The Best Driving Tours in Norway

Overland Route Oslo/Bergen: The mountainous drive from Oslo to Bergen is one of the grand scenic trips of Europe. You'll go through mountain passes and even make a ferry crossing here and there. Along the way, you'll pass fjords and snowcapped mountains, along with waterfalls, fjord villages, and even an ancient stave church. The most memorable stopover is at the town of Flåm, which lies on the Aurlandsfjord, a tip of the Sognefjord, the most scenic fjord in Norway. If time allows, we recommend that you allow at least 2 days for this memorable motor tour. Faced with a choice of the northern or southern route, we prefer the southern.

Electric Train from Myrdal to Flåm: In our view, there is no more scenic train ride in Europe -- even in Switzerland -- than from Myrdal to the village of Flåm. There's no railway line of this adhesion type anywhere in the world steeper than this railway; the train and track were designed so that they would lock into each other with greater adhesion than smooth tracks. The trip is 19km (12 miles) long and takes 50 minutes. During that time you'll travel 883m (2,896 ft.) up a steep mountain gorge and down again. Picture 20 tunnels and spectacular waterfalls in what we rate as the most beautiful and lushest mountain scenery in Norway.

The Route to the North Cape: If you're up for it -- and we know our readers are hardy people -- you can leave Bergen and drive to the Arctic Circle in a relatively relaxed 3 days. To push on, you can even drive from Bergen to the North Cape in 5 days. Locals call the northern route the Arctic Highway. The road, which is well maintained, allows you to experience the majestic beauty of the far north of Norway as you move toward polar-bear country. Those who've driven in the far north of Alaska will roughly know what to expect. Fertile fields in the south in the fjord country give way to lakes and dark forests. In summer, you'll be driving into the land of the midnight sun. The Arctic Highway is faster, but the Kystriksveien Coast Route allows the most dramatic views of the landscape and seascape.