7-Day Norway Itinerary: How to See the Best of Norway in 1 Week
Are you looking for the perfect Norway itinerary? We recently did an incredible 7-day road trip around the country, and here’s everything you need to know!
If you love Norway, you’re not alone. It’s one of our favourite countries in the world; the scenery is absolutely insane, there’s just an incredible mixture of fjords, coastline, lakes, mountains, epic drives, hikes, and so much more.
We’ve visited Norway 6 times, and each time we visit, I swear we fall in love with the country a little bit more! This time, we took an epic 7-day road trip past waterfalls, mountains, 2 National Scenic Routes, glaciers and so many lakes.
It was amazing, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
The Route
The trip we did is called Norway Nomads, and it’s entirely organised by a company called Travelbase.
They arrange the hire car, book all of your accommodation for you, and give you a detailed road book with the full route and a number of different stops along the way.
This is actually the second trip we’ve done with them – we also did a 7-day Iceland road trip last year, which was also really good! We genuinely love the company and everything they stand for and cannot recommend this trip enough!
There are two different accommodation options – either a rooftop tent or traditional Norwegian cabins. We opted for cabins because we have plenty of experience with Norway’s unpredictable weather, and they were super cosy.
Bergen Basecamp
The Norway Nomads trip both started and ended in Bergen.
We flew here from London, and it was an easy 1 hour 50 minute flight. From there, we got a shuttle bus to the base camp, which Travelbase arranged, and we were there ready to pick up our hire car around 30 minutes after we got out of the airport.
At the base camp, you’ll collect your hire car. We also met the rangers who would be on hand in case anything went wrong during our trip and picked up all of the extras we booked. If you’ve picked the roof tent option, they also show you how to use it.
We added a food pack onto our booking, which was already in the boot ready for us when we arrived. They also gave us the physical roadbook and our cooking equipment, which included a camping table and a gas hob with a few additional bottles of gas.
There’s also a bag of essentials already in the car, including salt, pepper, oil, a sponge, tea towel, washing up liquid, toilet roll and other necessities.
It was all very well organised, and we set off from the base camp around 45 minutes later feeling super excited about our road trip!
So, here’s exactly where this Norway road trip took us!
Hardangerfjord
The first day of the trip was exploring Hardangerfjord. This is one of the prettiest areas of Norway, mostly known for its apple orchards and flowers against the fjords. We actually didn’t see any blossoms, but it was still such a scenic drive.
We passed several waterfalls – actually, it was a day of waterfall hopping – and we saw some of the most stunning waterfalls in the country, including Steinsdalsfossen, which you can walk all the way behind.
This is actually part of the Hardanger Scenic Route, one of the prettiest drives in southern Norway.
Our campsite for the night was located right by the fjord and our cabin was one of the nicest we had during the trip. There was a small kitchenette with a microwave and a kettle, an en-suite bathroom and shower, and a cosy bedroom with twin beds.
However, before checking into our cabin, we decided to take a quick detour to another waterfall that had been on my list for ages. I say quick, but it was actually an additional 45 minutes past our cabin. But, in our opinion, it was well worth it.
The waterfall is called Voringfossen and is one of the most impressive waterfalls in all of Norway. It’s a twin waterfall that cascades over the edge of a cliff into a deep gorge and is honestly so unique.
There’s a whole hike you can do around the area, and it’s definitely worth it as it allows you to see the falls from all angles.
We spent around 1 hour there exploring the waterfalls and admiring the views. As a bonus, there are also electric chargers there, which was really handy as we could leave the car on charge while we went to explore.
After exploring, we hopped back in the car and drove back to our camp, where the restaurant was luckily still open, and we had a delicious burger for dinner.
Aurland
On the second day of our trip, our journey continued through Aurland, and we started to head north to a little campsite by a lake.
We started the day by heading towards Gudvangen, where we had the option to visit the famous Viking Valley. We then carried on towards Flam, home of one of the most beautiful railways in the world.
We also made another spontaneous stop near Aurland, to hike up Mount Prest, a fairly challenging hike which takes you high above the Aurlandsfjord.
This wasn’t in the roadbook, but one of the best things about Norway Nomads is that it’s fully flexible. You can entirely adapt the trip to suit you. So, we decided to do a hike that had been on our list for a while, and it was well worth it!
