Norway | The most beautiful National Scenic Routes for car and camper

A roadtrip by Norway should be on everyone's bucket list. It is an experience that cannot be described in words and pictures. You really have to see, feel and experience it! Admiring the coarse, rugged, vast, untouched nature along countless beautiful routes is truly magical.

Norway is a perfect country to go on a tour with a car or camper. The Norwegians have ensured everywhere that you don't have to miss anything of the beautiful nature. There are routes right through the mountains, where it is suddenly 10 degrees colder and 1000 meters higher. Wherever you go, viewpoints have been created for you to pause and breathe, so that you don't fall back in amazement at the splendor you see.

There are officially 18 tourist car routes created in Norway, they call it the National Scenic Trails. They are all suitable for both car and camper and in this article I list the four most beautiful routes for you.

1. Aurlandsfjellet, from Laerdal to Aurland  

The auto route Aurlandfjellet is one of 18 tourist National Scenic Trails by Norway. It is a tourist autoroute located between aurland (Location hier) On laerdal (Location here) and is about 48 miles long. You can also drive it the other way around, from Laerdal to Aurland.

Driving in the mountains

It is made for people who are not afraid to drive into the mountains, along narrow paths. Still, the route is certainly feasible and you don't have to worry that it won't work, even with not too much driving experience it's fine to do. Plus, there are a lot of campers driving on the route, despite the narrow roads. The only important thing is that you anticipate well what you encounter. So wait at an inlet in the road so that the other side can pass and vice versa. And it's wise to go up and down in a low gear to save your engine and brakes. I had to get used to this myself…

Travel Route

The beginning is already very cool. You drive past it aurlandsfjord (Location here), which has beautiful blue water. At a certain point you come to a very famous panoramic viewpoint, Stegastein (Location here). This is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the world.

The Aurlandsfjord, which you can enjoy from the start of the route, can be fully admired from the Stegastein viewpoint. It is very touristy, so take into account at least twenty fellow visitors on the platform (during the summer months). It is recommended to start early in the morning, then you will not be bothered by hordes of curious nature visitors!

Once passed the viewpoint, the road goes up more and more. You will see many sheep and goats on the road, which surprised us. They are not afraid and therefore do not move aside. It's up to you whether you get out and take the time to admire the view with sheep by your side, or honk your horn to let you through. We usually chose the former!

From sfeer

The further we drove the route, the more beautiful it became. Another planet I already mentioned, and it was confirmed here. We ended up in a world full of snow, sun, water, tranquility and kilometers of green hilly nature.

The atmosphere you feel here, on top of the mountain, is so special. I felt the definition of 'rest' running through my veins here. You can park your car anywhere to walk around and hike wherever you want. There are beautiful walking routes that you can make during this car route, so you really don't have to just sit in the car camper. You can easily set aside a whole day for this route if you want to enjoy everything you encounter to the fullest!

Also read: Round trip Scandinavia | An unforgettable journey from fjord to smørrebrød

2. Gamle Strynefjellsvegen, from Grotli to Videsaeter 

Weather change

If you are going to drive through the mountains of Norway by car or camper, you have a good chance that you will notice how unpredictable the weather can be. From one moment to the next the rain will turn to sunshine, and the sunshine to snow.

When we got the route Gamle Strynefjellsvegen wanted to drive, we drove into a fog cloud so that we couldn't see anything except white for the entire route. We were trapped in clouds. At the end of the route we still had no idea how beautiful the route is. The next day we were so curious that we decided to just drive the route again. The area on the ground was so beautiful.

What you see

This time we were lucky. We had no problems with clouds, but a lovely sun. We soon noticed that this route is known for its beautiful blue-green water, which in combination with the white snow gives a beautiful contrast. In addition, in some places along the road there were literally walls of snow built (naturally) meters high. We stopped the car and stood in front of the snow walls, you can see it here in the picture.

Gamle Strynefjellsvegen is summed up a mountain road along blue waters, flowing streams, rivers, waterfalls, snow and rugged rocks!

