The Best Of Our Norway Road Trip

Driving on along the narrow road with the Lake to our right side we arrived at the Kjenndalsbreen, which is the least popular of the four glacier arms of the mighty Jostedalsbreen, but really worth the visit for the beauty of the drive and the easy hike to the Glacier arm…without the crowds.

There is a small toll to pay and we had to do it in a very old-fashioned way by putting about 40 NOK (around 4,50 Euros) in an envelope and writing our number plate on there. The road is slow going, but there is a large parking area and also an easy to follow trail towards the glacier tongue.

Most visitors to this area will want to visit Briksdalsbreen, the most famous glacier arm of Jostedalsbreen, and for good reason. It is stunning, we had visited last year when our cruise ship anchored at Olden, but this time it was a totally different experience for us. We stayed overnight at the amazing Melkevoll Bretun campsite with stunning views of glaciers and waterfalls, it was the BEST campsite ever. There are also great pitches for tents and or cabins for people who are on a road trip by car/bicycle etc. Check out the picture below.

We were able to visit the impressive Briksdalsbreen in the evening, soon after dinner and have it all to ourselves. The hike from the campsite to the glacier tongue is about 6 to 7 km upwards, but it is not a particularly difficult hike – although not a walk in the park either.

The hike is super scenic, passing white water rapids, surrounded by lush green cliffs, waterfalls tumbling down from the melting glacier above and the final arrival at the impressive Briksdalsbreen with the blue lake fed by the melting glacier waters.

Another amazing highlight of this area is this fabulous cable car. One of the steepest in the world, it whisks you up to Mt. Hoven at 1011m above sea level in just 5 minutes. The views from the top are just stunning and there are various trails that can be hiked from the cablecar station. After enjoying coffee and cakes from the restaurant, we decided to do a short hike which ended up being a lot longer than we had planned. Since we enjoyed the views so much we just kept going upwards and ended up at the summit of Staurinibba at 1,379m above sea level.

Completely forgetting that we had not brought any water with us, we carried on towards the summit. It was a sunny day and the hike to the summit was quite strenuous, we felt a bit silly for not coming better prepared, although we did have a snickers bar with us, so at least we were not hungry. Totally worth it for the views, but my advice is “never go hiking in the mountains without good preparation, snacks and plenty of water”.

Leaving the Loen area behind we headed towards our next destination, the Gaularfjellet scenic route, which is a road leading across Gaular, the mountain between Dragsvik and the Sognefjord, it was a serene drive with very little traffic. The drive skirts the fjord before snaking up towards the highest point of Gaularfjellet. Mountains all around and views of glaciers in the distance. We caught a ferry from Dragsvik Kai to Hella, staying on the Road 55 Sognefjord Vegen traveling towards a very special museum.

This striking museum dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge with regards to glaciers and climate is a leading center in Norway. Designed by Professor of architecture, Sverre Fehn, the receiver of the 1997 Pritzker award (the highest international award an architect can get). The building itself is very striking, set among green fields, surrounded by mountains and glaciers. It even has a family of model mammoths outside

Fantastic interactive displays, with exhibitions presented in 13 languages. We loved all the exhibitions and in particular the one about climate change, also the panoramic film about the Jostedalsbreen Glacier, being able to experience what it feels like walking through a glacier, learn why the glaciers are in motion, see how crevasses are formed, carry out experiments with 1000-year-old ice from the nearby glacier and so much more. If you find yourself in this area, don’t miss this fantastic museum.

From the museum, we drove towards the pretty town of Solvorn, where a very small ferry (Brian had to reverse our motorhome into this one) was waiting to whisk us over the other side of the Lustrafjorden to gorgeous Ørnes. Keen to visit a very special Stave Church, the Urnes stavkyrkje is a UNESCO World Heritage site perched on the hill with views over the Fjord, in an idyllic setting. Dating from the 12th Century, it is Norway’s oldest surviving place of worship. Covered in fascinating wood carvings, it was definitely worth the detour we took to visit it.

We stayed overnight for free, overlooking the Lustrafjorden and enjoyed an amazing sunset sipping a glass of wine (GPS 61.30005, 7.31578). The next day we woke up to heavy clouds and rain, so it was time to move on. The rain did not stop all day as we drove past small settlements, narrow roads nestled between the fjord and the mountains. It was not a road for the faint-hearted, driving a motorhome in Norway was not always very easy, particularly when rain and fog accompanied our travels.

The 18 Norwegian Scenic Routes

There are 18 Scenic Routes (which used to be called National Tourist Routes) in Norway. These are some of the most beautiful roads in Western, Central and Northern Norway, along the coast, and across mountains. The project took close to two decades and hundreds of millions of kroner to complete. An initiative that aimed to combine nature, culture and great design. Several renowned Norwegian and foreign architects and designers were involved in creating resting areas, viewing points that could become a more memorable experience.

