Norkap - Baltics info needed
 

Starting to hatch a plan to ride around the Baltics and Scandinavia with Nordkap as the northern goal. Hope to go July-August, 2018. Plan to camp, try to get out of the rain when required, spend as little of my kids' inheritance as possible, although I am prepared to gasp and choke at the price of beer.

Need some planning resources. Any road-guide books recommended? Norway or Sweden route south? Places I should 100% ride and places I should stay away from?

I've been to Prudhoe Bay in August and assume the maritime climate of Norway will make the conditions wetter and colder than Alaska in summer. But what do I know?! If you're familiar with the Nordkap routes, your advice would be appreciated.

--JohnD

Hi, I`ve tried to compile all you need to know on riding in Norway on www.ridenorway.com. Non-commercial, just tips on routes, Norway faq, what to see and where to ride. You can start there, perhaps?

Hi John, have a read of Two Wheels and a Fishing Rod in the travel stories section, it's a good read. Great blog Hans.

Going to copy what I wrote to John to this thread as well, for anyone who is interested in the future:

What time are you thinking of heading out, and what are you riding?

Are you going via St Petersburg, or skipping the Russian visa and going straight up?

From Vilnius to Tallinn you've got basically two routes, westerly and easterly. The westerly is the Vilnius-Panevezys-Riga-Pärnu-Tallinn one, fairly urban. Starts as autobahn out of Vilnius, freeway most of the way to Riga, traffic can get quite bad near there. Unless you're stopping over for a visit in Riga, you can take the bypass around the city and save some time and effort. Past Pärnu you have the chance the detour over to the Estonian islands.

Easterly is more rural and IMO more scenic, you go via Utena and detouring around Daugavpils, crossing at either Valga or Ape/Mooste and then via Tartu where I am based. From here you can either take the highway to Tallinn, or a couple of more scenic options, or just go straight up north to Narva or Rakvere, there's definitely scenery there too.

In general, Vilnius to Tallinn can be done in one long day's riding. In Latvia have a look at Cesis/Sigulda-Turaida, nice scenic areas on the road between Riga and Pärnu.

In Estonia, the national forestry service maintains campsites, forest huts, etc. that you can usually use for free. Info here: https://www.loodusegakoos.ee/where-to-go/search-options

Plenty of ferries between Tallinn and Helsinki, the big one is Tallink, but Viking Line can be a bit cheaper. Eckerö is the third one. If you get a Louis.eu loyal customer card, you can get your bike shipped for free with a deck ticket on Tallink, but you have to call their customer support team and book that way, the discount does not work online. There also used to a be a passenger-only hydrofoil, that appears to have gone bankrupt for good.

Viking Line arrives right in downtown Helsinki, Tallink and Eckerö arrive a little ways off, but there's no real difference in terms of getting onto freeways quickly.

Heading north, again you have a few options. Finland is big, expensive, and mostly flat, there isn't that much historical architecture, so I tell people to at least consider hopping on the car train (http://www.vr.fi). You can put your bike in the car-carrier and have your own room with a bed and a shower. Train leaves around 7pm, arrives in Lapland around 8am the next morning. Cost for me with the bike and a private ensuite was ~250 euros a couple years ago, and otherwise it's a two-day kinda boring ride, and you will spend as much money on gas and hotels. Trains terminate either in Rovaniemi or in Kolari, depending on the day of the week.

Wild camping is legal in Finland and Norway AFAIK, but any kind of hotel will be expensive. The cheaper option is an organized campsite with facilities, or a mökk (hytte in Norway/Sweden) - a little wooden wilderness hut. Might have a kitchenette, unlikely to have its own shower, sometimes won't even have bedlinen, but it'll be dry and fairly warm. Plenty of those all over the road, look for signs.

Riding up, again you have basically two paths, west or east. West is via Oulu and then along the Swedish border via Muonio/Kolari, turning off towards Enontekiö. East is via Rovaniemi/Ivalo, turning off at Kaamanen. I think the Western path is a bit better, but there's not much difference between them really.

Be VERY afraid of reindeer in the road! In the Arctic they graze freely, are absolutely fearless, and WILL be standing in the middle of the road behind a blind crest. Not a question of "if" or "when", you WILL have that experience on your ride to Nordkapp. Watch for drivers coming the other way flashing their lights to warn you.

In Nordkapp it's either camping or really expensive hotels. Even the hostel in Honnigsvag is expensive. But the roads are wonderful.

