Help for crucial decisions to make to get through Norway in around 7 weeks

Tagged: Itinerary

This topic has 3 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 6 months, 1 week ago by Basile Nicolsky.

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June 11, 2024 at 8:56 pm #23532
Basile Nicolsky
Participant
Hi,
Thank you Matthew for your wonderful website ! We have planned to go cycling across Norway this summer, and will arrive to Kristiansand in around ten days. Our goal is to get as far as possible towards North before around August 10th, where we’ll take multiple trains back to France.
The idea would be to proceed as following:
– kristiansand -> Bergen via national cycle route 1
– Bergen -> Trondheim via fjord Norway (or Atlantic coast – eurovelo 1, depending on our shape as fjord Norway seems obviously to be harder)
– Trondheim -> Tromsø via eurovelo 1. Of course it would be nice to go even further but it does not seem realistic given the duration of our stay.

Here are our 2 questions :
– We would like to reach Tromso in that time window of around 7 weeks, but are afraid that we might not have the level or motivation to pedal our way there in that duration. Hence, what would be the portion of the trip that might be skipped thanks to train or ferry in order to get the best of it ? It could be either a whole portion of the trip as described above, or maybe some less beautiful or cyclable steps here or there among them. Even with all the information available on this website, it is hard to tell which parts are less interesting and could be skipped without too many regret. I have the vague feeling that the first part (from Kristiansand to Stavanger or even to Bergen) could be “sacrificed” to allow more time and serenity after, but I couldn’t really tell why, while my girlfriend thinks that we should cycle until Trondheim, then take the train to reach Bodø to enjoy the last part on bike to Tromsø…
– concerning the part Bergen-Trondheim: except from the criteria of objective difficulty of each itinerary, what would be the pros and cons that might help us to choose between following the coast or going through the fjord Norway ?

In advance, thank you for your help ! I have looked on the existing posts but hope that I have not already missed the answer to similar questions. We can’t wait to reach Kristiansand and begin our adventure.
Basile & Fanny, from Corsica
June 12, 2024 at 7:04 pm #23533
Matthew Norway
Keymaster
Hi Basile,

Stavanger to Bergen is the one to skip. It’s a mess of a route requiring many ferries and below-average scenery.

Parts of the Kristiansand – Stavanger has some nice sections along the coast and some less appealing sections near the main E39 road.

You can take a train from Kristiansand to Stavanger and a boat from Stavanger to Bergen if you wish to skip either of these sections.

Trondheim to Bodø is a real highlight and should be cycled if you have the time. Just make sure you time the ferries or it can be a lot of waiting around.

Fjord Norway is very demanding and to add that into a long trip will be tough. The traffic in places is also heavy and you should time your rides to miss the peak traffic periods (11-18)

The coastal route from Bergen to Trondheim is mainly on quiet roads and reasonably flat. I would take that one if cycling a long distance. You also have the half coast half mountain route to Ålesund which gives you the best of both worlds (recommended). That is on the Bergen to Trondheim detail page (Atlantic Coast).

Best of luck, Matthew
June 12, 2024 at 7:04 pm #23534
Matthew Norway
Keymaster
Hi Basile,

Stavanger to Bergen is the one to skip. It’s a mess of a route requiring many ferries and below-average scenery.

Parts of the Kristiansand – Stavanger has some nice sections along the coast and some less appealing sections near the main E39 road.

You can take a train from Kristiansand to Stavanger and a boat from Stavanger to Bergen if you wish to skip either of these sections.

Trondheim to Bodø is a real highlight and should be cycled if you have the time. Just make sure you time the ferries or it can be a lot of waiting around.

Fjord Norway is very demanding and to add that into a long trip will be tough. The traffic in places is also heavy and you should time your rides to miss the peak traffic periods (11-18)

The coastal route from Bergen to Trondheim is mainly on quiet roads and reasonably flat. I would take that one if cycling a long distance. You also have the half coast half mountain route to Ålesund which gives you the best of both worlds (recommended). That is on the Bergen to Trondheim detail page (Atlantic Coast).

Best of luck, Matthew
June 12, 2024 at 8:27 pm #23535
Basile Nicolsky
Participant
Hi Matthew, thank you for your quick and really helpful answer. We’ll dig that in more details.
Best
Basile & Fanny
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