My wife and I (mid 30’s) are traveling on our first trip to Norway. This has always been a shared dream. Our goals for the trip are to spend time in the beauty of your country, doing a mix of active exploration (hiking, kayaking, etc) and soaking it in more leisurely in off days with scenic drives, sightseeing, and more. This part of the trip will be about **10 days**. It will be **mid August**.

Originally we were going drive from Ålesund through Andalsnes to Oppdal and finally Trondheim. After comments on a prior post, I felt that we could cover a little more ground and that perhaps it was better to loop back into the fjords that go up to Trondheim.

I would love any thoughts from the great people of this subreddit on:
\*Is this a reasonable amount of ground to cover in 10 days?
\*And hidden gems to pop off an see along this route?
\**Should we try to make it to Roros as well??*

We will start the trip by flying in to Bergen and then taking Havila through Geiranger to Ålesund. From there we rent a car and drive a loop that returns to Ålesund to fly home.

**Itinerary from Ålesund**

[**https://imgur.com/a/U3SAq2r**](https://imgur.com/a/U3SAq2r)

Day 1- Arrive in the evening from Havila, get settled, explore the town.

Day 2- Explore the area. We are thinking of taking a trip to Runde for something unique.

Day 3- Drive to Andalsnes. Take the long route through Valldal (will there be strawberries this time of year?) and through Trollstigen.

Day 4 – Hike Romsdalseggen (can’t wait!)

Day 5 – Drive to Innerdalen area and hike to the lodges near the base of the mountain, maybe further. Stay somewhere in the area.

Day 6 – Make a longer drive to the Rondane area, taking the scenic drive between Folldal and Muen.

Day 7 – Rafting in Sjoa and/or explore Rondane.

Day 8 – Drive a longer drive to Urke or Sæbø. Stopping along the way.

Day 9 – Hike at Saksa or in the alps there in general. Also 3 hour kayak trip in the Fjord.

Day 10 – Return to Alesund and depart early next morning.

Any thoughts and tips would be so appreciated. We want to do this the best way possible! We had considered fitting in a stop in Roros. It would add a bit of driving for sure, and maybe we’d trim some time from Rondane to accommodate or possibly lengthen the trip by a day. Is it worth it?

Thanks, and happy travels!

5 comments

  1. Perhaps check out Alnes outside of Ålesund? It’s about half an hour drive from Ålesund. Quite beautiful. The mountain separate Alnes from the rest of the island, making it stand against the Atlantic ocean. The red and white lighthouse stands out on pictures.

  2. Looks like a great roadtrip that you’ve planned; you‘ll see how the scenery changes from coastal Norway to the inner mountainous areas, really quite beautiful! Last year I did a roadtrip that was somewhat similar to yours. If you want to see Puffins on Runde you should either be there in the morning or the evening; that are usually the best times to see them! Also nice that you‘re planning on visiting the Hjørundfjord and the Sunnmøre Alps. Hjørundfjord usually is much less busy than Geiranger. I‘ve used [Morotur](https://morotur.no) to look up hikes in that area. If you‘re still looking for a place to stay in Saebo / Urke I can very much recommend [https://www.hustadnes-fjordhytter.no/?lang=en](https://www.hustadnes-fjordhytter.no/?lang=en) ; they got a couple huts right next to the water. I think you‘re slightly optimistic to go kayaking and hiking up to Saksa in one day, it’s quite an energy sapping hike, perhaps you might not have enough energy left once you’re done.

  3. Was gonna tips you about norangsdalen, but i see hjørundfjorden and sæbø is well represented in this thread.

    If you got scuba gear, there is a sunken village on that route.

  4. I would skip Stranda and Stryn. And rather go from Ålesund to Ørsta,via Runde and through Urke up Norangsdal, to Hellesøy, ferry to Geiranger and then roughly follow your route the rest,, or cross over to Valldal and over to Åndalsnes and Trollstigen.

    Its based on my personal opinions.
    Strynefjellet is a little bit boring, and the drive from Tryggestad to Stryn also not enjoyable.
    Geiranger ferry is touristy, but very nice, once.
    Åndalsnes isnt a great place for much but the cable car to the vantage point at Eggen.

    A

  5. I’m a taxi driver in Ålesund. I know the area very well. I have no other comment than if you need specific advice, feel free to contact me.

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