The Viking Experience

Ten days through the Norwegian fjords from Oslo to Alesund, one way, with the direction alternating by departure date. Fjord country is the best motorcycling scenery in Europe and this route goes through the heart of it.

Vradal comes first across the wild Telemark region, with a night in a historic hotel, and then two nights at Sola where the fjords properly begin. Bergen gets two more, the old Hanseatic trading port with its wooden harbour warehouses and its fish market, and a city worth the full day it is given.

The second half is the spectacular part. Sogndal and Fjaerland lead to Jostedalsbreen National Park, which holds the largest glacier on mainland Europe, and the road to Dalsnibba climbs to roughly 1,500 metres, the highest in Scandinavia, looking straight down the Geirangerfjord from the top. The descent and then a ferry crossing of the fjord itself follow, before the finish at Alesund, a town rebuilt entirely in art nouveau after a fire in 1904 and strikingly handsome for it.

Edelweiss include a choice of BMW motorcycle, nine nights of hotels with some in historic buildings, a guide and a tour book. This is a one-way tour between Oslo and Alesund, the direction depends on the departure date, and flights are separate, with the inclusions not itemised in full on the operator’s page. The price quoted is per person for 2027. Norway is expensive and the weather is never guaranteed, so waterproofs matter more here than on any other tour in the range. For ten days of roads cut along fjord walls, with ferries and glaciers in between, there is no real substitute.