For most of our three-week journey around Norway, John and I wore the look of the stunned, partly due to the cost of travelling there but mostly because the country is just off the charts in the natural beauty stakes. We were already doing overtime on the superlatives.
So when we set off on what was supposed to be a simple, point-to-point, three-and-a-half-hour drive from the small fjord-side town of Sogndal to another fjord-side town called Geiranger, both in the country’s west, we expected some pretty scenery. What we got left us speechless.
Nearly six hours after leaving Sogndal, having pulled over at least three-hundred-and-thirty-two times to gape at the views and take photos from every possible angle, we finally rolled in to Geiranger.
We were convinced we’d just experienced The Most Spectacular Drive In The World. It’s a big call, I know. So we’ll let our photos of this incredible journey do the talking instead on why this drive in Norway should be on every road tripper’s bucket list.
Good to know
The Route: The Most Spectacular Drive In The World starts in the Norwegian town of Sogndal and follows the Rv5, E39, Fv60, Rv15 and Rv63 roads all the way to Geiranger.
Getting to Sogndal: The relative remoteness of this region is a big part of the appeal. It takes around five hours to drive to Sogndal from Oslo and four hours from Bergen. The Sogndal – Geiranger route (and vice versa) would make a spectacular leg of a loop drive from Bergen or from Oslo via Bergen. We did the drive as part of a three week road trip around the country.
How long does it take? From A to B, the drive from Sogndal to Geiranger takes around 3.5 hours over 215 kilometres. But this road trip is scenery on steroids; stopping every ten metres to proclaim your wonder is unavoidable. It took us close to six hours in the end. Make a day of it!
Road safety and trip planning: Norway is one of the world’s safest countries to drive in and road rules are strictly enforced. Weather can make all the difference however, especially in the mountains where some roads will close in heavy snow and wind. If you’re planning a road trip, keep an eye on road conditions. Check out Norway’s tourism site for more information.
Happy road tripping in Norway! If you’ve got a question or comment, drop us a message below! Check out some of our other posts on Norway here.
Thank you for the wonderful pictures and advise. Doing a roadtrip in September 26. We will traveling from Flam to Geiranger as part of the leg. (Bergen to Flam first leg). Is that a reasonable one day trip? We have lodging in Flam and Geiranger.
Thanks,
Greg Noble
Hi there Greg,
Thanks for your comment and apologies for the slow response. We’re glad you found this post useful to help planning your September road trip.
While it’s a fairly long drive, at that time of the year, with around 14 hours of daylight to play with, it should be possible to drive from Flam to Geiranger in a single day and still enjoy all the sites along the way.
As you may have seen in our Norway Road Trip post, it took us most of a day to drive between Sogndal and Geiranger. Moving the starting point back to Flam really only adds on an additional hour or so driving time.
It is however, worth noting what you’ll be missing out on, just in case you have the time to take it slower.
With more time you could skip the Lærdalstunnelen and instead drive the 47km Aurlandsfjellet Scenic Route all the way to Lærdalsøyri before continuing on to Sogndal.
You could also spend a bit more time at the two stave churches along the way (Borgund and Kaupanger), or even include a side trip to the spectacular Austdalsbreen Glacier, which is what we did.
But if you are pushed for time, at that time of year you can certainly drive Flam to Geiranger in a day.
Hope that helps, and that you have a wonderful trip in September.
Hi there! Thank you for the inspiration! We are travelling to Norway in a few days and will do the same route, and we have been really wondering whether we can make it even further to Ålesund as we cannot find any place to stay the night (for a reasonable price). We would even love to drive the Old Strynefjell Mountain Road (I can see that you skipped it and drove the shorter 15 instead). The Old Strynefjell Mountain Road (258) will take over one hour more. And then we will need to take the ferry from Geiranger to Hellesylt and then drive 2,5 hours more to Ålesund. Do you think it is even possible?
Another question: Did you do the Flåmsbanan train and the Flåm zipline? Are they worth?
Thank you in advance for your time!
Best, Hong
Hi Hong, thanks so much for your message – we’ve sent you an email! Cheers and happy travels, Danielle & John
Hello Danielle, John and Hong, Thank you so much for sharing your such a beautiful and awesome experience!! You inspired us to explore the same route. We are planning to take our car on cruise from Geiranger Cruise Terminal to Hellesylt. Our cruise arrives Hellesylt at 1:00 pm. We plan to drive from Hellesylt to Sogndal via 60, E39, 15, E39, and 5. We intend to reach Sogndal before sunset. We are driving in Aug 2025(summer month). Q1: Is it doable? Q2: Your recommended scenic spots that we must stop in the way. Q3: Do we have enough charging stops on the route?
Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks for your suggestions and advice.
Regards,
Dharmesh
Hi there Dharmesh,
Thanks for the comment and kind words, we’re glad you found the post helpful.
While it’s only around 220km, we took the best part of a day to drive between Sogndal and Geiranger so we could take our time and enjoy the scenery.
If you’re starting from Hellesylt you’d be taking a slightly different route from us along roads Fv60, E39 and Rv15 to Stryn. We haven’t done that particular drive, but it looks to be around 50km. You’d then be taking the same 140km route we did between Stryn and Sogndal (Fv60, E39, Rv5).
In terms of drive time it’s probably possible to get to Sogndal before dark in summer, however, the devil is in the detail as they say, so your arrival time would very much depend on how often you stop, and for how long.
Since the whole route is outrageously scenic, with fjords, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, valleys, lakes and waterfalls we can’t really recommend specific spots. Our advice would be to pull over and enjoy the scenery as often as time allows – when it’s safe to do so.
We were in a petrol car so can’t really comment on EV charging stations, although there do seem to be a few that show up on Google maps. If you think you’ll need a charge on the way though it’s probably best to check on whatever EV app your chosen car works best with before you head off.
Hope this helps and that you have a fabulous trip.
hello, breathtaking pictures and post!!
which one is considered the Geiranger Route?
i am heading to Norway in 5 days and i want to see all the places and photos you have mentioned in this post… Please help!
Hi Kalpa, thanks for your message! We’re so excited you’re heading to Norway – it’s spectacular! On our trip, we mapped our own route north from Sogndal to Geiranger via Rv5, E39, Fv60, Rv15 and Rv63. From Geiranger we travelled north-west to Alesund. Not sure what the ‘Geiranger Route’ is specifically but it may refer to the famous Geiranger – Trollstigen National Tourist Route, which heads north out of Geiranger on road 63. There’s some good info about it on the Fjord Norway website. Wherever you go, you won’t be disappointed, the scenery is epic. Happy travels! Danielle & John
If I didn’t know there was scenes like that I’d say ‘unreal’ but what I really love is that you’re like a couple of kids at the seaside for the first time. Brilliant. Keep on keeping on.
Thanks Mik,
Norway did indeed reduce us to jabbering, excited little kids that were constantly amazed at what the world has to offer.
We love that kind of travel when you are constantly blown away and in awe of your surroundings.
Those are the experiences and places worth seeking out that’s for sure.
Looks amazing guys 🙂
Thanks Micko! Loved it! 🙂