Fly-drive holiday to the Jotunheimen National Park in Norway
This holiday starts with you flying into Oslo and picking up your hire car. Drive through the heart of Norway into the Jotunheimen National Park. Jotunheimen features an incredible number of hiking trails as well as the 23 highest mountains in the country, the reason behind its nickname of the Home of the Giants. Spend your time here exploring the beautiful scenic routes up to the peaks and even across glaciers, including the famous Bessegen ridge hike, or else closer to the ground canyoning and kayaking on the Rive Sjoa. The town of Lom will give more of an insight into the history of the region and the chance to try a local delicacy famous throughout Norway. After six nights retrace your steps back to Oslo and board your return flight to the UK.
Highlights
Jotunheimen • Dumma Valley • Galdhøppigen
The itinerary was exactly what we planned for. Travelling around by plane, train, car and ferry was perfectly arranged and all ran smoothly.Mrs A, October 2024
Holiday price guide Available year-round subject to the opening period of the hotel, from £1,945 per person.
From about
£1,945
Holiday Code SCFH01
Call us on 01392 441245
Fly-drive holiday to the Jotunheimen National Park in Norway
This holiday starts with your arrival into Oslo by plane, where you will then pick up your hire car. Your journey will take you northwards, past Norway’s largest lake Mjøsa, and passing through the towns of Lillehammer and Sjoa before you skirt the edge of the Jotunheimen National Park. As you approach your hotel the scenery will become more mountainous, signalling that you are entering the area known as the Home of the Giants. Arrive at Elvester and check in to your hotel for the next six nights.
Situated in Eastern Norway between Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, Jotunheimen National Park covers an area of roughly 3,500 square km and is home to some of the most famous hiking trails in the country. The area was originally known as the Home of the Giants in Norse mythology due to the fact that Norway’s 23 highest mountains are all located within its borders. The two highest of these are also the focal points of two of Norway’s top three most iconic hikes. A popular starting point for the Galdhøpiggen hike is Spiterstulen Mountain Lodge, which lies 1,100 metres above sea level. From here the round trip is roughly 13 km long and usually takes 5-7 hours, reaching three peaks over 2,000 metres high. Start by crossing the bridge at Spiterstulen, following a clear path which was renovated by Sherpas in 2010 through the forest. Following the red “T”s which mark the trail, you will ascend first Svellnose, then Keilhaustopp, before eventually reaching Galdhøppigen at 2,469 metres above sea level. You may want to stop at the Spiterstulen Mountain Lodge again on your way back for an authentic evening meal before returning to your hotel for the night. Spiterstulen is also one of the main starting points for the hike up the second highest mountain in Norway, Glittertind. This mountain has a permanent snow-cap and involves crossing the Glitterbrean Glacier. It is important to check the weather conditions before embarking on this hike, as crampons may be required depending on the conditions on the final ascent. For those looking for a more challenging, yet perhaps even more scenic, hiking route, the Bessegen ridge hike is recommended for experienced hikers only and starts with a scenic 20-minute ferry ride from Gjendesheim to Memurubu. Jotunheimen is home to over 50 marked trails and you will find roughly 70 more in the surrounding area, meaning there is something to suit all ages and ability levels. On the opposite end of the altitude scale, the Dumma Valley features a series of labyrinthine caves home to narrow passageways and underground waterfalls carved out by the River Dumma. Other popular activities here include climbing and rafting. The River Sjoa is considered the best river in Norway for rafting, and there are also options to go canyoning and river boarding on the crystal blue waters. The town of Lom is a picturesque settlement famous for its striking Stave Church, which is one of the biggest of its kind in Norway and dates back to 1158. Other attractions here are the Lom open-air museum and the Norwegian Mountain Centre, which features an exhibition about Vikings, folklore and fairy-tales of the region. No visit to this town would be complete without a visit to the Lom Bakery to try one of its country-renowned cinnamon buns.
Today you retrace your journey back down to the capital city of Oslo. Drop your hire car off at the airport and board your direct flight back to the UK.
The itinerary was exactly what we planned for. Travelling around by plane, train, car and ferry was perfectly arranged and all ran smoothly.Mrs A, October 2024
Holiday price guide Available year-round subject to the opening period of the hotel, from £1,945 per person.
From about
£1,945
Holiday Code SCFH01
Our prices include
● Return flights with British Airways from London to Oslo
● Hire of a group B car for 6 days
● 6 nights’ half board in a Standard double room at Elveseter Hotel, Jotunheimen
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
Call us on 01392 441245
The itinerary was exactly what we planned for. Travelling around by plane, train, car and ferry was perfectly arranged and all ran smoothly.Mrs A, October 2024
Holiday price guide Available year-round subject to the opening period of the hotel, from £1,945 per person.