The route

The route itself is 28 kilometers long and runs from Grotli (Location here) to Videsaeter (Location here). The highest point of the route is 1139 meters. The route is highly recommended for a road trip, not only because it is beautiful itself, but also because it borders another 2 National Scenic Trails.

You can therefore combine it well with other mountain routes in the area. Once you have completed Gamle Strynefjellsvegen, you have access to beautiful places in the area: Loen (Location here), Stryn (Location here) On Olden (Location here). For example, visit the famous lakes and the Glacier in Olden.  

Above you can see how the route ends. It is a beautiful, green area surrounded by mountains. The winding roads make it so much fun to road trip. You know those video clips of happy hits where people sing along in the car? And where you can see a beautiful view from the window? That's what the route feels like Gamle Strynefjellsvegen!

3. Trollstigen (the Troll Route), from Geiranger to Trollstigen 

The route starts in Geiranger (Location here) and ends in Trollstigen (Location here). Of the 18 National Scenic TrailsI thought this was perhaps the most beautiful. It is a world famous route and frequented by road trip enthusiasts. Motorcyclists, campers, cars, cows, sheep, you come across everything on the road.

Hairpin bends

It is a road consisting of winding roads, up and down. The route is known for its many hairpin bends, which gives a special effect from a distance. During the route you also look down or up at the many bends and how special this looks from different vantage points. You behold one large valley of layers of nature and greenery. You have to see this with your own eyes!

What you see

One of the famous points during the troll route is the Stigfossen (Location here), a waterfall. The word Foss means waterfall in Norwegian. The nice thing is that the road has been laid through the waterfall. From your one car window you see the water falling down rough and from your other car window, it flows down again. Do you have the top of the Trollstigen (Location here) reaches? Then get out, walk around and enjoy the view over the valley Isterdalen! When you are downstairs, you will reach a restaurant and souvenir shop, so you can sit out here and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.

Travel Route

De Troll route is characterized by its roughness. Everywhere you look you see rugged rocks, mountains that protrude in a special way. You almost believe that trolls actually lived here and you can imagine why it is so called. During the route you look around for miles, but nowhere are there more signs of city life to be seen. No noise, no shops, no houses, no amenities. Just pure nature…

Tip: Combine the Trollstigen with a night in Geiranger. Geiranger is basically the starting point of the troll route, but is also world famous. As touristy and busy as this place is, it is worth taking a break.

We slept in a cabin Geirangerfjord, and really enjoyed it here. If you look along the Geirangerjord, you fall silent for a while. You feel so insignificant in the face of the rugged nature. This makes you realize again how insignificant you are in this world, and puts you back on the ground with both feet.  

4. Sognefjellsvegen, from Lom to Gaupne

De Sognefjellsvegen is a 110 km long route that is usually driven from Lom (Location here) nasty Gaupne (Location here). Why that is so, I don't know myself. We drove from Gaupne to Lom and never had the feeling that it could have been better the other way around.

Travel Route

This route is somewhat similar to the Aurlandsfjellet. The road is hilly over mountains. Here you pass clear waters with layers of snow on top, and also a lot of greenery.

The way these colors of nature continuously fill your view and provide a beautiful contrast makes it feel like you are living in a painting. Had I been an artist, I would certainly have sought a place here. The Sognefjellsvegen is a beautiful mountain road, which makes you feel again how great the nature of the country is and how much Norway has to offer.

What you see

Breathtaking views and hiking trails take you to another level. Sometimes you don't know where to look and how to behave. So overwhelming! Occasionally we put the car down to walk around, lie in the snow and fill our bottles with water from the mountains. We even had a little snowball fight (in August). 

You have a view over it at the beginning of the route (or at the end). sognefjord (Location here). There is a cute café owned by an old couple who will make you delicious coffee and a Norwegian snack, such as a cinnamon buller. You can take a seat here directly on the fjord. During our trip, this was really the most beautiful location to drink a cup of coffee!

The fjord eventually gives way to flowing rivers, snow, green surfaces and panoramic views. Be surprised by the lookout spots and don't miss this one. The Norwegians stop you in magical places by means of signs that indicate where you can look out over the outdoors.