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Car
Hire Norway - take to the roads & explore!
Essential
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Norway
Fjord Drive Not Cruise
Stavanger
Hotels and Things to Do
Things
to do in Bergen
Uniquely
surprising weather of Norway
Norway
Fjord Drive Not Cruise by Jeff Halter
Alesund
Featured Hotels
We took a Norway fjord drive
rather than a fjord cruise. Driving through Norway is easy and beautiful.
You can choose your own route depending on what your time frame is and
what you want to see.
| We drove north from Oslo
through the middle of the country. You can go through Lillehammer, a pretty
resort town that hosted the Olympics in 1994. If you want to see a bit
more of the interior of Norway, there are national parks you can explore,
or you can visit the historic mining town of Roros. Its 18th century wooden
houses have been preserved... many now give home to restaurants and shops.
We cut over to the coast
to see Trondheim. It's
a lively and historic university town. There are also some ancient rock
carvings in the area just north of town. You can visit its historic Nidarosdomen
Cathedral and museums.... or just enjoy the colorful town as a great spot
to start your Norway fjord drive down the coast. |
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Head southwest out of Trondheim
on the E39. The road will take you over toll bridges and ferries. Ferries
run fairly frequently, so you won't have to wait long. The scenery is great
even while you wait.
The ferry from Molde to Vestnes
will get you on your way to the very pretty town of Alesund.
It has a drop dead gorgeous setting, and the town is a kaleidoscope of
colors with its Art Nouveau architecture... all turrets and spires and
fancy ornamentation.
It's another great place
to spend the night on your drive. The drive to the mountain-top lookout
to see the town spread out below is a must. There's a cafeteria on top
where you can have a beer and enjoy the view.
Start early and drive along
the Storfjorden to Geiranger. The hour ferry ride down the Geirangefjorden
is spectacular. This narrow fjord with its waterfalls is visited by cruise
ships and photographed often for tourist brochures.... and it's included
in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
On this Norway fjord drive,
you'll encounter lots of winding roads... so wind your way south through
spectacular scenery. I know we keep using superlatives, but Norway demands
that.
When you get to Sogndal on
the Sognefjorden, turn north for a few miles so you can visit the Urnes
Stave Church, the oldest wooden church in Norway. It was built in 1150,
and is another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Return to Sogndal and head
to Kaupanger where you can catch a really long ferry ride on the Sognefjorden.
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These ferries don't run
quite so often, and because of the long ride, the last ferry is in the
afternoon, so check the schedule or be prepared to wait until morning.
This ferry will take you
to Gudvangen via the Sonnefjorden, Aurlandsfjorden, and finally the Naeroyfjorden.
That last segment is part of the Norway in a Nutshell tour, so you know
it's going to be pretty. There is a hotel in Gudvangen, and there are more
a few miles further up the road.
Drive the winding road up
to Voss. From there you can take the E16 straight to Bergen, or since this
is a Norway fjord drive, you can take the scenic route along the Samlafjorden,
an arm of the Hardangerfjorden, before you connect back with the highway
to get into Bergen. |
Make arrangements to drop
the car off in Bergen, and visit that historic town. You can fly home from
there.
The bridges and ferries are
not cheap, so keep your credit card handy. All of Norway does tend to be
expensive, so one way to economize is to picnic... and you can't beat the
scenery at the road side tables provided. Language is generally not a problem
in most of Norway. English is a strong second language, and you will have
no problem getting hotels and meals. Buying your tickets on the ferry can
almost always be done in English.
A cruise along Norway's Fjords
is great, but you really will see a more intimate view of Norway by taking
a fjord drive.
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