Our cycling in Norway holidays
Discover varied two-wheeled adventures on our Norway cycling holidays. Coastal routes include Oslo and the sweeping fjords, valleys and waterfalls, and maritime villages of the south. Alternatively, island-hop along Norway’s Arctic Coast from lively Tromso to the Lofoten archipelago, or head for Hardangerfjord, which offers high-country vistas dotted with jewel-like glaciers. Whether you choose a self guided or guided small group trip, you’re in great hands on our Norway cycling tours. They’re all designed by our local experts – and fellow outdoors enthusiasts – who have decades of experience under their belts and are committed to offering lower carbon ways of exploring Norway.
Our top Cycling holidays in Norway
Self guided biking tour in Norway, Arctic Coast
From
NKr22000
8 days
ex flights
Biking under the midnight sun from Tromsø to Svolvær
Small group2026: 6 Jun, 20 Jun, 4 Jul, 11 Jul, 18 Jul, 1 Aug, 8 Aug, 15 Aug, 29 Aug
Norway self guided cycling holiday, Hardangerfjord
From
NKr19400
7 days
ex flights
Spectacular view of the fjords, mountains and glaciers
Small group2026: 11 May, 25 May, 15 Jun, 22 Jun, 3 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 31 Aug
Fjords self guided cycling holiday in Norway
From
NKr19400
7 days
ex flights
Experience the amazing Fjords south of Bergen
Small group2026: 6 Jun, 20 Jun, 27 Jun, 11 Jul, 18 Jul, 25 Jul, 1 Aug, 8 Aug
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Cycling in Norway
E-bikes have opened up Norway to the casual cyclist – now, its mountains and fjords can be explored with ease.
Norway is a country with more beautiful scenery per capita than anywhere else in the world. But therein lies the problem: it’s fiendishly mountainous. In some places it’s far easier to go by boat than by land, and the weather changes minute by minute between valleys.
Yet, despite these obstacles, cycling in Norway is on the rise. Electric bikes, plus well-designed Norway cycling trips that make judicious use of tunnels, bridges, and free ferries, make even the most forbidding landscapes accessible to casual riders. On our trips you can spend a week exploring Norway by bike, with e-bike hire optional.
E-bikes are simply part of Norway’s world-leading electronic revolution. Electric ferries cross the fjords and the country has the highest uptake of electric cars: battery power is de rigueur. Time to join in.
Norway is a country with more beautiful scenery per capita than anywhere else in the world. But therein lies the problem: it’s fiendishly mountainous. In some places it’s far easier to go by boat than by land, and the weather changes minute by minute between valleys.
Yet, despite these obstacles, cycling in Norway is on the rise. Electric bikes, plus well-designed Norway cycling trips that make judicious use of tunnels, bridges, and free ferries, make even the most forbidding landscapes accessible to casual riders. On our trips you can spend a week exploring Norway by bike, with e-bike hire optional.
E-bikes are simply part of Norway’s world-leading electronic revolution. Electric ferries cross the fjords and the country has the highest uptake of electric cars: battery power is de rigueur. Time to join in.
Cycling through the night & Northern Lights
If you go north enough, the long days and the midnight sun mean that you can cycle for as long as you like every day. Go in September and you might even see the aurora borealis – these remote locations with little light pollution can be fantastic for unfiltered views of the night sky.
Local bike hire
Lots of people go to Norway seeking wilderness and remote locations – but there is of course a population who live here year-round. Which is why we think it's important to support local businesses, small museums and shops when you go – details of where you can go are included in your trip notes. And hiring your bike from a local supplier supports the area too.
It’s completely normal to enter a tunnel under the malevolent eye of one weather system, and come out in benign sunshine.
Syklist i tunnel – Cyclist in tunnel
One of the side effects of Norway’s fantastic chains of mountains is its network of road tunnels – there are well over a thousand across the country – and they run up to 24km underground. Not all are safe for bikes, meaning you’ll sometimes have to detour around them on a hillier al fresco road. Increasingly, bike-safe tunnels have a button that you can press, to alert traffic that: ‘syklist I tunnel’, they’re sharing the space with a cyclist.
Thanks to the changeable weather, it’s completely normal to enter a tunnel under the malevolent eye of one weather system, and come out in benign sunshine.
Thanks to the changeable weather, it’s completely normal to enter a tunnel under the malevolent eye of one weather system, and come out in benign sunshine.
Cycling in all weathers
The weather can change very quickly – it can be raining and suddenly the sun is shining and then it rains again. But this doesn’t deter Norwegians from exploring their country, as Borghild Krossli, co-founder of our Norway-based cycling partner Discover Norway explains, “We say wind in your hair and wine on the table in the evening.” Cycling in Norway does mean being out in the elements, but it also means great hospitality is your reward, andself-guided trips are punctuated by local accommodation with welcoming hosts and home-cooked food.
Going out in all weathers can be very freeing, especially if you adopt Borghild’s optimism: “You don’t come to Norway for a sun bath. If it’s raining you have that feeling in your face – the peeling, the exfoliation – the rain is getting your skin very fresh!”
And you can’t keep a good view down, whatever the weather. “Even if it’s raining it’s beautiful,” Borghild says.
Going out in all weathers can be very freeing, especially if you adopt Borghild’s optimism: “You don’t come to Norway for a sun bath. If it’s raining you have that feeling in your face – the peeling, the exfoliation – the rain is getting your skin very fresh!”
And you can’t keep a good view down, whatever the weather. “Even if it’s raining it’s beautiful,” Borghild says.
The rise of cycling culture
Norway is developing its cycling infrastructure apace, to catch up with its near neighbours in the Nordics, like Denmark. Norway is investing in city cycle lanes. Capital Oslo is fast becoming a ‘cycling city’ and wants one in four journeys to be made by bike. Trondheim is already a self-proclaimed ‘cycling city’ – it even has the world’s first ‘bike escalator’, which propels you up a hill to the old town. The longest purpose-built bike tunnel in the world, Fyllingsdalstunnelen, has opened in Norway in the city of Bergen, and comes complete with multicoloured LED lighting and murals (and a sundial).
Prominent Norwegian Youtuber MatthewNorway calls the country ‘the world’s most underrated cycling destination’, and has set up website Cycle Norway to promote its fantastic routes. Meanwhile, the Arctic Race of Norway, a four-day elite road race, has been running since 2013.
Prominent Norwegian Youtuber MatthewNorway calls the country ‘the world’s most underrated cycling destination’, and has set up website Cycle Norway to promote its fantastic routes. Meanwhile, the Arctic Race of Norway, a four-day elite road race, has been running since 2013.
Fjordside, seaside & free ferries
Cycling allows you to take in Norway’s wide-frame views in slow motion – watching a mountain landscape unfold before you as you round its side, and seeing a fjord stretch out below. Cycling along the coast, you’ll take advantage of bridges between islands, and car ferries – which are free for cyclists – provide a welcome break from pedalling.
Where to go cycling in Norway
Arctic Coast
There’s a deceptive Caribbean quality to the white sand and turquoise water on this coast, but don’t be fooled, this is the Arctic. There are other charms here than sunbathing: the little fishing villages, and beautiful fjords. Best done in high summer, you could cycle all ‘night’ if you wanted to down this coast, as the sun won’t set. There’s no need, as there are manageable distances between lovely locally run places to stay.
Hardangerfjord
Ferries and berries fuel your ride in Hardangerfjord, one of the biggest fruit-growing regions in the country. When you’re tired, the free ferries can help break up the distances, whilst buying a punnet of apples from a farm with an honesty box makes for a hugely enjoyable snack. Considered the most ‘Norwegian’ feeling of the fjordland areas, Norway’s second longest fjord is a combination of timeless views and modern infrastructure: including its new, enormous suspension bridge, which you can cross by bike.
Fjordland
The drama of the mountains and the serenity of the fjords below lie in perpetual, beautiful contrast in fjord Norway. It’s far south enough that cycling can be enjoyed all the way from May. Cycling fjord-side might be flat, but the passes between fjords are not. “The terrain was surprisingly hilly, and the wind was sometimes quite strong,” says Laura Bolger of her trip cycling in Norway. “Consider e-bike hire. We did and whizzed up those hills. Great fun.” The views are worth it.
Lofoten
Increasingly, the Lofoten archipelago is simply too busy in July to have an enjoyable cycle – or a visit in general. Camper vans clog the roads, and tiny fishing villages get swamped. Visit outside this time for the islands at their best: flat cycling, across beautiful landscapes linked by bridges and silky-smooth roads, around mountains rising straight out of the sea. It’s the kind of route where you can see the drama of the scenery ahead well before you pick out the road that will lead you safely across.
Oslo
Fast becoming a cycling capital, beyond Oslo’s city centre cycle lanes you can explore more widely by bike around its fjord, seeing city, farmland and nature – and the landscape that Edvard Munch immortalised in his paintings. Oslo Fjord is close enough to the capital that there’s a pleasant buzz, especially in summer, and as you cycle you’ll be tempted by scenes of people enjoying the water – on paddleboards, kayaks, and on the banks.
Vesteralen
“We try and be honest and tell people that Lofoten is very crowded and that there are lots of cars – we encourage them to consider Vesteralen, the neighbour of Lofoten,” says Borghild. “But people say ‘Lofoten is the only one I’ve heard about!’” The archipelago just north of Lofoten has similar landscapes, 1,330 islands, and fewer people. Instead, it offers wonderful nature and flattish cycling. Off the bike, you can hike, or hop in a boat for whale or bird safaris.
What is cycling in Norway like?
When to cycling in Norway
The best time to cycle in Norway is between May and September, but the season is confined to just the summer months (June, July, August) in the far north. The cycling season is short in Norway, bounded by the long winter darkness and heavy snow, but when it’s the right season, it’s very, very right. You can cycle in Norway’s fjords from May. “It’s beautiful to bike when you have the blooming of the trees, but the mountain is still covered by snow,” says Borghild. If you want to cycle above the Arctic Circle wait until high summer in June. July is the main tourism season in Norway, making some areas, like Lofoten, very busy. “We try to get people avoiding July,” Borghild explains. “But it can be hard to persuade them.” Whilst people think it might be cold, going in late August and September has some great advantages: “If you do it in September you could be lucky to see Northern Lights in the north!” says Borghild. “There's not so much traffic, not many cars, not many tourists. When schools start again around the 20 August there’s a sudden drop in tourists and it’s much nicer for cyclists.”Our Cycling holidays in Norway reviews
4.7
13Cycling holidays in Norway reviews
Huw Thomas04 Aug 2024
Using the electric bikes. Cycling on good cycle paths, quiet roads, beautiful scenery, great foodread more
Julie Smart22 Aug 2024
A great way to explore an area we had never visited before. Excellent hotels and meals - lots of lovely fresh fish. Well organised - bags were picked up and waiting for us at the next hotel. read more
Jörg Mayer30 Jul 2023
Fantastic - great sights, well organized, good bike, good hotels.read more
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