If you read this article, you are either planning a trip to Norway at some point or dreaming about doing it and want some advice and tips. I don’t blame you. Norway is a country surrounded by mountains and deep coastal fjords. We have plenty of astonishing glaciers, which are sadly decreasing every year due to climate change. Even I see the change that is emerging. One of the glaciers I used to pass when I studied away from home, has shrunk increasingly in a few years. Norway is also known for Viking history, which also attracts a lot of tourists.

So why should you consider visiting Norway? Norway is a very long country, located in Northern Europe. If you look at the map, Norway looks very tiny, and if you have never been to Norway you would probably be thinking that you could drive across the country in couple days, which is impossible. You need a minimum of one week in Norway, but you won’t see much in just a week either. In this article, I will write about the best things to see and do on the west side of Norway in a short amount of time.

Did you know that Norwegians like being outdoors? Well, now you know. A high percentage of Norwegians own a cabin in the mountain, and since most Norwegians don’t work at the weekends, weekends are usually for relax, or for hiking, and some visit their cabin, skiing in the winter, fishing or just reading a book. There are plenty of guided tours and activities in Norway and the Norwegian tourist association called DNT in Norway (Den Norske Turistforening) has over 500 cabins in the wild anyone can use if you are a member, they also have around 20,000 km with marked hiking routes waiting for you in the summer, it is almost impossible to get lost. Courses within climbing, glaciers and other mountain sports are offered, which makes this country perfect for outdoor experiences.

If you want to read the article about how to go to Norway on a budget please click here: Norway on a budget

So, let’s talk about where to go and what to do when you go to Norway. In this article, I will highlight the Western part of Norway, which is often called fjord Norway because of the deep fjords, beautiful landmark and iconic mountains surrounding these fjords. Last summer I was going to try a loop made up by myself after my boss made his own route, where he invites people who are into cars to drive the loop. So I wanted to try it myself and make my own to see if it was as good as it looked on the map, and it was. It's one of my greatest memories I’ve had from Norway. I will share the whole trip with you, including a map from start to end. Keep in mind the loop starts from Laerdal, Vestland. So if you fly into Bergen or Oslo you need to drive to Laerdal to start the loop.

ITINERARY

When you arrive in Laerdal, you should stop by the old town for some picturesque old wooden houses from 1700-1800. There is really nothing there during wintertime, but during summer there are a couple cafes, small local shops, souvenirs, and museums.

Then take the ferry from Fodnes to Manheller. This ferry stretch is just another annoying wait for local commuters but for tourists, this is actually an attraction itself. First off, you are boating on the deepest and longest fjord of Norway, between beautiful mountains with layers of snow on top of them. It's actually one of the deepest fjords in the world, how cool is that? The ferry over to Manheller takes about 10 minutes. The ferry departs every 20 minutes.

Arriving Fjaerland

When you arrive at Fjaerland, you should check out the Norwegian Glacier Museum, where you can learn about glaciers and climate. They will answer all your questions about glaciers. They also show a panoramic film from the glacier Jostedalsbreen, which is the largest glacier in mainland Europe. According to sognefjord.no, the exhibition is presented in 13 languages; Norwegian, English, German, French, Russian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Chinese, Dutch, Japanese and Korean.

I highly encourage you to camp in Fjaerland for one night to skip the crowds. Also, the morning light here is just amazing. The perfect spot to camp is actually right below Bøyabreen (glacier). It is surrounded by beautiful small waterfalls. You can camp next to the glacier lake or by the toilets, whatever your preferences are. This glacier is showing off its beauty inside Jostedalsbreen National Park and it is actually a side branch of the large Jostedalsbreen glacier.

Astruptunet in Jølster

This is by far one of the most interesting museums in Norway. It’s the well-preserved hillside small-holding of the painter, illustrator and graphic artist Nikolai Astrup (1880-1928) a famous artist experimented with woodcuts, where an artist carves into the surface of a block of wood. He was also the innovator within graphic techniques. The museum opened in 1986 and you may see Astrup’s original prints, woodcut blocks, paintings, and textiles.

