nordkapp bike tour

• RIDE YOUR BIKE.
• Video Course Login
• Success Stories
• Give Your Support

No products in the cart.

• Bike Tour Shop
• Search for:

Cycling to the North Cape in Nordkapp, Norway

• Facebook 250
• Pinterest 0

During the summer of 2017, I flew from Los Angeles, California (in the United States) to Umeå , Sweden (in northern Europe) and began cycling to the North Cape in Nordkapp, Norway. Along the way, I passed through three different Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland and Norway), camped in my tent each and every night of the tour, and pedaled my new Co-Motion Cycles Siskiyou touring bicycle close to 2,000 total kilometers (averaging approximately 85 kilometers each day).

Click here to view and download my cycling route across Sweden, Finland and Norway .

My cycling adventure in northern Europe began with a long flight from Los Angeles, California to Stockholm, Sweden… and then a much shorter flight from Stockholm to the city of Umeå .

Umeå , Sweden, as you might know (if you’re a long-time follower of Bicycle Touring Pro ), has been a focal point on two of my previous European bike tours. In 2015 I finished a 14-month-long bicycle tour across Europe and Asia in Umeå , Sweden . Then, in 2016, I returned to Umeå after completing a much shorter 3-month-long bike tour in Portugal, Spain, France, Andorra, Norway and Sweden.

This year, I returned to Umeå for two reasons. 1) I like it in Umeå (It’s one of my favorite places in all of Europe). And 2) when I flew back to the United States in 2016 after having completed my summertime bike tour in Europe, I was able to book a relatively inexpensive round-trip ticket back to Umeå at that same time (In other words, a one-way ticket back to Los Angeles was practically the same price as a round-trip ticket to Los Angeles and back to Umeå ). So, I booked the round-trip ticket and found myself back in Umeå nearly one year after having been there the previous summer.

This year, I returned to northern Europe with a brand new bicycle: a Co-Motion Cycles Siskiyou touring bicycle with a Pinion gearbox and the Gates carbon drive system. It’s a very special bicycle and I was super excited to try it out!

My new bike arrived in California packed inside my Co-Motion Co-Pilot travel case – straight from the Co-Motion factory in Eugene, Oregon just a few days before my bike tour in Europe was about to begin. Rather than unpack the bike at home, then be forced to re-pack the entire bicycle just a few days later in preparation for its flight to Sweden, I simply left my new bicycle packed away inside its travel case and hoped that everything would be there and in good working order once I arrived in Umeå , Sweden.

The photo above shows how I flew my new touring bicycle and the rest of my gear, clothing, toiletries, etc to Europe. My Siskiyou touring bicycle is packed away inside the large suitcase you see on the left side of the photo; my computer, camera, helmet, wallet and passport flew with me on the airplane inside that small black backpack; and the rest of my belongings flew as checked baggage inside that gray duffle bag you see hiding in the background on the right-hand side of the image.

Luckily, everything arrived in Umeå and appeared to be in good condition. My friend Mats (whom I had met in Umeå the previous summer) was at the airport when I arrived. We loaded my belongings into his car and then he drove me back to his home near the city center.

The most important thing I needed to do during my first few days in Sweden was to 1) recover from jet-lag and 2) assemble my bicycle and get it ready for it’s month-long cycling adventure to the North Cape in northern Norway.

Co-Motion had packaged the bicycle up inside their Co-Motion Co-Pilot travel case , so my only task was to remove the bike from its case and put it all back together. This, however, is easier said than done – especially with a brand new bicycle.

Assembling my new touring bicycle took several hours. Of course, the process was made even longer due to the fact that I was taking photos and shooting videos of the entire process. After several hours of careful and steady work, however, the bike was nearly complete!

One of the biggest differences between this new Co-Motion Cycles Siskiyou touring bicycle and my older Co-Motion Cycles Pangea touring bicycle is the addition of the Pinion gearbox and the Gates carbon drive system (which you can see in the photo above). Now, instead of the traditional metal chain and derailleur system, my new Siskiyou bicycle is driven by a belt and an internal gearbox that is built into the bottom bracket of my bicycle’s frame.

With the bicycle fulyl assembled, I stopped to take a few photos of the bike, the gearbox, the belt, and me standing next to my new bike.

Afterward, I continued the bike build by mounting the fenders, front and rear racks, and my Blackburn bike computer .

It took me nearby a whole day to get the bike together, shoot all these photos, and produce the video I would need to later show the process of the bike coming together. Luckily, Mats has a nice big garage for me to work in, and that made the assembly process a whole lot easier.

I had planned to leave Mats’ home and begin cycling north after only 1.5 days in Umeå , Sweden, but I was suffering from some serious jet-lag and was fearful about hitting the road so soon because I was so incredibly fatigued. Thankfully, Mats and his wife Eva invited me to stay for one more night and allowed me to participate in their family’s Mother’s Day dinner. At the dinner, I was introduce to Pontus (Mats’ son), Linda (Eva’s daughter) and Frederick (Linda’s boyfriend).

