Ferry to Norway from the UK
How to travel (indirectly) from the UK to Norway
Unfortunately, there is no direct ferry from the United Kingdom to Norway. However, you can still get there quite easily by car with two ferry crossings! It is also possible to reach Norway without using ferries, but this involves a very long drive through Sweden.
Our preferred option to reach Norway
Step 1: From the UK to mainland Europe, the first choice is typically Dover-Calais, although this depends somewhat on your departure point in the UK.
Step 2: From mainland Europe to Norway, the top recommendation is the Kiel-Oslo route.
However, we’ll also explain all the alternative routes you can take!
Getting to Norway from the UK
- To reach mainland Europe from the UK, there are five logical routes (excluding the southern UK to France routes).
- Four follow-up connections will then take you to Norway from Western Europe.
A ferry connection from Eemshaven/Emden to Norway used to be a convenient second step. However, this service ended in September 2023.
Sit tight — we’ll explain why these routes are our preferred options to Norway from the UK and outline all possible alternatives on this page. Let’s start with our map:
Ferry Guide to Norway from the UK / England
Step 1: Getting to mainland Europe first
As a direct connection doesn't exist, you must first get from the UK to mainland Europe. You can choose between direct crossings to Holland (Netherlands) or various options from Dover to France, depending on where in the UK you depart.
Departure is possible from Newcastle, Hull, Harwich, and the two Dover connections: Dover-Calais and Dover Dunkirk.
The five best options to reach mainland Europe
The distance to Kiel is important, as this is where the second stage of your journey begins — the first possible ferry departure to Norway. Your choice of route will also depend on where you’re travelling from in the UK. While there are several ferry routes, especially from the UK to France, these tend to be more westerly and are not ideal if you're heading to Norway.
In this case, our preferred route to mainland Europe is the Dover-Calais crossing (though it’s best to avoid high season). This route requires no advance booking and is relatively affordable. From Calais, drive to Kiel, and your holiday to Norway can begin!
Indication of the time you'll need to travel from one port to another:
- From Rotterdam to Kiel (Germany): ± 6 hours 30 minutes
- From Calais to Kiel (Germany): ± 9 hours 30 minutes
- From Calais to Hirtshals (Denmark): ± 14 hours 15 minutes
- From Dunkirk to Copenhagen (Denmark): ± 13 hours (inc. ferry)
Step 2: To Norway from Denmark or Germany
From Europe’s mainland, most people choose a cruise ferry from Kiel or a fast ferry from the North of Denmark.
Earlier on, it was possible to travel from the Netherlands to Norway via the (new in 2022) Eemshaven-Kristiansand ferry connection. This ferry, however, went bankrupt.
The best options you have for the crossing to Norway
Of course, there are more routes and options you can take, but these are the most popular when arriving from the UK. The Kiel to Oslo is, of course, the perfect start to your holiday. This is a night crossing on the beautiful ship from Color Line. This is more of a ‘cruise' experience than a ferry experience.
On this page, you'll find more information about all the ferries from Germany to Norway.
The three most logical ferries for the ferry to Norway (step 2)
Alternative (option 3) if you're looking to include Sweden in your trip to Norway:
If you're planning a trip to Norway but also considering including Sweden in your itinerary, you might want to consider travelling via either the outbound or return route through Kiel to Gothenburg.
For instance, if you choose to go outbound via Kiel to Gothenburg and continue from there to Norway, you could return via Oslo to Kiel or Kristiansand to Hirtshals, or vice versa, of course.
Also possible: drive to Norway from the UK
It may not be the most obvious route, but we'll mention it anyway: it is also possible to drive to Norway!
You can choose to take the Channel tunnel (Shuttle) and drive all the way to Copenhagen. From here, you can take the bridge to Sweden and drive further to the north to Norway.
Beware, though: there are many toll routes and additional costs attached to these routes. Also, you must travel 973 miles from Calais to the Swedish-Norwegian border for this.
