Color Line

Color Line is Norway's largest ferry company in international passenger traffic and sails four routes between Norway, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. On the Hirtshals - Kristiansand route it uses the fast ferry MS SuperSpeed 1 all year round, a day ferry without cabins. To see both ferry companies side by side, go to Ferry Companies Compared.

SuperSpeed 1 at a glance

The SuperSpeed 1 was built by Aker Yards in Rauma, Finland, in 2007, and at 211 metres long she is one of the largest ships on the Skagerrak. She is licensed for 2,315 passengers and 750 cars and sails at 27 knots, which gives a crossing time of 3 h 15 min for the roughly 130 kilometres. She is designed as a day ferry without cabins: all passengers spend the crossing in the seating and dining areas on decks 7 to 9, with vehicles on two car decks below. Short turnarounds and wide ramps allow the ship to make two return trips a day.

From 18 December 2026 to 18 April 2027, her sister ship SuperSpeed 2 takes over the route while the regular ship is in dry dock. The SuperSpeed 2, also built in 2007, normally sails between Hirtshals and Larvik; at 1,929 passengers and 764 cars she is slightly smaller, with the same facilities.

Departures

Color Line sails twice a day in each direction: from Hirtshals at 12:15 and 20:45, from Kristiansand at 08:00 and 16:30. The evening ferry from Hirtshals arrives in Kristiansand shortly before midnight, and the morning ferry from Kristiansand reaches Hirtshals at lunchtime. These are the standard timetable times; refits and public holidays change them. The departures for your date are in the timetable.

On board

The SuperSpeed 1 has a buffet restaurant, Bluefins Kitchen serving plated dishes, a café and a lounge. The duty-free shop opens 15 minutes after departure and, with drinks and cosmetics, is geared to the short crossing. You can pay by card or in euros, Danish or Norwegian kroner.

As there are no cabins, Color Line sells two seating classes as extras. Business Class on deck 8 has its own area with wifi, a locker, coffee, fruit, water and newspapers; Voyager Class on deck 9 offers adjustable reclining seats, with a child price. Both are optional; a standard seat is included in your ticket. Outside Business Class, wifi is charged. There's a play area for children, and for wheelchair users there are lifts between the car deck and passenger decks, plus accessible toilets.

Car, motorhome and motorbike

Color Line prices vehicles as packages: a car package covers cars up to 5 metres long and 1.95 metres high and is priced per person including the vehicle; a motorhome package covers vehicles up to 5 metres long and 2.55 metres high. Anything longer or taller is booked by its actual size. Motorbikes are a vehicle class of their own. If you book the outward and return trip together, you get a discount on the return, and members of the free Color Club collect points. How to measure your vehicle and what applies to gas on board is on the Motorhome & Caravan page; the package prices, with the date they were checked, are on the Prices & Fares page.

Dogs on board

With Color Line, dogs stay either in your own vehicle or in a pre-booked dog box in the dog room on the car deck. The boxes on the SuperSpeed 1 measure 100 by 70 centimetres and are 80 to 100 centimetres high; for large dogs, your car is the better choice. Both options cost a fixed supplement per single journey. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the passenger areas. The documents Norway requires are listed on the Dog & Pets page.

Check-in and terminals

Check-in opens two hours before departure and closes 15 minutes before; Color Line recommends being at the terminal at least 60 minutes before departure. The ferry company requires your booking number and a physical photo ID, for children too. The minimum age for travelling unaccompanied is 16, and 20 for the day trip.

In Hirtshals, Color Line uses the Fergeterminalen at Norgeskajen 2, about a ten-minute walk from the railway station, with public car parks. In Kristiansand the terminal is at Havnegata 47, right by the city centre, with no car park of its own but with the railway station and bus station within walking distance. Both terminals are described on the Hirtshals Ferry Port and Kristiansand Ferry Port pages, and the process on the Check-in page.

Customer service

Color Line has a German-speaking customer service team in Kiel; the phone number and the ferry company's help page are on the Contact page. You can change bookings in your account with the ferry company, if your fare allows it.