A Nordic road trip – Part 1
I used to assume that Finland was one of the Scandinavian countries but it wasn’t, as corrected by Blue Eyes (definition found here) – Scandinavia is comprised of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Instead, Finland is one of the Nordic countries, along with the Scandinavian countries and Iceland.
Since I had not been to any of the Scandinavian countries, we decided to take a summer road trip to Northern Norway in July. Blue Eyes had been to Northern Norway twice prior to this and he liked it a lot. He kept saying how impressive the landscape was. So within less than a week, we decided to pack our bags and head to the north.
Depending on where your final destination is, there are several options of driving to Norway from Finland. Here are 2 options that we considered for the trip:
1. Drive through northern Sweden via Tornio, Finland and Kiruna, Sweden.
2. Drive to Vaasa, Finland and take the ferry to Umea, Sweden and drive through Sweden to Norway.
On one of the pitstops, we found a church and took a walk
It is possible to drive to most northern part of Finland that borders Norway and cross the border from there. It depends on where in Northern Norway you want to go as it is quite a huge area. We chose option #1 as we wanted to go from Tromso to Bodo, Norway and thought it might be a good opportunity to see a bit of Sweden, since I’ve never been.
Our road trip itinerary looked something like this:
Day #1: Drive to Oulu, Finland ~ 5 hrs ~ Overnight in Oulu
Day #2: Drive to Kiruna, Sweden; passing the border towns Tornio, Finland and Haparanda, Sweden ~ 5 hrs ~ Overnight in Kiruna
Day #3: Drive to Tromsø, Norway ~ 5 hrs ~ Overnight in Tromso
Day #4: Drive to Brensholmen (~1 hr) to take the ferry (~1 hr) to Botnham, Senja, Norway ~ Overnight in Senja
Day #5: Drive to Gryllefjord (less than 20 minutes from Hamn i Senja) to take the ferry (1 hr 40 mins) to Andenes, Lofoten, Norway ~ 3 nights in Lofoten
Day #8: Drive to Mokenes (~ 1hr 20 mins from Ballstad) and take the ferry (~ 3-4 hrs) to Bodo, Norway ~ Overnight in Bodo
Day #9: Drive to Haukipudas (~ 9 hrs 30 mins) ~ Overnight in Haukipudas
Day #10: Drive home (~6 hrs 30 mins)
First city in our summer road trip – Oulu, the most populous city in northern Finland
The drive across Sweden wasn’t very memorable; our accommodation in Kiruna in particular wasn’t hospitable at all despite being one of the top rated places to stay on Tripadvisor. But as soon as we crossed over to Norwegian side, the landscape changed almost immediately. Huge mountains sprung out of nowhere and huge rocks piled next to the riverbank. Colourful houses perched on top of those rocks, and sound of strong stream coming down from the mountains.
Cloudy and rainy day in Tromso
It was raining when we arrived to Tromso. We already expected that weather might not be favourable so we took the rain in our stride. After checking in, we went to look for food and found a cosy seafood restaurant – Kaia – fronting the wharf area. Prices in Norway are at least 30% more expensive than Finland. For example, a steak dinner in a restaurant cost about 24 euros, in Norway it’s about 30 euros or more.
This is why we try to save some cost by packing our cooking equipment so we can cook along the way by taking advantage of Norway’s many rest areas – travelling by trailers and caravans are popular. Some of the rest areas even come with a great view. I’ve not done this before but Blue Eyes had some experience so he planned our meals – canned mackerel, canned ham, pasta, pre-cooked soup, pickled cucumbers, tea bags plus packets of salt and pepper.
Our cooking supplies and equipment during the road trip
After a restful night in Tromso, we drove to Brensholmen, where we took the ferry to Senja. Senja is less in demand versus its bigger sibling, Lofoten. But I read some pretty good reviews of the island online and decided “Why not?”. Finding accommodation in Senja wasn’t easy in summer, as firstly, summer is a popular season. Secondly due to its less popularity, it means there is less number of accommodations to choose from. In the end, I found Hamn i Senja had available rooms, and we took the cheapest option (which wasn’t cheap at all, sigh!).
The route therefore became simpler, as we could take the Senja National Tourist Route at ease as our accommodation for the night was along the way. Btw, I think it’s a brilliant idea for the Norwegian Tourism agency to develop such routes for tourists, as they’re convenient and helps in planning, plus they really have great views that take your breath away!
Drive along Senja National Tourist Route
There are 2 recommended rest areas – Tungeneset and Bergsbotn, plus several others along the way that we stopped to enjoy the view. There are also hiking options for travellers, but we didn’t have enough time to attempt them – maybe one day we’ll get to do it 🙂 It is truly humbling to stand and witness the masterpiece of the Creator. The weather in Senja was surprisingly sunny and blue skies greeted us as soon as our ferry docked. We’re very fortunate as we had expected rainy days in our trip and were prepared for it, and found out we didn’t need it 🙂
Blue Eyes doing his signature hand stand at Tungeneset, SENJA
The 2 panoramic viewpoints offer a different experience. At Tungeneset, it feels closer to nature as we could walk on the huge rocks right next to the sea. It’s calm and peaceful as there are lots of space to roam and explore. Bergsbotn, on the other hand, offers a broad view of Bergsfjord on a huge viewing platform. There are many visitors like us that stopped by to take photographs and therefore we had less private moments to enjoy the view by ourselves. Having said that, it is a gorgeous sight 🙂
Btw, I decided to split the post on this road trip into two; no particular reason except I wanna post something soon, and to finish writing all the details in one post would take some time – considering that I already took days just to write this *sheepish grin* So please do return and watch this space for Part 2 🙂
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- Finland is famous for its lakes, and Finns are proud of them. Did you know there are over 180,000 lakes in Finland alone?
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- Oulu’s marketplace is quite charming, with many colourful buildings used as shops and cafes, like this one
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- Oulu is situated next to the sea, prompting many port activities
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- Fjords are a common sight in Norway
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- This is close to Narvik, on our way to Tromso, Norway
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- Charming buildings fronting the pier in Tromso, Norway
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- Our first Norwegian meal – fish burger and beef burger – in Tromso
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- The city cathedral on a gloomy day in Tromso, Norway
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- Water was so clear that the skies are reflected on the pool of water at Tungeneset, SENJA
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- Blue eyes focused on taking the perfect shot at Tungeneset, SENJA
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- Great rocks facing the sea at Tungeneset, SENJA
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- Clear water, clear skies at Tungeneset, Senja, Norway
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- Blue Eyes enjoying the good life at Tungeneset, Senja, Norway
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- The welcoming view of Bergsfjord at Bergsbotn rest area
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- Built as the perfect viewing point of Bergsfjord
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- Sometimes all you need is just nature – Blue Eyes at Bergsbotn, Senja, Norway
