Which ferry to take from Hirtshals?
Hirtshals is the starting point of four of the thirteen international lines on this site — more than any other port. It is Norway's sea gate for anyone coming from continental Europe, and the one place where there is a real choice to make.
That choice matters: between the shortest and the longest crossing there are fifteen hours at sea and four hundred euros. Here are the four, from fastest to furthest, and what each one buys.
The four lines out of Hirtshals
Kristiansand, the shortest — and the only one with two operators
Two and a half hours at sea, up to four sailings a day in summer, from 105 euros: the fastest crossing between the continent and Norway, and the only route where Color Line and Fjord Line compete head to head. It shows in the prices.
It suits a trip that begins in the south of the country, or one that means working up the coast slowly. From Kristiansand, though, Oslo is still four and a half hours away by road, and Bergen seven.
Today's sailing times, the fare scale by vehicle length and frequently asked questions on the route page. See the route page →
Compare prices and book →Larvik, if Oslo is the target
Same Danish port, but you land less than two hours from Oslo instead of four and a half. Around four hours at sea, two sailings a day in summer with Color Line, from 163 euros.
This is the classic trade: an hour and a half more at sea against two and a half hours less behind the wheel. If Oslo or the east of the country is the destination, Larvik wins almost every time.
Today's sailing times, the fare scale by vehicle length and frequently asked questions on the route page. See the route page →
Compare prices and book →Stavanger, an overnight run to the southern fjords
Eleven hours, one night on board, one sailing a day all year with Fjord Line, 270 to 550 euros for two people, a car and the cheapest cabin. You board in the evening and land at the gateway to the Lysefjord.
The arithmetic changes here: the cabin replaces a hotel night and a day of driving. Compared with Kristiansand this line costs more, but it sets you down six hundred kilometres further on.
Today's sailing times, the fare scale by vehicle length and frequently asked questions on the route page. See the route page →
Compare prices and book →Bergen, the same ship pushed further
Seventeen to eighteen hours, one sailing a day all year, 320 to 575 euros. It is the Stavanger ship carrying on: it calls there, then continues up to Bergen, where it docks in the early afternoon.
This is the line to take if the west is the real destination — Bergen, the Sognefjord, the Hardangerfjord. Six hours more at sea than Stavanger, but seven hours less driving once ashore.
Today's sailing times, the fare scale by vehicle length and frequently asked questions on the route page. See the route page →
Compare prices and book →How to choose, in practice
- Your destination decides, not the crossing time. Landing further north costs hours at sea and saves as many on the road. Count the whole journey, door to door, before comparing tickets.
- The two short crossings run by day, the two long ones overnight. A night on board replaces a hotel night: the price gap narrows as soon as you count it.
- Only summer offers the full choice. Kristiansand drops to one or two sailings a day in midwinter, and Larvik thins out. The two Fjord Line routes run all year.
- Two operators on Kristiansand, one everywhere else. It is the only route where competition works on the price — worth comparing both before booking.
Where to stay in Hirtshals before departure
Morning sailings go badly after eight hours of motorway. Two well-rated addresses by the harbour, minutes from the terminal — and the rest of the choice just below.
A guesthouse on the shore at Hirtshals, a hundred metres from the sand.
- Direct access to the beach and the trails
- Buffet breakfast included
- Limited choice at breakfast
The Hirtshals hotel closest to the quays, five hundred metres from the terminal.
- Heated indoor pool and sauna
- Buffet breakfast included · free parking
- Some rooms small for the price
What to do in Hirtshals
- The Nordsoen Oceanarium, the largest aquarium in northern Europe, built around a four-million-litre tank with a shoal of herring turning inside it. The fallback when the boat is six hours away and it is raining.
- The lighthouse and the dunes, twenty minutes' walk from the harbour: the sand advances a metre a year across the heath, and the view from the lighthouse gallery reaches out over the Skagerrak.
- The Atlantic Wall bunkers, scattered through the dunes around town — the Hirtshals museum occupies one of them, the others you simply walk to.
For every way of reaching Norway by sea, Scandinavian ferries included, the full article is on my blog: Taking the ferry to Norway: lines, prices, booking
