Southern Norway and Sweden - How much do I need book ahead? (1 Viewer)

[Janeymonica]

Hello, we set off for a three-month journey to Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Alps, France in early August. We are only just starting to look closely at where we want to go (!) and have seen some amazing looking camp sites in Norway. We will be moving slowly as we have a baby, but don't know yet how much ground we will cover as this is our first trip. Therefore I'm reluctant to prebook camp sites yet, but assuming August is high season, is this a bad move? How much ahead do you usually pre-book camp sites? Any advice is appreciated, along with tips for route planning, places not to miss, etc. Cheers

 

[scotjimland]

Ambitious route for a first trip.. but with three months to do it I wouldn't do much planning.. just a basic route with places you want to see..

nor would I book any sites.. they are rarely packed full .. this gives you plenty of flexibility.. I hate having to be at such and such a place on a certain date.. it's much more relaxing not having deadlines ..

and in France and Germany there are plenty of Aires to use .. which cannot be booked anyway.. plant to arrive early PM .. and you generally get a place..

good resource for all of Europe is Campercontact .. also has a phone app.. load POIs onto sat nav and off you go ..

baby is no problem.. we toured for any years with kids from from an early age.. .. enjoy it..

 

[Janeymonica]

Thanks v much, it does look ambitious on paper! We'll only cover a wee bit of southern Norway and Sweden though.

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[Janeymonica]

Thanks v much, it does look ambitious on paper! We'll only cover a wee bit of southern Norway and Sweden though.

 

[lorger]

We did a few weeks up West coast of Sweden and into Norway before returning via Denmark, this trip was done in middle of the summer and we never booked a single site in advance and had no issues staying where we wanted.

I would recommend the Nordic camping book, invaluable and worth the money in my opinion. Using the book we staying in some stunning location from Private marinas, boat yards and even a small airfield at the local gliding club.

.

You will love Scandinavia its stunning, we did the Alps this year and fell in love with that area also.

 

[DavidG58]

we are planning to do Norway via Sweden next year in August / September using a mix of sites and wild, have been reading various threads and blogs, seems like wild camping especially further north is very much the norm, but I was surprised at just how many sites there are even a long way up

I guess there must be a demand, but cant imagine them ever getting full, this may not apply to the more southerly areas though

Have a great trip, I envy your ability and bravery in equal measures

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[Hotelman]

We have just returned from Scandinavia, and with help of fellow funsters it was easy.
Norway roads are very slow, so don't expect to cover distances quickly, but the scenery is MAGNIFICENT.
Most payments in Scandinavia are via card, so if possible get a 'clarity ' type card.

Also use 'camper contact' app.

Enjoy

 

[DavidG58]

@Janeymonica

If you can find the time, please update us on here with your travels, we are very interested (nosey) and many of us are planning similar journeys, in our heads at least

 

[Janeymonica]

Thanks all, will keep you posted. At this stage we think we will try to make it as far as Bergen or slightly further...v excited!

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[Hotelman]

Also, if driving in Norway, some roads are tolls, auto recognition ' so if you are over 3.5t, register in advance, google it, and click on UNDER 3.5t , you will save a lot, snd you could then treat yourself to a beer in Norway !!

Also , if travelling from Malmö to Copenhagen, most people use the train, TAKE your passport, because you will need to re enter Sweden on the train.

 

[jumartoo]

We're also planning a trip to Sweden and Norway next year so would also be interested in reading about your experience.

Am following with interest @Our Bumble trip around Scandinavia. Check out their blog for ideas.

 

[Our Bumble]

Also, if driving in Norway, some roads are tolls, auto recognition ' so if you are over 3.5t, register in advance, google it, and click on UNDER 3.5t , you will save a lot, snd you could then treat yourself to a beer in Norway !!

The toll system changed as of April 2016. All motorhomes regardless of the weight are charged the same toll rate as cars. Unfortunately, some of the Norwegian toll signs have not yet been updated. We found this out from local people.

We did not auto register and the toll charges are now just coming through (home address) some 2 months after the start of the trip.

The first toll charge for Oslo centre was £4.92.

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[Our Bumble]

Am following with interest @Our Bumble trip around Scandinavia. Check out their blog for ideas.

Thank you...hope we provided lots of useful information and made you smile . I am still putting together the Norwegian country guide, we have gathered so much info, it is unreal.

 

[TerryL]

Get the Camping Key Europe card before you go. If you're planning to use campsites (and there are hundreds of them) most require you to have one of these. The first site will happily sell you one, but it is easier, and the card is properly printed, to get it beforehand. It also offers discounts in various places - we saved it's cost with a discount on the Germany/Denmark ferry.

 

[Tony Roberts]

We are in Norway at the moment. Wild camping spaces are readily available as are service points, even in southern Norway. Scenery is magnificent. Our blog, bigberthatour.blogspot.com will have photos in the next week to ten days.

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[Janeymonica]

Looks amazing! How funny, our Motorhome is also called Big Bertha (believe it or not named after my Nana, before I knew the motorhome pun!) and I've just set up a bigberthaontour blog too!

 

[Tony Roberts]

Bigbertha is what my wife calls me (old woman driver).