How many gas bottles am I allowed to carry on the ferry?

The rule of thumb on virtually every North Sea, Channel and Irish Sea route is: a maximum of 3 bottles with a combined weight of up to 47 kg. That is literally how Stena Line, Brittany Ferries, DFDS, Irish Ferries and Smyril Line word it. P&O Ferries differs: on the North Sea and Channel routes only the 47 kg of gas per vehicle limit applies, but on the Irish Sea routes it is a maximum of 3 bottles of no more than 11.2 kg each. LeShuttle (Eurotunnel) applies 47 kg per bottle or tank, which must also be filled to less than 80%. Two standard 11 kg bottles therefore stay comfortably within the margin everywhere.

Does the gas valve have to be shut off during the crossing?

Yes, without exception. Every ferry operator requires the main valve of your gas system to be closed the moment you drive onto the ship, and to stay closed until you drive off. Color Line checks this as you board, TT-Line explicitly prohibits the use of a gas fridge on board, and Smyril Line requires all gas appliances to be switched off and the bottles to stay in the vehicle. So switch your fridge over to 12V in good time, or accept that it will be off for a few hours: a properly pre-cooled fridge will handle a crossing of 6 to 8 hours without any trouble.

Can I travel with an LPG system or a fixed gas tank?

Draw a distinction between gas as a fuel and gas for cooking and heating. LeShuttle (Eurotunnel) carries no vehicle that runs on LPG, not even as a second fuel; other dual-fuel combinations such as petrol-electric are fine. On the ferry it is different: Irish Ferries and Brittany Ferries carry LPG, LNG and CNG-powered vehicles without any fuss, provided it is a factory-fitted system and the valve is shut off. A refillable gas tank or refillable bottle (Gaslow, Alugas, Safefill) counts as domestic gas and may also go through the tunnel: up to 47 kg, filled to less than 80%, and you must be able to demonstrate that at the gas check.

Can my dog stay in the motorhome during the crossing?

That varies by ferry operator and route, and it is the single biggest pitfall. On the short Channel crossings it is allowed: P&O and DFDS Calais/Dunkirk-Dover (around 15 to 19 euros per animal), Stena Line Hook of Holland-Harwich (around 19 euros) and Color Line Denmark-Norway (9 euros). It is explicitly not allowed on DFDS IJmuiden-Newcastle, Brittany Ferries to Spain, TT-Line, Finnlines, Smyril Line and Go Nordic Cruiseline: there the vehicle deck is locked and your dog has to go into a kennel on board or a pet-friendly cabin. In the Eurotunnel your dog simply stays with you in the motorhome, which is what makes that route so popular with dog owners (around 25 euros per animal).

How do I book a pet-friendly cabin, and why do they sell out so fast?

Ships only have a handful of them: Irish Ferries has 5 pet-friendly cabins on the James Joyce (Dublin-Holyhead), P&O has 6 dog cabins per ship on Hull-Rotterdam, and Brittany Ferries has a limited number on the Spain ships Galicia, Salamanca and Santona. You select them while booking, but for DFDS IJmuiden-Newcastle you even have to phone. For summer sailings and the Spain and Ireland routes they are often gone months in advance, so book the cabin before you plan the rest of your trip. Budget around 35 to 50 euros or pounds per animal each way, on top of the cabin fare.

What paperwork and treatments does my dog need for England and Ireland?

Your dog must be microchipped before the rabies vaccination, and you may only travel 21 full days after that vaccination. On top of that, a tapeworm treatment (echinococcus) administered by a vet is compulsory: a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 120 hours (5 days) before arrival in Great Britain, and the same requirement applies to Ireland. The vet has to sign that off in your EU pet passport, which is accepted without question on entry to the UK. Schedule that worming treatment tightly into your itinerary: too early is just as wrong as too late, and the ferry operator is entitled to refuse your dog at check-in.

Scandinavia, Baltic & Iceland

Kiel – Oslo

Kiel (Norwegenkai) (DE) → Oslo (Hjortnes) (NO)

Year-round

Key facts

Ferry operators

Color Line (Color Fantasy / Color Magic)

Crossing time

20 hrs

Frequency

daily at 14:00, arrival 10:00 the next morning

Season

year-round

Price indication

€450–900 one-way high season motorhome ≤7 m + 2 people incl. mandatory cabin (market spread €452–1,680) (indication)

Pets

in your own vehicle (€58) or a cage on the vehicle deck (€68, max 10 dogs); visiting times 17:00/20:30/07:15; NOT in the cabin

Saves ±1,080 driving kilometres

Via the ferry: 20 hrs; €450–900 one-way high season motorhome ≤7 m + 2 people incl. mandatory cabin (market spread €452–1,680) (indication)
Overland: 11½ hrs; ±1,080 km

Overland alternative: via Jutland–Storebælt–Øresund–Gothenburg (±1,080 km; tolls motorhome ≤3.5 t ±€42 Storebælt + ±€125 Øresund; car ±€93 total)

Saves ±1,080 km and 2 tank fills; a cruise ferry with mandatory cabin makes it pricier but more comfortable than driving + hotel

Ferry or drive on? Do the maths

Departure port & check-in

With a vehicle you have to be there no later than 120 min before departure; without one, 60 min. That is one of the longest check-in times on the Baltic and it follows from the size of the ships (Color Fantasy and Color Magic, 224 m, 15 decks, 550-750 cars plus 1,270 linear metres of trailer space). When booking, give both length and height including roof load and trailer - the number of places for long and high vehicles is limited, so book in winter for the summer.

