Blue Highway
Photo: Pets & Paintings from Norway, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Blue Highway (Norwegian: Blå vegen, Swedish: Blå vägen, Finnish: Sininen tie, Russian: Голубая дорога) is a route in Northern Europe, stretching from Mo i Rana on the Atlantic coast through Norway, Sweden and Finland to Pudozh in Russia, across Lake Onega from Petrozavodsk. It follows ancient waterways from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Onega, hence the name "Blue Highway". Among the lakes you'll see are the largest and second largest lakes of Europe.
UnderstandThe route is about 1,800 km long and probably best experienced by car or motorcycle. Much of the route is through sparsely populated countryside or wilderness, with great opportunities for outdoor life.
Prepareg. carnet de passage). Citizens of most countries need a visa to Russia, and citizens of most non-western countries need one for the Schengen area, which includes Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Get inMo i Rana is at the highway E6 coming in from the Swedish west coast via Oslo and continuing through the country to the Russian border at Kirkenes in the far north-east.
Drive7-km Umskard tunnel. After the tunnel is Umbukta fjellstue, which could make a good base for the last chance to experience the Norwegian fells. The area is popular for hiking.
Stay safeTraffic is light to moderate along this itinerary, and traffic jams and the like aren't an issue at all. Wildlife accidents, on the other hand, are certainly common.
Go nextIf you've ended your trip at the eastern end of the itinerary, you can for instance head southwest to Saint Petersburg, southeast to Moscow and the cities along the Golden Ring or north to Murmansk or Arkhangelsk.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Blue Highway" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Pets & Paintings from Norway, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons