The Atlantic Ocean Road (Atlanterhavsvegen) and the Geiranger–Trollstigen scenic route are two of Norway's eighteen National Tourist Routes, they sit within a day's riding of each other in Møre og Romsdal, and together they make the best three-day loop in the country. The Atlantic Road is 8.3 km (5.2 miles) of County Road 64 hopping across skerries on eight bridges at sea level; Geiranger–Trollstigen is 104 km climbing from a UNESCO-listed fjord to 1,038 m. One is horizontal and the other vertical. This guide covers how to ride both, how the ferries and tunnels connect them, and what to check before you go.
The ride in one paragraph
The Atlantic Road is short and famous — 8.274 km of road running from Kårvåg on the island of Averøya to Vevang on the mainland, built across a chain of small islands and skerries connected by causeways, viaducts and eight bridges. It is 6.5 m wide with a maximum gradient of 8 per cent, so it is not technically demanding; the drama comes entirely from the sea. Hustadvika, the stretch of Norwegian Sea it crosses, is completely unsheltered, and in a storm the waves break over the road. Geiranger–Trollstigen is the opposite: a 104 km scenic route from Sogge bru in Romsdalen to Langvatnet, running from sea level to 1,038 m, with the eleven hairpins of Trollstigen at one end and the Ørnesvingen viewpoint above the Geirangerfjord at the other. Ride both in the same trip and you get the whole range of what western Norway does.
Route at a glance
| Atlantic Road | 8.274 km (5.141 miles) of County Road 64, Kårvåg to Vevang |
| Atlantic Road bridges | Eight, the largest being Storseisundet Bridge at 260 m (850 ft) |
| Scenic route Atlanterhavsvegen | 36 km, Kårvåg to Bud, 0–30 m above sea level |
| Scenic route Geiranger–Trollstigen | 104 km, Sogge bru to Langvatnet, 0–1,038 m, one ferry |
| Ferry crossing | Eidsdal to Linge, on the Geiranger–Trollstigen route |
| Opened | Atlantic Road on 7 July 1989; tolls removed in June 1999 |
| Time on a motorcycle | Three days for both routes and the linking roads |
Open the linking route in Google Maps — Kårvåg across the Atlantic Road, down through Molde and Åndalsnes to Geiranger, so you can send it straight to your navigation before you leave.
The Atlantic Road
The road begins near Kårvåg on Averøya and works its way across Kuholmen, Lille Lauvøy, Store Lauvøy, Geitøya, Eldhusøya, Lyngholmen and Ildhusøya before the centrepiece: Storseisundet Bridge, a 260 m cantilever bridge that from certain angles appears to launch straight off the end. Past it are the three Hulvågen Bridges, then Skarvøy and Strømsholmen, and finally the 119 m Vevangstraumen Bridge onto the mainland. There are four resting places and viewpoints along the way, with parking at Geitøya, Ildhusøya and Eldhusøya, where a raised walkway loops around the island.
It took a long time to build. Construction started on 1 August 1983 and the area was hit by twelve European windstorms while it was under way. The road opened on 7 July 1989, having cost 122 million kroner, a quarter of it financed by tolls that were meant to run for fifteen years — heavier traffic than forecast paid the debt off by June 1999 and the tolls came off. It was named Norwegian Construction of the Century in 2005, declared the world's best road trip by The Guardian in 2006, and preserved as a cultural heritage site in December 2009.
On a motorcycle the ride takes ten minutes and the visit takes two hours, because you will stop. The one genuine hazard is wind: this is an exposed coast, the bridges have no shelter, and crosswind gusts on Storseisundet are strong enough to move a bike across its lane. Riding it in a storm is spectacular from a car park and unwise from a saddle.
The full Atlanterhavsvegen scenic route
The signed National Tourist Route is longer than the famous bridges. It runs 36 km from Kårvåg to Bud, staying between sea level and 30 m the whole way, using County Road 64 and a series of smaller roads. The section from Vevang to Bud is the part most visitors skip and the part worth riding — a low coastal road past Farstadsanden beach and out to the fishing village of Bud, with the Ergan Coastal Fort above the harbour. It has almost no traffic compared with the bridges.
From Averøya, the Atlantic Ocean Tunnel, opened in December 2009, runs under the sea to Kristiansund. Together with the road it forms a second fixed link between Kristiansund and Molde, which is how most riders continue south towards the fjords.
Linking the two routes
The natural connection runs from Bud or Kårvåg south to Molde, then east along the Romsdalsfjord to Åndalsnes, which sits at the foot of Trollstigen. It is a comfortable half-day with a ferry crossing depending on the exact line you take, and the Romsdalen valley scenery on the approach to Åndalsnes is worth more attention than a transit stage usually gets.
From Åndalsnes, the Geiranger–Trollstigen scenic route climbs the eleven hairpins of Trollstigen — verified as open for the 2026 season, having opened on 29 April 2026, after being shut for most of 2024 and much of 2025 for rockfall work. Over the top the route drops to Valldal past Gudbrandsjuvet gorge, then takes the ferry from Eidsdal to Linge before climbing again towards Geiranger.
Geiranger and the Ørnesvingen
The Geirangerfjord is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and the road down to it from the north is the Ørnesvingen, the Eagle Bend — a stack of switchbacks with a viewpoint at the top looking straight down the fjord. From the water you can see the Seven Sisters (Dei Sju Systre), the Suitor (Friaren) and the Bride's Veil (Brudesløret) waterfalls, and the ferry between Geiranger and Hellesylt is a genuine alternative to riding back the same way.
South of Geiranger the route climbs past Flydalsjuvet and Knuten towards Djupvatnet and Langvatnet, reaching the 1,038 m high point of the scenic route. This is high, bare mountain country that holds snow late, and it is the section that most often surprises riders who expected fjord weather.
The practical details that decide the trip
Ferries. The Eidsdal–Linge crossing is part of the Geiranger–Trollstigen route and is not optional on that line. Timetables are published by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, and in high season the queue is the delay, not the crossing. Build the day around the ferry rather than hoping.
Tolls. The Atlantic Road's own tolls were removed in June 1999. More generally, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration's guidance for visiting motorcyclists is that you do not need to stop at toll points because motorcycles are normally exempt from tolls. Ferries and some tunnels are charged separately, so check current arrangements for the specific crossings on your route rather than assuming.
Season and closures. The Atlantic Road is open all year — it is at sea level and the coast rarely freezes. Geiranger–Trollstigen is not: the Trollstigen section is always closed in winter, and the stretch between Korsmyra and Indreeide is prone to landslides and may close in winter, with a year-round tunnel bypassing it. Status verified in August 2026; check vegvesen.no before you ride.
Weather. Two different problems. On the coast it is wind, on the fjord routes it is cloud, rain and cold at altitude. A day can genuinely include sunshine on a bridge at sea level and sleet at 1,000 m four hours later.
Traffic. Cruise ships dock at Geiranger and Molde, and the coach traffic that follows them fills the Ørnesvingen switchbacks in the middle of the day. Early mornings solve almost everything on this route.
Gear notes for the Møre og Romsdal loop
This is a trip built around ferries and a pass that has recently had a habit of closing, so the planning burden is higher than the mileage suggests. Keep the whole loop and the tunnel alternatives stored for offline route planning — deciding what to do at a closed Trollstigen barrier is much easier when the alternative is already on the screen. A riding system display handles the spray, the drizzle and the gloves better than a phone does, and our GPS navigation setup guide covers getting a multi-day Norwegian route onto the bike properly. On the bike itself, the constant sea air on the coast section and the temperature swing between sea level and 1,038 m both matter — a TPMS sensor takes the guesswork out of the second one, and our pre-ride check guide is worth running through before a fjord day. A bi-directional fast charger is genuinely useful on ferry queues and campsite evenings. For the rest of the country, see our best motorcycle roads in Norway guide.
FAQ
How long is the Atlantic Road?
The famous section is 8.274 km (5.141 miles) of County Road 64 between Kårvåg and Vevang, crossing eight bridges. The signed National Tourist Route around it runs 36 km from Kårvåg to Bud.
Is the Atlantic Road open all year?
Yes. It sits between sea level and about 30 m and is not a seasonal road. The limiting factor is wind rather than snow, and storms are more common in autumn and winter.
Do you have to pay a toll on the Atlantic Road?
The construction tolls were removed in June 1999. For Norway generally, the Public Roads Administration advises that motorcycles are normally exempt from tolls, though ferries and some tunnels are charged separately.
Can you ride the Atlantic Road and Geiranger in one day?
Physically yes, sensibly no. The two are roughly a half-day apart with a ferry involved, and Geiranger–Trollstigen alone is a full day. Three days lets you ride both properly, including the quieter Vevang to Bud section.
Is Trollstigen open for the 2026 season?
Yes as verified in August 2026 — the official Norwegian Scenic Routes page records it as having opened on 29 April 2026. It was closed for most of 2024 and open only briefly in 2025 for rockfall work, so check the live status at vegvesen.no before you commit to the route.
