Spiralen is Drammen's famous spiral tunnel that corkscrews up through the mountain. What makes this place interesting is how it came to be.
The city needed stones for the harbour in the 1950s. Instead of building a traditional quarry, they decided to blast a spiral tunnel straight up through the rock. Quite clever really.
The tunnel makes six complete turns as it climbs 180 metres. It takes about three minutes to drive through.
I have to warn you though - this is one of the few roads in Norway where even the driver can get car sick. The constant spiralling motion affects some people quite badly. If you're prone to motion sickness, consider letting someone else drive.
At the top you'll reach Spiraltoppen, which gives you decent views over Drammen and the surrounding valleys. On clear days you can see all the way to Norefjell.
The tunnel itself is the real attraction here. It's become quite popular with tourists, but locals still use it as a regular route. Drive slowly and enjoy this unusual bit of Norwegian engineering.
The city needed stones for the harbour in the 1950s. Instead of building a traditional quarry, they decided to blast a spiral tunnel straight up through the rock. Quite clever really.
The tunnel makes six complete turns as it climbs 180 metres. It takes about three minutes to drive through.
I have to warn you though - this is one of the few roads in Norway where even the driver can get car sick. The constant spiralling motion affects some people quite badly. If you're prone to motion sickness, consider letting someone else drive.
At the top you'll reach Spiraltoppen, which gives you decent views over Drammen and the surrounding valleys. On clear days you can see all the way to Norefjell.
The tunnel itself is the real attraction here. It's become quite popular with tourists, but locals still use it as a regular route. Drive slowly and enjoy this unusual bit of Norwegian engineering.