Nordkapp

Via Sweden, Finland and Norway to the Nordkapp, Europe's northernmost point

For many motorcyclists, it is a wish to ride to the Nordkapp. We have been organising this trip for many years. With this renewed trip, you will also ride through Sweden and Finland, where you will also find some great roads and beautiful views. Also Senja, the most beautiful island of Norway, will be visited.   

The outward journey (first day) and return journey (last day) you will drive on your own initiative. You must be in Kiel on the first day of this tour.

After a good breakfast on the boat, you go from Gothenburg to Elverum (Norway) with a beautiful route. You leave Gothenburg over a huge suspension bridge, which you have also sailed under. From the bridge you have a beautiful view over the harbour and the sea. During this route, you also pass many lakes and rivers. You pass the Øyeren Lake, which has a total shore length of 165 kilometres. After a long day, you arrive at the luxurious hotel in Elverum. The route is exciting and you have already had a taste of the days to come.  

Today you will drive a full day route through Norway for the first time. You leave Elverum and drive on small roads to Roros, a mining town that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today's route passes countless lakes and rivers, which is typical for Norway, Sweden and Finland. Right after Roros, you pass the biggest lake of the day route the Ausrunden. Then you continue to Verdal at the Trondheimsfjord. This is the first fjord of the trip and a phenomenal wonder of nature. It's amazing that the sea stretches so far inland. A comfortable bed awaits you at the hotel after a solid day of driving.

From Verdal, the route continues to Fauske. This is a long but easy route, passing the Arctic Circle. For now, the motto is to head for the Nordkapp. Despite a route of ±600km, there is enough time to eat and drink something along the way. There is also enough time to visit the Arctic Circle Centre. During the route you will regularly take a side road for a few turns and an extra beautiful view. The hotel in Fauske is also situated by a beautiful fjord, where you can go for a nice walk in the evening.

You continue the Nordkapp journey via Narvik to Kiruna in Sweden. You drive along several beautiful fjords such as the Ofotjorden, this is the largest fjord of the day. You also pass Narvik, a beautiful fishing town. Soon after Narviki, you cross the border with Sweden through Abisko National Park along Lake Tornetrask. After this, it's an interesting piece of steering to the hotel in Kiruna. This is a mining town in Swedish Lapland. Where you can enjoy a piece of reindeer meat. Because Kiruna is a mining town, it has a rich history because of the ore mine. The mine is still in use today and a railway runs from Kiruna to Narvik to transport the ore.

Today you drive through three countries in one day. You start in Sweden, cross Finland and end in Norway (Alta). On this day route, you drive through Sweden and Finland for the last time. Here you can still enjoy the surreal vastness of the landscapes. It is striking that the vegetation is decreasing. You are now only a few hundred kilometres from the northernmost point of Europe. Today, you drive a large part over the fantastic 93 through one of the largest gorges in Europe. You sleep in Alta, Norway's northernmost city, where you can still find rock drawings from the time of the Vikings. The hotel offers you the peace to get ready for the drive to the Nordkapp tomorrow. 

Finally, the day has come to visit the Nordkapp! You will first enjoy a delicious breakfast at the hotel in Alta, so that you can start your trip north with a solid base. You will first drive to the hotel for the evening, drop off your luggage, have something to eat and drink and then in the evening you will watch the midnight sun. From the hotel it is still a nice drive to the actual northernmost navigable mainland of Europe. This is about a 30-minute drive, so even in the middle of the night it is still doable. The visitor centre is a must with its different floors, the restaurant, the cinema and not forgetting the balcony above the Norwegian Sea. It is very special to experience that the sun does not set here... So you drive back to your hotel in full daylight with an experience you will never forget.

The next day, still full of the experiences of yesterday, you start the second part of the journey. You've passed the Nordkapp and now you're heading south via mainly coastal roads. On the way back, you'll take in the most beautiful roads and places in Norway. Here you will discover that Norway really is a fantastic country. You also have the choice during this day route to drive to Havøysund, where the road literally ends. After this, you continue to the hotel in Alta, where you have time to see more of this interesting town. Alta is nicknamed "Nordlysbyen Alta" or "Northern Lights City Alta" due to the fact that the chances of seeing Aurora Borealis (The Northern Lights) is relatively high here. 

You start right from the hotel towards the coastline, then a little way inland to follow the coastline again. The route gives you views that are nothing short of breathtaking. Right by the fjords and the Norwegian sea, through tunnels and over cliffs. You drive past several picturesque fishing villages, a bit inland and then back along the coastline. The mountains flank the water and their sometimes white snow-covered peaks pierce the sky. Here and there, you will find a waterfall right next to the road. Sometimes it even flows over the road.

From 300 km, you drive towards the island of Senja. This stretch goes more inland. There you pass many lakes and rivers. You continue to enjoy the constantly changing landscape. The further south you go, the greener the landscape gets and the more plants and trees you see. There are also many places where you can stop to eat or drink to boost your energy levels.

The route mainly follows the coastline. With narrow, winding and beautiful roads. After every bend, the view changes completely and every moment seems to be even more impressive. Until you arrive at the ferry for the most beautiful ferry crossing of the trip with a chance of seeing whales and special species of birds. Then it's just a few more kilometres to the hotel in Harstad.  

