Architectural rest area Hellåga, next to the Sjonafjord.
We know that Norway has a nature spectacular that does not need artifice, however, the Nordic country is such a good host that it has wanted to devise more complete travel experiences for those who decide to get behind the wheel and go out to discover its northern, central and western areas.
For this, it has devised a series of Panoramic Routes, specifically 18, in which nature, architecture and Norwegian design merge. Architectural elements that are integrated and they fit like a glove in the landscape, be it coastal, mountain or island.
The project, which encompasses a total of 1,850 kilometres, has been developed over almost two decades and includes the construction of rest areas, car parks and panoramic view observation points designed by many of the best Norwegian architects and designers, like Snøhetta, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter, Jensen & Skodvin and Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk.
Below, we show you four of these heart-stopping routes to give you an idea of how incredibly beautiful and architectural Norway is.
From the viewpoint of its metal platform, the Trollstigen road is perceived as especially winding.
TROLLSTIGEN
This panoramic route that winds its way from Sogge bru to Langvatnet (or vice versa) has amazing viewpoints such as Ørnesvingen (and its integrated waterfalls) or the metal platform hovering above the road which gives its name to the route: the Trollstigen or ladder of the trolls.
Also worth a stop along the way is the observation platform located on the Flydalsjuvet fjord gorge. The perspective offered by its banks includes the Laushornet (1,502 masl) and Eidshornet (1,629 masl) peaks.
Those who want to leave their car parked for a while can take the Geirangerfjord ferry, which Sail through the most famous fjord in the world, the Geirangerfjord, declared World Heritage. Another reward? Being able to be enchanted by the fall of the water of the famous waterfalls of Dei Sju Systre, Friaren and Brudesløret.
Trollstigen (Norway) : the Staircase of the trolls
HELGELANDSKYSTEN
Traveling this route (the longest in Norway with its 433 kilometres) from start (Holm) to finish (Godøystraumen) –and with a detour to Torghatten– will 'force' you to have to spend several days visiting one of the wildest areas from the country. A road trip full of infinite roads parallel to the sea and in which you will have to take several ferries or car ferries to jump from island to island.
Along the way, you will be surprised by its original rest areas (including a designer public bathroom) and the unique natural hole that crosses the Torghatten Mountain; also the Vega archipelago, 6,500 islands, reefs and islets where you can discover that traditional way of life of fishermen and farmers for which UNESCO has included it in the list of Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Three peculiarities make this route special: that it crosses the Arctic Circle at 66 degrees north latitude, that it reaches the other side of the largest tidal whirlpool in the world and that it is possible to enjoy the midnight sun show, the one that never sets completely and that dyes both the sky and the earth red, orange and yellow.
On the Helgelandskysten route, hop from island to island, over bridges, by ferry or paddle a kayak.
AURLANDSFJELLT
47 kilometers separate Aurlandsvangen from Lærdalsøyri, a short route (with some of its sections closed during the winter) that contains one of the most recognizable viewpoints in Norway, that of Stegastein, located in the Aurland fjord, one of the largest on the west coast of the Nordic country.
Architects Todd Saunders and Tommie Wilhelmsem devised a bridge with a cantilevered wooden structure –curved at the end into a precipice–, that interferes very little with nature, with the idea that it would become an open-air space open to people from all over the world, which is why they named it 640 meters above Aurland and 20,120 kilometers from Tokyo.
In this mountain landscape there is also the permanent installation DEN, by American artist Mark Dion. A conceptual work – a bear resting on a mountain of waste material – located at the end of an underground tunnel in the town of Vedahaugane.
Stegastein Viewpoint, located on the Aurland Fjord, is a large bridge that ends in a precipice.
ATLANTERHAVSVEGEN
The Atlantic road (a car journey often described as the most beautiful in the world) , cross the mouth of a fjord and jump over reefs and between islets thanks to its eight bridges.
From Kårvåg to Bud, These few 36 kilometers go a long way: it's like driving through a perfectly designed and balanced racing circuit, only in the background are the mountains, the ocean, the fishing villages...
Opened in 1989, this transport route –indispensable for the fishing industry and the inhabitants of the island of Averøy– was named in 2005 Norwegian construction of the century.
The Atlantic road meanders between reefs and islets in a technical and elegant way.