Two Remarkable Mountain Routes

As with our Bergen journeys, we’ve mapped out two unique routes between Oslo and Stavanger. One is longer, winding its way around some of the steeper terrain, while the other takes a more direct path straight over the mountains. Both deliver something genuinely rare in Europe,  a richly varied ride through some of Norway’s most striking and underexplored landscapes. If you have the time, riding one route out and the other back makes for a cycling journey few countries could hope to rival.

These are not your typical A-to-B rides. Route 1 (red line) takes you through the heart of Telemark, following parts of the historic canal route, once a vital waterway linking inland towns to the coast. You’ll ride beside the Telemark Canal, past old lock systems and working farms, giving a real sense of how people have lived and moved through this terrain for centuries. Further west, the route passes through Lysefjorden, one of Norway’s most iconic fjords, yet still remote enough to retain its raw power.

What sets these routes apart isn’t just the scenery, though that alone is reason enough; it’s the combination of solitude and drama. You’ll spend hours on quiet backroads, far from tour buses and busy hubs, before suddenly finding yourself in a landscape so staggering it barely seems real. This contrast — the understated and the awe-inspiring — is something Norway does better than anywhere else in Europe.