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10 days - Escorted tour between Bergen and Trondheim, travelling along the coast of Norway and then through the fjords
Join our new escorted tour visiting the Western Fjords of Norway, starting from Bergen, going via Ålesund, Åndalsnes and ending in Trondheim. Discover Western Norway's deep, sea-drowned valleys covered by steep, rugged terrain scoured and gouged by glaciers. It is a landscape that is utterly unique and profoundly beautiful.
Although overshadowed by the sublime fjords, the coastline is none the less extraordinary. Follow along this coastline from Bergen to Kalvåg on an express ferry with the locals. These ferries make navigating the insane geography possible, but are also an enjoyable part of your journey as they offer staggering, otherwise inaccessible, panoramas. Meet your premium 50 Degrees North mini-coach as you come off the local ferry and enjoy three days of travel through a very remote and enchanting area of Norway. Stop along the way for glacier, waterfalls and cultural visits, such as small, local folk museums and the new Viking Museum.
After a stay in Ålesund, head north as your driver navigates two of the most famous Norwegian Scenic Routes. Be amazed by Norway’s most visited tourist road, Trollstigen Road with its eleven magnificent hairpin turns and the Atlantic Highway, famous for its twisting bridges over the coast.
This tour can be combined with the Best of Norway (8 days from Oslo to Bergen) to become the Norway In-depth tour (17 days from Oslo to Trondheim).
As a Certified B Corporation, 50 Degrees North has designed this tour using handpicked local hoteliers and suppliers who share our ethos of delivering services and activities of high social and environmental standards.
The CO2-e per person per day of all tours is carefully measured following each season. We fully offset all emissions of our tours on your behalf, and we constantly look at ways to reduce emissions where possible.
All transportation (buses, trains, and boats) between destinations is included in the price. This includes travel between Kalvåg (remote Norwegian coastal town), Ålesund and Trondheim by premium 50 Degrees North mini-coach, which will accommodate spontaneous photo stops, as well as food and rest stops.
International flights, lunches and dinners that have not been detailed in the program, and items of personal nature.
Arrival and departure transfers are not included.
Arrive and self transfer to your hotel.
Before meeting your group, discover some of Bergen's many attractions and sights, many of them within walking distance. Recommended sights of interests are the Hanseatic harbour Bryggen, Fløibanen Funicular, Troldhaugen, the Fish and Flower market, Bergen Aquarium and Gamle Bergen (Old Bergen Open Air Museum).
Meet your escort and group this evening for a welcome dinner.
Enjoy a morning guided sightseeing around Bergen before you head to the ferry port for the 4:30pm ferry to Kalvåg. With a small cafe on board, you can relax while you take in the stunning Norwegian coastline. The ferry stops along the way to drop off and pick up locals before arriving at Kalvåg at 8.20pm. You will get a short transfer up to the hotel and check in.
Kalvåg has one of the best preserved fishing village milieus in Vestlandet. The little houses stand closely together around the small bay to create a charming setting.
This morning, meet our minivan and driver around 10am - be sure to enjoy the port before he arrives. Follow along the magnificent Nordfjord today. Along the way to Loen, you will first stop at the Sagastad Viking Exhibition (optional entry), followed by a stop at the Nordfjord Folk Museum with entrance and a guide included. Explore the old historic buildings of Nordfjordeid with a collection of 44 old houses of historical interest. Many of the houses are furnished and show different periods of time, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. There is also a cultural-history collection in the main building.
Arrive at Loen in the middle of the afternoon and check in at Hotel Alexandra. Loen has a lovely little wooden church to visit late in the afternoon, or you can relax by the pool and day spa. This evening, dinner at the hotel is included.
After breakfast, meet your driver and head out to walk up the Kjenndalen valley to the Kjenndalen Glacier, Jostedal Glacier's lowest glacier arm. Afterwards, at the end of Lovatn Lake, you'll find Kjenndalsstova, a cafe which is open from May to September and you can stop for lunch here.
Next is a visit to the Loen Sky Lift, a cable car that climbs 1,011 metres to the top of Mount Hoven, above the Nordfjord. There is a cafe at the top with a spectacular viewing platform at the roof. You can have a walk around the top and marvel at the view.
Return to the hotel for dinner.
Today you will travel from Loen via Hjørundfjord to Ålesund - your final leg of the journey by mini-coach. First stop today is the small town of Stryn. The driver stops along the way on request as you spend the day travelling through this beautiful section of road. Highlights include Horndøla Bru (Bridge), built between 1810 and 1813 and Norangsdalen, one of the narrowest valleys in Norway. This route follows the 'Queens' Route', rich in both spectacular sceneries as well as cultural memories.
Pass by Hellesyltfossen, one of the most well-known waterfalls of the Sunnfjord region, an area which encompasses dozens upon dozens of waterfalls. This lake was formed when an avalanche dammed up the river more than 100 years ago. Drive along the Hjørundfjord and catch the ferry across from Leknes to Sæbø before enjoying a 2 course lunch at Sagafjord Hotel.
Then it is time to make your way to Ålesund, a drive past lakes, Norwegian farms and ocean view.
Enjoy a 3 hours morning city walk of the picturesque city center of Ålesund.
In the afternoon, at your leisure, you have the day to explore more of the city. Ålesund is known for its art nouveau architectural style in which most of the town was rebuilt after a fire in 1904. Optional activities are available such as kayaking trips around the historic waterfront buildings, wildlife sea safari or climbing Mt. Aksla for lunch (418 steps).
After breakfast, be sure to have your cameras charged as you travel to Åndalsnes, with stops along the Trollstigen National Scenic Road. Trollstigen is Norway’s most visited tourist road, and this masterpiece in engineering in the midst of majestic natural landscapes is a true joy ride (particularly when you are in the safe hands of our Norwegian driver).
