Experience the best of Åndalsnes

Åndalsnes lies at the head of the Romsdalsfjord, in Møre og Romsdal, where the Rauma River reaches the sea and steep mountains close in on every side. The Romsdalshorn, a sharp rock spire in the valley behind the town, draws climbers, and a cable car climbs from the centre to a viewpoint high above the fjord. Trollveggen, the Troll Wall, rises over a kilometre in a near-vertical face further up the valley, one of the tallest rock walls in Europe.

Trollstigen, the Troll's Path, is a mountain road that climbs from the valley in eleven hairpin bends past a waterfall, with a viewing platform at the top. The Rauma Railway runs from Åndalsnes up the valley to Dombås, across bridges and through tunnels, and is one of the most scenic lines in Norway. Beyond the pass lies the Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO-listed fjord, and the Art Nouveau town of Ålesund is to the west.

Klippfisk, salted and dried cod, is a speciality of the Møre coast and is baked with tomatoes and peppers, while fresh fjord fish, lamb and waffles with brown cheese fill other menus. Summer days are long and bright, with light into the night around midsummer, and the winters are mild for the latitude but snowy in the mountains.