The Hidden North
North European travel guide
self-guided road-trips
Andøya Tourist Road
Take one of Norway’s national tourist roads along the western coast of the ancient island Andøya.
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 5 pages and comes in a PDF format.
Why drive on this highway?
The Andøya Tourist Road is one of the most secret but most special tourist roads in the country. Following the western coast of the island Andøya, the road is mostly remote but follows steep cliffs and marshland. The island Andøya is an important island historically; it has been known since the Viking Age as an important fishing area, and is where almost all of Norway’s fossil discoveries have been made. If you visit Andøya, be sure to allow time to do both a puffin safari and a whale safari; Andøya is famous for both. The drive is short and the stops are few and far between, but enjoy the scenery and stop wherever you can!
Trip Highlights
- Pass by marshland famous for cloudberries
- Visit a region where fossils from dinosaurs have been found
- Learn about ancient fishing traditions
- See puffins in Bleik
- Explore Norway off-the-beaten path
Distance
59km / 37 miles
Start Location
Risøyhamn
End Location
Andenes
This drive can easily be done in either direction.
The Route
An interactive version of this map is available upon 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.
Resources for the Andøya Tourist Road
Watch the drive on Youtube
Follow my drive from Harstad to Andenes on the tourist road. This was filmed in 2021.