Should you drive to Norway via Denmark and Sweden or take the ferry?

The short answer (status: October 2026): both work, and the right choice depends on where in Norway you are heading. By road, Hamburg to Oslo is about 1,070 km and Amsterdam to Oslo about 1,525 km, with two bridge tolls on the way: the Great Belt (Storebælt) in Denmark and the Øresund Bridge to Sweden. The border bridge at Svinesund has been toll-free since 2021. The Fehmarnbelt tunnel is not open yet, and no opening date has been published. For the western fjords, a ferry to Bergen or Stavanger usually saves more than it costs.

The land route at a glance

The distances and times are routing estimates from OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, from city centre to city centre, queried on 7 October 2026. The times are pure driving at normal speeds: no breaks, no queues, no border checks and no allowance for a slower camper. Treat them as a minimum.

Land route or ferry: how to decide

Every ferry route, with crossing times and sample fares, is in our article Ferry to Norway. The trade-off in short:

• Kiel–Oslo replaces the whole drive through Denmark and Sweden with one night on board. From Amsterdam you still drive about 550 km to Kiel.
• Hirtshals–Kristiansand or Larvik keeps the drive through Denmark but skips Sweden and both bridges.
• Hirtshals–Stavanger–Bergen is the shortcut to the western fjords. Driving from Oslo to the west coast adds a full day or more.
• The land route suits Oslo, eastern Norway and the long road north on the E6. It costs fuel, bridge tolls and probably one night on the road, but no booking and no fixed departure.

Count the real cost of each option: fuel, tolls, a night's sleep and the days of holiday spent driving. A plan that saves a day of driving is often worth more than the fare difference.

The Great Belt Bridge (Storebælt)

The bridge between Funen and Zealand is priced by vehicle type and length. One crossing, prices from 1 January 2026:

The Express price applies only with an active Bizz or number-plate payment agreement at the time of travel, driven through a green Express lane. Paying by card or cash costs the higher price. At the cash lanes you can pay in DKK or EUR.

For a light motorhome over 6 m, the agreement halves the bill. A motorhome of at most 3,500 kg and over 6 m pays DKK 314 instead of DKK 613–645, but only if its Bizz or number plate is registered under a Storebælt motorhome agreement. It needs a Storebælt Private agreement first, setting it up can take a few days, and number-plate payment works for plates from a list of countries that includes Germany and the Netherlands.

The Øresund Bridge to Sweden

Øresundsbron prices by type and length too. One crossing, prices from 14 September 2026:

An online ticket is valid for 30 days. If you pay cash at the toll station, only SEK and DKK are accepted, not euros. There is also an ØresundGO discount agreement at €51 a year, with a single crossing at €25 for a car or a motorhome up to 6 m, and €50 for a motorhome of 6–10 m. For a car, two crossings plus the annual fee come to €101, against €116 for two online tickets.

One provider on two lists: AutoPASS names ØresundPAY among the approved toll service providers for Norway, and Storebælt says an ØresundPAY number-plate payment gets its discount. Whether one agreement covers all three countries for your vehicle is a question for the provider before you leave.

The Fehmarnbelt tunnel is not open yet

The future 18 km immersed tunnel between Puttgarden and Rødbyhavn is meant to take about 10 minutes by car. In May 2026, Sund & Bælt said it now plans to open the tunnel in two stages, road first and railway later, because construction on the Danish side is about two years behind schedule. It has not published a new opening date. It says it will present a new schedule after the first tunnel elements are immersed.

Until then, the routes into Denmark are the Puttgarden–Rødby ferry or the motorway north through Jutland. Both are covered in our ferry article.

Svinesund: free since 2021

The E6 crosses from Sweden into Norway on the Svinesund bridge. Tolls there were collected from 1 July 2005 and ended on 15 March 2021, and the toll company has since been dissolved.

From the border on, Norwegian tolls apply: cameras, no booths, a bill afterwards. How to register a foreign car or camper is in our article How do you pay Norway's tolls with a foreign car?.

Gothenburg's congestion tax

The E6 runs through Gothenburg, which charges a congestion tax that also applies to foreign vehicles. Foreign owners are invoiced through EPASS24. The charge runs from SEK 9 to SEK 22 per passage between 06:00 and 18:29, with a maximum of SEK 60 per vehicle per day. There is no charge on public holidays, on the day before a public holiday or in July.

Whether a straight drive through on the E6 passes a charging point depends on the exact route, and the Swedish Transport Agency pages we read do not say so plainly. Budget for up to SEK 60 on a day when the tax is charged.

What this article leaves out

This page covers getting to the border. What it costs once you are in Norway is in our guides:

• Norway tolls and ferries explained: registering a foreign vehicle before you cross the border, the 3,500 kg trap for motorhomes, city toll rates and what Norwegian ferries cost by length.
• Norway planning pack: the tolls guide together with our guide to where you may sleep with a camper, useful for that first night after the long drive.

FAQ

How long does it take to drive from Hamburg to Oslo?

OSRM routes it at about 1,071 km and 12 hours of pure driving, via Jutland, the Great Belt and the Øresund Bridge. With breaks and traffic, most people split it over two days.

Is there a toll at the Swedish–Norwegian border?

No. The Svinesund toll ended on 15 March 2021. Norwegian road tolls apply once you are in Norway, billed by number plate.

Is the Fehmarnbelt tunnel open?

No. As of October 2026, no opening date has been published. The road tunnel is planned to open before the railway.

What do the bridges cost with a motorhome?

For one crossing with a motorhome of 6–10 m: DKK 613 (Express) or 645 at Storebælt, and €116 online or €130 at the toll station on the Øresund Bridge. A motorhome up to 6 m pays the car price at Øresund, and also at Storebælt if it weighs under 3,500 kg.