We drove them all, in total just driving the scenic routes we covered a total of 2,136 km, and we managed to link them in a way that made sense without having  much backtracking. Each scenic route was memorable, some of our favorites included: Senja and the Lofoten Islands, The Atlantic Road, The Geiranger-Trolstigen and the longest of them all the amazing Norwegian Scenic Route Helgelandskysten ( part of Kystriksveien which runs from Steinkjer to Bodø) where we crossed the Arctic Circle at 66 degrees northern latitude.

I have already written about the above Norwegian scenic routes, so for the purpose of this blog, I will mention some of our favorites in Western, Central and Southern Norway.

• Aurlandsfjellet, in Western Norway, is a road of contrasts between the fjord and the high mountains with the viewing point at Stegastein being a big highlight. We chose to drive this scenic route instead of taking the much faster road tunnel that runs under the mountains instead. The 24.5km tunnel is the world’s longest road tunnel and it would certainly have been quite an experience to drive it, but we have driven so many fantastic road tunnels during this trip already that choosing stunning mountain scenery over the long dark confinements of a tunnel was a no brainer for us. Opening in 1967 the road runs from Lærdalsøyri to Aurlandsvangen over the mountains and the highest point is 1,306m above sea level. The road is closed in the winter and snow lies on the mountain throughout large parts of the summer, so it has been nicknamed “the snow road” for obvious reasons.

 

After completing the above road trip we stayed overnight at a campsite in Flåm (GPS 60.8627, 7.1069) conveniently located next to the famous Flåmsbana. We intended to ride on this railway line which is considered Norway’s most scenic train journey. The railway line is part of the Bergen Railway connecting Oslo to Bergen. Our ride would be just the 20.2 km (12.6 miles)through the Flåmsdalen valley between Flåm and Myrdal and then back to Flåm. Because of its steep gradient and scenic surroundings, the Flåm Line is now almost exclusively a tourist service and has become the third-most visited tourist attraction in Norway. The line’s elevation difference is 866 meters (2,841 ft) with a maximum gradient of 5.5 percent.

The train stops briefly at the Kjosfossen Waterfall giving passengers a chance to disembark on the viewing platform for a short break. Norwegian folk music starts playing as a mysterious woman with long hair and a red dress emerges from behind the little stone cottage, dancing to the haunting tune of a Norwegian folk song. She is supposed to be the legendary “Huldra”, an elusive forest spirit from Norse mythology. Although it sounds rather “cheesy” we actually really enjoyed this little surprise.

We lucked out with the weather and enjoyed a fantastic ride, but I would not recommend it in bad weather since it is all about the views. Note that only certain windows, usually the last and front of your carriage can be opened, something quite useful for taking good photos.  

•  Hardanger was another favorite of the scenic routes, running through dramatic mountain scenery it is a real feast for the eyes, the road at times follows a shelf along a steep-sided valley. Rich pickings from the endless apple orchards will also be on the menu. But it is the thundering waterfalls that are the main attractions here, they are all different but equally stunning.  The main ones to visit are Steinsdalsfossen (where you can walk behind it), Vøringsfossen, Skjervefossen, Låtefoss (with the twin falls) and Furebergfossen. Certainly, a quick stop and or a hike to see them from close up is a must for waterfall enthusiasts. This scenic route has three “arms” that are connected by ferry crossings, plus there are also few tunnels and bridges.

We enjoyed them all, apart from losing my mobile phone at Vøringsfossen, which was totally my fault as I tried to balance an umbrella (it was raining) whilst trying to film the waterfall with my mobile phone. The Vøringsfossen Waterfall cascades from the Hardangervidda plateau down into the valley of Måbødalen with a free fall of 145m and a total fall of 182m, it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway and totally worth a visit, just hold on to your mobile phone and don’t lose it as I did, you won’t get it back!

• Sognefjellet scenic route was an important transport artery linking the coast and inland areas, and now provides a drive of powerful impressions with dramatic mountain scenery. The road makes its way up to the summit at 1,434m above sea level, making it northern Europe’s highest mountain pass. We started our journey in Lom, where we visited its beautiful Stave Church.

At the Mefjellet stop, you will find Knut Wold’s stone sculpture which provides an interesting perspective into the mountainous landscape. There are a number of hiking options in the Jotunheimen mountains with alternatives to suit all fitness levels.

