E69 road in Norway- can I drive it in a small car in September?

Question

I'd like to drive up the E69 road in Norway to Nordkapp, around mid-September.

According to Wikipedia parts of it close in the Winter- does anyone know what dates this means? Will I still be able to drive it?

I'm hiring a fairly small 1.6litre Nissan. Is that going to be safe enough?

And finally, the toll on the tunnel to Magerøy Island, on that road, can anybody tell me what the charge is for a small car like that?

Thanks in advance for any answers

Answer 1

I haven't found anything that indicates the road closures, though in September, I don't think you'd have too much of a problem, since it's generally still above freezing.  You might try contacting the regional tourism office to get details of the closure schedule:

http://www1.visitnorway.com/templates/NT...

As for the tunnel to Magerøy, as of early 2008, the toll was 145 NOK for a basic sedan and driver (plus 47/24 NOK for each adult/child passenger).  The same toll applies again when leaving the island.

Note also that if you plan to head all the way up to the northern tip at Nordkapp, there's a park entrance fee of 195 NOK per adult (less for children, students).

Answer 2

The last part of the road is closed in the winter. Norwegian wikipedia says normally between October and April, but www.nordkapp.no says from November 1st.

Mid September should not be a problem, especially when this summer have been warmer than normal. As Nordkapp is surrounded by water, this means normally a later onset of the winter. However, weather can change suddenly in these regions.

The size of the car is no problem, I havea similar sized car myself, and would not hesitate to use it there (or elsewhere in Norway).

The only possible problem is a certain risk for snow. In that case you will need winter tires. With ordinary summer tires and snow you must be veeeery careful. You will probably get the advice from those who give you the car, who will be concerned if weather forecast warns for snow. However, in mid September you should not expect snow to last long, and as it is an important road for tourism you should expect road authorities to add salt quickly to remove the snow.

The toll charges given is the other answer seems likely to me. Those roads were expensive to build - more than planned - and as tourist roads they are to be paid by the tourists. That's how it works in a large country with expensive road building and a limited number of people. OK, we have oil, but we also have politicians...