Drive it Yourself: Oslo to Kristiansand on the E18
Drive from Oslo to Kristiansand on the E18! The E18 is a major highway running through Scandinavia. Starting over in St. Petersburg, the highway travels across Finland and via ferry to Stockholm, where it can then be followed all the way to Kristiansand. There used to be a ferry across to England, which is where the E18 continues over to Ireland, however the ferry is no longer operating. Still, it is an interesting highway to follow.
This guide follows the stretch from Oslo to Kristiansand. Along the way, you pass a number of interesting historic port communities, and many are worth spending time in. The drive from Oslo to Kristiansand isn’t long – only 4 hours – but allow an extra day or two so you can enjoy all the stops along the way.
In this article...
Download this Guide
All of our guides can be downloaded via our online store.
We offer downloadable versions of our self-guided drives on our online store.
Online Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the neighbourhood
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Information about facilities along the way
Downloadable Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the region & towns
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Facilities including supermarkets, toilets, petrol, hotels, cafes, restaurants with addresses.
Oslo to Kristiansand on the E18
Oslo
This drive begins in Oslo, Norway’s capital city. You can find a detailed overview of Oslo via our dedicated travel guide page.
Oslo's Neighbourhoods
Neighbourhoods
As you drive out of Oslo you will pass the affluent neighbourhoods of Sandvika and Asker.
Lier Municipality
Lier municipality is known for its agriculture, and is regularly nicknamed the strawberry municipality, or the apple and vegetable municipality. It has also been nicknamed ‘the green lung between Oslo and Drammen’.
Lierskogen
Village
This is the easternmost part of the Lier municipality. Lierskogen is an active agricultural village with the production of milk, meat and sheep farming.
Drammen Municipality
Drammen municipality is the first municipality you’ll pass through. It is named after Drammen, the city and centre of the municipality.
Drammen is located where the Drammen River flows into the fjord. The river has been important for timber trade for hundreds of years, and thanks to this Drammen developed into one of Eastern Norway’s most important maritime and trading towns.
During the Viking Age, the area was called Dramm, a Norse word that can mean ‘waves’. In the Norse sagas, it is written that Olav the Holy (St. Olav) hid from Knut the Mighty in the Dramm fjord. Oslo’s Saint Hallvard is also from Drammen – he was killed and sunk in the Drammensfjord in 1043.
Drammen
Drammen is today the fifth largest city in Norway, with a population of 111,000. It is also one of the fasted growing urban regions in the country. Despite this rapid modern growth, Drammen does have some interesting places to visit, as well as an interesting history. Read about Drammen on our dedicated travel guide page.
Vestfold og Telemark County
You now cross into Vestfold and Telemark County. The two used to be two individual counties, but in 2020 they were merged under a government restructure. However, they are planning to separate again. So, you are technically just in Vestfold County!
Holmestrand Municipality
The area around Holmestrand has long been connected to timber trade and the construction of sailing ships. The Dutch first came to the area to trade timber in 1550, and Holmestrand grew quickly. You can visit the historic pier in the town centre.
Today Holmestrand is regarded as a popular holiday destination due to its proximity to some nice beaches. The first spa was built here in 1840.
Holmestrand town has a population of 8,000 people.
Detour: Tønsberg
Tønsberg is a short detour off the E18 but is well worth it – it is regarded as Norway’s oldest town and was founded before the year 871. It was an important centre during the Viking Age. Some sites survive from old times, and there’s a great museum in town.
Sandefjord Municipality
Sandefjord is known for its rich Viking history and is where one of the Viking ships at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo were found – the Gokstad Ship. However, Sandefjord also developed as an important whaling centre and now has Europe’s only museum dedicated to whaling.
Today Sandefjord municipality is a popular summer destination for Norwegians and there are ferries linking the municipality to Germany and Denmark.
Sandefjord
Sandefjord is worth spending some time in – the museums are wonderful and the town itself is charming. Learn about Sandefjord via our dedicated travel guide below.
Larvik Municipality
Larvik municipality has a population of around 48,000 and like the other communities we have passed through, is today known as a popular summer spot for Norwegians.
Larvik does have an interesting history, too. Remains from the Stone Age have been found here and during the Roman Iron Age, ancient peoples erected a stone monument resembling a ship at Istrehågen, and this is today regarded as one of Norway’s greatest remains from prehistoric times.
Larvik was a Danish county until 1817. The rest of Norway had come under Danish rule, and four local businessmen bought the county in 1817, making it part of Norway.
The highway passes by the town of Larvik.
