The Hidden North
North European travel guide
self-guided road-trips
Sognefjellet Tourist Road (Fv55)
Cross the mountains of Norway on Northern Europe’s highest road.
What You Get
- Free interactive Google Map (with every place mentioned in the guide marked with an address) that can be loaded into your GPS, making finding that stave church or petrol station much easier.
- Detailed overviews of all the major points of interest on the road.
- Practical information (cafes, dining, museums, toilets, petrol, road-side rest areas, detours, alternate routes)
- Historic, modern and practical information for every city, town, village, and farm you pass through
- Modern and historic images of all the major points of interests
- Distance between points (in kilometres and miles)
- QR code & interactive links to museum websites, relevant pages on our website, ferry timetables, and more!
This guide is 11 pages and comes in a PDF format.
Why drive on this highway?
The road over Sognefjellet was an important transport artery linking the coast and inland areas. Trading led to the transport of salt and fish eastwards while butter, pitch and leather were transported west. Travelling across the mountains was not without its perils in the old days: vagabonds robbed travellers and merchants. The road has been a busy path since the Middle Ages. Work over the modern version of the Sognefjellet road began in 1936 when the Ministry of Social Affairs wanted to employ unemployed young people. The road opened in 1938 and was, at 1,440 metres above sea level, the highest motorway in the country at the time.
Snaking through Jotunheimen National Park, this scenic road connects Lustrafjorden with Lom. It is nicknamed the ‘road over the roof of Norway’. The road is closed in winter because of severe weather, and when it opens for the first time in spring it’s not uncommon to have snow walls over 10 metres high on either side of the highway.
Trip Highlights
- Cross the highest mountain road in Northern Europe
- Visit historic sites such as Lom Stave Church & Urnes Stave Church
- Go from above the tree line down to the fjords at sea level
- Explore beautiful Western Norway
Distance
251km / 156 miles
Start Location
Lom
End Location
Vadhei
This drive can easily be done in either direction.
The Route
An interactive version of this map is available after purchase.
This guide will:
- Answer the question “How do people live here?”
- Provide you with historic images and stories relevant to where you are
- Give you practical tips such as – where’s the nearest toilet? When can I get a hot dog? You know, the important stuff.
- Show you interesting points where you can stop to stretch your legs or get beautiful photos of Norway
- Give you information about museums (including opening hours), attractions, and major points of interests that you can visit
This guide won’t:
- Drive for you (Sorry, we aren’t that advanced yet)
- Give you accommodation tips (this guide assumes you know where you are staying already). If you want accommodation tips, visit our (free) online travel guide https://thehiddennorth.com/norway
Example of what the guide looks like.
Watch the drive on Youtube
Follow my drive from Harstad to Andenes on the tourist road. This was filmed in 2021.