One of the reasons we first started thinking about opening a motorcycle rental in Norway was simple: Norway is far. From most European countries, getting to Norway means endless hours — even days — of highway riding. And by the time you get North, you’re often too worn out to properly enjoy riding in Norway.
We knew flying to Norway would be easier, but we wanted to test the two options ourselves.
So we packed our gear, hopped on our own bikes, and rode 1,500 kilometers north to Oslo… in just two days. Then we tried flying.
Day One: The Plan Falls Apart
The plan was solid: ride from Prague to Kiel, take the ferry from Kiel to Gothenburg, which we had booked months in advance to secure a cabin and a good night’s sleep. Then, from Gothenburg, it would be just a short, relaxed ride to Oslo the next day.
We woke up early, fully prepared, bikes packed, breakfast and coffee ready and the feeling of adventure sky rocket high. We set off excitedly from Prague, hit the road with the music in our ears, heading towards Germany borders. The scenery was beautiful — though it took us nearly two hours to realize why the roads were so quiet. Not many cars drove by and we could enjoy the ride just the way we anticipated.
Soon after crossing the borders we found out we set up “Avoid Motorways” in Google Maps, which we couldn’t afford, as we had a ferry to catch in Kiel that same day, which was 750 km away. This correction made a drastic change to our trip.
The morning highway rush was getting busier and busier with every minute. The closer we got to the big cities, the more our ETA to Kiel kept creeping up. We anticipated this could happen and therefore we made sure we had enough spare time.
After five hours in the saddle, our bodies started to ache, sore backs, a headache and the traffic was only getting worse.
We hit Hamburg’s heavy traffic right before the border city and came to a full stop. And here’s the thing: lane splitting is illegal in Germany. So on a hot spring day, stuck in traffic in full gear, we were no better off than the cars — just sweatier and more miserable.
Making just a very little progress we knew this was not looking great. The ETA to the ferry would be exactly when the check-in was opening, we knew we had to do something. The thinking was simple, we either improvise or we won’t make it. With 90 km to go, we detoured into the city center to try to avoid the road blocks, construction and an accident on the highway.
We were not the first ones to think of this, and we got stuck in Hamburg. We missed the ferry.
In a scramble to save the trip, we rerouted 150 kilometers to Rostock to try and catch a different ferry heading to southern Sweden. We only had 10 minutes left to buy tickets by the time we arrived. That meant paying for ferry service twice — and this second one didn’t have cabins. We ended up sleeping on the floor in the ferry lobby, surrounded by the hum of vending machines and fluorescent lights after 15 hours on the road.
So instead of waking up in Gothenburg and cruising into Oslo, we woke up tired and sore, with the entire length of southern Sweden still ahead of us.
Day Two: Wind, Fatigue, and a Lot More Kilometers
We got back on the bikes, trying to shake off the exhaustion and salvage what we could of the journey. But southern Sweden had other plans.
We spent nearly the whole day battling strong, relentless side winds on the highway. Keeping the bikes steady took everything we had — physically and mentally. It was loud, stressful, and completely draining.
What was supposed to be a smooth half-day cruise turned into 12 hours of gritted teeth and tense shoulders.
We had to pace ourselves, stopping every hour and a half to rest — otherwise, we’d run out of energy completely.
Hours were passing by slowly and then the final thing keeping us going gave out: the intercoms. The plan was to charge everything in the cabins of our ferry, but as we couldn’t, we had to power through.
By the time we finally rolled into Oslo, we didn’t feel accomplished. We felt done.
The Flight
A few days later, we decided to test the plane option.
No long ride. No route planning. Just a quick booking, two carry-ons, and our helmets packed full of the smaller stuff — gloves, balaclavas, odds and ends. We carried them like an extra bag, biker-style.
No gearing up. No weather check. No aching backs or stiff necks from the day before. Just a smooth walk through the airport, a bit of people-watching at the gate, and then — takeoff.
Four hours door to door.
Two hours in the air.
No traffic. No delays. No ferry schedules or surprise detours.
It felt… easy. Effortless. Honestly? A little luxurious.
And as we landed, the difference hit us hard: this was just smarter.
No stress.
No ferry-floor naps.
No side winds draining every ounce of focus.
No traffic jams.
Just a smooth ride that left us with more energy — and more appreciation — for the roads that really matter.
Because if you’re going to ride in Norway, we realized, you should save your energy for Norway.
Our Conclusion
Riding up makes sense if:
- You’ve got lots of time — ideally weeks or even a month
- You want the entire journey to be part of the adventure
- You’re taking scenic routes and avoiding highways
- You have only a few days or weeks and want to spend them touring Norway
- You live further away (especially outside Europe)
- You want to spend your energy riding in Norway, not getting to it
And honestly? Every extra day spent exploring Norway is worth more than the days spent getting here.
Final Thoughts
This little test showed us just how much your journey to Norway can affect the ride itself. We knew flying would be easier, but we didn’t realize the difference would be this drastic — not just in time saved, but in how we felt when we arrived. Riding up was exhausting, draining us before we even reached the roads we came for. Flying, on the other hand, meant landing refreshed, excited, and ready to fully enjoy what Norway has to offer. That’s the real value: showing up with energy for the experience, not wasting it on the way there. Unless you’re Ewan and Charley doing a Long Way adventure with months to spare, the smarter move is to save your strength for what really matters.
And that’s exactly why we started Nordic Riders — to help riders skip the slog and dive straight into the adventure.
Take Care Until The Next Time,
Your Nordic Riders
