How to get to Norway by ferry from the UK
Unfortunately, there is no direct ferry to Norway from The United Kingdom. Yet you can get there by car and two ferries. It is even possible to get there without ferries, but that is not advisable since it is a very long drive.
The ferry is a comfortable way of traveling and with the many cruise ferries to Norway, quite an experience.
Want to go to Norway by ferry from the UK? Find all information on this page!
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Travel tip: Eemshaven-Kristiansand is the shortest drive
Depending on where you live in the UK, you can book one of the ferries to Rotterdam or Amsterdam. From here, Eemshaven can be reached by car in about 3 hours.
How to get to the continent from the UK?
To sail to Norway from the United Kingdom, you first need a crossing to the continent. The options for this are the direct crossings to Holland or the various options from Dover to France.
The biggest disadvantages of traveling via France are the long drive to your next crossing to Norway and the delays at the customs on busy days at Dover and Calais. On the other hand, the crossings between Dover and Dunkirk or Calais are a lot shorter. Therefore this is certainly a good option for travelers from Southern England.
UK ⇔ European mainland
Travel time by car after the first crossing
- From Rotterdam/Amsterdam to Eemshaven: ± 3 hours
- From Dunkirk to Eemshaven: ± 5 hours 30 minutes
- From Rotterdam/Amsterdam to Kiel: ± 6 hours
- From Dunkirk to Kiel: ± 8 hours 45 minutes
Ferry from The Netherlands to Norway
You can travel from the Netherlands to Norway via the (new in 2022) Eemshaven-Kristiansand ferry connection and start your vacation early. This ferry has all the luxury you need and is a very pleasant crossing for many. And this is also a bit of a problem: since this cruise ferry is so popular, you need to book far in advance, we even advise people even to book a year early!
Holland ⇔ Norway
Eemshaven-Kristiansand
Ferry from Germany to Norway
An interesting route to consider is the 20h ferry from Kiel to Oslo. Depending on which crossing you choose from the UK to the continent, the distance to Kiel is between 6 and 9 hours by car. This is a night crossing on the beautiful ship from Color Line. This is more of a ‘cruise' experience than a ferry experience.

The luxurious cruise ships from Color Line
Germany ⇔ Norway
Kiel-Oslo
Ferry from Denmark to Norway
The departure ports in the north of Denmark are not just around the corner, but anyone taking a road trip to Scandinavia will certainly benefit from one of these crossings.
Depending on where the rest of your vacation or trip will take place, you can choose between various destinations. For example: Larvik, Kristiansand, Oslo, Langesund and Bergen.
The advantage of traveling from Denmark to Norway is mainly the short sailing time. These differ between 2 hours and 15 minutes and approximately 19 hours.
Denmark ⇔ Norway
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 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.
For this, you have to travel 1566 kilometers from Calais to the Swedish-Norwegian border.
Frequently asked questions Ferry UK-Norway
There is no direct ferry from the UK to Norway. You can choose to travel to Holland (Rotterdam or Amsterdam) or France and drive to the north of The Netherlands (Groningen). From here you can take a ferry to Kristiansand. Other options are to travel to Germany (Kiel) or Denmark (Hirtshals, Copenhagen).
Three ferry companies sail to England from the Netherlands. These are P&O ferries, Stenaline and DFDS. The ferries from France to Dover are from P&O ferries and DFDS.
There is only one ferry connection from the Netherlands to Norway: the crossing from Eemshaven to Kristiansand. It is operated by HNL – Holland Norway Lines.
By boat to England from the Netherlands can be done in 6.5 hours. This is how long the shortest crossing takes between Hoek van Holland and Harwich (day trip). The longest crossing, on the other hand, takes more than 16 hours (night sailing). This one goes between IJmuiden / Amsterdam and Newcastle.
The travel-duration from departure to arrival is about 18 hours on this route. You will leave in the afternoon (15.00) from Eemshaven to Kristiansand where you will arrive the next morning on 09.00
If you don't dislike a longer drive you can drive to Kiel, Kopenhagen, Langesund, or Hirtshals. You will be longer in the car but the crossing by ferry is a lot shorter.
Depending on whether you bring a car and book a cabin, the costs for the ferry to Norway vary a lot. You can cross to France first, but more easily are the various connections you can take to the Netherlands. From there on you can travel via the Ferry in the North of the Netherlands or drive further by car and take the ferry a bit later to Germany or Denmark. To give an indication: a ferry to the Netherlands will be approximately €100,- per person, and from the Netherlands to Norway up to around €200,- per person. So if you opt for the easy way this will cost you somewhere around €300,- to travel to Norway.
On both crossings, you can take your dog along. Be sure to inform about vaccination rules and rules aboard the ships.