From about
£1,945
Holiday Code SCFH01
Our prices include
• Return flights with British Airways from London to Oslo
• Hire of a group B car for 6 days
• 6 nights’ half board in a Standard double room at Elveseter Hotel, Jotunheimen
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
Call us on 01392 441245
Fly-drive holiday to the Jotunheimen National Park in Norway
The itinerary was exactly what we planned for. Travelling around by plane, train, car and ferry was perfectly arranged and all ran smoothly.Mrs A, October 2024
Holiday price guide Available year-round subject to the opening period of the hotel, from £1,945 per person.
From about
£1,945
Holiday Code SCFH01
Our prices include
• Return flights with British Airways from London to Oslo
• Hire of a group B car for 6 days
• 6 nights’ half board in a Standard double room at Elveseter Hotel, Jotunheimen
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
Call us on 01392 441245
Fly-drive holiday to the Jotunheimen National Park in Norway
About Norway
Norway is a fascinating destination for a luxury, tailor-made holiday. The land and the culture of Norway lend themselves to a diverse and rich array of holiday experiences and a choice of mode of transport. At first glance, Norway offers magnificent, dramatic, severe and wild natural surroundings in its glaciers, Arctic snow and ice, majestic fjords, crashing waterfalls and mystical natural phenomena such as the Aurora Borealis and Fata Morgana. However, Norway also offers cultural ties, a shared history dating from the days of the Vikings, a cosiness in its orchards and pastures, brightly-painted wooden houses, folk tales and mythology, world-class art, literature and music in the works of Munch, Ibsen and Grieg, to name but three, and international philanthropy as exemplified by the Nobel prize. Many towns have superb museums, ancient wooden stave churches are well-preserved, the heritage of the Vikings is visible not just in major centres such as Oslo but all around, and seemingly small places are rich with music and drama festivals. Whilst the length of Norway with is 2518 km poses a challenge to the visitor, this also means that it makes sense to use a variety of transport modes to travel around; scenic trains, sleeper trains, boat rides, coastal cruises and car-hire can all be incorporated. The landscape lends itself well to hiking and cycling and there are many national parks that offer a variety of conditions depending on your ability. Norway’s cities are vibrant and manage to blend modernity with tradition. The iconic Oslo Opera House sits a short distance from the Akershus fortress, the Old Town Hall dating from 1641 is a stroll away from the Akrobaten pedestrian bridge, a near-futuristic construction of steel and glass.
Highlights of Norway
The numerous fjords: Eidfjord – branch of the Hardangerfjord, Geirangerfjord – precipitous, one of Norway’s signature images, Hardangerfjord – rolling hills and pretty villages, Jossingfjord – vertiginous fjord in the flatlands of the south, Lysefjord – plunging cliffs, cruises and look out points, Naeroyfjord – narrow and very pretty, Sognefjord – Norway’s longest and one of the most beautiful, Trollfjord – very steep fjord on Lofoten, Vestfjord – sheltered bays and pretty villages separating Lofoten from the mainland. The Hurtigruten ferry that covers over 2500 km from Bergen to Kirkenes with over 30 stops. The Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights. Stave churches, beautifully preserved in wood, dating from Viking times, for example at Borgund, Lom, Ringebu and Urnes. Viking ships and artefacts, burial mounds and trinkets in museums throughout the country. The red, wooden houses perched stilts over the sea on the Lofoten Islands. The modern architecture of Oslo. Picking wild blueberries, sampling aquavit made from potatoes and caraway, and tasting reindeer steak with cranberries. The charm of Oslofjorden with its pretty, arty village and towns, harbours with sailing boats, islands offshore and beaches. Hike over the Jotunheimen and relish the natural landscape of this stunning National Park.
Cultural highlights of Norway
The architecture of stave churches dating from the Viking era and Viking treasure in museums around the country. The literature of Henrik Ibsen and Knut Hamsun. Folk tales and mythology. The music of Edvard Grieg and the art of Edvard Munch. Contemporary jazz and folk music.
Gastronomy of Norway
Norway’s gastronomy is a clear reflection of its land and sea. From the land come reindeer, venison, lamb, cured meats and potatoes of all types: boiled, roasted and fried. From the freshwater lakes and streams come salmon served grilled and smoked, and freshwater fish. Sea fish is a vast array of cod, haddock, shrimps, mackerel, fish soup, fish balls, salt cod. From the orchards particularly around the Hardangerfjord come apples, cherries and plums as well as berries of all sorts including blueberries, cranberries, bilberries and, a great delicacy, cloudberries. Cheeses include Jarlsberg and brown cheese. Coffee is almost certainly the national drink, followed by beer, of which there are all sorts of craft beers brewed locally, and Aquavit is the national spirit made from potatoes and caraway.
Facts in brief
Capital OsloAirport Oslo Gardermoen
Size 323,878 sq km
Population 4.4 million
