thought that the dinner was free seating so we arrived early and happened to be first in the queue.
Moe marched into the restaurant, first time first, to be greeted by a guard of honour from the Captain, officers and restaurant team, each of them greeting us personally. The look on Moes face was exquisite.
The pictures below are from the four-course farewell dinner…
The excursions were well organised but expensive. We went on two – a midnight concert in the cathedral at Trondheim and the Lofiten Island tour. We would do these again…
In Hammerfest we made our way to a viewpoint on the mountain and it turns out this was a similar route to the Mountain Hike excursion so with a bit of research, you can find your own things to do.
Typically, when a stop was 30 minutes or longer and during the day we would head ashore. Some of our other trips are shown in pictures below.
Midnight concert in Tromso.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 26, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Midnight Concert at Tromso cathedral
Passage through the Trollfjorden. The weather was good which allowed the Captain of MS Nordkapp to navigate through this narrow fjord.
The 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) long fjord cuts into the island of Austvågøya and flows out into the Raftsundet strait. The fjord has a narrow entrance and steep-sided mountains surrounding it. The name is derived from troll, a figure from Norse mythology.
The fjord is a popular tourist attraction due to the beauty of its natural setting. It is only accessible by boat or by a nearby 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) hike over very rugged terrain. The Hurtigruten’s ships on the route between Bergen and Kirkenes detour into Trollfjorden. It is also popular with other cruise lines.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 26, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Trollfjord
The Lofoten Island tour took us along the Lofoten peninsula, stopping at the pretty fishing village of Henningsvaer and a lovely viewpoint. The Lofoten islands have become a major tourist honey-pot destination.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 26, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Henningsvaer fishing village
Of course there was the moment to cross the Arctic Circle southbound.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 27, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Crossing the Arctic Circle southbound
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 27, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, Crossing the Arctic Circle southbound
Stopover at Bronnoysund.
An early morning in Trondheim.
And the afternoon brief halt in Kristiansund.
Passing MS Vesteralen
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 28, Hurtigruten to Kirkenes, passing MS Vesteralen
We spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights at NordKapp camping with a trip to the port of Honningsvag on Wednesday.
Thursday we drove to Kiby on the Varangerfjorden for a few days at the Varanger National park. 276 miles which took nearly 7 hours of driving at 38.2 mpg.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 19, Nordkapp Camping to Varangerfjorden National park
After 3 nights and some very mixed weather it was time to head East towards Kirkenes. 106 miles at around 41mpg. Not bad for a fully loaded campervan. Shame there wasn’t a ferry as we only moved about 10 miles by line of sight!
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 22, Varanger National park to Bugoynes
After a splendid evening meal at Bugoynes, the next day it was time to head to Kirkenes.
66 miles in just over 2 hours at 35.3 mpg.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 23, Bugoynes to Kirkenes harbour
Tomorrow we hope to continue the next stage of the trip boarding an extremely expensive ferry to Bergen. It’s a ferry which clearly states “No Motorhomes” so we are hoping the various email confirmations are good to get us on-board.
As instructed we’ve lost our Camping Gaz 907 bottle (given away at Bugoynes) but we weren’t able to remove the California kitchen!!! The ultimate decision will be the Ships Captain. Hope he or she is in a good mood.
* * * * *
Like many Norwegian towns and unlike the pretty coloured houses, the architecture in towns can be quite bleak and brutal. Maybe that resonates with the many weeks of complete darkness here in the Arctic Circle winter.
Honningsvag was similar.
Thursday we drove to Varangerfjorden where we would end up staying 3 nights at Varanger Panorama Camping – located near to the village of Kiby just a few miles outside of Vadso.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 19, Varanger Panorama Camping, Varangerfjorden National park
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 19, Varanger Panorama Camping, Varangerfjorden National park
The campsite is interesting. It’s a 500m walk to the main building which houses the sanitary facilities. This is pleasant when the weather is warm and sunny but was a real pain in some of the weather we experienced.
The facilities themselves are immaculate and absolutely 5 star.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 19, Varanger Panorama Camping, Varangerfjorden National park
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 19, Varanger Panorama Camping, Varangerfjorden National park
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 19, Varanger Panorama Camping, Varangerfjorden National park
Thursday night was a beautiful evening and we BBQed for the first time on this trip.
Friday’s weather was poor – very windy, cold and grey but without a whole lot of rain. We caught the bus into Vadso and looked around the town for a couple of hours.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 20, Afternoon in Vadso
In the 16th century, the settlement consisted of a fishing village and the old Vadsø Church, located on the island of Vadsøya.
The settlement later moved to the mainland.
Township privilege was granted in 1833, and settlers came from Finland and the northern part of Sweden, which suffered from famine. Finnish was rapidly becoming the language of the majority, and this continued for decades.
Even today Finnish is still spoken in some households.
Saturday was a horrible day with strong winds and heavy persistent rain. We remained hunkered down in the van until the evening when we headed to the campsite pizzeria for tea.
