Ride the West Coast Fjords and high Mountains of central Norway
If you have several days—or perhaps even weeks—available, we highly recommend a journey across the mountains and into the fjords of Western Norway.
One of our favourite routes is Suleskarvegen to Kjerag and Lysebotn. From here, it can be a great idea to continue towards Stavanger and further north towards Bergen, but the route is also a fantastic adventure as a round trip on its own.
Below are some of the scenic stretches we recommend.
The first stage takes you from Oslo to Kongsberg and the UNESCO World heritage site of Notodden. Both towns are great places for a short break. From Notodden, we recommend taking the scenic road towards Bø, and continuing from there to Høydalsmo. From Høydalsmo, follow Eidsborgvegen (County Road 450) over Eidsborg to Dalen. If you really want to make the trip special, we recommend stopping for lunch or spending the night at the historic Dalen Hotel. The drive so far takes approximately 3.5 hours. See the route on Google Maps here.
From Dalen, follow County Road 450 all the way to Flateland. From here, head south on National Road 9 (RV9) to Nomeland. At Nomeland, turn onto the spectacular Suleskarvegen. Please note that there are fantastic swimming opportunities at Brokke in the natural potholes carved into the river right at the beginning of this section. From here, simply follow the road towards Kjerag and, if desired, continue down to Lysebotn. To reach the famous Kjerag boulder itself, allow for a mountain hike of approximately two to three hours each way. See the route on Google Maps here.
From Lysebotn, you can take a ferry to Stavanger. The ferry does not run very frequently, so be sure to check the timetable in advance. If you arrive after the last departure, there are accommodation options near the ferry quay. From Stavanger, there are several possible routes.
We recommend taking RV13 via Hjelmeland to Hjelmelandsvågen. From here, you need to take a ferry across the fjord. Continue to Erfjord, where we recommend a detour via Jelsa, across Sandsfjord Bridge, and onwards to Ropeid. From Ropeid, follow County Road 520 (Saudavegen). You can continue this road all the way to Røldal. In Røldal, it is worth finding the old road over Austmannlia and the historic Gamlevegen Haukeli. Otherwise, you risk ending up on a long and less interesting tunnel section. Once you reach Haukeli, there are several options back to Oslo. You can take the fastest route along the E134, or make a detour via Rjukan and possibly Gaustatoppen.
Another option from Stavanger is to take the ferry, or follow the E39 to Bergen. From there, you can either continue via Hardangerfjord, across Hardangervidda to Ustaoset and Geilo, or take an even longer but spectacular route along the beautiful Sognefjord via County Road 55 to Luster. Before reaching beautiful Luster, we recommend spending a night at (or by) DNT Tungestølen, located at the foot of the Jostedalsbreen Glacier.
Another fantastic detour is to follow County Road 604 up towards Gjerde and Molden.
After Luster, you can take the spectacular Tindevegen Panoramic Road across to Øvre Årdal and continue through Valdres back towards Oslo.
The Valdres region and its surroundings deserve a chapter of their own, with countless beautiful roads and unforgettable experiences—but that is a story for another guide.