• Norwegian Scenic Route Ryfylke is 260 km long and it was for sure one of the most challenging drives that we have done in Norway. Sections of the road, particularly over the mountain to Røldal, are narrow with many hairpins bends to navigate. We drove along barren mountains, covered in colorful moss, lush hillsides displaying the most stunning Autumn colors and finally descending towards the southern point of this road where you will find Lysefjorden. There are two short ferry trips that gave us a chance to experience the fresh sea air of the fjords.

Along this route, you will find Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) and the Kjerag boulder with Lysefjorden in the background, both very popular with hikers. Brian and I had our hearts set at hiking Preikestolen, but the filthy weather was holding us back. We stayed put for two nights at a beautiful location by the Lysefjorden (GPS 58.9102, 6.07785) waiting for a dry day. Our wait paid off and on the 3rd day, we drove to the parking area by Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) to enjoy one of the best hikes in Norway.

Preikestolen also know as Pulpit Rock

Hiking Pulpit Rock is often described as a huge highlight of a trip to Norway and one can definitely appreciate why it is so popular. We did the hike mid-September/19 when the summer crowds had gone home. We were not alone on the trail, but it was not super busy either. The hike is classified as moderate with an about 334-meter ascent and perhaps two or three more taxing uphill sections. Quite steep at the very beginning of the hike, interestingly many of the uphill sections having stepping-stones that were laid by Nepalese Sherpas. There is also a boulder-filled section halfway up, which was a little bit more challenging, but certainly not too bad.

Preikestolen is an almost vertical rock face towering over Lysefjord at a height of 604 meters, it was carved during the last ice age more than 10,000years ago. This impressive place will leave you speechless, the sheer drop is scary and exhilarating at the same time.

There are no safety barriers and people do crazy things here, watching people jump up and down at the very edge or dangle their feet from the edge to get the perfect Instagram picture was at times almost heartstoppingly scary. A fall from here will be fatal and the unlucky faller will have at a full 10 seconds to contemplate his/her fate before hitting the icy waters of the fjord directly below.. Brian and I agreed beforehand that we would both be sensible and stay away from the edge.

Altogether it took us about 4 hours to complete the hike and return to our home on wheels, after the walk of about 3.8km each way. If you find yourself in this corner of Norway and you enjoy hiking, don’t miss out on this incredible hike, probably our favorite one in Norway.

Oslo

Nestled between the Oslofjord and lush green hills, it is a very exciting city to explore.

Oslo is an ideal walking city, with many attractions easily reached on foot from the city center. We bought the 48-hour Oslo Pass at a cost of about 655 NOK,which includes travel on all public transport and entrance to most museums and attractions. For us, it was easily worth it.

Checking out the weather forecast we decided to do most of the museums on our first day of exploring since it was going to be a wet day, being indoors was a winner. We took a bus to the city center and from there made our way, via a ferry link to the Bygdøy peninsula where there are five national museums.

Our first stop was the Fram Museum (Frammuseet), in my opinion, a must-visit. This magnificently restored polar ship is housed inside the museum and it is possible to go aboard it to explore all its nooks and crannies and imagine what it would be like to take part on the famous polar expeditions lead by the legendary explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen to the Arctic and Antarctic. Their exploits are captured in various displays, paintings, and photographs. This wasn’t just a museum about a ship, it was the ship itself, and you could explore inside and run your hands on the massively strong timbers and triple hull that had withstood the enormous pressures of frozen polar ice. Just incredible. We enjoyed a quick lunch in their Cafe before moving on.

Next, we explored the Kon-Tiki Museum (Kon-Tiki Museet), which depicts the adventures of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl. The explorer and his five-man crew sailed across the Pacific from Peru to Polynesia in the fragile balsa wood raft, Kon-Tiki, in 1947. The voyage aimed to prove that it would have been possible for South Americans to have reached Polynesia in ancient times. His voyage of exploring and resulting conjectures have been rather controversial, but certainly quite an amazing adventure. The Kon-Tiki is quite a small museum and easily done in 30 to 40 minutes, other exhibits include the papyrus boat Ra II and some archaeological finds from Heyerdahl’s expeditions to places such as Easter Island and Peru.

 Our next stop was at the Viking Ship Museum (Vikingskipshuset) which features three of the world’s best-preserved Viking ships from the 9th century that are among Norway’s most beloved cultural treasures. These are funeral ships that were discovered in the Oslofjord between 1867 and 1904 and have been painstakingly preserved since then. The star attraction is the Oseberg Ship, excavated in 1904/5, this 9th-century burial ship looks like new since it had been encased for all that time in watertight and airtight mud. Throughout the day the film Vikings Alive is projected onto the walls and ceiling, adding context and better explaining about the Viking burial rituals. It was staggering to stand next to these amazing open boats and to think that the Viking mariners had crossed whole oceans in them, rowing and sailing in every weather imaginable. No GPS, no charts, not even a roof. These were hard people.

