Classic Fjords of Norway

Itinerary Details

1. Day 1Arrival: Bergen / Voss

   Well-served by air and rail connections, Bergen, Norway’s second largest city and so-called Capital of the Fjords, is the ideal entry point for our tour. The city’s beautiful setting, quaint streets, vibrant urban centre and many cultural attractions are well worth exploring and although our itinerary doesn’t allow us to spend an evening here, many travellers choose to arrive here a day or two before hitting the road in order to soak up the unique atmosphere.
   
   The transfer to Voss, where we spend the first evening of the tour, takes approximately 90 minutes by road. We will arrive in good time meet the team, build bikes and enjoy an introductory meal together.
   
   

   • Hotel in Voss
   • Dinner
2. Day 2Voss to Balestrand

   Leaving the hotel, you'll be almost immediately in the heart of Norway’s pristine and tranquil countryside. Voss prides itself as the country’s adventure capital and as you leave the village, surrounded by towering snow-capped peaks, plunging valleys and white water rivers, it is easy to understand why people from around the world have been flocking here for years to get their fixes.
   
   The quiet road leads you past a series of beautiful lakes, occasional roadside waterfalls and through a number of small traditional Norwegian villages. After around 30km of rising gently, you'll encounter your first real challenge at the ski resort town of Myrkdalen. The town is the gateway to Vikafjellet mountain, and it is here that the gradient begins to increase noticeably for the first time and you'll start to gain altitude much more rapidly.
   
   The whole climb is approximately 15km and features a dramatic section of hairpins which deliver you ultimately to your first 1000m summit. A steep and technical descent follows which leads you all the way back down to sea level and the shores of the beautiful and world-famous Sognefjord which, upon reaching the village of Vangsnes, you must cross by ferry.
   
   You'll end the day riding a few final, easy kilometres as you follow the coastal road to the lovely waterside hotel in the idyllic village of Balestrand.
   

   • 61.5 miles
   • 5,052.5 ft
     5,052.5 ft
   • Balestrand Hotel
   • Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
3. Day 3Balestrand to Førde

   As difficult as it may be to leave the comfort and beauty of the hotel, you really will not be disappointed once you are back on the road, because, what lies in store today is even more dramatic than yesterday.
   
   You'll begin with a gentle warm-up along the coast of Esefjord, an extension of Sognefjord which branches off to the north. You'll need to make the most of these first 25 or so gentle kilometres because things will take a significant turn when you begin your assault on Gaularfjellet, a challenging but spectacular multi-switchback climb which never disappoints!
   
   You'll take some time to catch your breath and admire the sensational views from the ultramodern viewing platform which has been constructed at the summit. Once recovered and with obligatory photos in the can, you will press on via the mountaintop lake of Nystølvtanet and take the narrow road, plunging 20kms, into a magnificent green valley surrounded by more mountains, waterfalls and densely forested valley walls.
   
   More thrills and more challenges await and having enjoyed lunch in the valley, you'll be greeted, just beyond the village of Vik, by Rørvikfjellet, your second significant climb of the day. Another epic descent follows before ending the day rolling on gentler roads to the town of Førde and your modern hotel which will be your home for the evening.
   

   • 64.6 miles
   • 5,462.6 ft
     5,462.6 ft
   • Førde Hotel
   • Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
4. Day 4Førde to Sandane / Gloppen

   As is now becoming a custom, you'll begin your day gently as you leave Førde via the fjord’s shoreline road. As you turn inland after approximately 12kms, you'll leave the main road to divert from the entrance of the Naustdal tunnel. To avoid the 6km of underground unpleasantness beneath the Ramsdalsheia mountains you'll take the old road which, unsurprisingly leads you up into, and over, the same mountains.
   
   You'll ascend sharply for 5 kilometres before descending, again sharply, for the same distance, on a narrow road that is thankfully free of the traffic which, these days, heads almost entirely through the tunnel.
   
   The rest of the stage, as you make your way to Gloppen, is spent on a scenic, minor road surrounded by a typical Norwegian landscape of mountains, lakes and rivers. The latter part of the route, whilst never flat, is somewhat less challenging than what you have experienced so far and offers some welcome respite and an opportunity to really take in the natural beauty of your surroundings.
   

   • 64.6 miles
   • 3,838.6 ft
     3,838.6 ft
   • Gloppen Hotel
   • Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
5. Day 5Sandane / Gloppen to Ulsteinvik

   You'll begin the day with a brief transfer, in order to avoid riding through a lengthy tunnel. You’ll then unload the bikes and begin your ride. It’s going to be a different kind of day, having temporarily left the mountains in favour of the oceanic landscape of Norway’s western coastline. The mountains may be behind you now but what lies ahead is by no means uninteresting, and with plenty of challenges awaiting, it’s most certainly not a flat stage!
   
   You'll ride, initially along the Norfjord, before turning after approximately 30kms and heading north through a very different terrain towards the pretty coastal village of Fiskåbygd. Pushing on towards your second ferry crossing of the day at Koparnset in order to cross the fjord and to arrive a few minutes later in Årvika.
   
   Once you disembarked at Larsnes, you'll end the day with around 30 spikey kilometres to arrive at your destination. Ulsteinvik is the capital of the country’s offshore industry where deep sea fishing and shipbuilding are a way of life. In the winter months, the Havlandet or “Sealand” region is notorious for high winds and rough seas which can hinder the progress of even the largest of vessels.
   