Porsgrunn Municipality
Porsgrunn was first mentioned in historic documents in 1576, but has been a place long before then. The area became an important harbour town in the late 16th century, and Porsgrunn was the home of some of Norway’s most influential families. For a while, Porsgrunn was considered the cultural centre of Norway.
The processing industry is the biggest industry in the municipality, and Yara – one of the world’s largest mineral fertiliser factories – is located here.
Porsgrunn
Porsgrunn is a town with a population of 35,000 and is the outlet of the Telemark Canal, so makes for a nice place to visit.
Kragerø
Village
Kragerø is a worthwhile detour – it was referred to as ‘the pearl among coastal towns’ by Edvard Grieg, after all. At one point, it was one of Norway’s largest shipping towns. The village today is spread over both sides of the Bysundet strait and is a charming place to stop at.
Agder County
Agder country stretches across the southern part of Norway. It is also commonly referred to as Sørlandet, or “the South”.
Agder was one of the petty kingdoms during the Viking Age, and the place is mentioned in teh Old Norse sagas.
Gjerstad Municipality
The municipality of Gjerstad has been inhabited since the Stone Age, and the place was important during the Viking Age. Agriculture has been important here for centuries, and timber also provided a good income for many people.
Risør Municipality
Risør municipality is primarily a tourist municipality thanks to the lakes, hills and coastline.
In the first week of August, there is a wooden boat festival and the municipality has a growing reputation as the regional capital of arts and crafts.
The village of Risør has existed for a long time, and the Dutch began coming in the 16th century to trade timber. The village has a Baroque Church from 1647.
Sadly the whole town was destroyed by fire in 1861 and has been completely reconstructed since then.
You do not pass through Risør; rather, it is a short detour off the E18 highway.
After passing through the village of Akland, you will go through the Sørlands Portal – a tunnel marking the beginning of Southern Norway.
Tvedestrand Municipality
Tvedestrand municipality is a historic municipality with the centre being the village of Tvedestrand. One of the oldest buildings in the municipality is Holt Church, which dates from the 12th century and has an ancient baptismal font.
Tvedestrand
Village
Tvedestrand town is only a short detour off the E18 and is worth visiting. The town centre has white wooden houses with irregular streets built on steep hills around the harbour, making it a beautiful village. Around 2,000 buildings are more than 100 years old. It is a popular summer place for Norwegians because of the numerous islands and nice scenery. There are around 1,700 summer cottages here.
Arendal Municipality
Arendal municipality is a sizeable municipality with 45,000 people living here. It was mentioned for the first time as an important port in documents from 1528.
Arendal
Arendal is commonly referred to as the ‘Venice of the North’ as the historic town is built on seven islets. Visit our dedicated travel guide page below.
Skaggerak Coast
Coast
Skagerakk is the strait that runs between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark and the southeast coast of Norway. It is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world because it is the passage from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea. It was historically the only entrance to the Baltic Sea, but since 1784 there has been the Eider Canal.
Grimstad Municipality
Grimstad municipality is centred around the coastal village of Grimstad, which has a harbour, church and museum dedicated to Henrik Ibsen. After all, Ibsen worked as an apprentice in the pharmacy before leaving the town in 1850. Ibsen’s knowledge of the people and surroundings of Grimstad can be seen in the poem Terje Vigen.
Grimstad has been known for a long time, but it was recognised as a harbour town in 1622. By 1747, Grimstad had a sizeable sailing community and was a known place for smugglers.
Grimstad
Grimstad is a historic harbour town and a nice place to visit on your road-trip. Visit our dedicated road-trip page below.
Lillesand Municipality
Lillesand municipality is centred around the town of Lillesand. It is one of the more modern ports along the Skaggerak coast as it was established in 1821. However, at the time it had nine shipyards. The end of sailing ships caused huge economic difficulties for the municipality as sailing ships were inexpensive due to the use of timber, whereas steamships required steel that was expensive. Many people from Lillesand ended up emigrating to the United States.
In Lillesand you’ll find the National Park Skjærgårdsparken, which is spread out across islands, skerries and rocks. There’s also a Maritime Museum about the history of the municipality.
Kristiansand Municipality
Well, Kristiansand has one of the more impressive coat-of-arms I’ve seen!
Kristiansand was established in 1641 and is named after the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV (who also renamed Oslo after himself to Kristiania). The city is strategically located on the Skaggerak coast and used to be an important military base as all traffic had to pass here in and out of the Baltic Sea.
Kristiansand
You have made it to Kristiansand, the end of the drive on the E18. Kristiansand is an interesting historic city, so be sure to head over to our dedicated travel guide page to learn more.
Write any questions or comments you have in the section below!