Then, after three nights in Mats’ and Eva’s home, I packed up my bicycle and said goodbye. Leaving town, I rode past the city’s iconic train station, cycled through the tunnel, and then exited on the road that would take me for the first hundred kilometers or so toward the Nordkapp in northern Norway.

The road leading out of Umeå began by passing through what I would classify as farmland. There were little red and yellow houses scattered among fields and forests. But the further out of town I cycled, the more the road began to transform into the endless forest landscape Sweden (and Finland too) are most known for.

If you want to know what it’s like to ride a bicycle across Sweden, just imagine the road below stretching for hundreds and hundreds of kilometers – with an occasional lake, river or pond along the way. The vastness of the Swedish forests is absolutely stunning… and while some might find this never-ending green and brown forest to be boring after a while, I found it to be both beautiful and relaxing.

During my bike tour to the North Cape in Nordkapp, Norway, I spent most of my days cycling on perfectly paved roads like the one you see above. There was rarely a big shoulder to cycle in, but that didn’t matter much, because there were so few cars on the road.

In the evening, however, when it was time to start looking for a place to camp for the night, I’d look for a dirt road to turn off on and then I’d cycle down that road for a while – looking for a place in the forest where I might be able to camp.

One of the many great things about bicycle touring in Sweden, Finland and Norway is that all three countries have what is called “ Alle Mans Rätt ” or the “ Freedom to Roam .” This regulation basically states that you, as a traveler, have free access to the wilderness, as long as you tread lightly and don’t do damage to the natural environment.

With this in mind, I was able to camp in the forest each and every night of my bike tour, without having to pay even a single cent… and without having to worry that I was on private land or doing something that could potentially be illegal. Because of the Alle Mans Rätt, camping in Sweden, Finland and Norway is an absolute joy!

During the first day of my bike tour I only cycled a short distance over 60 kilometers. I was still very much recovering from jet-lag and by the time 6:00 PM rolled around, I was beyond fatigued. I pushed my bike a short distance off the road and found a flat, isolated spot above a passing river where I could pitch my tent.

Once the tent was up, I crawled inside, removed my shoes, took in the view of the river below for just a moment or two, then laid my head down on my sleeping pad/bag and instantly fell asleep.

I woke up around midnight and was shocked to see that the sun was still out. I crawled out of the tent and relieved myself by a nearby tree, then crawled back into my sleeping bag and rested for several more hours.

In the morning I packed up my bicycle, pushed my heavy vehicle back out to the road, and began cycling north. I knew that if I was going to reach the North Cape in time, I was going to need to cycle much more than 60 kilometers per day. In fact, I’d need to cycle closer to 100 kilometers per day if I planned to cycle to the Nordkapp and then back to Umeå , Sweden in the amount of time I had allotted for this particular bike tour.

So, during the second day of my bike tour to the North Cape in northern Norway, I pretty much just put my head down and pedaled – stopping only occasionally to take photos/video and adjust my bicycle’s saddle (which took me several days to get into a correct and comfortable position).

At the end of the day, I found a beautiful little forest campsite near a a cluster of large boulders located just a short distance from a small lake. By this point in my travels, I was starting to feel a lot better (I wasn’t as jet-lagged as I had been previously) and I started to settle in to my new reality. The forest was going to be my home for the next month… and if every day was a nice as this day had been, the rest of my bike tour would be an absolute delight.

Even though I was still below the Arctic Circle at this point in my tour, the sun never really stopped shinning at night. So getting used to the long nights took a little doing. I’d go to sleep and it would still be light out; I’d wake up in the middle of the night and it would still be light out; and when I’d wake up in the morning, it would still be light. I started sleeping with my bike computer inside my tent, so I could quickly and easily reach up and tell them time – without having to turn on my smartphone.

After a long night’s rest, I packed up my bike, and began cycling on what would be the third day of my bike tour to the Nordkapp and back.

I didn’t do a lot of planning for this particular bike tour. I knew the general route I wanted to take, but I also knew that I was open to other ideas and suggestions. In fact, reaching the North Cape (or the Nordkapp – same thing) was really just a destination for me to reach. Whether I actually reached the North Cape or not, I didn’t really care. My main goal was to just be out in nature, explore, take photos, shoot videos, and have fun!

So, when Mats (back in Umeå , Sweden) suggested I take one road instead of another road I had originally planned on cycling, I decided to follow his advice. Little did I know at the time, but this road that Mats suggested to me was the same road that I had cycled last year during the last few days of my Bodo, Norway to Umeå , Sweden bike tour . So, the road that transported me from Bodo to Umeå last summer became the road that would transport me in the other direction for the first three days of this Nordkapp bike tour.