After his studies, he moved back home to Jølster to portray nature and the locals. Astrup brought the nature inside, and that is something you will notice if you visit, you will also notice the appreciation for nature in his yard. He spent parts of his life shaping Astruptunet in his pictures; building more houses and making the property look like a fairytale. This is what made his art so spectacular and interesting.

Please keep in mind that this place is located on a steep incline. But I highly recommend it, there is the most wonderful cluster of little houses made of wood and grass-covered rooftops, which is very traditional for Norway. You can get your own guide, which will be explaining everything for you. Buy a coffee and enjoy the beautiful views and go back in history. Even though you don’t care for art, this place is just so idyllic itself, so it is worth the visit, and perfect for an Instagram picture.

LOEN

Where to start? Even though I’m from Norway, and have traveled through this place many times without even noticing it, this is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful villages in Norway. On a cloudless day, when the sun is shining, the water becomes turquoise. It gets this color from the glacier so the water is very cold. But definitely worth a swim.

We arrived in Loen in the afternoon and wanted to try out the skylift. We purchased the ticket and stepped on board to one of the cable cars. The cable cars actually have their own names; Hugin and Munin. It takes about 5 minutes from the fort to mountain-top, where we exited on top of Mt. Hoven, 1,011 meters above sea level. From here you can see Mt. Skåla and lake Lovatnet to the east and Jostedalsbreen glacier to the south.

When we arrived we could choose to either go to the restaurant with a panorama view, there is also a little local tourist shop on the second floor. We were super hungry, so we ordered some local burgers. After we ate we went on a couple hikes to photograph the insanely beautiful landscape surrounding us. There was plenty of different trails. We stayed for sunset, which was great. It is probably very beautiful during sunrise as well.

If you want to do some fun in the lower elevations, you can swim in Lovatnet, which is very cold and fresh. You can also rent gear at Sande Camping, they rent out rowboats, canoes, and fishing equipment. There are no regulations for fishing, if it is, there will be a sign that says “no fishing”.

Another place worth visiting near Lovatnet in Lodalen Valley is Breng Meadow, another cluster of little houses made off wood and grass-covered rooftops, located on a grassy field. If you drive a little further, you will end up in the Jostedalsbreen National Park.

Doing some illegal stuff in Loen, Photo: Johannes Hunderi

GEIRANGER

Keep in mind that there are plenty of places to stop before you reach Geiranger from Loen, it’s up to you where you want to stop. But I recommend you to use your time to take it all in. If you don’t like crowds, Geiranger is not the place for you. But I think it’s still worth the visit. Its actually one of the most beautiful picturesque valley in Norway, maybe in the whole world. It is considered the most outstanding fjord area on the planet.

When you arrive from Loen, you will have the option to go directly down to Geiranger centrum or go to a place called Dalsnibba. Dalsnibba is a skywalk, which is Europe’s highest fjord view from a road. Yes, you don’t even need to hike to this magical place, you can drive all the way. It was an airy experience and I started to shake. It’s just a glass-bottom between my feet and the valley 1500 meters below me. The view though is amazing. You can clearly see Geiranger fjord, waterfalls, and the famous troll’s road. Dalsnibba is not open during winter, you can hike there but not drive because the toll station will be closed. From Dalsnibba, it’s about a 30-minute drive down to Geiranger fjord, which is a beautiful road to drive with plenty of viewpoints.

On the way down, you can stop at Flydalsjuvet, an Instagram friendly gorge waiting for your posing and creativity. A little tip for you, the photographer should go down to the left of the trail between some trees and the model has to go down to the right, pass the viewpoint.

If you are into waterfalls, you can stop at the parking for the waterfall walk, this parking is located right before Geiranger centrum, there are signs. After the waterfall walk, you can drive down to the centrum of Geiranger, get something to eat, admire the huge cruise ships and all the tourists. I would not suggest staying in Geiranger for the night. On your way to Åndalsnes, stop by the eagle bend right after Geiranger centrum, and view Geiranger from a different perspective, you can also view the seven sisters waterfall. Waterfalls in Norway is most beautiful from May to June because of snow melting. You can also see the waterfall by boat and from Knivsflå farm.

