Ferry to Norway from Denmark
Select departure from “Denmark” to compare ferry routes to Norway.
Ferries to Norway from Denmark
Denmark is the busiest gateway to Norway by sea. Five routes sail from two ports: four short to medium crossings from Hirtshals at the top of Jutland, and the overnight ship from Copenhagen to Oslo. This guide works in both directions, so use it for Norway to Denmark as well.
Map: ferry routes to Norway from Denmark
The map shows all five crossings with the ports at each end. Zoom in on Hirtshals to see how the four Norwegian destinations fan out from the one harbour.
In short: Denmark to Norway by ferry
- Ports: Hirtshals and Copenhagen on the Danish side; Kristiansand, Larvik, Stavanger, Bergen and Oslo in Norway.
- With a car or camper: Hirtshals to Kristiansand and Hirtshals to Larvik are the practical routes, both year-round and both built for vehicles. For the west coast, Hirtshals to Stavanger and Bergen is an overnight sailing that saves a day of mountain driving.
- Without a car: Copenhagen to Oslo, now run by Go Nordic Cruiseline (Gotlandsbolaget), is the one to take: cabins, restaurants, a night at sea and two capitals in one trip.
- Crossing times: from about 2 hours 15 minutes on the fast Hirtshals to Kristiansand ferry to 16 to 18 hours overnight to Oslo or Bergen.
- Alternatives: Kiel to Oslo via Germany, or Kiel to Gothenburg and a drive into Norway via Sweden.
About the crossings
The five routes
- Hirtshals to Bergen
- Hirtshals to Stavanger
- Hirtshals to Larvik
- Hirtshals to Kristiansand
- Copenhagen to Oslo
The ports
Hirtshals sits at the northern tip of Denmark, about an hour beyond Aalborg, and handles every route except one. Copenhagen is the southern option: the Oslo ship leaves from the quay north of the city centre in the late afternoon and sails up the Kattegat and the Oslofjord overnight.
Which route for which part of Norway
- South coast, Kristiansand or Larvik: Hirtshals, the shortest and cheapest crossings.
- Oslo: Copenhagen, or Kiel from Germany if you are coming from the south.
- Bergen, Stavanger and the fjords: the Hirtshals overnight ship.
Making a loop of it
Because Hirtshals serves four Norwegian ports, Denmark lends itself to a round trip rather than an out-and-back. Sail Copenhagen to Oslo, drive the coast to Larvik, Kristiansand or on to Stavanger and Bergen, and sail back to Hirtshals from whichever port you finish at. The night boats, Hirtshals to Bergen and Copenhagen to Oslo, double as the hotel for that night. We have done the Copenhagen to Oslo crossing ourselves, on the Crown and Pearl ships; the report is from the DFDS years, but the ships and the route are the same.
Alternatives to the Danish ferries
Coming from the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium or France, Denmark is not the only way in.
- Germany to Norway: Kiel to Oslo is the direct overnight ship and the least driving; Kiel to Gothenburg is often cheaper and leaves a three to four hour drive to the Norwegian border.
- Netherlands to Norway: the Eemshaven to Kristiansand ferry stopped when the operator went bankrupt. A new Dutch crossing has been proposed but nothing sails yet.
Road trip combinations
From Kristiansand or Gothenburg you can drive to Oslo and return to Germany on the Kiel ship, or do it the other way round. Mixing a short Danish crossing with the overnight Kiel ferry gives you southern Norway and the Oslofjord in one trip without repeating a road.
On board and ferry route maps
-
- Kiel to Oslo route
-
- Map with routes to Norway from the UK
-
- Color Line ferry to Norway
Prices and availability
Enter your route and dates below for live fares and the sailing times on those dates. Compare Hirtshals to Kristiansand with Hirtshals to Larvik if you are flexible: the fares can differ a lot on the same day.
Travelling from the UK to Norway via Denmark
There is no ferry from Britain to Norway, so Denmark is reached by road: a North Sea crossing from Harwich, Hull or Newcastle, or the Channel at Dover, then about ten hours of driving to Hirtshals through the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. The full comparison of routes, including Kiel, is in our ferry to Norway from the UK guide.
Once in Denmark
- Hirtshals to Kristiansand: the quickest and most popular for cars and campers, just over two hours on the fast ferry.
- Hirtshals to Larvik: year-round, and the better landing for Oslo and the east.
- Hirtshals to Bergen or Stavanger: overnight, for the fjords.
- Copenhagen to Oslo: the overnight ship with cabins, for drivers and foot passengers alike.
Paperwork for UK travellers
- Passport valid for at least three months beyond your stay, and issued less than ten years ago.
- No visa for stays up to 90 days in any 180.
- UK photocard licence accepted; carry the V5C and proof of insurance valid in Europe.
Useful for travellers to Norway
Tips for ferry travellers
