Norway Advanced
LEVEL
Advanced
What country ranks first on the World Happiness Report? It’s Norway! Home to Thor, Odin, the Midnight Sun and Edvard Grieg, it’s a land of music, legend, and lutefisk. Norway’s fjords top National Geographic’s list of most popular World Heritage Sites. Bike, hike, paddle, and sail through the Sognefjord, Norway’s longest, deepest fjord. Ride the Romantic Route beside the calm waters of the Lustrafjorden. Explore by train, kayak and rib boat. Challenge your legs on climbs into the mountains. Feast on fresh salmon, herring and artisan-made goat cheeses. You may never want to leave.
*There are a limited amount of e-bikes available on this tour and won’t be the same models as shown below.
Itinerary
Day 01
Meet in Bergen. Ferry into the King of the Fjords - the Sognefjord before you ride along the shoreline.
Meals
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Dragsvik Fjordhotell
Distance
40 miles
Flat/rolling hills
Easy
Ability Level
Intermediate
Bergen, a beautiful seaside city with 900 years of history, is Norway’s second-largest city. Clambering up the hillsides overlooking the North Sea, its colorful houses are a sight from a storybook. Meet us here on the morning of Day 1. Board the Express Boat to begin your 3-hour journey along the magnificent Sognefjord. Norway’s deepest (over 4,000′ at some points) and longest, it’s often called the King of the Fjords. Lush green hillsides and waterfall-washed crags surround and protect its peaceful waters. Tiny villas cling to the slopes on either side. Stop at Nese for an afternoon snack and a bike fitting. Ride north along the idyllic shoreline to the ferry at Balestrand. Stay at the Dragsvik Fjordhotell, right on the shore of the Sognefjord.
Day 02
Bicycle the National Tourist Route beside clear blue waters and sparkling glaciers.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Walaker Hotel
Distance
AM Ride
34 miles
Advanced
PM Ride
33 miles
Flat/rolling hills
Intermediate
Elevation
AM Ride
6 mi/2200 ft climb
PM Ride
3.5 mi/750 ft climb
Ability Level
Intermediate
Two rides today. This morning, pedal the Gaularfjellet National Tourist Route through protected lands studded with waterfalls, wild rapids, and glaciers. Jaw-dropping mountain views await! This afternoon, ride to the Walaker Hotel, the oldest family-run hotel in Norway, set beside the fjord in the idyllic village of Solvorn.
Day 03
Ride up to Jostedalsbreen National Park to see the largest glacier on Europe's mainland.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Walaker Hotel
Distance
68 miles
Flat/rolling hills
Elevation
1100 ft of climbing in first 4 miles
Ability Level
Intermediate
Take a ride up through what English mountaineer W.C. Slingsby called, “The finest ice scenery in Europe.” From the Walaker, follow the lone road beside the glacial-blue Storelvi River, where sculpted, polished rocks line a shoreline dotted with wildflowers and diminutive farms. Head up another valley to tiny, isolated Bergset, surrounded on three sides by Jostedalsbreen National Park, home of the largest glacier on the European mainland. Snap a photo (or a dozen) and enjoy the best picnic of your life before cruising back down-river.
Day 04
Warm up with the Romantic Ride beside the water before heading into the mountains.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Turtagro Hotel
Distance
45 miles
Elevation
37m – Flat
8m – Steep
Ability Level
Advanced
Starting with a ferry ride across the fjord to visit the Urnes Stave Church, we bicycle the Romantic Route, curving along peaceful roads beside the water. Enjoy several charming, bucolic, creek-side out and back rides along the way. At the head of the fjord, it’s time to climb. Tackle a road leading uphill – very uphill – into alpine scenery, glacier views, tiny farms and lots of wide-open spaces.
Day 05
Relax, hike or tackle the road to Northern Europe's highest mountain pass.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Turtagro Hotel
Ability Level
All Levels
Turtagro is a winter ski area. The day is up to you. After a great breakfast you can either relax at the lodge, take a hike with us into the mountains, or pit yourself against the rest of the road up to the highest mountain pass in Northern Europe (4,593’/1400m), the Sognefjellet!
Day 06
Ride up and over to Øvre Årdal this morning, then bicycle the Aurland Valley, 'Norway's Grand Canyon.'
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
Lodging
Vangsgaarden
Distance
AM Ride
29 miles
PM Ride
30 miles
Elevation
AM Ride
Two 1000 ft climbs
PM Ride
10 mi. steep climbing / 10 mi. steep descending
Ability Level
Advanced
Take the Tindevegen route up and over the mountains to the town of Ovre Ardal, at the head of Lake Årdalsvatnet. Ride onward through massive views of the Aurland Valley, hailed as Norway’s Grand Canyon. Stay at Vangsgaarden tonight, a lovely hotel on the shores of the Sognefjord.
Day 07
Go for a boat ride through the fjord or hike to a local farm or glacier.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Dinner
Lodging
Vangsgaarden
Ability Level
Intermediate
It’s another Choose Your Own Adventure day. Take a fjord safari in a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (a ‘Rib Boat’). Sample handmade artisanal goat cheeses at a local summer farm. Take a hike on the glacier or go for a bike ride. Sit and soak up the sunshine. Enjoy a final dinner celebration tonight.
Day 08
The train back to Bergen, one of the Top 10 train journeys in Europe.
Meals
– Breakfast
After a leisurely breakfast, we finish things off with an amazing railway journey back to Bergen. Both National Geographic Traveler and Lonely Planet hail as this one of the world’s most beautiful train rides!