   • 63.4 miles
   • 4,232.3 ft
     4,232.3 ft
   • Ulsteinvik Hotel
   • Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
6. Day 6Ulsteinvik to Vestnes (Transfer to Andalsnes)

   A short ride from your hotel takes you to the ferry terminal at Hareid where you will board and set sail to Ålesund, a town famous for its concentration of Art Nouveau architecture and considered by many to be the most beautiful in Norway. You will have time only to get a brief flavour of Ålesund today as you still have many kilometres ahead, but you will return later in your journey for an opportunity to really appreciate its many charms.
   
   You'll spend most of the day exploring the low-lying coastlines of the Romsdalfjord and the beautiful Midfjorden. With altitudes rarely reaching even 100m above sea level this will likely be the least strenuous stage of our journey – no bad thing considering what awaits tomorrow!
   
   On arrival in Vestnes, you will load the bikes onto the vehicle and transfer approximately 45 minutes to Andalsnes, your destination town, situated on the banks of the Rauma river and surrounded by majestic mountains, one of which you will get to know intimately in the morning.
   

   • 63.4 miles
   • 4,215.9 ft
     4,215.9 ft
   • Andalsnes Hotel
   • Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
7. Day 7Andalsnes to Geiranger

   Whilst the statistics are definitely not unimpressive, with more than 12kms averaging 7%, 11 hairpin bends and an altitude gain of almost 850m, Trollstigen Pass (The Trolls Ladder) is no giant when compared to some of its alpine cousins. When it comes to dramatics and scenic beauty, however, this little mountain is absolutely outstanding.
   
   Your stage begins gently as you ride away from Andalsnes, but with so many mountain peaks looking over you as you warm your legs during those first few kilometres, the challenge ahead is never far from your mind. As soon as you reach the first rungs of the ladder and start rising out of the valley it becomes clear why Trollstigen has earned its reputation as Norway’s number one cyclist’s climb. The beauty is breathtaking all the way to the summit where, on arrival, you can take it in all over again from one of the strategically-placed viewing platforms.
   
   The views are not your only reward as you have over 30kms of superb descending through similarly beautiful scenery to look forward to. The narrow, sweeping road delivers you to Valldal, a fertile region renowned for cultivation of berries and nicknamed The Strawberry Valley.
   
   After lunch, you’ll cycle a few more kms then hop onto a ferry for a short crossing to Eisdal from where you will embark on your second challenge of the day. The 25km climb that leads you to Ørnesvingen (The Eagle’s Wing) is not as steep as Trollstigen but the scenery is equally fantastic, especially from the summit where you are able to look down towards Geiranger and the perfectly engineered switchback road that you must navigate to reach it.
   
   Please note: The Trollstigen Pass will be closed during the June departure, and so we have put together an excellent alternative route. We’ll transfer from Andalsnes to Gudbrandjuvet (approx. 1 hour) where there’s a coffee shop and bakery to ensure we’re fully fuelled ahead of today’s ride. We’ll be climbing from Gudbrandjuvet up to the viewpoint over the Trollstigen road and back again.
   
   On the way to the view point we’ll experience a plethora of highlights and as we ride through lush valleys, past charming strawberry fields, alongside steep mountains with breath-taking viewpoints dotted along the way that will leave us in awe. After completing the climb, we can look forward to a long downhill leg, back to village of Valldal (from where we’ll continue the ride on Geiranger).
   
   Our local team have perfected this Plan B to ensure an awe-inspiring, rolling route that will challenge the group and still allow you to take in the stunning Trollstigen pass from various view points.
   
   57 Miles / 92 Kms Approx. 1950 Metres
   

   • 57.2 miles
   • 6,397.6 ft
     6,397.6 ft
   • Geiranger Hotel
   • Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
8. Day 8Geiranger to Ålesund

   Alas, you have reached the final leg of this epic journey, happily it is a stage packed with so much natural beauty that it will likely stick in your minds for years to come.
   
   An early start to the day as you’ll need to catch the 8am departure to Hellesylt. This one-hour journey takes you through the awesome beauty of Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Norway’s primary attractions and is an absolute classic.
   
   Even though you are not on your bike, the journey by ferry is an unmissable highlight of the tour and a great opportunity to just kickback and soak up some of the most magnificent natural and cultural landscape that Norway has to offer. As you sail, you will be looking out onto precipitous mountainside walls peppered with ancient farming hamlets that cling precariously to their tiny green patches of land. You will also observe a series of huge waterfalls cascading into the fjord far below.
   
   The rest of the day, after reaching Hellesylt, will be spent on the bikes and you'll begin by riding through the valley of Norangsdalen, one of the narrowest in the country. Over the years this incredibly beautiful valley has attracted the rich and famous from far and wide, many of whom, historically, would enjoy the spectacle from the relative comfort of a pony and trap. Spectacular enough to impress royalty, Norangsdalen was designated Dronningruta status (The Queen’s Route) after the Royal Family visited in 1992 as part of national silver wedding anniversary celebrations of Queen Sonja and King Harald.
   
   You'll end the day, surrounded by towering mountains, lush green forests and tiny villages as you explore more beautiful valleys and the coastal roads of Hjørundfjorden. One final ferry hop takes you from Festøya to Solavågen from where you’ve just 20 rolling kms left before reaching Ålesund and your waterside hotel. It’s here where you'll spend your final evening together, relaxing, reflecting and celebrating the conclusion of your fantastic adventure through one of the world’s most beautiful places!
   

   • 68.4 miles
   • 4,527.6 ft
     4,527.6 ft
   • Ålesund Hotel
   • Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
9. Day 9Ålesund Departure

   Airport transfers will be arranged in accordance with scheduled flight departures.
   
   

   • Breakfast