Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From Kristiansand by Train to: Stavanger
(4-7/day, 3.5 hours),
Oslo
(4/
day, 4.5 hours).
By Boat to Hirtshals, Denmark:
For details on this boat, see the “Sailing
Between Norway and Denmark” sidebar.
Route Tips for Drivers
Bergen to Kristiansand via the Setesdal Valley (10 hours):
Your first key
connection is the Kvanndal-Utne ferry (departures hourly 6:00-23:00, fewer
on weekends, reservations not possible or even necessary if you get there 20
minutesearly,breakfastincafeteria,
www.tide.no
).Ifyoumakethe9:00,your
day will be more relaxed. Driving comfortably, with no mistakes or traffic,
it's two hours from your Bergen hotel to the ferry dock. Leaving Bergen is a
bit confusing. Pretend you're going to Oslo on the road to Voss (Route E-16,
signs for
Nestune, Landås, Nattland
). About a half-hour out of town, after a
long tunnel, leave the Voss road and take Route 7 heading for Norheimsund,
and then Kvanndal. This road, treacherous for the famed beauty of the Hard-
anger Fjord it hugs as well as for its skinniness, is faster and safer if you beat
the traffic (which you will with this plan).
The ferry drops you in Utne, where a lovely road takes you to Odda and up
into the mountains. From Haukeligrend, turn south and wind up to Sessvatn at
3,000 feet. Enter the Setesdal Valley. Follow the Otra River downhill for 140
miles south to the major port town of Kristiansand. Skip the secondary routes.
South of Valle, you'll have to pass a 30-kr tollbooth. The most scenic stretch
is between Hovden and Valle. South of Valle, there is a lot more logging (and
therefore less scenic). As you enter Kristiansand, pay a 21-kr toll and follow
signs for Denmark.