National tourist route Trollstigen

When you drive from Geiranger to Åndalsnes, you will drive on the trolls road (Trollstigen), an impressive and narrow road full of hairpin turns on a steep mountainside. Each of these bends has its own names, so when you drive down this road, you will see signs with their name. If you are not comfortable with height and narrow steep roads, you shouldn’t drive here. There will also be a lot of bicyclists cruising down this road, so watch out and be careful in each turn as there might be buses or people standing still. This road is not open during winter.

On our way down to Åndalsnes valley, we stopped by the Trollstigen viewpoint. You can stroll around at your own pace, but make sure to bring your camera and sweater, the wind can be very strong here. The platform you may walk on has many different viewing points, we went to all of them, and I encourage you to do the same. On the way down from the viewpoint you can stop for a second at one of the waterfalls which are called Stigfossen. A mighty and beautiful waterfall surrounded by this spectacular road and mountains. Here are also hiking trails, if you want to experience it on foot.

ÅNDALSNES

Finally, we reached Åndalsnes. A hiking place for adventurous people. When we arrived we tried to look for places to camp for the night, it was super easy. We found a camp-ground the day after so we could get a shower. It cost us about 100 Kr for the night. During the next morning, I felt pretty sick, but that didn’t stop me, I still went on the 10km long hike; Romsdalseggen.

You can either start from one end or the other, it depends on what you want to skip first, steep climb or uphill the whole way. We chose to start close by the camping-ground, which means uphill the entire way, hehe. We didn’t realize this but to be honest, I’m glad we did that way because most people chose the other way, which again means less crowded. The first viewpoint we arrived at was “Rampestreken”. Most people go to that viewpoint then turn back. It’s a beautiful pit stop, we ate some of the food we brought, (bring a lot of food) polar bread is a win-win in the mountains. It’s easy to bring, healthy and super good, it’s also very cheap. After Rampestreken we continued our 10km hike. It was mostly uphill, but I didn’t mind because it was panorama views the entire way. We took photos every 15 minutes, no joke. Too beautiful not to. When we reached the top, we had some dinner (turmat), it felt so good sitting down after uphill for hours. The views were outstanding.

Keep in mind that this hike takes usually the whole day if you want the most of it. So make sure you spend enough time in Åndalsnes so you can do more than just the hike.

Other things worth checking out in Åndalsnes

Norsk Tindesenter: If you are into mountaineering history, this place is definitely worth visiting. They have a climbing wall, which is said to be Norway’s highest. It is literally the starting point for experienced and non-experienced climbers that want to experience the Romsdalsstigen Via Ferrata. They also show films, eat good food, walk through the museum and just enjoy the whole experience.

Rauma Railway: Unfortunately I didn’t have time for this, but I have heard is one of the most beautiful train routes in the world. The trip only takes 1 hour and 20 minutes. The trains are super comfortable and they have toilet and airconditioning. Imagine cruising from the fjords up to the mountains by train surrounded by majestic mountains and waterfalls.

Rampestregen viewpoint: If you don’t want to hike 10 km, you should just go to the Rampestreken viewpoint. It is a fairly steep and short hike to one of the most spectacular viewpoints in Åndalsnes. Don’t skip this one if you didn’t plan on hiking the Romsdalseggen Ridge.

Trollveggen (Troll-wall): Europe’s tallest vertical overhanging mountain wall. A super attractive place for climbers and base jumping. It's worth just checking out from the ground or actually do the hike to the troll-wall itself if you dare.

Kylling bridge and Vermafossen waterfall: If you are into waterfalls and bridges surrounded by snow coated mountains and green, lush forest this is the place for you. Don’t forget your camera.

Litlefjellet hike

Åndalsnes will be the last point before you heading back to your preferred airport. You can either do the loop, which means you will pass Dombås, close to the Dovrefjell, Rondane. Here you can also hike 2000-meter peaks or just watch them from a distance, for example, the Snøhetta viewpoint. If you are lucky, you can also spot the Musk Ox, which is only located in this area. Or maybe you can see wild reindeer, arctic foxes, ravens or golden eagles. Once you are in this area, check out Jotunheimen, this will take some time though, especially if you are planning on hiking. Jotunheimen national park has plenty of hikes, including the 2469 meters Galdehøgpiggen, which is Norway’s highest rooftop.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROAD TRIP IN NORWAY