Today a ride over Andøya. An island that is part of the Vesterals. A beautiful group of islands off the coast of Norway. They lie in the wild Norwegian sea and are known for their beauty that is almost unfathomable. This is one of the more beautiful parts of the trip. Because of its ruggedness, purity, chance of seeing whales and much more. There is a lot of fishing because of the good fishing waters, so you will find many characteristic and remote fishing villages. Many traditional dishes are prepared with spawning codfish. You will see many artists here because of the uniquely beautiful northern lights.

Today, you will also drive a part of the Lofoten, where you will immediately see nature change into something you will only see on the Lofoten. To see the entire of the Lofoten, you can choose to optionally book the Lofoten trip on top, or do the Lofoten trip at a later time through Horizon Motor Travel. After visiting a number of beautiful islands, you take the ferry to the mainland.

After this ferry of about two hours it's time to drive the last 50 km to the hotel. This is a very impressive part. With a beautiful road along the water with greenery on all sides. This looks completely different from the Lofoten, but again very beautiful. The roads are narrower here and wonderfully sloping. Immediately on arrival, you can enjoy the luxury hotel.

Today, you continue the journey towards Bodø. Another beautiful day with nice roads and beautiful nature. You alternate the E6 with some inland roads that are nice to drive. The roads are generally wide and in some parts even technical and challenging.   

Then you soon come to Turistvej 17. This is a phenomenal road, known as one of the most beautiful roads in Norway. At the end of the route, you cross a bridge where the world's largest tidal streams take place. These are the 'Saltstraumen'. At low and high tide, 400 million m3 flow through here every six hours at a speed of almost 40km/h. Given the day's distance, you have plenty of time to see the rapids from the bridge. After this, you drive along a through road with beautiful views to the next hotel.

This is a special day. Where the long route has less kilometres than the short route. The day route in combination with the ferry crossings makes it a beautiful and long day. Today you will travel along one of the most beautiful tourist roads in Norway: the 17. You cross five times with a ferry, which is a wonderful experience every time. After the second ferry crossing, you drive a beautiful road along the Sjona fjords. Then you can see why the national highway 17 is often referred to as one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Norwegians call this road Helgelandskysten or Kystriksveien.

At km mark ±360, you can see the "Syv Søstre" (Seven Sisters) tops on your left. These seem almost identical to each other, which makes it a special and beautiful view. It is still very impressive what Norway has to offer, every part is different, every fjord looks different and it remains very impressive.

This will be a wonderful day with a beautiful route along the coast and the fjords. You drive in the direction of Trondheim where the next hotel is waiting for you. Today's route has three ferry crossings where you can look around and have a coffee break. 

Halfway through, the route bends to the right and you pass a bridge and an inlet of the Norwegian sea. You follow this and a little later you pass the Norwegian sea five more times via a bridge and three small islands. After this, you enter Namsos where you can have a refuelling or coffee stop. After Namsos, you cross the Namsfjord with a typical Norwegian bridge, like you have seen before.

After the stop in Namsos, you ride along the Norwegian Sea or a fjord that comes from it for more than 20km. Later, the route leaves the Norwegian Sea out of the picture for a while, although there are still plenty of lakes passing by. The route here is winding and especially fun to ride. Then you go further south again towards the last ferry of the day. Here you pass many lakes and regularly see the sea appear again. Every moment the nature looks different. At the end of the route, you arrive at the last ferry from Rørvik to Flakk, which sails across the Flakkfjord towards Trondheim. Then it's just a few more kilometres to the hotel for the evening.

Today you will take the famous Atlantic road. This is the last day mainly along the coast. Because the magnificent Atlantic road consists of no less than 23 bridges, with some really beautiful parts. You continue this journey with a beautiful route to Molde. After the Atlantic road, it's another 50km to the hotel in Molde.

The location in Molde is one of the most beautiful hotels of this trip and maybe from the whole country. It is located close to the water. The town of Molde is also a wonderful place to stay. Also the food and the whole service makes it an unforgettable and nice experience.

From Molde, you drive through the tunnel under the water after only 5 km. A little later, you pick up the magnificent Trollstigen. This world famous pass has wide hairpin bends and two beautiful waterfalls. On top of the pass you stop at the visitor centre and walk to the two breathtaking viewpoints. Then you will drive towards the Geirangerfjord. You will pass through Norway's 'strawberry garden' and a few rapids. On a clear day, we recommend a short drive up Dalsnibba for an amazing view. Then continue the route via road 55 to Beitostolen, a small winter sports area. During this day route, it's all about the steering and you regularly take the beautiful less touristic roads of the Norwegian mountains. By having the choice between the short and long route, you can decide how many bends you want to steer.

Probably tired but certainly satisfied, you leave for Oslo, a 3-hour drive. Here, in the afternoon, you take the ferry, which looks more like a cruise ship. This route is still absolutely beautiful with views and rolling roads. If you arrive in Oslo on time, you can also have a look around the city, the capital has many terraces where you can enjoy your last drink or snack in Norway. After an impressive crossing, you will arrive in Kiel on Sunday morning around 10.00 am. By then you will have enjoyed a delicious breakfast and will have enough energy to drive back home on the motorway. 

Are you worried about the number of kilometres on this trip? Our many years of experience with Norway have taught us that it is easy to drive long distances. The roads are good and the curves are minimal. A much greater danger of Norway is that you fall in love with it and want to go there more often! In that case you should know that you can also book a trip to the Lofoten and southern Norway with us.