UNESCO Tour including Røros & Geirangerfjord

Welcome to Oslo

Welcome to the capital city of Norway! Upon arrival in Oslo, check into your centrally located hotel. Read our guide on how to travel from the airport to your hotel.

Spend your afternoon at the Vigeland Sculpture Park, where over 200 bronze and granite sculptures by Gustav Vigeland fill 80 acres of parkland. The centerpiece Monolith tower, carved from a single block of granite, took three craftsmen 14 years to complete. Or walk along Akerselva River, where old industrial buildings have transformed into cafes and galleries. After exploring, settle into your accommodation, ready for tomorrow's journey into Norway's mountain country.

Highlights

Travel by train to Røros

Board the morning train to Røros. The journey climbs steadily through pine forests and across high mountain plateaus. You're traveling into Norway's interior, where winters are harsh and towns are few.

Røros isn't just old – it's a 17th-century copper mining town that's barely changed since its glory days. UNESCO recognized that authenticity. The town's 80 wooden buildings, painted in deep reds and ochres from the copper slag, cluster around cobblestone streets. Winters here drop to minus 40, which explains why the houses huddle so close together. Check into your central hotel and spend the afternoon wandering streets where miners once walked, past the massive slag heaps that still dominate the landscape – a reminder that 333 years of copper mining left its mark.

Journey to Trondheim

After a morning soaking up Røros' mountain atmosphere, catch the afternoon train through Norwegian countryside to Trondheim. The route follows river valleys and passes through small farming communities before descending toward the coast.

Trondheim was Norway's capital for 500 years, and you can feel that history in the streets. The city sits at the mouth of the Nidelva River, where medieval pilgrims once ended their journey to Nidaros Cathedral. Check into your central hotel, then head to Bakklandet on the east side of the river – a neighborhood of colorful wooden wharves and warehouses lining the water. These working buildings have housed everything from rope-makers to merchants since the 1700s. The Old Town Bridge connecting Bakklandet to the city center dates from 1681. Cross it at sunset when the light hits those wooden facades just right.

Trondheim cultural exploration

Full day to explore Trondheim's cultural depth. Start with Nidaros Cathedral – Norway's most important medieval building and Scandinavia's largest. Construction began in 1070 over the grave of King Olav the Holy and continued for 230 years. The west front facade contains dozens of carved figures, restored after centuries of weathering. Inside, the Rose Window creates patterns of colored light throughout the day.

Beyond the cathedral, Trondheim rewards wandering. Visit the Archbishop's Palace Museum, explore the Kristiansten fortress (built in 1681) for views across the city and fjord, or add a fjord boat trip to see why this location – protected harbor, fertile land, river access – made it Norway's power center for centuries. With two nights here, you have time to discover why Trondheim was named European Region of Gastronomy.

Atlantic ocean road adventure

Morning departure on a Hurtigruten or Havila coastal voyage – modern ships sailing a route that's connected Norway's coastal communities since 1893. Today's journey takes you south along the coast, past islands and through narrow sounds.

The highlight comes midday: a land excursion across the Atlantic Ocean Road. Eight kilometers of engineering curves and twists over open sea, connecting islands with eight bridges. The road opened in 1989 after six years of construction interrupted by twelve hurricanes. On windy days, waves crash across the road itself. Those dramatic photos of a road suspended over the ocean? This is it. Arrive in Ålesund by evening, where Art Nouveau buildings glow in the late light.

Full day of exploration in Ålesund

A full day to explore what might be Norway's most beautiful town. Ålesund's story is written in its architecture – after fire destroyed the town center in 1904, it was rebuilt entirely in Art Nouveau style over just three years. The result is 320 buildings that look like they belong in a fairy tale, with turrets, spires, and ornamental details covering every facade.

Hike the 418 steps up Mount Aksla for the view that appears on every Ålesund postcard – the town spreading across three islands, surrounded by fjords and mountains. Or stay at sea level and walk the Brosundet canal, where fishing boats still tie up beside the colorful warehouses. The Jugendstilsenteret (Art Nouveau Centre) explains how this architectural style came to dominate a Norwegian fishing town.

We offer optional add-on excursions: kayak through Brosundet's narrow waters, guided hikes to nearby peaks with even bigger views, or bicycle tours through the surrounding islands.

Geirangerfjord UNESCO cruise

Time for the main event. The cruise through Geirangerfjord gives you time to take it all in – this isn't a quick photo stop. The fjord stretches 15 kilometers, barely 600 meters wide in places, with mountains rising 1,400 meters straight from the water. UNESCO recognized it as a World Heritage site for good reason.

Watch for the waterfalls: The Seven Sisters drops in seven separate streams from 250 meters up, fed by melting snow and glaciers. Across the fjord, The Suitor (also called The Bridal Veil) responds with its own cascade. Look higher and you'll spot abandoned mountain farms clinging to impossibly steep slopes – Skageflå sits 250 meters above the fjord, accessible only by foot. Families farmed these heights until the 1950s. Check into the hillside Union Hotel Geiranger, where every room faces the fjord. This view doesn't get old.

Return to Ålesund via the Geirangerfjord

Begin with a relaxed morning in Geiranger. The village itself is small – 250 residents – but the setting is spectacular. Consider visiting the Norwegian Fjord Centre to understand the geology that created these landscapes: U-shaped valleys carved by glaciers over millions of years, then flooded by rising seas after the Ice Age ended.

Afternoon cruise back to Ålesund because seeing a fjord once isn't enough – the light changes, the waterfalls look different from the opposite direction, and you'll notice details you missed the first time. The Seven Sisters waterfalls flow strongest in late spring when snowmelt peaks. Check into your Ålesund hotel for a final night.

Train journey to Oslo

Grand finale time. Coach from Ålesund to Åndalsnes through the morning, then board the Rauma Railway for what many consider Norway's most dramatic train journey. The line climbs from sea level at Åndalsnes to 625 meters through the Romsdal valley, crossing the Kylling Bridge – a stone arch spanning 76 meters above the Rauma River, built in 1913.

Then comes Trollveggen – Europe's tallest vertical rock face at 1,000 meters. The train passes directly below it. The wall is so steep that loose rocks fall straight into the valley rather than bouncing down slopes. Base jumpers love it; mountain climbers approach it with serious respect. Beyond Trollveggen, the landscape opens into softer mountain terrain as you connect with the Dovre Railway through the Gudbrandsdal valley back to Oslo. It's the kind of journey that shows you why Norway's railways are considered some of the world's most scenic.