Norway Cycling Cruise 2028

Following 6 years of meticulous planning and scouting, the highest-rated event in Santana’s history was tested in 2022, 2025, 2026, and will be perfected in 2028.

Our best-ever Scandinavian cycling cruise will start in Copenhagen and end in Bergen. Along the way, Norway’s finest fjords and two countries with sea-level cycling.

If you truly want to dive into Scandinavia, we’ll host an optional 3-day Copenhagen PreTour that includes some of our favorite highlights of Denmark. We’ll spend a few days exploring Copenhagen and the Jutland Peninsula, where castles, museums, art, and architecture celebrate the country’s heritage.

We’ll provide more details on flight scheduling and the PreTour a year before the cruise. Imagine if the Alps or the Rockies were at sea level. The southwest coast of Norway offers warm summer cycling on smooth, gentle roads skirting fjords, inlets and islands. Sunny days without steep hills or bothersome traffic.

Many would guess that a Norwegian Cycling Tour might be too tough to be enjoyable—but Santana’s Norwegian Cycling Cruise traces coastlines to provide a week of rides that are deceptively easy. Enthusiasts who want an epic challenge can turn inland and climb to reach unbelievable vistas. Each day offers multiple cycling options, plus two non-cycling options.

What about the routes? Shortest routes are around 35 easy miles, mid-length routes around 40-50 with some gentle climbs, and longer routes are 55+ with a few more hills. Non-cycling options? Our panoramic-window coach will arrive at the gangplank each morning to transport anyone who would prefer a non-pedaling break from cycling without missing the highlights enjoyed by those who ride. Easier still is to remain aboard for swimming, reading, or relaxing.

We selected the perfect slice of Summer to cycle in Norway, when the longest days of the year are combined with the driest weeks of short-sleeve weather. Some rides will take us skipping across Norway’s coastal islands, which are connected by uniquely engineered roadways. Invigorating rides through pristine glacier-carved landscapes on roads that hug the shoreline.

Breathe in the crisp, clean air as you gaze across the serene water. Imagine riding into a painting. A week of rides through landscapes that encourage you to pedal further. What will you find around the next bend?

Embark Day — Despite its outsized reputation, Copenhagen is quite compact. In a country famous for healthy living, the city’s harbor and canals are clean enough for recreational swimming.

If you opt to arrive for Santana’s optional PreTour, we’ll explore the city by bike—the fastest and most flexible way to explore this cycling-friendly capital where a tour that features whimsical art and architecture can pause at legendary bakeries and refresh at Copenhagen’s landmark brewery.

Day 2 – Just opposite the tip of Denmark, the port of Arendal has been a prosperous trading center for centuries. Bypassed by modernity, historic Arendal has hung on to become Norway’s favorite mild-weather vacation retreat. Our ship will be docked at the center of town, where a wealth of shopping, dining and galleries are a pleasant stroll from the gangway.

In this mountain-free area of Norway, our choice of short-to-long rides leave traffic behind to explore a forested island where small coves are surrounded by summer cottages. In one of those inlets we’ll stop for a guided tour of a carefully preserved shipyard from the Age of Sail that retained its original tools and workshops.

Day 3 – This day is centered at a tiny heritage seaport where a recently lengthened dock allows the Star Legend to become the largest cruise ship ever hosted by Egersund. In this village, the prime attraction is a folk museum complex that illuminates the everyday life and handicrafts of rural Norwegians of the 18th and 19th centuries (such as spinning, weaving, woodworking, coopering and watchmaking), and culminates with a sobering look at Norway’s five years of Nazi subjugation.

Our choice of routes from Egersund explore a large island and a peninsula famous for its natural beauty. A recent realignment of Norway’s coastal railway created a parallel bike trail linking leftover tunnels and bridges. Devotees of gravel will be able to enjoy a smooth loop through a patchwork of farms and meadows.

