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point-to-point driving times in fjord region

We will be driving from Alesund to Bergen in late September, with accommodations along the way in Oye, Hafslo, and Voss. I've read somewhere that the Google map estimates for driving times in Norway are substantially understated and that one should expect to average 20 miles per hour. I don't recall if that included time on ferries or not. That average seems quite conservative but I would welcome any comments on this issue since I don't want to badly mis-judge our arrival time at our next overnight destination.

Posted by
11027 posts

I don't recall if that included time on ferries or not.

In the US the ferry travel time is included in the total travel time; as best I can tell it does not factor in any waiting time at the ferry dock.

In general I find google travel times 'optimistic' here in the US, and have no reason to believe it would be different elsewhere.

Posted by
254 posts

My experience in fjord country was that roads tended to be narrow by US standards and that posted speed limits dropped quite a bit when entering villages or even posted "farming areas". Also the areas are quite scenic which tends to pull the driver's attention. All these factors tend to reduce average driving speed IMO compared to what I would usually accomplish at home on 2 lane roads. Wait times for ferries of course need to be factored in. I had little trouble in finding the ferry transit times on line, but that doesn't account for time you need to wait for the boat to show up. That's hard to nail down precisely since you won't likely know exactly when you'll arrive at the terminal, but you can always simply use the max, based on sailing times. I'd personally estimate driving time based on an average of something like 30-35 mph, depending on how much gawking you think you might be doing along the way, + ferry times. If you know you are going by a scenic viewpoint, I'd throw in dedicated stop time in addition. Don't sell your viewing time short in fjord country. Scenery is the whole reason to be there IMO.

Posted by
4495 posts

We drove a lot in the fjord areas and 20-30 mph for the main highways was the actual average speed. Ferry trips and waits are included in that average speed, but we only had 2 of those and never waited more than 15 minutes. You absolutely cannot average 35 mph except maybe some stretches of the highways beginning with E.

We budgeted $100 for tolls/bridges but it actually came in at $60, even though we drove through the Oslo congestion zone portal twice (second time by accident).

Posted by
12 posts

Thank you all for your responses. I've now got a more realistic basis for estimating elapsed times for our travel days.

Posted by
108 posts

We just returned from 9 days of driving in the fjord/mountain region of Norway. We found the google map times to be fairly accurate sans photo/comfort stops. We only took two across fjord ferries and arrived at those just in time to load. Those crossings were short so I agree a 15min delay should be close to worst case. We did do the Kaupanger to Gudvangen ferry (highly recommended) on our way back to Bergen and booked that in advance so we had a scheduled departure time. Seems posted speed limits were in the 60-70 kilometers per hour on the non E roads. You won’t do that on the mountain switchbacks. There are speed cameras - there are signs posted before each one - so keep your eyes peeled. We did run into two construction zones where the road was only open to traffic at the top of the hour so you could get hung up with a 45 min delay if you come across one of those. Should be a nice trip - scenery is fabulous!

Posted by
3387 posts

Everyone here is correct. The only thing I will add is that ferries don't all run at the same intervals. Some run every 20 minutes and some run less frequently. You can look online for the schedules.