After we got back down, we headed to one of the most impressive churches in Norway – Borgund Stave Church. This is the best-preserved church in the country and is very impressive.
Then, we headed to our next campsite, which was another right beside a lake.
The cabins here were still simpler, just containing a bed, a fridge, and a table. But the campsite facilities were very good, including a large shower block and toilets, and a spacious communal kitchen and dining room, which we used to cook dinner.
They were actually really nice facilities, so we weren’t complaining at all! Plus, we woke up the next morning to these views!
Valdresflye
Day 3 of our trip was one of my favourite days of this entire Norway itinerary.
It was a more chilled day without any major hikes, and we spent most of the day driving one of Norway’s Scenic Routes, Valdresflye. The scenery was just incredible!
We passed waterfalls, stunning mountain viewpoints, deep gorges and the drives were insane. We saw some truly stunning views of Jotunheimen National Park.
We also had amazing weather, so we decided to stop and cook lunch at a cafe along the route, making full use of the food pack we were given.
We then headed off the Scenic Route towards the end of the day to head to our campsite, which was high in the mountains.
We had a lovely little studio-style cabin with a mini kitchenette and cooked a delicious chicken tikka for dinner (also courtesy of the food pack!) The views from here were also incredible.
Åndalsnes
The next day, we drove to Åndalsnes. This is one of the most popular towns to visit in Norway and for good reason. It’s a beautiful little place, surrounded by mountains and with a deep valley running through it.
It’s also the starting point for many gorgeous hikes in Norway, including the famous Romsdalegen Ridge and the Rampestreken viewpoint.
We actually stopped a little bit earlier at the unique Snohetta viewpoint, famous for wildlife sightings and ended up seeing a wild moose nearby, which was one of the highlights of our trip!
We also took a slight detour before we reached our campsite to hike up Litlefjillet, a short but sweet hike with stunning views over the valley and the famous troll wall. It was pretty cloudy when we were there, but the views were still pretty incredible.
Trollstigen
Day 5 took us to one of the most famous roads in all of Norway. Trollstigen is a famous road that only opens at certain times of year. It snakes up the mountain, has 11 hairpin bends, and stunning views over the valley.
From the top, you’ll be able to see so much incredible scenery, and there’s a specific visitor centre there too with a cafe and a car park.
We parked up and went for a little walk around the area. We also decided to hike further up to escape the crowds. This actually turned out to be a very good idea as the views were incredible and there was hardly anyone around.
Then, just past Trollstigen, we also hiked to Bispevatnet, a gorgeous glacier lake tucked away in the mountains. It’s one of the most incredible lakes we’ve visited in Norway, and the views are insane.
It’s a fairly demanding hike as you literally go straight up from the parking area, and the trail is very rocky, so good hiking shoes are a must.
The views are well worth it though, and it became one of our favourite spots on our entire road trip through Norway.
After this, we headed towards our campsite, which was tucked away in a valley right next to a gorge. We had more basic camping cabins here as well, but once again with very good facilities.
Kayaking
Our next day of this itinerary started with a kayaking trip on the fjords. This was a wonderful experience and something we’d wanted to do for a while.
We were able to get up close to the dramatic fjords, and we even glimpsed a porpoise before it dipped below the water.
This is one of 4 activities you can add on to your trip with Norway Nomads, and we were very glad we did, as it was a lovely start to the morning.
Next, we drove to Geiranger, another of the most popular places to visit in Norway, and spent some time exploring the town and surrounding viewpoints.
Some of the panoramas here are just incredible, and this was definitely one of the most dramatic fjords we saw.
We continued along past a few more waterfalls until we reached our campsite for the night, a larger campsite with a restaurant on site, but we had nice cosy cabins with a kitchen and shower and cooked a tasty stir fry for dinner.
🚗 Check out all of the activities you can add to this road trip here!
Back to Bergen
The final day in Norway started with a small waterfall detour around 15 minutes from our campsite, before driving all the way back to Bergen. This took around 2.5 hours in total, so was a fairly long straight drive, but took us all the way back to base camp.
Then, the final day is spent exploring Bergen itself, and as one of the most vibrant cities in the country, there’s a lot to see here.
You can explore the colourful area of Bryggen, visit one of the many museums, take the cable car or hike up to either Mount Fløyen or Mount Ulriken or grab some fresh fish from the fish market.
