Ferry Companies Compared

Between Hirtshals and Kristiansand, Color Line and Fjord Line sail side by side, and their ships could hardly be more different: a fast ferry without cabins, a catamaran for the summer season and two cruise ferries with cabins and restaurants. Your choice decides the crossing time, comfort and price. Here are the differences; the Color Line and Fjord Line pages describe each ferry company in detail.

The comparison at a glance

All figures as stated by the ferry companies. Both ferry companies' prices, with the date they were checked, are on the Prices & Fares page.

Color Line: the fast ferry

Color Line sails the route with the MS SuperSpeed 1, built by Aker Yards in Rauma in 2007: 211 metres long, licensed for 2,315 passengers and 750 cars, with a speed of 27 knots. The ship is built for throughput: short turnarounds, wide ramps, and instead of cabins there are seating areas, a buffet restaurant, Bluefins Kitchen, a lounge and a duty-free shop that opens 15 minutes after departure. If you want some peace, book Business Class on deck 8 with wifi and refreshments, or Voyager Class on deck 9 with reclining seats.

The crossing time of 3 hours 15 minutes is the same all year, with two departures a day in each direction: at midday and late in the evening from Hirtshals, in the morning and afternoon from Kristiansand. From 18 December 2026 to 18 April 2027, her sister ship SuperSpeed 2 stands in. She normally sails between Hirtshals and Larvik and, at 1,929 passengers and 764 cars, is slightly smaller but has the same facilities.

Fjord Line: catamaran or cruise ferry

Fjord Line sails the route with two products. From March to September it runs the catamaran Fjord FSTR, built in 2020 for up to 1,200 passengers and more than 400 vehicles. She crosses the Skagerrak in 2 hours 25 minutes, making her the fastest ferry between Denmark and Norway. On board there's a bistro, café, bar, lounge, tax-free shop and children's play area, but no cabins. In strong wind, the crossing is noticeably rougher than on the large ships.

Year-round, the sister ships MS Stavangerfjord (2013) and MS Bergensfjord (2014) sail the route, both powered by liquefied natural gas, with cabins in 20 categories, a buffet, an à la carte restaurant, bars and a 500-square-metre tax-free shop. They take just under four hours, but they also sail in weather that keeps the catamaran in port, and with a cabin they offer the most relaxed crossing on the route, especially at night or with young children. In winter they are Fjord Line's only ships on the route.

How to choose

If time matters most: Fjord FSTR in season, otherwise SuperSpeed 1. The difference between the catamaran and the cruise ferries is an hour and a half, half a day's travel with children.

If comfort matters most: MS Stavangerfjord or MS Bergensfjord with a cabin. On the SuperSpeed 1, Business Class is the next best choice.

If it's about the car: both ferry companies take cars, motorhomes and vehicles with trailers. Color Line prices vehicle and occupants as a package, Fjord Line separately; which is cheaper depends on how many people are in your car. The rules on dimensions and gas are on the Motorhome & Caravan page.

If you're travelling with a dog: on Fjord Line's cruise ferries, your dog can stretch its legs on the rear deck; on the SuperSpeed 1 it stays in the car or in a box. Over four hours that's a real argument, over two and a half hardly at all.

If it's about the time of day: the two ferry companies' departures complement each other across the day. If you need a particular arrival time, the timetable shows which ferry company offers it; take that one.

If it's about price: both sell at dynamic prices, and the cheapest departure changes daily. For your date, compare the total for the same departure. The Prices & Fares page explains the from-prices, package logic and supplements.