E18

Understand

The E18 is the main east-west route in southern Norway and central Sweden; about 1000 km of the E18 run through the two countries. The route connects Oslo and Stockholm, and is the main east-west road through Oslo. Likewise, the E18 is the main road of Finland's southern coast (which historically was the richest part of the country), and is a main route from Saint Petersburg to the West. The road's route through the UK crosses Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and northern England. A ferry crossing is made between Larne (NI) and Cairnryan (Scot.). The E18 is not signed as such anywhere in the UK, and there is no direct ferry connection from Great Britain to Norway. An overland purist would have to make a long detour via the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and southern Sweden; alternatively, you could fly from Edinburgh to Oslo.

Prepare

While the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden and Finland all belong to the Schengen Area and thus a visa for one country is good for all, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Russia are not part of it, and separate visas are required. The UK, Norway and Russia are not part of the European Union (and Åland not of its tax union), so there are customs borders between those and their neighbours. The customs arrangements between Ireland and the UK are peculiar, because of Ireland's EU membership and the complex relationships between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and between NI and Great Britain. There are no customs checks on the roads from the Republic into NI, nor on the ferry crossing from NI to Scotland. However, if you have anything to declare, you should still do so online. See the UK Government website for more information on what you must declare and how to do so. Just to complicate matters further, there are physical customs inspections on ferry traffic crossing from Scotland to Northern Ireland. There are no ferries along the official E18 route across the North Sea, so you must find an alternative route. There are ferries from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to IJmuiden, near Amsterdam. From here, you can drive to Sweden through the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, all of which are part of Schengen and the EU. The border between Norway and Sweden is also odd, as there is a customs border, but mostly no checks. If you have goods to declare, you must take action yourself to visit the customs. The same applies to Åland. The relations between Russia and the rest of the countries on the itinerary are hostile, so check the current situation regarding visas and border crossing. If you have a pet, check requirements. Ireland, the UK, Norway, Finland and Sweden are strict on certain treatments (but requirements may not be the same across them). Money-wise, Ireland and Finland use the euro, otherwise the countries (including Denmark) have their own currencies. However, until the Russian border, you will mostly be able to pay any expenses with your credit card. In Sweden you may even have difficulties spending any cash. Russia, on the other hand, is closed out from mo

Get in

See Northern Ireland for the western end and Saint Petersburg for the eastern one. For joining the route halfway, Norway and Sweden are well connected to Denmark, while the Stockholm region (Nynäshamn and Stockholm), as well as Helsinki, have some ferries across the Baltic Sea.

Drive

British Isles

In the United Kingdom, E-route numbers don't appear on road signage or on most maps, so you will need to follow local route numbers. The route starts in Craigavon ​​in Northern Ireland. Craigavon is between Portadown and Lurgan, just south of the island's largest lake, Lough Neagh. It runs along the M1 motorway via Lisburn to Belfast. It continues along the M2, forks off by the A8 (M) and follows the A8 to the port of Larne. P&O Ferries operate across the North Channel from Larne to Cairnryan on the Scottish side, and the E18 follows suit. For a non-P&O alternative, Stena Line operate a competing route to Cairnryan from Belfast. Once cleared of the port in Cairnryan, take the A77 south a few miles to Stranraer. From here, the E18 follows the A75 to Newton Stewart, passes north of Kirkcudbright and continues via Castle Douglas to Dumfries. Still along the A75, the route goes via Annan to Gretna, where it leaves Scotland for Cumbria in England. In England, the route first follows the M6 to Carlisle. From there, it runs along the A69 via Brampton, Haltwhistle, Hexham and Corbridge to Newcastle-upon-Tyne on the east coast of North East England. At Haltwhistle, Hadrian's Wall, as well as Northumberland National Park, are only a few miles away. Housesteads Roman Fort, 7 miles (11 km) east of Haltwhistle, is the most complete Roman fort in Britain. Also, the old Roman road known as the Stanegate passes near the town. As there are no ferries from the UK to the Nordic Countries, you will have to deviate from the official route here. DFDS operate ferries from North Shields, near Newcastle, across the North Sea to IJmuiden on the outskirts of Amsterdam. The drive from here to meet up with the E18 at Örebro will add around 1,500 km (930 mi) to your journey; more if you plan to 'backtrack' to Kristiansand. If this all sounds like too much hassle, and you don't need to take your car with you, Norwegian Air Shuttle flies daily year-round between Edinburgh and Oslo Gardermoen.

Scandinavia The E18 picks up in Norway from Kristiansand via Arendal, Porsgrunn, Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg, Horten, Drammen and Oslo (the capital of Norway) to Ørje on the Swedish

Stay safe

There are no major dangers along the route, although you should respect the elk and deer warnings. From October to April you should check weather forecasts and be prepared for winter driving if there may be frost in the night or snow on the road. While you don't want to drive in a wintry blizzard, the biggest risk is black ice: an invisible very slippery ice cover on the road.

Go next

Other European routes in the Nordic countries European route E4 Spans 1,590 kilometres between Haparanda in the north and Helsingborg in the south. European route E6 shares as bit of road with the E45 near Gothenburg. The route runs all the way from Trelleborg to Kirkenes in the far north-east of Norway, close to Russia. The road is very scenic, running through fjords and mountains, and for 1,000 km in the Arctic. E69 is a spur from E6, reaching the northernmost point of the European road network. European route E8 from Turku in south-western Finland to Tromsø in Norway, along the Finnish west coast and by the rivers at the border to Sweden. European route E10 meets the E45 in Gällivare, Sweden, from which it connects to Luleå and Å in Norway. European route E12 from Mo i Rana in Norway to Helsinki in Finland, with a ferry over the Gulf of Bothnia, in Norway and Sweden following the Blue Highway. European route E14 connects Trondheim with Sundsvall, and as such its length of 449 km is entirely in Scandinavia. European route E16 , like some other E-routes listed below starts in the British Isles and officially crosses the North Sea by boat to Bergen, albeit as of 2020 there are no ferries plying the routes of such E-roads (ie. between a pair of ends of the roads). From Bergen it makes up the main road to Oslo, then it goes north a bit, crosses into Sweden and ends in Gävle. European route E20 comes in from the UK to Esbjerg, and the Scandinavian section crosses Denmark west to east, then crosses Öresund bridge from Copenhagen to Malmö. Then E20 connects Sweden's three biggest cities, going up to Gothenburg (together with E6), then to Stockholm before crossing by ferry to Tallinn. European route E22 is one of the longest European routes going from the UK deep into Asian Russia. The Scandinavian section goes from Trelleborg along Sweden's southern and eastern coasts to Norrköping where it's supposed to cross the Baltic Sea to Ventspils, Latvia (no ferry for this exact leg either). European route E39 stretches from Nørresundby in Denmark to Trøndelag in Norway and like