The Pizza was gigantic and was ok. The smoked reindeer topping was super but there could have been more of it!
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 21, Pizza at Varanger Panorama Camping, Varangerfjorden National park
Sunday it was time to leave the Varanger national park but not before we had visited one of the oldest fishing villages on the Varangerfjorden. There are about forty people living in the village now and tourism is an important aspect of the economy.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 22, Ekkeroy Fishing village, Varangerfjorden National park
At Ekkeroy there is an old German fort and other related buildings. The Germans occupied this part of Finnmark for about four years from 1940.
It is one of the few places in Finnmark where pre-World War II buildings can be seen.
When the German army retreated from the Litsa front and Kirkenes in late 1944, they burned most buildings in the county.
However, buildings on the north side of the Varangerfjorden survived because the Russians advanced so quickly that the German troops in this area fled west to get across the Tana river and did not have enough time to obey the order to destroy all buildings.
We had a picnic lunch on our ramblings before a late afternoon drive to Bugoynes. Here we had a stunning pitch next to the water and Moe declared our planned meal as past it’s sell-by date.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 22, Camping park at Bugoynes
This meant a short walk into the village to the Bistro. The restaurant is highly regarded and the food was superb.
Moe had the Pollack and mash potato main course whilst I grazed on the Viking platter.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 22, Dinner at the Bistro Bugoynes, Finnmark, Norway
This consisted of smoked reindeer, smoked whale, pickled herring, king crab and other delicacies.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 22, Dinner at the Bistro Bugoynes, Finnmark, Norway
Monday and here we are at an Aire next to the Kirkenes harbour. It’s functional and for Norway, relatively cheaply priced! Weather is sunny and warm with a high of around 15C.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 23, Camping park at Kirkenes harbour
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 23, Camping park at Kirkenes harbour
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 23, Bugoynes to Kirkenes highway hazard
Finally, to put things into perspective, we are only a few kms from the Russian border.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 23, Approaching Kirkenes. The Russian border is close by
Before the Ukraine “special operation”, the border here we believe was open and many Russians lived and worked in the Kirkenes region. This explains the dual signage in Norwegian and Russian.
Well, here we are – at the top of mainland Europe. We left Alta around 09:30 and had covered the 134 miles by around 14:00, as we arrived at NordKapp camping. Since the weather was clear and sunny, we placed our markers on a pitch with a view and set off for Nordkapp itself.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Our Pitch at Nordkapp Camping
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, The Globe monument, Nordkapp
* * * * *
Despite an early alarm call, it was around 09:30 before we left Camping Alta Strand and headed towards Nordkapp Camping. The roads were now much smaller and the traffic was light.
The scenery is more dramatic and spectacular; most of the vehicles travelling North and South on E69 were motorhomes and campervans.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Nordkapp Traffic
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Travel to Nordkapp obstacles
To reach our final destination there were two impressive tunnels to navigate. Firstly the 6.8km long North Cape Tunnel which traverses the Mageroysundet strait as a subsea road tunnel.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Nordkapp Tunnels
The second tunnel was the Honningsvag tunnel, a mere 4.5km long and just north of the North Cape Tunnel.
We then passed the town of Honningsburg which before the tunnels had been built, operated the ferries to navigate across the islands. Today there were a couple of cruise ships docked.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Honningsvag in the distance
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Honningsvag in the distance
We arrived early afternoon at Nordkapp camping and found a nice, non-electric pitch with views across the water. It was a cold but pleasant afternoon so we decided to head straight to Nordkapp which can be a dreary and misty place to visit at times. Today was bright and clear.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Our Pitch at Nordkapp Camping
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Nordkapp information board
When we arrived, there were hordes of tourists at the plateau and we found out that this was from the cruise ships docked at Honningsvag. A lady at the entrance to the visitor centre said we would have a quiet hour or so between boats at 5pm. We headed back to our van and popped a brew on.
By late afternoon, the tourist volume had subsided and we had some quiet time to absorb the beauty and ambience of this very special place.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, View from Nordkapp
The iconic Globe Monument sits on the very edge of the plateau at the top of the cliffs. Erected in 1978 it has become the symbol of North Cape. Standing by the steel globe you truly feel that you’re at the “end of Europe”.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, The Globe monument, Nordkapp
Not far away from the Globe Monument is the “Children of the World” monument; seven large circular bronze plaques created by children from different parts of the world, unveiled in 1989.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Nordkapp Children of the World monument
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Nordkapp Children of the World monument
On our way back to camp, we stopped a couple of kms out and enjoyed stunning views across to our campsite.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Spectacular view across Nordkapp camping
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, Views across Nordkapp Camping
The nice weather continued into the evening and we cooked potatoes and kebabs in the air fryer. The “portable” air fryer and the Aferiy power station are serving us well on this trip.
After dinner, it was England vs Ghana in the World Cup 2026 – a dire game – and a finish just before midnight.