There are also lots of great restaurants here where you can grab dinner. Our personal favourite is Porto13, which serves delicious pizza and seafood pasta.
After a day exploring Bergen, take the bus back to base camp and spend the night in the cabins there, or in your tent, before checking out the car the following morning at the end of your road trip with Norway Nomads.
Our Car
So, now that you know the route, we also wanted to include a bit about everything that makes this trip so brilliant.
The car is a pretty important part of the trip as it’ll be essential for getting you all over the country, plus you’ll be sleeping above it if you choose the tent option.
The car we had was completely keyless, very spacious and had enough room in the back for all the camping equipment and three cases (we had hand luggage each and a checked case full of camp gear!). It was very modern with CarPlay, a large satnav screen, and was very comfortable to drive.
It was also fully electric. Norway is huge on electric vehicles – in fact, it’s one of the leaders of EVs around the world – so it’s much more affordable to hire an electric car there than it is a regular fuel vehicle.
Plus, the infrastructure for electric charging is excellent. You’ll find fast chargers in almost every town and can easily charge the car via the Elton app, which you can download before you set off.
Plus, there are also a lot of electric chargers at popular attractions, so you can literally plug your car on charge while you’re exploring and come back to a full battery. We did this on several occasions, and it was very easy.
It was also much more affordable than driving a fuel car, and for the entire week, we only spent £129 on charging and drove over 1,200km!
Where We Stayed
We stayed in cosy cabins all around the country. Each of these was at dedicated campsites and at the same places as the roof tents would stay – so the route doesn’t change at all; the only difference is your accommodation.
We’ve personally done both options before with Travelbase. During our first trip with them to Iceland, we stayed in a roof tent, and it was very comfortable.
It has a built-in mattress, and because you’re raised above the ground, you don’t get the chill from the ground seeping up.
If you choose this option, Travelbase will also provide a sleeping bag, per person, and a pillow, and you’ll need to bring a sleeping bag liner and pillowcase from home along with a sheet to go over the mattress.
You can also add an awning to your booking for extra shelter from the elements, which I highly recommend.
If you choose the cabins, you have all your bedding included. You still get the camping equipment, so you can cook during the day; however, most cabins either have a small kitchenette inside them or shared kitchen facilities.
Some also have a restaurant on site if you don’t fancy cooking at all!
The campsites are truly unique too.
Some are right next to beautiful lakes, and others are surrounded by towering mountains. One is right next to a thundering gorge, and one is on the bank of a fjord.
Some have shared bathrooms, and some have internal bathrooms, but you always have access to a toilet and hot shower.
Overall, we found the cabins really nice, and we personally preferred them to the rooftop tent in terms of comfort. Plus, they give you much more shelter from the elements whilst still giving that adventurous camping feel.
FAQs
What was the trip you did?
The trip we did was a 7-day Norway road trip called Norway Nomads organised by a company called Travelbase. You can check the full trip out here.
Is it easy to drive in Norway?
Yes, we found it really easy to drive in Norway, and the views are beautiful. There are a lot of mountain roads which can be windy, and you may have to take a car ferry, but overall, driving is easy.
How did it work getting to/from the airport?
Travelbase arranged a shuttle which you can easily add on when you book the trip. It takes you straight from the airport to the base camp.
What was in the food pack?
We had a mixture of dried camping meals which you just add hot water to and dry ingredients which you top up with fresh food from the supermarket. All of our breakfasts and most of our dinners were from the food pack and were very tasty.
Our Overall Thoughts
All in all, this was a fantastic trip which we would highly recommend. It’s hard to believe how much incredible scenery we managed to fit into one week, from hikes to glaciers, to kayaking, to waterfalls and so much more.
The ease of having everything organised for you and not having to worry about booking the car or which campsites to stay at made Norway Nomads so enjoyable. You just turn up, collect your car, and set off!
But because you were doing a self-drive trip, you could stop anywhere you wanted along the route and plan the day entirely at your own pace.
This meant we could add on hikes if we wanted to, skip places we didn’t want to visit and spend longer at others, and the extra freedom made the trip feel much more flexible.
For a Norway road trip that covers so much of the scenic fjord region, we highly recommend this trip. If you want to book or pre-register, I’ve linked the trip below!
🚗 This was the trip we did and we highly recommend it!
You can also check out this video of the trip! And feel free to drop us a message if you have any questions! 🙂
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