Facilities at the terminal

Fresh water

Water for a fee at Parking Ostuferhafen.
Chemical toilet

Free cassette and grey water disposal at Parking Ostuferhafen.
Showers

No showers on the site; there are showers in your cabin on board.
Fuel

Fill right up in Germany: fuel in Norway is considerably dearer.
Gas & LPG

Not known
Groceries

Supermarkets in Kiel; stock up well for Norway.

Where to spend the night before departure

Parking Ostuferhafen, Ostuferhafen 1, 24149 Kiel
Car park

Distance to terminal

±8 km

Price per night

free

Overnight stays allowed

Free overnight stays on a spacious site that takes motorhomes up to 12 metres, with free waste water and cassette disposal and water for a fee. The drawbacks travellers mention: it is effectively a large lorry park ±7 km from the centre, with truck refrigeration units running through the night and an industrial setting (2.83/5). Functional, not pretty. It sits on the eastern shore while the Norwegenkai is on the west side - expect a detour.

Practical tip

Sleeping in the motorhome on the vehicle deck is prohibited and a cabin is compulsory (included in the price). Turn off the gas, fold in the mirrors, apply the handbrake firmly and switch off the vehicle alarm, because animals are carried. The vehicle deck is closed during the crossing. Book the cabin early - the quality gap between inside and outside cabins matters on a crossing of about 20 hrs.

Arrival & first stop

First motorhome stop after arrival

Color Line Terminal Hjortnes multi-storey car park
Car park

Distance to terminal

±0 km

Price per night

NOK 495 for two days (long stay), opening hours Mon-Sun 11:00-13:50

Overnight: check in advance

Intended for people leaving their vehicle behind; there are also reserved short-stay bays on the quay and disabled bays.
Topcamp Ekeberg (Ekeberg Camping), Oslo
Campsite

Distance to terminal

±7 km

Price per night

Not known

Overnight: check in advance

Oslo's best-known campsite, with pitches for motorhomes, caravans and tents and a view over the city; reachable on bus 34 from the centre.
Oslo's motorhome car parks (overview via VisitOslo)
Motorhome aire

Distance to terminal

Not known

Price per night

Not known

Overnight: check in advance

Oslo has a few official motorhome car parks and VisitOslo keeps the current list. There is no motorhome aire close to Hjortnes itself.

Fuel, gas & LPG

LPG is virtually absent in Norway; fill up with diesel or petrol in Germany if you can, and take enough gas bottles with you.

Watch out on arrival

The ship docks at 10:00 and you are called to the vehicle deck around 09:00 - go at once, because the stairways fill up afterwards. Straight from Hjortnes you drive into the Oslo toll ring: register your number plate before or immediately on arrival, because without registration processing takes two to six months and extra costs are added. There are no barriers or payment points; everything runs on the number plate. Routes from Hjortnes: south and west (Drammen, the fjords) straight onto the E18; north (Lillehammer, Trondheim) via the E18 past the centre and then the Festningstunnel to the E6; east (Sweden) the E6.

Practical tip

The terminal has luggage lockers (NOK 20-40) and a café with snacks and coffee during sailing times. Tram 13 stops ±10 min walk away. The return leaves Oslo at 14:00 and check-in closes 2 hrs before departure.

Border, documents & rules

Norwegian import quotas apply in full: for stays longer than 24 hrs, goods up to 6,000 NOK duty-free, for shorter stays 3,000 NOK with no alcohol or tobacco; alcohol according to one chosen combination, and 10 kilos of meat and cheese at most. Entry into Norway and Denmark requires a valid identity card or passport. Customs checks on disembarking in Oslo happen regularly.

Motorhome tips

Cabin mandatory (in the fare); tall/long vehicles: limited number of spaces, book months ahead for July/Aug; the gas supply must be closed and is checked; state exact length/height incl. bike carrier

Frequently asked questions

Sources:colorline.com colorline.de campercontact.com kieloslo.nl colorline.nl colorline.no

Kiel – Oslo

20 hrs€450–900 one-way high season motorhome ≤7 m + 2 people incl. mandatory cabin (market spread €452–1,680) (indication)

Kiel – Oslo

Key facts

Departure port & check-in

Facilities at the terminal

Where to spend the night before departure

Parking Ostuferhafen, Ostuferhafen 1, 24149 Kiel

Arrival & first stop

First motorhome stop after arrival

Color Line Terminal Hjortnes multi-storey car park

Topcamp Ekeberg (Ekeberg Camping), Oslo

Oslo's motorhome car parks (overview via VisitOslo)

Border, documents & rules

Motorhome tips

Frequently asked questions

How many gas bottles am I allowed to carry on the ferry?

Does the gas valve have to be shut off during the crossing?

Can I travel with an LPG system or a fixed gas tank?

Can my dog stay in the motorhome during the crossing?

How do I book a pet-friendly cabin, and why do they sell out so fast?

What paperwork and treatments does my dog need for England and Ireland?

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