Western Norway has spectacular nature, roads and tourist attractions. Fjords, mountains and waterfalls. Here is a short guide with selected roads.
The roads and places are presented in northbound order. If you wish, you can use this as a coherent travel itinerary. The route takes about a week, but it is easy to spend more time if you want to.
There are also links to Google Maps and GPX files in Vestlandet Nord.
The article is divided into two parts. Read about Northern Western Norway here: Road Trip: Western Norway North
You can also extend the trip by driving around Southern Norway: Road trip Southern Norway and Western Norway
Photo: Elin and Otto, unless otherwise stated.
To Western Norway from Eastern Norway
From the Oslo area, there are three main routes to Western Norway: the E134 via Haukeligrend, Route 7 via Geilo, or the E16 in the far north. When we drove this route, we took Route 7.
Rjukan – Geilo – Måbødalen
Drive across Imingfjell on Route 40 to Geilo, then across the Hardangervidda plateau and down through the spectacular Måbødalen valley.
Google Maps:https://maps.app.goo.gl/odLz5XFMn9Z8cLZQ9
Vøringsfossen
If you drive National Road 7 across the Hardangervidda plateau, you will pass Vøringsfossen on the way down through Måbødalen. This is Norway’s best-known waterfall, with a drop of 180 metres into a gorge. It has a powerful flow of water, and facilities have been provided for tourists, including viewpoints and a bridge built over the waterfall. Expect plenty of tourists.
See:https://www.voringsfossen.no/
Måbødalen
The road down Måbødalen is an attraction in itself, with tunnels looping their way down through the narrow, wild valley. From the Måbø farm, now a museum with a large car park, you can follow the old trail up the mountain and onwards to Vøringsfossen. The trail has countless steps and was used by the farm to reach the grazing pastures at the top of the mountain.
You can also follow the old road that bypasses the tunnels. The road was in use until 1986 and offers magnificent views down the valley as it clings to the mountainside.
See Måbødalen
Kjeåsen – where no one would believe anyone could live
At the innermost end of Eidfjord, a short drive from the village of Eidfjord, lies one of Norway’s most inaccessible farms, high up on the mountainside. Or rather, formerly inaccessible. A road has now been built there in connection with a hydropower development.
If you drive to the Lang-Sima power plant, you can see parts of the old access route. The trail is built across steep, sloping rock faces and is definitely not for those with a fear of heights. There were two farms here at 600 metres above sea level, and the 13 children walked this trail to school in the summer.
Drive along County Road 103 past the power plant. The road is narrow and single-lane. Traffic goes uphill on the hour and downhill on the half-hour. There is a parking area just after the tunnel.
See:https://www.visitnorway.no
Måbødalen –Lærdal
Odda, Hardanger Bridge, Voss, Stalheimkleivene, Aurland, Old Aurland Road to Lærdal.
Google Maps:https://maps.app.goo.gl/sfoJEZny9Mf8CZmn6
Tvindefossen
The 110-metre-high waterfall is located right by the road and is definitely worth a short stop.
Stalheimskleivene
Until 2020, you could drive the Stalheimskleivene road, but it is now closed to cars. The road is one of the steepest in Northern Europe, with an 18% gradient and 13 hairpin bends. It makes for a wonderful walk, where you can study the old roadworks from the 1840s while enjoying the view down the valley and the two waterfalls that flank the road.
To get to the parking lot, turn off at the sign in Nærøydalen.
See:https://www.visitnorway.no
Aurlandsdalen
A fantastic hike through magnificent scenery is to walk down the Aurlandsdalen Valley along old trails.
You follow the river down through gorges and along mountain ledges. The trail is an old route used by the settlements in the valley. Some of the houses are still standing, bearing witness to the harsh lives people once lived. There is a bus between Aurland and Aurlandsdalen Turisthytte (Østerbø) at the top of the valley.
The hike can be done either uphill or downhill. It is 16 km long, and if you go uphill, you will have to conquer 940 metres of elevation gain.
See:aurlandsdalen-historisk-vandrerute
Flåm Railway
The Flåm Railway is described as one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world. The journey runs from Aurland to Myrdal, 870 metres above sea level, taking you through the beautiful landscapes of Western Norway, with a photo stop at Kjosfossen.
The train journey can easily be combined with a car trip using a return ticket.
See:round-trip-on-the-flam-railway
Old Aurland Road
To get to Lærdal, you have two options. Either through what, when it opened in 2000, was the world’s longest road tunnel, 25 km long. Convenient with tunnels, but you don’t get to see much. A better option for a tourist is to take the old Aurland Road over the mountains.
Heading towards Lærdal, turn off the E16 at Aurlandsvangen, then head uphill on a narrow road with many hairpin bends. There are plenty of passing places, though, so even with lots of cars during the tourist season, it is fine to drive. If you have a caravan, I might give it a miss.
At Stegastein, 650 metres above the Aurlandsfjord, a massive viewing platform has been built that juts out over the valley. The view is spectacular.
Up in the mountains, the snow still lies in large drifts, and there are plenty of opportunities for wild camping.
The road opens around June 1.
Old Lærdalsøyri
At the end of the fjord in Lærdal lies Lærdalsøyri. It is a pleasant place to take a break and stop to see Old Lærdalsøyri, a well-preserved and charming collection of wooden houses with several cafés.
Turn in by the gas station and park.
Borgund Stave Church
One of Norway’s finest stave churches is located a short way up the Lærdal Valley, and a detour here is highly recommended. The church dates from 1180 and is very well preserved. There is a visitor centre with information about stave churches. Stave churches are a unique style of construction, with only 28 churches remaining in Norway.
You may want to take the old road from Lærdal towards Borgund Stave Church. The new E16 runs largely through tunnels. The road follows the river as it rushes downstream through rapids. On the other side of the river is the old King’s Road, and you will pass Vindhella. See below.
If you’re going camping, I recommend Steinklepp Hytter og Camping, a small campsite located along the old E16. Turn off at Borgund Service Center and follow the road for 1 km. Very peaceful and nostalgic, with camping cabins from the 1960s. The only sound is the river flowing right past.
Don’t make the mistake of staying at the campsite right next to the new E16. Noisy and devoid of charm.
Vindhella and Galdane
Kongeveien is the old road from Oslo to Bergen, dating back to the 17th century. Vindhella, right by Borgund Stave Church, is a fantastic feat of engineering from 1808 and definitely worth a visit. Drive along the old road a little past Borgund Stave Church towards Lærdal (after visiting the church, of course), and you will reach a car park at the bottom of Vindhella. Walk up it, and return via Sverrestigen for a circular route.
You can also hike Galdane, the old King’s Road along the river. Parking for this hike is a little farther down the valley. Buses run from Lærdal, so you can take the bus up and walk back.
See: round-trips/round-trip-vindhella-sverrestigen
All about Norway: Norway
More about Western Norway
The article is divided into two parts. Read about Northern Western Norway here: Road Trip Western Norway North
You can also extend the trip by driving around Southern Norway: Road trip through Southern Norway and Western Norway
And you can continue north to Nordmøre. Kristiansund, the Atlantic Ocean Road, Smøla: Kristiansund and Smøla