Day 4 – Today you’ll leave Leirvik by bike and almost immediately find yourself crossing from island to island along the dramatic bridges linking Stord with Bømlo. The views open quickly, with water on both sides and small islands scattered across the surrounding fjords. Once across the bridges, the route settles into the quieter roads of Bømlo, winding past villages, lakes, rocky hillsides, and stretches of countryside that feel wonderfully removed from Norway’s busier coastal towns.

At Lykling, you’ll stop somewhere that feels almost improbable in such a peaceful setting: the remains of a late-19th-century gold-mining community. Gold was discovered here in the 1800s, and for a brief period miners and investors arrived hoping to strike it rich. Today the rush is long gone, but the landscape still holds traces of that unusual chapter in Bømlo’s history, making it a fascinating place to get off the bike, look around, and enjoy a break before continuing south.

Eventually, the road reaches the water at Langevåg, where you’ll wheel your bike directly aboard the ferry for the crossing to Buavåg, giving you a chance to relax, take in the surrounding islands and fjords, and enjoy one of those moments when the boat simply becomes part of the ride.

Back on the mainland, the route continues south through the coastal countryside toward Haugesund. Near the end of the day, you’ll stop at Norway’s national monument commemorating the traditional unification of the country under Harald Fairhair. With open views toward the coast, it’s a fitting final pause before getting back on the bikes for the last few miles into Haugesund.

Day 5 – After a few days filled with cycling, most will be ready for a sans-cycling day to explore the UNESCO-heritage port of Bergen, where a collection of antique wooden storefronts face a bustling harbor. For this self-guided day of exploration, we’ve included admissions to all three of the city’s leading attractions.

Rosenkrantz Tarnet, which dates back to 1270, was a summer residence for a long line of Norwegian Kings. The nearby Bryggen fortress-museum includes artifacts from Bergen, a Viking stronghold that remained Norway’s capital until 1299. The included Fløibanen funicular ticket takes you from busy Bergen to the peaceful park of Fløyen, an above-the-city retreat with hiking trails, view restaurants, and troll-themed enchantments.

Day 6 – Overnight, our floating resort glides to the end of a long fjord to tie up at the center of the village of Olden. Most will start with a too-easy ride along the edge of the fjord and through the hamlet of Loen to reach a towering stone escarpment where the still-visible hoofprint of the 8-legged horse ridden by the Norse God Odin shows where they crossed the mountain.

The included ascent via Loen’s new aerial tramway is the easier way to reach our viewpoint lodge for a break with baked goods and hot chocolate.

Those who want a longer morning ride will reach the Loen Skylift after a gentle ride up the paved road of a long glacial valley to reach the foot of the still-present glacier. How many times have your cycling friends ridden to the base of a glacier?

Day 7 – On this all-islands day we’ll leave the ship at a morning port on one island before reboarding the ship at the afternoon port of a different island. Today’s basic route between Molde and Averoy includes the longest climb and tallest summit of our entire tour. Those who don’t opt for our bus-and-truck “boost” that delivers them to the ski lodge at the top of Reindeer Summit will need to climb 8 miles to reach this charming chalet, which is a whopping 760 feet above sea level.

Cyclists who worry about their ability to enjoy this tour should re-read the two sentences above before pinching themselves. You won’t need to be super fit to enjoy this amazing adventure. Those who invest in some spring training, however, will love this tour’s longer daily options with plenty of extra miles and climbs.

No matter how you get to the lodge (and an included fresh-baked treat) at Reindeer Summit, our island-hopping day includes the famous Atlantic Ocean Road, an inspiring piece of modern engineering featured in a recent James Bond car chase.

Day 8 – During our initial scouting, we heard rumors of the careful creation of a replica of Norway’s most famous archeological find—a Viking ship buried at Myklebust Mound. Over a thousand years ago, a tribe of Norse Warriors mourned the death of their leader by using oxen to drag their ship inland from the top of Eidsfjord. After surrounding him with treasures fit for a Pharaoh, they turned the ship into a funeral pyre to transport their beloved chief to his place at the feast in Valhalla.

