E8 through Finland and Norway

Understand

The route goes along the west coast of Finland, through the mostly flat Ostrobothnia and Western Oulu regions, by the Swedish border along the Torne river and its tributaries in Finnish Lapland, along the border through remote fell landscapes, through a mountain pass in Norway and then the last stretch along the Norwegian fjords to Tromsø, the capital of the county Troms. Although quite small, Tromsø is one of the most important Arctic cities. There are archipelagos all along the coast: the extensive Archipelago Sea in the south until Uusikaupunki, the UNESCO World Heritage Kvarken by Vaasa, and other islands nearly everywhere else. The sea and archipelagos have been important for the population along the coast, and you should probably make some sidetrips there, although the modern route mostly goes a little more inland. Some minor roads close to the coast are suggested in the itinerary (some more in the section By bike), but taking a boat tour farther out could certainly be worthwhile. Most of the coast is traditionally regarded part of Ostrobothnia, and there is one administrative region carrying the name Österbotten as such. It is a mostly Swedish-speaking area. All of Ostrobothnia is characterized by large plains traversed by rivers. By the coast there are large fields, while farther north large mires dominate. There is also widespread forest, as expected in Finland. The route along the coast has been historically important. Until the 1960s its roads' traditional form of navigation was on foot or by horse. As the route was straightened, stretches of the old route remain as local roads, which may be your best option if you travel by bike or otherwise want to explore the countryside. The first stretch of the old route is part of the historic Great Post Route (see King's Road) leading from Stockholm to Turku. Farther north it provided access by land when the sea was frozen (thus impassable for ships), possibly extended all the way around the Gulf of Bothnia already in medieval times; drivable by carriage to Korsholm (Vaasa) by the 1550s; and to Tornio by the 1750s. It worked as postal route all the way from Stockholm from 1644. It is marketed as the tourist rou

Prepare

The road goes mostly through countryside, but until Muonio in the Torne/Muonionjoki river valley, there are towns and villages not too far apart, including the main cities of the west coast of Finland. After that however, you drive through Arctic wilderness, with the few "major" villages having just over a hundred inhabitants, until you reach the fjords. The mountain pass in Norway after Kilpisjärvi has traffic restrictions in winter, so that you may have to wait for a snow plow and drive in the line after it. Make sure you check advice for winter driving and cold weather if driving through the remote areas any time but July–August. Temperatures are severe only in winter, but occasional snowfall and freezing nights are possible all year along the highest stretch. Check weather forecasts. Also make sure you have enough fuel, and anything you need in case of having to wait for help after a breakdown. You might want to hike up a fell or even make an overnight hike to a wilderness hut. To find your way back through the fell birch forest a compass may be needed (and a large-scale topographic map is useful for finding a good route). For the open wilderness huts you need own hiking mattresses, sleeping bags, matches, cutlery, toilet paper etc. – and anything that may be needed in foul weather above the treeline, if that's where you venture (see Hiking in the Nordic countries). For other cabins own linen may be needed, and will save some euros otherwise. Binoculars can be useful for bird watching and for views from lookout towers and fells. Mosquitoes are common in the Finnish countryside, and some parts of this itinerary experience hordes of them from sometime in June through July (and significant numbers are left in August). They carry no diseases, but their bites are itchy and trying to avoid them can spoil your experience. Have suitable clothes and insect repellent. Finland and Norway are both part of the Schengen Area and the Nordic passport union (as is Sweden, for sidetrips), so border control formalities are next to non-extant. Norway is not in the EU, so you should still declare some items, and pets need some documents and treatments, which you should take care

Get in

Turku is quite well-connected. The most common option is to take a ferry from Sweden. Air connections are somewhat sparse, but the well connected Helsinki Airport is a 2½-hr drive away. There is another ferry halfway up the Finnish coast, to Vaasa, and in the Tornio/Muonionjoki river valley there are several border crossings from Sweden (except at Tornio these are from very sparsely inhabited areas). The last border crossing is between Karesuvanto and Karesuando, the latter the northernmost village of any size in Sweden. There are connecting roads from the east all along the road. Between Oulu and Kemi it shares tarmac with E 75. Cars can be taken to Oulu or Kolari on some trains from Helsinki. The main railroad to the north follows the coast between Kokkola and Kemi and a branch continues to Kolari. While there is no railroad along the southern part of the coast, most of the bigger towns have rail connections inland. At the northern end the tarmac is shared with E6, the main road of Norway ("Eseksen"), between Skibotn and Nordkjosbotn 80 km from Tromsø. Tromsø has an airport, which is the hub for air transport in Northern Norway, with daily connections from Oslo and some international flights. Tromsø is also on the Hurtigruten ferry line along the Norwegian coast. For dramatic effect, the route is best taken from south to north, with the landscapes becoming increasingly exotic for people from southern more densely populated regions. This direction mostly avoids having the sun in your eyes while driving.

Drive

Turku to Pori The route starts in 1 Turku with Koulukatu in the west part of the centre leading under the railway, to north-west by Naantalin pikatie. It soon forks away from the Naantali road as Rauman valtatie leading by Raisio toward Rauma, Pori and Vaasa. You could also take the older route: start from the cathedral, drive Aninkaistenkatu by the bus station, continue by Satakunnantie to Raisio and take the E8 motorway from there. After leaving Turku and Raisio the landscape is rural, with forest and flat fields. 20 km of the first stretch is motorway. In Nousiainen it becomes two-lane. Until Liminka near Oulu 500 km farther, E8 is also known as National Road 8, colloquially Kasitie/Riksåttan. The medieval 1 Nousiainen Church is at the location of the first bishop seat of Finland, moved to Turku in 1229 or 1249. It is part of the pilgrimage route from the place where Henrik – Finland's regarded patron saint and first bishop – was murdered according to legend, to the cathedral in Turku.

You now enter the Vakka-Suomi region. Some distance from Turku, in 2 Mynämäki, is the old crossroads of the Great Post Route (see King's Road) leading from Stockholm to Turku over the Sea of Åland and via Åland, the archipelago, Kustavi and Mynämäki. The last town in Finland Proper is 3 Laitila, with a crossroads to Kalanti and 1 Uusikaupunki, the latter with cruises to the 2 Bothnian Sea National Park.

Soon after the regional border to Satakunta, the road passes 4 Rauma. It is an old port city, and its wooden old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Rauma is also known to Finns for its peculiar dialect, with lots of Swedish loans. It was one of the first Finnish dialects to have its own literature, thanks to Hj. Nortamo, who wrote several books in this tongue around 1900. There are cruises to the lighthouse islands of Kylmäpihlaja and Kuuskajaskari in the Bothnian Sea National Park. About 20 km inland from Rauma (still administratively part of Rauma) is the village of Lappi with another world heritage site, the bronze age burial site 2 Sammalla