On the way back, definitely more scenic to go via Norway. Sweden is fast and boring. I'd go via Tromsö and Senja island to Andenes, then ride all the way down Lofoten to Moskenes and catch the fast ferry to Bodo.

Stay off the E6 in Norway - it's a clogged arterial road full of trucks, usually one way in each direction. Stick to the Rv-roads and the National Tourist Roads: https://www.nasjonaleturistveger.no/en

South of Trondheim, you can get to Kristiansund (boring nothing town) and take the expensive tunnel out to the Atlantic Road - tbh by that time you will have seen enough of the Norwegian coastline to be underwhelmed, but it's a bucket list thing with that humpback bridge. Then head inland to the Trollstigen (best done north-to-south) and Geirangerfjord. Then depending on where you're terminating your trip, you can head south to Oslo/Kristiansand and the ferries to Denmark, or east to Stockholm and the Baltic ferries (alternatively as far south as Karlshamn for the ferry to Klaipeda, which sucks as a city, but is right next to the Curonian spit, and that's worth a visit).

Hope that helps.

Oh Scandinavia is sooo nice. Stay away from the highway in sweden rather follow the coast rute through Norway: Motorrad Testfahrt und Kaufberatung BMW R 1200R GS LC Adventure Reise zu Lofoten & Nordkapp

Thanks everyone! This is a great start for my first night of what little planning I usually do.

If you will do the Baltic countrys. Where will you go after that? Sweden or Finland?
If Sweden, there are few options. If Finland then it is from Tallinn

Been up north many summers, as I have friends up there.

Go see.:

Juhl`s Silver museum in Kautokeino.Norway...and when i Karasjoki - Sapmi Museum

Go off road and visit the goldfields of Lemmenjoki, Finland - crazy golddiggers everywhere! :-)

Go see the pethroglopys in Altai, Norway (also a nice city to watch rich arab people fly fish salmon )

Go through the Sarek National park...really worth the ride.
Then stay at hostel or camp in Jokkmokk - a visit in the Sapmi/sami Museum in the town is a MUST ( I do it every time I am up there! )
If you cross the border from Kautokeino, about 40 km south of Kautokeino, take a stop a the old campinghome, tents at the border to Finland - and say hello to Sara and Inga..to old ladies, 80+, who sell handcrafted sami things.
Sara is a Noaidi - a shaman! ...known her since 1991. Pain or whatever bothers you - she can fix it!

Many rallys take place a long the " Indlandwegen" the main road i Sweden, inland, a good place to meet bikers from all over europe, as many go to the north in the summer.

Questions about Sami, Noaidi`s, Norse religion, Vikings (NOT the Hollywood version), etc..feel free to ask !

Frit og Mægtigt!

Norway
 

Hi, Been planning our trip to Scandinavia for awhile read heaps of different views etc and as we are self contained have give up and we are just going start Kristiansand and head to Northcape on any road that’s not a main one we are from NZ and will be in Scandinavia same time ride a KTM1050 maybe we will cross paths all the best

Don't miss St. Petersburg
 

If doing Scandinavia and the Baltics don't miss the chance to go to St. Petersburg... even if without your bike (you wouldn't want it in the city anyway). With my Panama passport I don't need a visa for Russia so I rode from Nordkapp to Murmansk and then south to St. Petersburg.
If you are from a country that requires a visa for Russia, you can still go to St. Petersburg on the ferry from Helsinki and stay in St. Petersburg for 72 hours without a visa. My wife and I did this last year (she has US passport) with no problem. Take the overnight ferry, then spend two nights in SP, and the ferry back. Some agencies will tell you you have to book a "tour" and stay with a group, but that is not true. Booking the ferry and transport to the center of town is enough to qualify. In fact, we then took an Uber from downtown to the boat and it was fine.
St Petersburg is DEFINITELY worth a side trip!

( Apologies for going OT! )

I don't need a visa either with my Chilean passport.
Can you tell us if there were any other requirements at the border , such as health insurance for example .. and did you need any kind of registration once you were in ? ( The kind that hotels normally take care of )
Thanks !


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Hi Old-n-Slo (and others who planning to visit Baltics)

Not much to add to AnTyx post . I do not know what you're driving but here is one more option: Home - Trans Euro Trail

Trail is done by local enthusiasts and updated every season.

If near Tallinn, free accomodation and garage for long distance travellers/overlanders available. In middle of July i should be back from TransAfrica trip so you are welcome. Cold bier and hot sauna is included

E.