The eleven magnificent hairpin turns along Trollstigen offer fantastic scenery along the mountain road. Each bend has its own name, often named after the person who supervised the construction work on that particular section. At some locations, you will discover that the road is carved into the mountain itself, and in other places it is built in stone instead.
Historically, Trollstigen used to be an important transport passage between the villages Valldal in Indre Sunnmøre and Åndalsnes in Romsdalen. When the road opened in 1939, it wasn’t long before Trollstigen became a tourist attraction.
The Trollstigen is surrounded by mighty mountains that reach an altitude of over 1600 meters. To the west of the road lie the mountains of Bispen (1450m), Kongen (1614m) and Dronninga (1701m), and to the east of the road lie the Stigbottshornet (1583m) and the Storgrovfjellet (1629m).
Your minivan will stop along the way today for photos, rest stops and a stop at the Strawberry Cafe to sample the famous strawberry cakes on offer. You will also stop at the thundering ravine, Gudbrandsjuvet, near the Juvet Hotel. Gudbrandsjuvet is a 5 metre narrow and 20–25 metre high ravine through which the Valldøla River forces itself. The waters have formed a complex of deep potholes and intricate formations. The depth down from the surface of the water is about equal to the depth of ravine down to the river.
Today we have included an easy cultural hike to explore the region of Åndalsnes. Get to know the old history, culture and wildlife of the Romsdalen area. Join a local guide for a 2-hour hike on easy trails along the Romsdalen valley. You will get the feel of the wilderness among the waterfalls, high mountains and boulders in the forest.
This evening, sit back and admire the view during your three course dinner.
After breakfast, spend your final day with your driver, travelling to Trondheim via the Atlantic Road. After leaving your hotel, the first stop is visiting the tiny Rødven Stave Church beside the fjord. The history of this church dates back to the 13th century, and a crucifix from that period is among the oldest furnishings. A new chancel and sacristy was built in the 17th century, and restored to its present look early in the 18th century.
Next along the route, stop to visit the Romsdal Museum, one of the largest and most comprehensive folk museums in Norway (optional entry) before heading out to the Atlantic Road. The Atlantic Road takes you from lush coastal landscapes and heaths to bare rocks along the exposed Hustadvika, where you can see the sun sink into the horizon. This National Tourist Route has been called the world’s most beautiful drive and has been voted the “Norwegian construction of the century”.
On arrival into Kristiansund, catch the late afternoon express boat (3 hours) to Trondheim. Enjoy your final night in Norway and bid farewell to your escort and fellow travellers.
After breakfast, make your own way to the airport.
All prices listed are per person, double share.
NOTE: Accommodations are subject to change and twin rooms can be requested but not guaranteed.
Please note this tour is not suitable for children under the age of 14.
MEDICAL AND HEALTH INFORMATION:
All travellers need to be in good physical health in order to participate fully on this trip. When selecting your trip please make sure you have read through the itinerary carefully and assess your ability to manage and enjoy group travel. Please consider carefully how much luggage you bring as you will be responsible for carrying all the luggage. There is limited portage service in Scandinavia and your tour escorts cannot help you, beyond reason.
Scandinavia is a fairly accessible destination for people with restricted mobility and other disabilities and is actively working to be more accessible every day. However, please note that our group tours are often not suitable for persons with limited accessibility due to inclusions and pace. 50 Degrees North is committed to making travel widely accessible, regardless of ability or disability and we can tailor-make independent itineraries for travellers when needed. Please contact us for further details.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL:
As a Nordic specialist we are keen to show travellers the hidden gems of the countries we visit, and as an anti-dote to over-tourism to reduce the environmental pressures on the traditional and busy routes that most travel companies will take. This itinerary has been designed to do just that.
Our premium mini-coach tours are one way in which we are looking at how we can reduce carbon emissions over all styles of travel that we offer, not just on our group tours which by their nature have shared transport, but also on our private options. This tour is a private tour however the transport 'mini-coach' between destinations is shared (with more of our clients doing the same tour, max 12 pax), therefore reducing the overall carbon footprint for each traveller.
Throughout your stay we have hand-selected accommodations which are locally owned, have deep roots in their communities, and pride themselves on supporting local facilities and producers. This is done through shopping locally, and buying sustainably sourced options, so in the words of one of the chefs in the accommodation you will be staying in 'you should taste what’s here in the surroundings, from lakes, mountains and farms'
On this itinerary we also support Nordic Choice Hotels, a collection of hotels renowned for their environmental efforts. The hotels are ISO 14001 certified, have launched plastic free initiatives in partnership with WWF, where possible are powered by renewable energy and are taking great strides to reduce water consumption and reduce the use of chemicals. Even though access to water is not an issue in Norway compared to other parts of the world, this hotel group is conscious of the energy consumed for heating, and chemicals required for purification, so reduction makes up part of their overall environmental policy. In addition to this they provide sustainable, organic, fair-trade food, and only use sustainably produced palm oil.
Our premium 50 Degrees North mini-coach represent a new style of travel: 2-12 independent travellers traverse exceptionally beautiful, yet hard-to-reach areas of Norway, thus experiencing something unique and authentic while contributing to more modest local economies.
Our Western Fjords hiking tour guides you to some of the best hikes that the area has to offer. Aimed at all active adventurers with a reasonable fitness level and a love for the outdoors, this tour takes you into the heart of the unique, secluded and exceptionally beautiful Western fjords in Norway, away from the summer crowds.
From the Norwegian fjords to the mountaintops in the blink of an eye on our Bergen to Trondheim self drive itinerary.
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