Scenic routes

The Hardangervidda route crosses Northern Europe's largest mountain plateau, dropping from 1,250 metres above sea level to the Hardangerfjord at Eidfjord. Vast, treeless tundra gives way to the narrow Måbødalen valley, which funnels you down past Vøringsfossen, Norway's most famous waterfall.

Aurlandsfjellet connects two branches of the Sognefjord via a mountain plateau where snow lines the roadside into July. The 47-kilometre route runs from Lærdalsøyri at sea level to Aurlandsvangen, climbing to 1,306 metres, through the Stegastein viewpoint, before dropping you at the edge of the Aurlandsfjord. Locals call it the Snow Road, and that name makes sense the moment you crest the plateau.

Eight bridges hop between tiny islands and skerries, waves crashing over the asphalt, spray soaking windscreens. The most photographed span, Storseisundbrua, curves upward and then drops away at an angle that makes it look like the road simply ends in mid-air.

The route connects two UNESCO-listed fjords via a mountain pass with hairpin bends that is barely just drivable. It's exactly as dramatic as the tourism brochures claim. This is the most visited scenic route in Norway, and for good reason.

Norway has 18 designated scenic routes called Nasjonale Turistveger (National Tourist Roads). They add up to 2,240 kilometres of roads that go along coastlines, over mountain passes and through landscapes the main highways skip.

There's no quick way to see Lofoten properly. Budget a week to ensure you get to experience Lofoten properly without rushing.

Hardangerfjord has orchards on steep hillsides, snowcapped peaks reflected in wide water and some of the best hiking in Norway.