Norway Road Trip with Kids: Molde, Atlantic Road & Trollstigen

We began our 25-day family trip to Norway with some quality time in the big cities, We began with 5 days in Oslo with kids and 7 days in Bergen with kids, and although we loved these cities, we were eager to get out and see the natural beauty Norway is so famous for. After Bergen, we hopped on a plane to Ålesund, grabbed a rental car and began our Norway road trip with kids to Molde, the Atlantic Road and Trollstigen.

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Where to Stay Near Molde with Kids

After getting our rental car at the Ålesund airport, we drove 2-hours to our farm house rental in Aureosen. Outside of Ålesund, there are not a lot of hotels in the area to chose from. We chose to stay in Aureosen for our Norway road trip with kids as it allowed us to explore the area plus visit the Atlantic Road and Trollstigen, the two highlights of our road trip. 

Norway is one of the most expensive places to travel in the world, so having the ability to cook our own meals was an important part of our strategy to travel to Norway on a budget.

Don’t Miss: Norway With Kids Packing List

Getting from Ålesund to Molde

The drive from Ålesund to Molde was incredibly scenic along the coast, through villages, forest, and farmland. We even drove through some very long tunnels, which were a fun novelty for the kids. Despite a few narrow sections, the roads were quiet, with plenty of pullouts where cars could move aside for oncoming traffic.

Our farm house rental in Aureosen was just 20 minutes past Molde.

Atlantic Road Norway – Family Friendly Scenic Drive

After settling into our farm house, we hopped back in the rental car to drive out to see the Atlantic Road, known as Atlanterhavsvegen in Norwegian.

The Atlantic Road is an 8.3 km (5.2 mile) stretch of County Road 64 between Molde and Kristiansund, crossing a string of small islands and islets on 8 bridges. Not only is it a very popular tourist attraction, it holds impressive titles like “one of the most scenic drives in the world” and “Norwegian Construction of the Century”. It is also a designated National Tourist Route and a Cultural Heritage Site.

Our research suggested that we start our Atlantic Road drive in Bud for some extra scenerry. The drive from Bud to Vevang was nice, but we didn’t feel it was worth the extra 1/2 hour drive.

The drive along the Atlantic Road was beautiful and driving over the famous bridge you see in all the pictures was quite the experience. We also made two stops along the way to get out of the car and walk around.

One was along a fun boardwalk at the information center, which gave us some great views of the largest bridge. 

Is the Atlantic Road Worth It With Kids?

Strong wind and threatening rain probably affected our experience, and overall we came away a little underwhelmed. More than anything, we realized our expectations were probably too high after seeing so many dramatic photos online.

We did enjoy our experience and would recommend checking out the Atlantic Road if you are in the area, but we wouldn’t go out of our way to do it again. 

Don’t miss these other best places to visit in Norway that will take your breath away!

Molde Panorama – Family Hike to the Varden Viewpoint

Itching to get out and enjoy some fresh air, we asked our vacation rental host for a recommendation for a good family hike in the area. We wanted a hiking trail where the kids could hike portions on their own, since we had spent so much time in the car the previous day.

Our host strongly recommended the hike to the Varden viewpoint to see the famous Molde Panorama. From the Varden viewpoint, you get incredible views of the town of Molde, islands and an incredible 222 snow covered peaks across the water.

You can drive up to the Varden viewpoint, but we really wanted to enjoy it as a family hike, and we are glad that we did! The Varden – Molde Panorama hike was really amazing! It was mainly through dense, lush forest with many wild flowers, but there were occasional viewpoints along the way. The hiking trail was well maintained and wide enough for us to walk side-by-side, which I really enjoy on family hikes.

The hike was a reasonably short 1.5 miles (2.5 km) one way but it was steep with approximately 820 feet (250 m) elevation gain. The kids walked a good portion of the way up.

We were excited about the rare blue sky that greeted us that morning, but it wasn’t long before it started to get cloudy and a little rainy. We didn’t like our chances of seeing the view from the Molde Panorama, but just as we got to the top the cloud lifted and the panoramic mountain view revealed itself.

The view from the Varden – Molde Panorama was amongst the most beautiful views we’ve ever seen on a family hike. From here you can enjoy views of the fjord, the island just offshore, and seemingly endless mountain peaks as far as the eye can see. We highly recommend the Varden – Molde Panorama hike, especially if you have a clear day!

You can get directions, view & download the Varden – Molde Panorama hiking trail map on AllTrails.

We have an entire post full of all our best tips for hiking with kids and this one with all the best hiking gear for kids.

Aureosen Playground

In the afternoon we took the kids to a playground in Aureosen. It was raining but they were dressed for it and weren’t bothered by it. The main part of the playground was a big tire park, but our kids were attracted to the other activities there.

Instead, they spent nearly all their time at the giant fort building set which was made from notched 2×4’s. A very creative toy, they had a ton of fun making little forts with the pieces that were easily available.

Trollstigen

The most exciting part of our Norway road trip with kids was the Trollstigen Road, also known as The Trolls Road, which is part of the Norwegian Scenic Route; Geiranger – Trollstigen.

Trollstigen has 11 hairpin bends, climbs up 2,815 feet (858 m) above sea level and includes a bridge that crosses the Stigfossen waterfall.

We were lucky the kids were up early on this day so we could start our trip to Trollstigen early. Apparently there are 2,000 cars and buses that drive the Trollstigen Road in a day, so getting there early meant less traffic and less tour buses on the road.

The scenery along the way from Molde to Trollstigen was impressive enough, but words can’t describe this incredible mountain pass. Make sure to stop along the road to look up at this impressive feat of engineering before you make your way up.

Not only do the climb and drive along the hairpin bends of Trollstigen Road make this an exhilarating ride, but you also pass by two spectacular waterfalls. You pass so closely by the Stigfossen waterfall as you cross the bridge that you need your windshield wipers after passing.

Trollstigen Road is quite tight and not a lot of room for two cars to pass, so everyone takes it nice and slow. We were there at 9:30 am and the road wasn’t too busy, which we were grateful for. By the time we left at 10:30, the roads were noticeably busier and there were a lot of tour buses starting to arrive.

At the top of Trollstigen, there are raised metal pathways with glass along the sides that take you to two amazing viewpoints of the waterfalls and the incredible road below. There is also a really great visitor center, with toilets, cafe and gift shop. 

We hadn’t planned a lot of time to stay and explore around Trollstigen, but there are some hikes that you can do right from the platform. Apparently, you can also experience the Trollstigen by foot along a mountain path.

We were blown away by the scenery up in this area and had really wished we had allotted more time to hike and explore. You can visit Trollstigen Road on your own road trip or by booking a sightseeing bus tour which originate in Åndalsnes or Ålesund.

Note: Trollstigen is closed in winter and normally opens from mid May or early June until October
or sometimes November, depending on snow and road conditions. Always check the current status before you drive.

We recommend getting some kid-friendly podcasts for road trips to help keep kids entertained on long car rides!

Strawberry Valley and Scenic Drive Back to Ålesund

As we finished up our Norway road trip with kids, we drove through a valley filled with strawberry farms. We stopped for some strawberries at one of the roadside kiosks and are we ever glad that we did.

We still talk about those strawberries that are the best and sweetest strawberries we have ever had. In fact, they were so sweet that our vacation home rental host in Ålesund had made a sugar-free homemade jam using strawberries from this same area.

Follow Along on our Family Trip to Norway

We hope you enjoyed reading about our Norway road trip with kids. If you’d like to continue along on our 25-day family trip to Norway, our next stop was an amazing 4 days in Ålesund with kids.

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