Newer than most of Norway’s guidebooks is the barn-like Sagastad, a museum that occupies a shoreline spot beside the mound where archaeologists chose to rebury their priceless discovery. The museum’s centerpiece is a newly created full-scale replica of what is believed to be the largest Viking ship ever built. Once each year, this new wooden ship cruises the fjord, propelled by 48 oarsmen who pay for the rare honor.

In addition to the included visit to Sagastad, today’s offering includes a mild-to-wild assortment of rides. Shorter options allow you to reboard our ship for lunch, while a Vikings’ option cruises through a waterfall valley to ride a distant fjord and return via a tall summit where a Valhallan feast will be enjoyed at an ancient rural inn.

Day 9 – Norway’s Romantic Road connects the terminus of Norway’s longest fjord with the country’s oldest stave church.

Because 90% of the tourists who flock to this wooden cathedral use a ferry to cross the fjord, the longer route is blessedly free of traffic except for cyclists who drive hundreds of miles to ride this picture-perfect ribbon of smooth pavement.

Today’s choice of rides start and end in the small village of Skjolden, a “fjordport” that is 130 miles inland from the open sea. The hardiest cyclists will want to top off their effortless cruise of the Romantic Road with a climb through switchbacks to reach Norway’s highest paved summit—which is 4,698 feet higher and 21 miles distant from our ship’s dock.

Day 10 – On the final morning of our cruise, we will disembark in Bergen, Norway. Bergen’s BRG Airport is also served by all 3 airline alliances. If you wish to spend additional time in Norway, bike-friendly trains reach Oslo in a matter of hours.

Santana has chartered Windstar’s all-suite Star Legend for our Norway Cycling Cruise!

The Star Legend is an ALL-SUITES motor yacht!

The smallest suite, at 277 sq.ft., is twice as large as staterooms found on other new cruise ships.

10 different suite categories makes it easy to find one that’s right for you.

The Star Legend has a 1:1.5 crew-to-passenger ratio to provide award winning service.

A total of 5 gourmet restaurants provide a variety of fresh culinary options. Jan wants you to know that 24-hour room service is a no-cost extra!

Santana has worked with Windstar since 2010. With this win-win relationship, Santana obtains the lowest pricing and best availability. Their yacht-sized fleet allows Santana’s charters to use small ports that are better suited for cycling. We’ve now worked with Windstar to create custom-for-cycling itineraries in the Mediterranean, Tahiti, Japan, British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, Norway & the Baltic Sea.

Santana and our participants love the intimate size of Windstar’s yachts, as does the cruising public and industry critics. Year after year, Windstar wins all the major awards for small ship cruising, and scores the highest return-client loyalty.

Why is the Star Legend so special? In 2020, the Star Breeze was withdrawn from service to take part in Windstar’s “Star Initiative Project”—a quarter billion dollar stretch of their 3 motor yachts (they’re triplets). After cutting the Star Breeze into front and rear halves, a precursor to the installation of quieter new eco-friendly motors and generators, they replaced the entire ship’s decor and furnishings—Every single suite has been rebuilt better than new. Before buttoning things up, they slid in a new 84-foot midsection.

This 90 second video shows the process –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTpVxCOjmPY&feature=youtu.be

The Star Legend we’ve chartered for the Norway is essentially a new ship with larger additional public areas, a tripled-size ocean-view swimming pool, new tenders, new lifeboats, and a fleet of expedition-worthy zodiacs.

Existing suites have all been completely rebuilt, will obtain enhanced soundproofing, and feature all-new bathrooms. Added suites include new categories at both ends of the price range. Now that the Star Legend has been relaunched, you not only have a wider range of staterooms to choose from, the Star Legend now has five gourmet dining venues to provide a wider range of fresh cuisine.