Weird Norwegian Road Signs — Blog 2 — Tales By Light Photography

If there ever was a prize for most creative road signage, it definitely would go to Norway. While driving through the country, you’ll encounter a lot of different signs. Some will make you laugh, some might make you frown, because what the hell does that rooster next to a coffee cup mean? So if you’ve ever been to Norway and you’re still wondering about that or if you’re planning to travel to Norway, this article is for you!

1. Village tourism and traditional food

If you encounter a brown road sign with a rooster in the middle, it simple means “village tourism”. Usually there are some farms where you can get local products or small cafes where you can enjoy traditional dishes.

2. National Scenic Routes

The sign below indicates that there you are on a national scenic route. This basically means that you’re in for an epic drive. A list of all the scenic routes in Norway, you can find here:

3. Cross-country skiing and hiking

These signs mean that you’re coming upon a spot where cross-country skiing or hiking routes depart from and where you can park.

4. The M-sign

Norway has a lot of narrow, winding roads where it would be difficult to pass another car, especially when you’re driving around with a campervan. These signs show you the previous or next spot where the road is wider and where you can easily pass another car.

Wider part of the road where you can pass by other cars

5. Tourist features and heritage sites

These signs you’ll find all over Norway. In general they just indicate a ‘tourist feature’, which can mean a lot of things: waterfalls, museums, monuments, and so on. Sometimes these features are really spectacular, otherwise they just indicate a small, local museum that takes exactly fifteen minutes to visit, but if you’re going on a spontaneous road trip without a plan, they can really help you discover local treasures!

The second sign is used for world heritage sites and will lead you to some of the most beautiful places in Norway, such as the Geiranger Fjord!

The third sign will point you to viewpoints from where you can admire the landscape. Usually, there is also a parking lot nearby.

The fourth and last sign means “protected nature area”, often referring to national parks and other nature parks.

6. Monuments, places of culture and forts

There are several signs that point to buildings and other places of culture. The first one is the Olavsrosa. The Olavsrosa is an award places of culture can receive. A quick Wikipedia search will tell us “Olavsrosa is awarded to firms and institutions that offer activities and experiences of particularly high standard, with regard to the presentation and use of Norwegian cultural history”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olavsrosa)

The second sign will point you to Norwegian forts and castles.

The third sign will bring you to museums and art galleries. The main difference with the normal “tourist feature” sign is that these museums will probably be bigger with more elaborate collections.