Trollstigen means "The Troll's Ladder" in Norwegian. It's a 6-kilometre stretch of Road 63 that winds up the mountainside between Åndalsnes and Valldal.
This mountain pass has 11 hairpin bends that zigzag up steep terrain. The road was built in 1936 after eight years of construction. Workers had to blast their way through solid rock to create these switchbacks. It was quite an engineering feat for its time.
The road climbs 850 metres above sea level and gives you views across the Romsdalen valley. Now here's what you need to know. Trollstigen has become incredibly popular with tourists.
Unfortunately, this means dealing with coaches, caravans, and rental cars driven by people who have absolutely no idea what they're doing on mountain roads. The traffic jams can be awful, especially in summer.
The road is only open from May to October because of snow. Even when it's open, be prepared for delays. Many tourists stop right in the middle of hairpin bends to take photos. Others drive painfully slowly because they're terrified of the drops.
One trick is to drive it early in the morning before the tour buses arrive. After 10am, you'll be crawling behind a line of vehicles.
The viewing platform at the top gets packed with people, but it does give you a decent view of the road's zigzag pattern below. The drive itself takes about 20 minutes if traffic is flowing. But budget at least an hour during peak season.
There are several waterfalls along the route, including Stigfossen, which tumbles 320 metres down the mountainside. Be aware that the road is narrow. There are passing places, but not many. If you meet a coach coming the other way, one of you will need to reverse to find space.
Check the weather before you go. Fog can roll in quickly and make the drive dangerous. It's certainly scenic, but the crowds have made it less enjoyable than it used to be. If you're looking for a quieter mountain drive, there are better options elsewhere in Norway.
This mountain pass has 11 hairpin bends that zigzag up steep terrain. The road was built in 1936 after eight years of construction. Workers had to blast their way through solid rock to create these switchbacks. It was quite an engineering feat for its time.
The road climbs 850 metres above sea level and gives you views across the Romsdalen valley. Now here's what you need to know. Trollstigen has become incredibly popular with tourists.
Unfortunately, this means dealing with coaches, caravans, and rental cars driven by people who have absolutely no idea what they're doing on mountain roads. The traffic jams can be awful, especially in summer.
The road is only open from May to October because of snow. Even when it's open, be prepared for delays. Many tourists stop right in the middle of hairpin bends to take photos. Others drive painfully slowly because they're terrified of the drops.
One trick is to drive it early in the morning before the tour buses arrive. After 10am, you'll be crawling behind a line of vehicles.
The viewing platform at the top gets packed with people, but it does give you a decent view of the road's zigzag pattern below. The drive itself takes about 20 minutes if traffic is flowing. But budget at least an hour during peak season.
There are several waterfalls along the route, including Stigfossen, which tumbles 320 metres down the mountainside. Be aware that the road is narrow. There are passing places, but not many. If you meet a coach coming the other way, one of you will need to reverse to find space.
Check the weather before you go. Fog can roll in quickly and make the drive dangerous. It's certainly scenic, but the crowds have made it less enjoyable than it used to be. If you're looking for a quieter mountain drive, there are better options elsewhere in Norway.