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Norway by bike was the last leg of my journey to the North Cape!

I had high expectations for the nearly 400 kilometers of Norway by bike, and these were definitely exceeded by reality! Definitely, they were among the most beautiful kilometers of the whole trip!

Norway by bike: from Kautokeino to Alta

Kautokeino was the first town reached after cycling a thousand kilometers in Finland.. Leaving this small village, the Garmin told me that I had to pedal 130 kilometers straight ahead: if the directions were always like this, it would be a dream!

The pre – trip directions had already informed me: the Kautokeino – Alta would be a spectacular stage! In fact, a friend of a friend had already warned me that, in good weather, those 130 kilometers would be incredible: Charles was surely right! After about fifty kilometers, pedaled often alongside and gladly by beautiful rivers, I encountered a wonderful waterfall, Poke Fossen. Shortly after the waterfall I met another crazy cyclo-traveler, Paolo. He was on his way back from Cape North: he had enjoyed the trip so much that he decided to bike back to Lucca as well!

The route from Kautokeino to Alta was spectacular: rivers, lakes, streams…I stopped so many times to photograph sublime landscapes! At the end of yet another lake, the road suddenly narrowed: a long descent began that took me all the way to Alta, passing through a beautiful canyon!

I thus reached Alta after 135 km, with an elevation gain of almost a thousand meters .. I confirm the initial review: from Kautokeino to Alta the route is wonderful!

Norway by bike: from Alta to Olderfjord

Alta is a town well worth a visit-I would have stopped to visit later, so I will talk about it in a moment! From Alta to the North Cape there is 240 km of road.

The stage that would take me from Alta to Olderfjord was 112 kilometers long: for the first time since the German stages, the stage exceeded 1,000 meters in elevation gain.

Halfway up the first climb of the day, I saw a van with Italian license plates stopped at the side of the road. I stopped so I had a chat with Lilli. He told me that he was following Maurizio, a wonderful young man who had set off on his handbike from Brescia. I couldn’t wait to chat with him!

At the end of no less than two climbs I thought the most was done. Instead, in front of me was a plateau that reminded me of the Gran Sasso. This plateau was beautiful, but unfortunately it was marked by an unwelcome guest: the wind, contrary of course! Fortunately, at one point I met Maurizio, who told me about his story and his missionhandbike page, which has a project to help kids in the same condition as him.

The stage from Alta to Olderfjord was still a spectacle! The vegetation at that latitude gets scarcer and scarcer, but on the other hand I saw lots and lots of reindeer (here’s a video!), riding alongside them for several stretches!

Norway by bike: from Olderfjord to the North Cape

In Olderfjord we formed a group of Italians. Besides Maurizio and me, there were several motorcyclists. The evening in Olderfjord was really enjoyable: everyone had unique travel stories!

The last stage was marked by space landscapes: for almost all of the 130 kilometers (1200 meters of elevation gain) I pedaled along beautiful fjords! The stage, however, is also famous for its tunnels. There are three tunnels that exceed one kilometer: some sections are not lit and, therefore, not pleasant.

The most famous tunnel is definitely the NordKapp Tunnel. Nearly seven kilometers long, it first touches an altitude of -212 meters and then goes up again. To face the descent I even had to cover myself with my jacket, while the ascent was steep (8% gradient!). In addition, the tunnel, although wide, is not very bike friendly: the noise of cars can already be heard from 500 meters away, and it is a real annoying rumble!

The last noteworthy town is Henningsvag, where I had a great craft beer!

I reached North Cape at eight o’clock in the evening. I waited for the midnight sun with Maurizio and Lilli: our satisfaction was endless! North Cape is definitely worth a visit-it’s a mystical place (here’s the list of things to see!).

Norway by bike: the return from the North Cape

After seeing the midnight sun, I pedaled fifteen kilometers to Skarvag. The next morning I took a short walk to admire the North Cape headland. Also in little Skarvag I met a group of Italians. One of them, a photographer, immortalized me while I was pedaling among the reindeer-a lasting memory!

Afterwards, I pedaled back to the North Cape globe. After booking the bus that would take me back to Alta, I reviewed the globe, the monument dedicated to the children of the world, and NordKapp Hall. I still did not believe I had arrived at such a spectacular place!

The bus from North Cape to Alta takes four hours. Reviewing from the bus the roads traveled by bike was a strange feeling: I was moved to think that I had made it all the way up there, and I was delighted that I had a chance to see North Cape in the sunshine!

The city of Alta

Back in Alta, I had a free day to admire this small but beautiful Norwegian town. With a population of 20,000, it is the largest town in the Norwegian Arctic after Tromso. The center of Alta features a pedestrian street and, most importantly, the Northern Lights Cathedral. Built between 2009 and 2013, this church (which I think is very beautiful) has a circular shape and is meant to recall, both outside and inside, the sinuous shapes of the northern lights. Admission is not free: you have to pay an entrance fee of about five euros.

Alta is also famous for its namesake museum. In fact, about five kilometers away from the center, the Alta Museum, which is part of UNESCO, can be visited. In 1973 stone inscriptions, dating back up to 6,000 years, were discovered: as many as 6,000 inscriptions have been found in the Alta area!

The tour of the Alta Museum is very nice and needs at least a couple of hours. There are two groups of inscriptions, and to see them all you have to walk about three kilometers. The inscriptions depict ancient hunting and fishing scenes: in addition to seeing these beautiful prehistoric legacies, you can see the Alta Fjord. The cost of the Alta Museum is about 10 euros, very well spent! Bus line 140 connects the center of Alta to the Alta Museum.

USEFUL INFORMATION FOR NORWAY BY BIKE

My trip to Norway by bike was 377 km long with 3200 meters of elevation gain. Norway by bike, therefore, is not flat! In particular, the last section leading to the North Cape is marked by steep climbs, even exceeding 10%!

Only in Alta are there bike lanes. There is no traffic and, therefore, I never had any feelings of danger.

From Kautokeino to Alta I found nothing: neither a bar nor a supermarket for 130 km. I had organized before the stage by bringing enough food and water.

In Kautokeino I slept in a campsite, in Alta in Airbnb and in Olderfjord in the tourist center, inside which there are rooms and a kitchen. Finally, in Skarvag I slept again in a campsite, featuring the classic rorbuer (red cottages) and a small lake where I took an icy Arctic bath!

From Alta to the North Cape there are several villages where food can be found: the most important are Skaidi, Olderfjord and Honningsvag.

Unfortunately, at the end of July 2022 there was no possibility to book in advance the bus from North Cape to Alta. I was only able to book it four hours before departure, on site at North Cape.

From Alta I took a flight to Italy. I disassembled the bike at Intersport, which also gave me a crate attached to the bike-I even managed to find bubble wrap, which gave me additional assurance.

Alattio is an excellent restaurant in Alta. I had an elk carpaccio and a reindeer ragu pasta dish: both delicious!

Alta is well connected to its airport by local bus service. Having the bike packed, I called a cab: one must budget at least thirty euros in cost.

I found excellent weather, in fact, almost exaggerated. I reached Alta with a temperature above 20 degrees in late July. Generally, averages are between 15 and 20 degrees.