Of course the sun was now at its lowest level in the sky and was just starting to rise again. The campervan got really quite hot in the night as the sun warmed up the vehicle fabric.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 17, “Sunrise” at Nordkapp camping
I didn’t realise just how special the midnight sun would be as I expected to sleep as normal. However, it really messes with the mind. You head across the campsite to clean your teeth at 01:00 and its daylight, bright and sunny. You’ve lost the natural markers which intuitively give you an idea of the time of day.
The Midnight Sun has really been one of the most interesting facets of this trip to date.
This has been a really busy day. We travelled from Alta to Nordkapp camping to Nordkapp itself. Then back at the campsite we did the laundry, cooked dinner and then watched a painful England game before finally retiring around 01:00. Time for rest…
With our batteries re-charged after 3 nights at Camping Vallens we had a relatively early start on Sunday morning. Crossing the Arctic Circle at the rather underwhelming Juoksenki, we decided on a change of plan and just kept heading North.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15 – 16, Arctic Circle crossing at Juoksenki
A nice site greeted us at Sonkamuotka but we just hadn’t appreciated the Mosquito problem. We knew of issues in Sweden but Finland represented a whole new challenge!
Today’s mileage was 255 but we lost an hour entering Finland…
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15, Camping Vallens to Lapin Lomamökit & Camping, Sonkamuotka
Monday was a relatively short 155 mile journey to Camping Alta Strand at Alta. We arrived before noon because we’d re-gained our lost hour from yesterday. In the afternoon we caught the bus into Alta and looked around this rather bleak town, albeit with a nice harbour.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15, Lapin Lomamökit & Camping, Sonkamuotka to Camping Alta Strand
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We were ready to leave Camping Vallens on Day 15 close to 09:00, destination Rovaniemi via the Arctic Circle crossing of Juoksenki. We headed past Lulea and here the landscape and roads started to feel a little more rural.
To date, and prior to Sweden all the European roads we have been on have been a minimum of two lanes on each carriageway and mostly with a motorway specification hard shoulder. Through Sweden as far as Lulea was a mixture of dual carriageway and separated three lane highway. All the Swedish roads so far have had fencing to protect the traffic from Moose and Reindeer.
Now we were travelling on a standard two lane road, with no fence protection. It was as we headed North that our journey was briefly held up by these animals wandering across the highway. Moe was a little slow on the camera trigger!
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15 – 16, Our first Moose sighting
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15 – 16, Our first Reindeer sighting
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15 – 16, Our first Reindeer Calf sighting
We crossed the Arctic Circle at Juoksenki and stepped out of the van to be immediately engulfed with a swarm of Mosquitos. This was worse than Sweden! After photographing the under-whelming Arctic Circle sign, we decided we would head straight North through Finland and not detour through the town of Rovaniemi – the “designated” capital of Lapland.
We arrived at Lapin Lomamökit & Camping, Sonkamuotka late afternoon. Another lovely spot next to the Torne river which for much of it’s length forms the border between Sweden and Finland. We had earlier crossed the border into Finland at Overtornea.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15 – 16, Crossing the Sweden to Finland border
Despite it’s lovely location, the activity of these creatures had picked up a gear (see below).
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15 – 16, Menace of Scandinavia, especially Finland
Swarms of Mosquitos were everywhere. Like the one in the picture, dozens more would attach themselves to the van and at the slightest opening of a door or window, in they flew!!
Whilst a relatively pleasant evening it just wasn’t suitable to sit outside so we headed to the cafe and ate our tea there. Highlight of the menu for me was smoked Reindeer. Absolutely delicious.
Day 16 and we drove to Camping Alta strand near the town of Alta. We have a nice pitch near to the river and without the incessant Mosquito activity (which extends into Norway) it would be nice enough to sit outside. With a few layers of clothing!
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 16, Our Pitch at Camping Alta Strand, Alta, Norway
During the journey North into Norway, the outside temperature was as low as 6C and there are still patches of snow on the hills. Strangely, once outside, it doesn’t really feel that cold.
As we crossed into Norway, the landscape changed yet again. The pine trees were replaced by the slow-growing Mountain birch, a feature of this subarctic and tundra landscape.
The scenery also became ever more dramatic and the roads are just a little bit smaller.
Once we had settled onto our pitch at Camping Alta Strand, we caught the bus into town. Like the rest of Scandinavia, the buses are modern, quiet and comfortable; the drivers couldn’t be more helpful. Oh, and they are very punctual.
The town of Alta is the largest town in Finnmark and is also known as “The Northern Light City”. We won’t however be seeing the Northern Lights on our trip because there is simply too much daylight. In fact 24 hours of daylight here in the land of the midnight sun.
The Northern Lights inspired the Cathedral of Alta – The Northern Light Cathedral.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15 – 16, Cathedral of the Northern Lights, Alta, Norway
We walked down to the harbour and noted a very nice Camping place right by the water. By now it was a little breezy so we were glad of our pitch at Alta Strand and the nice warm shower facilities.
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15 – 16, Alta Harbour, Alta, Norway
Eurotrip 16, 2026 – Day 15 – 16, Alta Harbour, Alta, Norway