Trollstigen, Atlantic Road & Geiranger, 12 Days

It begins with the ferry from Hirtshals to Kristiansand. Depending on your departure time you land in Norway in the morning, at midday or in the evening. Kristiansand welcomes you with its grid-planned old town, Kvadraturen, and the Fiskebrygge fish market – ideal for a first evening.

Today the way continues from Kristiansand to Stavanger, passing rugged rocky coastlines and running through several tunnels. Stavanger, Norway's fourth-largest city, impresses with the historic Gamle Stavanger district and its whitewashed wooden houses.

From today the fjords shape the picture: via Kinsarvik, where the Eid Fjord and Sør Fjord meet, you reach Eidfjord. Fjords, coastline, tunnels and the occasional ferry crossing alternate on this varied stage.

From Eidfjord a detour to the Vøringsfossen waterfall is worthwhile before the way crosses a bridge over the Eid Fjord and passes Flåm on the way to the Sogne Fjord – Europe's deepest and longest fjord. Overnight in Sogndal, the starting point for the Sognefjell road the following day.

The Sognefjell road takes you from Gaupne to Lom through Norway's high mountains, before a short detour leads to Trollstigen. Its tight hairpin bends count as one of the most impressive stages of them all. Overnight in Åndalsnes.

Via the short but sensational Atlantic Road, just a few kilometres long, you reach Kristiansund before continuing to Molde. The bridges and curves of this stage rank among Norway's most photogenic roads and repeatedly open the view out to sea.

On the way to Geiranger the Eagle Road takes you through the landscape in tight switchbacks with gradients of up to ten percent. A stop at the viewing platform above the Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is absolutely worthwhile. Overnight in Stryn.

Between Stryn and Bergen, winding and straight coastal roads alternate – sometimes lush green, sometimes barren, passing waterfalls and red wooden cottages. Bergen, the country's second-largest city, impresses with the Hanseatic quarter of Bryggen and its historic fish market.

Crossing the bridge at the Eid Fjord you reach the Hardangervidda, a vast high plateau that can still surprise you with snow even in early summer. The Vøringsfossen waterfall lies on the way towards Geilo – the winter sports town roughly halfway to Oslo.

The last riding stage takes you from Geilo through picturesque landscape to Oslo. In the capital there is time for the Royal Palace, the City Hall and a stroll through the lively Grünerløkka district.

In the afternoon you head to the ferry port in Oslo: with your own machine you check in for the crossing to Germany. You spend the night on board the ferry towards Kiel, in a cabin with the water outside.

In the morning the ferry reaches the port of Kiel, and the twelve days end where they began: back on land, ready for the ride home. Around 2,200 kilometres of fjords, passes and coastal roads now lie behind you.