Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
plum, pear, apple, and cherry trees
grow in profusion.
Coastal Steamer to the North
Cape: One of the sea voyages of a
lifetime, the route along the west
coast of Norway from Bergen to
the remote northern frontier town
of Kirkenes is plied by elegantly
comfortable coastal steamers. Pas-
sengers and cargo are carried to 34
ports. Along the way, ships sail
through some of the lesser known
but most beautiful fjords in the
country. Passengers are allowed to
make excursions into the moun-
tains and across glacier country.
The highlight of the sea voyage—
with the most evocative scenery—
is a visit to Nordkapp (North
Cape), at the top of Europe. See
p. 49 in chapter 2, and p. 394 in
chapter 14.
10 The Most Unforgettable Landscapes/Drives
Overland Route Oslo/Bergen:
The mountainous drive from
Oslo to Bergen is one of the grand
scenic trips of Europe. You'll go
through mountain passes and
even make a ferry crossing here
and there. Along the way you'll
pass fjords and snowcapped
mountains, along with waterfalls,
fjord villages, and even an ancient
stave church. The most memo-
rable stopover is at the town of
Flåm, which lies on the Aurlands-
fjord, a tip of the Sognefjord, the
most scenic fjord in Norway
(p. 312). If time alllows, we rec-
ommend that you allow at least 2
days for this memorable motor
tour. Faced with a choice of the
northern or southern route, we
prefer the southern trek. See
“Flåm: Stopover on Europe's Most
Scenic Train Ride” in chapter 10
for specific directions.
Electric Train from Myrdal to
Flåm: In our view, there is no
more scenic train ride in
Europe—even in Switzerland—
than the ride from Myrdal to the
village of Flåm. There's no railway
line of this adhesion type any-
where in the world steeper than
this railway; the train and track
were designed so that they would
lock into each other with greater
adhesion than smooth tracks. The
trip is 19km (12 miles) long and
takes 50 minutes. During that
time you'll travel 883m (2,900 ft.)
up a steep mountain gorge and
down again. Picture 20 tunnels
and spectacular waterfalls in what
we'd rate as the most beautiful and
lushest mountain scenery in Nor-
way. See p. 312.
The Route to the North Cape: If
you're up for it—and we know our
readers are hearty people—you
can leave Bergen and drive to the
Arctic Circle in a relatively relaxed
3 days. To push on, you can even
drive from Bergen to the North
Cape in 5 days. Locals call the
route north The Arctic Highway.
The road, which is well main-
tained, allows you to experience
the majestic beauty of the far
north of Norway as you move
toward polar-bear country. Those
who've driven in the far north of
Alaska will roughly know what to
expect. Fertile fields in the south in
the fjord country give way to lakes
and dark forests. In summer you'll
be driving into the land of the
midnight sun. The Arctic High-
way is faster, but the Kystriksveien
Coast Route allows the most dra-
matic views of the landscape and
seascape. As for what to see and
where to stop over along the route,
see chapter 14 for suggestions.
Hardangerfjord: For the best
motoring along a fjord, we suggest
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