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Drive from Alesund to Geiranger

Hello.

I'll be cruising on Hurtigruten from Bergen to Tromso in the first week of May. The Hurtigruten will stop at Alesund for about 10 hours so I am planning on renting a car and drive from Alesund to Geiranger. My questions are:

  1. Is it doable? Has anyone done this drive and were able to make the round trip back to the cruise in time?
  2. How is the driving condition in the area in May? Will a car like Toyota Corolla be able to make it?
  3. Any other suggestions for excursions in the area?

Thank you guys!!

Posted by
5 posts

The Hurtigruten cruise does not go into the fjords until June or late May so I have to plan the excursion on my own..

Posted by
26833 posts

I have zero experience in that area (or driving in Europe for that matter), but ViaMichelin suggests that it's possible. Note that Option 1 is the only one of the three that doesn't involve getting on a boat, so if you would like to take a different route back to Alesund, you'll need to check on the schedule for that ferry traveling west from Geiranger and also be sure your car-rental agency doesn't forbid putting its car on the ferry.

Posted by
5 posts

ViaMichelin is a very cool website. I will check it out for sure. Thank you for the link!

Posted by
1547 posts

I don't think there will be restrictions with taking the car on the ferries else this will really restrict the renter. When I rented (Hertz) and drove in this area about 4 years ago, I took the car on a lot of ferries - most were short 5-10 min ones but I also took the ferry from Hellesylt to Gieranger.

Posted by
6175 posts
  1. I haven't done the drive myself but I can't see why it shouldn't be doable. But it will take the better part of the day, make sure you have enough time. Driving in Norway takes time, the roads are narrow and winding. And don't forget to leave time to wait for the ferry on the return trip.
  2. It's a paved road, so why shouldn't it be able to make it?
Posted by
5 posts

Thank you for the great info!!
Do you know if there is a website, preferably English, where I can check road closure in the area? Google maps seems to indicate the road is open all the time...

Posted by
5 posts

Hi,

We did it! The drive was a breeze. Geiranger was spectacular this time of the year (a few waterfalls were still frozen) with few tourists!!
Thank you all for the great suggestions.

Jill

Posted by
27 posts

Thanks for bringing us the update. That was very helpful! Sounds like it was a fun trip.