Atlantic Road (Atlanterhavsvegen)Story N° 57
Atlantic Road — Driving Norway's Wildest Coastline
Three days on the road Top Gear called the greatest in the world — eight bridges across the open Atlantic between rocky islets, the cantilevered "drunken bridge" at Storseisundet, the Trollstigen mountain switchbacks an hour inland, and a 17th-century fishing-station hotel on a private island where you sleep with the ocean under the floorboards.
The itinerary.
3 days · 15 stops
Friday
Day One
Fly into Kristiansund (KSU), pick up the rental at the airport, drive the Atlantic Road for the first time in late afternoon light, then take the small island ferry out to Håholmen Havstuer — a 17th-century fishing station turned hotel on a private rock in the open ocean.
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Kristiansund (KSU) → Atlantic Road
KSU is the closest airport, daily WideRøe and SAS from Oslo (1h05). Pick up the rental at the airport (Hertz, Avis) — you need a car for this whole trip. 30 min south to Vevang where the Atlantic Road officially starts.
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Atlantic Road — first drive (north to south)
8.27 km of road, 8 bridges, 7 islets between Vevang and Kårvåg — the Norwegian Public Roads Administration's "Construction of the 20th Century." Six years to build (1983–1989), repeatedly halted by 12 hurricanes. Best in late-afternoon side-light when the bridges throw shadows. Pull off at every viewpoint; the road itself does the work.
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Storseisundet Bridge
The 260-metre cantilever bridge that everyone has seen in photos — from a low angle on the south side it looks like the road ends in mid-air. Park at the Eldhusøya rest area and walk back along the bridge footpath. In a westerly storm the waves come right over the road; the locals call this "å se vegen være sjø" (to see the road being sea).
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Eldhusøya Walkway
1 km steel-grate boardwalk on stilts looping around Eldhusøya islet, halfway along the road — opened 2014, designed by 3RW architects. The path floats over the heather and tidal pools without touching them. Café in a glass pavilion at the start; closed November–April. Free.
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Geitøya → Håholmen ferry
The Atlantic Road passes the tiny island of Geitøya — park here, board the Håholmen Havstuer's own small ferry (Veslemarie, a converted 1930s fishing boat). 12 minutes across to the private island. Ferry runs on demand, you phone from a marked phone at the Geitøya pier. Free for hotel guests.
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Håholmen Havstuer
17th-century fishing station on its own 4-acre rock 1 km off the Atlantic Road — owned by polar explorer Ragnar Thorseth (sailed a Viking ship from Norway to North America in 1982). 40 rooms in restored rorbuer (fishermen's red cottages), saltwater pool cut into the rock, a single restaurant serving the day's catch from Hustadvika bay. The ocean is the property line. haholmen.no
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Hotel
Håholmen Havstuer haholmen.no
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Getting around
- Oslo OSL → KSU: 1h05 by SAS or Norwegian, several daily.
- KSU → Atlantic Road north end (Vevang): 35 km, 40 min by rental car.
- Geitøya → Håholmen: 12 min by hotel ferry Veslemarie (free for guests).
Saturday
Day Two
South to the open-Atlantic fishing village of Bud, then inland 90 minutes to drive the Trollstigen mountain pass — eleven hairpin switchbacks climbing 850 metres up a sheer cliff in the Romsdal valley — back to Håholmen for the long Nordic dusk.
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Bud — morning fishing village
Once the biggest fishing port between Bergen and Trondheim — now a 700-person village on the Hustadvika coast, the most exposed stretch of Norwegian shore (every major Atlantic depression hits Bud first). Red wooden houses, an old church, the Ergan WWII coastal fort cut into the cliff. Walk along the Atlanterhavsstien coast path for half an hour, then coffee at Bryggjen i Bud café in the converted warehouse on the dock.
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Bud → Trollstigen drive
90 min south through the Romsdal valley on Rv64 → E136 → Rv63 — the road follows the Rauma river under sheer 1,500-metre cliffs (the Trollveggen, Europe's tallest vertical rock face). Stop at Andalsnes for the rope-up to the Romsdalseggen ridge if you have an extra half-day.
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Trollstigen Pass
11 hairpin switchbacks, 850 m of vertical climb, 9% gradient — built into the cliff face in 1936 and still terrifying everyone who drives it. The 2012 visitor centre (Reiulf Ramstad Architects) has a cantilevered viewing platform that juts straight out over the switchbacks. Closed mid-October to late May (avalanche risk). Free.
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Geiranger overlook — optional southern detour
If you're not exhausted, continue 1 hour south from Trollstigen to the Dalsnibba viewpoint (1,476 m) above the UNESCO Geirangerfjord — one of the photo definitions of the Norwegian fjords. Adds 3 hours total round-trip; skip if you'd rather catch dinner at Håholmen.
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Håholmen dinner
The island hotel has only one restaurant — the catch of the day landed at the Håholmen pier that morning. Klippfisk gratin, halibut, langoustine, cloudberry crème brûlée. Long Nordic dusk through the dining-room windows until 22:30 in June.
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Hotel
Håholmen Havstuer haholmen.no
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Getting around
- Håholmen ferry → Geitøya → Bud: 35 min by car.
- Bud → Trollstigen visitor centre: 100 km, 1h45 via Andalsnes (Rv64/E136/Rv63).
- Trollstigen → Håholmen: 130 km, 2h15 return drive (or +3h if adding Geiranger Dalsnibba detour).
Sunday
Day Three
Drive the Atlantic Road again in different light — north-to-south is more photogenic, but most people only do it one way — then a short detour to the Kvernes Stave Church before the afternoon flight from Kristiansund.
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Håholmen → Atlantic Road second drive
The light comes from the opposite side this time of day — different bridges photograph well. Most rental cars now have GoPro mounts; consider one for the front bumper. The whole loop with stops takes 90 min.
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Kvernes Stave Church
14th-century Norwegian stave church on Averøya island, 15 min north of the Atlantic Road — one of only 28 surviving stave churches in Norway. Tar-blackened wood, dragon-headed gable beams, an interior painted with naive 17th-century biblical scenes. Open mid-June to mid-August only; otherwise viewable from outside.
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Kristiansund lunch — Smia
Restaurant in the old town smithy on Kristiansund's main island — known for klippfisk (the dried-salted cod that built this town's wealth in the 1700s). The bacalao stew is the local speciality. smia.no
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Kristiansund → KSU airport
20 min from Kristiansund centre to Kvernberget airport (KSU) — small terminal, 45 min before departure is plenty. Direct flights to Oslo OSL via SAS and WideRøe.
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Hotel
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Getting around
- Håholmen → Atlantic Road northern end: 10 min by ferry + 5 min by car.
- Atlantic Road → Kvernes Stave Church: 35 km, 40 min via Rv64.
- Kvernes → Kristiansund KSU: 30 km, 35 min.
Location.
Frequently asked
How many days do you need for Atlantic Road — Driving Norway's Wildest Coastline?
3 days. The itinerary runs from Friday to Sunday and covers 15 curated stops across 3 days.
How much does Atlantic Road — Driving Norway's Wildest Coastline cost?
Premium — premium lodging and signature experiences included.
Where do you stay during Atlantic Road — Driving Norway's Wildest Coastline?
Håholmen Havstuer is the recommended base for the trip; the full hotel list per day is in the itinerary section.
What's included in the Atlantic Road — Driving Norway's Wildest Coastline itinerary?
Day-by-day stops at 15 restaurants, museums, viewpoints and landmarks; transportation hints between each leg; and a hotel base in Atlantic Road (Atlanterhavsvegen).
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