We also visited the Norwegian Folk Museum and particularly enjoyed visiting the Stave Church on the grounds of the museum.

On our second day the sun finally came out and we were able to enjoy some outdoor places like the Frogner Park, which is free to enter all year round. The park features over 200 sculptures by 20th Century sculptor Gustav Vigeland. His granite, bronze, and cast iron sculptures depict an astonishing variety of human emotions, illustrating the breadth and complexities of human relationships. The collection of naked sculptures are thought-provoking and rather bizarre.

The centerpiece of the park is the 46ft tall monolith, depicting over one hundred naked human figures intertwining and climbing all over each other. Made from a single piece of granite, it took three masons 14 years to complete and after being designed by Vigeland on a clay model in his Frogner studio.

From Frogner Park we took the tram to the Oslo Opera House, which was completed in 2007 the Norwegian Opera House is clad in white granite resembling an iceberg. There are lovely views over Oslo from the top of the Opera House, and we really enjoyed visiting.

After having lunch we kept on exploring around the city center, visiting the Nobel Peace Museum, the City Hall and the Royal Palace, all within easy walking distance from each other. Overall we really enjoyed visiting the Norwegian Capital and were very glad to have included it in our itinerary even though it meant quite a detour.

We stayed 3 nights in Oslo at the excellent Bogstad Campsite (GPS 59.9626, 10.64235), there were great facilities and good transport links into all the attractions

Kristiansand and a friends reunion

Our Norway road trip was almost over and our departure was already booked with a ferry ride from Kristiansand to Denmark. Our journey South took us along the Jæren coastal route towards Flekkerfjord and Egersund. Having visited Nordkapp (the most Northerly point you can drive to on mainland Norway) it was only right that we would also visit the southernmost mainland location at Lindesnes Cape where the waters of the Skagerrak and the North Sea collide.

The first Lighthouse in this Peninsula was fired up in 1655 using coal and tallow candles. From the Lighthouse tower (it is possible to go inside and walk upstairs to the tower) there are great sweeping views of the surrounding area. In this region, we stayed overnight at Mandal, Norway’s southernmost official town. 

We arrived in Kristiansand on a gloriously sunny Saturday and made our way towards our Norwegian friend’s house. If you follow this blog you might remember that we met a lovely Norwegian family during our travels in the Seychelles Islands and we spent a lot of time hanging out and exploring the Islands with them. We stayed in touch via social media since then and therefore arranged for a reunion at the end of our travels in Norway.

They welcomed us into their very stylish home in Kristiansand, showing us around their home town, feeding and entertaining us for the whole weekend. Our home-on-wheels stayed parked in their drive whilst we enjoyed the comforts of a Norwegian home. All through our travels in Norway, we admired the traditional wooden houses and we were both curious about what they would look like inside. Their home oozed that famous “hygge” feel of Scandinavian homes, we felt very welcome and well looked after. It was a very memorable weekend re-connecting with our friends and a fantastic way of finishing off our 3 months road trip in Norway. We will no doubt meet up again in the near future.

Final Thoughts

There are not many countries in Europe where you can experience a real sense of remoteness, with epic landscapes combining sparsely populated areas, mighty glaciers, towering mountains, and deep fjords. Along the thousands of miles driven we encountered rugged and brutal landscapes,, ambitious long bridges and many ferry crossings connecting us to islands and into the mainland.

We drove through some of the deepest under-sea tunnels and in fact every type of road tunnel possible, built through mountains and inhospitable landscapes. We encountered some of the longest tunnels we have ever driven through, including some with roundabouts, intersections and corkscrew tunnels. Driving in Norway is a slow process, it forces you to take your time and appreciate the beauty of the landscapes. Speed limits are low, traffic is usually very light to non-existent in some more remote areas, making it for the perfect country to enjoy a road trip.

Having our home-on-wheels meant we had all the flexibility in the world, to travel slow and make the most of every place we visited. Norway is notoriously expensive and having a motorhome meant we could cook our own meals and often stay overnight for free in some idyllic spots, making it more budget-friendly for us. We found Norwegians to be extremely friendly and welcoming, and communication was easy since they all seem to speak good English. We were astounded to realize how widely English is spoken in Norway, being the common travel language used by all, including most foreigners who also communicate with each other in English.

We felt very safe there, even in the most remote of areas or around cities. We were happy to leave our motorhome parked up and go exploring without any concern. For anyone considering a road trip to Norway, please don’t hesitate, we totally recommend it. If traveling by car, there will be no shortage of accommodation, all the campsites we have stayed offered chalets, huts, apartments for rent with great facilities for people who would like to be self-catering.

It has been a road trip like no other we have done before,  a dream road trip, and one that we shall never forget.