Our personal experience
On one of our latest trips to Norway, we went with the now-stopped route Eemshaven-Kristiansand and then back through the Kiel-Oslo ferry. Here are a few images that back up our claims of our trip to Oslo from Kiel.
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- Restaurant on Color Fantasy © FerryGoGo
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- Bar at Color Fantasy © FerryGoGo
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- Entrance to the Restaurants © FerryGoGo
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- Playground for the little ones on the Color Fantasy © FerryGoGo
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- Bar Outside © FerryGoGo
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- The Color Fantasy © FerryGoGo
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- Docking of the Color Fantasy © FerryGoGo
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- Lobby 2 of the Color Fantasy © FerryGoGo
How to book tickets to Norway
It's easy. Use our booking engine below and see what tickets are available at which dates for which price! You have to buy the two tickets individually though, but by using this tool you'll book your tickets at one company.
Summary; Why we picked these routes
As you can read in much of the above guide, there are many reasons why these routes are our first choice if you want to reach Norway from the UK. To summarize:
- Calais-Dover is a cheap route.
- The 10-hour drive from Dover is quite ok.
- There used to be a more straightforward route from Eemshaven and Emden, but that route stopped.
- Kiel-Oslo provides a cruise-like experience.
- Calais-Dover and Kiel-Oslo are different from each other: meaning you get two different kinds of ferry experiences.
- It's better to end with the most luxurious ferry you can find in Europe.
Many things are involved, but one point might be most important: Where do you start and where do you want to go to in Norway? If you leave that point out, it's simply an excellent choice to drive first and reach your ‘luxurious' ferry after your long drive instead of the other way around. There are enough other options:
Interesting combinations we also considered:
- Harwich – Hook of Holland & Hirtshals – Bergen: Two high-quality (semi-cruise-like) ferries and also a very nice route with a slightly lower driving time, and of course, you start your Norway trip in Bergen.
- Newcastle – Amsterdam & Copenhagen – Oslo: If you time this wisely, you could book amazing day trips in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Oslo. This won't be a very cheap holiday, however! (very expensive cities and ferries)
- Dover – Dunkirk & Hirtshals – Kristiansand: Also a great trip but you will miss a very luxurious ferry on this one, If you want to travel to Norway at least go for one cruise-like experience.
- Kiel-Gothenburg & Oslo-Kiel: if you're thinking about a road trip through Scandinavia where you want to travel to both Sweden and Norway this is a great option.
The following (last) image of this guide, explains our Kiel-Oslo choise also much better:
Oceanic á la Carte Restaurant at Color Fantasy © FerryGoGo
Will there ever be a direct route to Norway?
The ferry route from Eemshaven to Kristiansand, which unfortunately faced bankruptcy after a two-year run, serves as a cautionary example for potential investors considering a direct route from the UK to Norway. The default and subsequent closure of the HNL route between the Netherlands and Norway have significantly diminished the prospects of a new direct route emerging from Norway to the UK.
Nevertheless, the founders of BCL remain committed to exploring the feasibility of a route connecting Stavanger /Bergen and Newcastle. While we hope this endeavour will come to fruition soon, it's essential to acknowledge that the odds of success are slim. If this route becomes a reality by some fortunate turn of events, it is projected to launch in 2026.
There also is a DFDS-managed direct freight ferry route from Immingham to Brevik. However, passengers can't travel on this route: “Due to UKBF port approval, private passengers are not permitted to be carried through Immingham.”
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I am disappointed there is no direct Ferry. I am Norwegian but live in the UK. I have been waiting for this for years! Hopefully they will soon realise the demand.
Hi Fredrik,
Quite late but thanks for your comment – there have been crossings in the past: https://ferrygogo.co.uk/historic-ferry-crossings-from-the-uk-to-scandinavia/ and there are plans for a direct crossing in the near future again. We really hope a ferry from the UK to Norway will return too, especially since the ferry from the Netherlands to Norway ceased to exist as well.
Helpful start for me to plan a norwegian fishing holiday thank you.
Hi Neil,
Glad we could be of help with our guides! Have fun on your fishing holiday. Happy travels