what to do with 5 days in norway: west coast

  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.
  • Norway travel guide, activity recommendations, and curated itinerary from What to When.

This 5-day route combines luxury lodges, beautiful drives, jaw-dropping fjords, and great hikes — with the option to add Besseggen for the ultimate adventure.

Day 1 — Arrival in Ålesund

  • Fly: Into Ålesund, then drive to Storfjord Hotel — one of my favorite hotels in Norway. It’s an elevated, luxury lodge (pretty rare in Norway), with:

    • Beautiful interiors and well-designed rooms

    • Great food

    • Stunning views

    • A great sauna

  • Activity: Ask the hotel for a walk directly from the property

  • Dinner: At the hotel. We ate here every night, and it was delicious each time.

Day 2 — Storfjord

  • Activities:

    • Take a boat trip for the day to explore the fjords — highly recommend this.

    • Kayak in the bay.

    • Explore on e-bikes.

  • Dinner: At the hotel.

Day 3 — Geirangerfjord & Hotel Union Øye

  • Drive: To Hotel Union Øye, with a stop to see the famous Geirangerfjord along the way. The drive itself is beautiful, too!

  • Activity: Hike Saksa.

  • Stay: Hotel Union Øye, a historic and charming property.

  • Dinner: At the hotel.

Day 4 — Trollstigen & Juvet Landscape Hotel

  • Drive: Up and down Trollstigen en route to Juvet Landscape Hotel.

  • Activity: Do one of the hikes from the hotel — make sure you go along the river for part of it!

  • Relax: Enjoy the outdoor hot tub set right on the river.

  • Dinner: At the hotel. Ask for the private dining room — great views and a better setting than the usual family-style meal.

Day 5 — Ålesund & Departure

  • Drive: Back to Ålesund.

  • Explore: Walk around town.

  • Lunch: Apotekergata No. 5

  • Fly: Head to the airport!

Optional Add-On: Besseggen Hike

If you have extra time or want to swap this in, add Besseggen — one of my all-time favorite hikes in Norway.

It’s typically a 1–2 day hike, with overnight(s) in a mountain hostel…so be prepared for that. Not the most luxurious, but worth it.

1-Day Option:

  • Take the ferry to Memurubu and spend the night.

  • The next day, hike Besseggen.

  • Alternatively, you could take the early ferry to the hostel, hike, and return the same day (you just won’t be able to start as early, and it can get crowded).

2-Day Itinerary:

  • Drive to Gjendesheim and spend the night.

  • Take the ferry to Gjendebu, then hike to Memurubu and spend the night.

  • The next day, hike Besseggen.

The views are absolutely insane — a must-do if you have time. From here, you can go to Storfjord (or come here from Storfjord, though I probably wouldn’t recommend it — the hostel will feel a bit disappointing!), and/or Union Øye.