Cycling on this familiar road meant that there were several points along the route that I knew and recognized. This picnic table (pictured above) is just one of the many places I stopped and shot video during my 2016 bike tour in Sweden .

And the house pictured below, was something I cycled past during last summer’s bike ride , but at that time, the TRUMP sign and the mannequin of Donald Trump wearing his famous “Make America Great Again” had had not yet been erected in these homeowners’ yard. (Note how they changed the sign to read, “Make Rökå Great Again!”)

Only when I reached the city of Malå , Sweden did my bike tour to the Nordkapp begin to look brand new. Everything prior to that was simply a repeat of what I had experienced during my bike tour last summer.

Of course, when I reached Malå , Sweden, the weather had turned from bright and sunny (yet still very cold) to dark and snowing! This, you might realize, was the worst possible moment for the weather to take a turn for the worse. Just as I was about to take off into the unknown, the wind was blowing, the snow was falling and I was freezing cold. On top of all that, I was still more than 800 kilometers from the North Cape! If the weather was so bad this far south, I feared the weather up above the Arctic Circle would be countless measures worse.

It took me several days on the road to really get into the swing of things. I was cycling against a small headwind pretty much the entire way to the Nordkapp, so that slowed me down a bit as well. But once I found shelter behind a hillside or a gathering of trees, I’d be able to shift into a higher gear and really gather some speed.

Days when the sun was out made my time on the road even better. But despite it being sunny, it was still very, very cold. I wore shorts on almost every day of the bike tour, but most of the other cyclists I encountered on the road were wearing long pants.

This friendly woman from Sweden (I think her name was Monica) was the first long-distance cyclist I encountered on my way to the Nordkapp. She was traveling alone and this was the first time she had ever done a bike tour before. She was cycling from the Nordkapp back to her home in southern Sweden. She said she was enjoying the experience, but that it was cold, and that she had encountered some very cold days at the start of her tour.

Now well and good into the center of Sweden, reindeer began to pop up all over the place. Most of the time the reindeer would appear in a small group, but sometimes there would be just a single reindeer wandering around by itself and feeding in the grass.

After a cold and windy day of cycling north of Malå , Sweden, I cycled down a dirt road just a few kilometers outside of city of Arvidsjaur.

I then pushed my bicycle back from the road a bit and began setting up camp in a flat, moss-covered forest.

Just as I got settled in, the snow began to fall. As I sat inside my tent and prepared my dinner on the MSR PocketRocket camp stove I was carrying with me, I realized just how happy I was to be out there on the road. For many people, snow falling on them might feel like a time to panic. But in that instant, I felt at home and was happy to see the snow.

A decent amount of snow fell to the ground while I was cooking my dinner, but it wasn’t enough for me to really get worried about.

When I woke the following morning, however, everything outside my tent was covered in white powder. It had snowed for several hours and the entire landscape (my tent and bicycle included) were now covered in at least two inches of snow.

The photo below shows me popping my head out of my tent in the early morning hours, just moments after discovering that it had been snowing while I slept.

I stayed inside my tent until nearly noon the following day, and by that time, the snow that had fallen the night before had nearly all but melted.

Not wanting to go anywhere really, but knowing I needed to press forward, I crawled outside of my tent, packed up my bicycle, and hit the road!

It was only a short 10 kilometers or so into the city center of Arvidsjaur, Sweden, but by the time I got there the wind was blowing and I was freezing cold. I spotted a small Frasses fast food restaurant and jumped inside to get warm.

While I was there, I ordered a veggie burger and french fries. It was the worst veggie burger I have ever eaten! The ketchup was watered down and it was a terrible, terrible meal. I don’t normally eat this type of food during my regular life, but eating this one veggie burger in Arvidsjaur made me consider never eating fast food ever again.

After eating and charging my camera/smartphone batteries in town, I cycled just a short distance north of town and almost immediately jumped into a nearby patch of woods.

I only cycled about 30 kilometers on this particular day, but I had at least made some forward progress. I got my camera batteries charged (which is very important to me) and I had kept warm for most of the day. So, even though I hadn’t moved very much, I had moved in the right direction.

I ended up finding a nice, quiet dirt road, down which I cycled for about one kilometer. On the left-hand side of the road was a small hill that dipped down to a tiny snow-covered pond. About 50 meters from the edge of the pond was a secluded flat spot, and that’s where I pitched my tent for the night.

I was able to fish some water from the pond, which I then used to cook up some pasta for my dinner that night.

The following morning, I woke up, packed up my bicycle, and hit the road. My goal was to cover some serious ground… and I ended up cycling a respectable 75 kilometers on this particular day.

As I cycled, I laughed to myself as I tried to pronounce the names of these stunningly long Swedish cities, rivers and places. The sign above shows one such name. Just try and say that to yourself right now! (The word on the top is the name of a river (I think) written in Swedish. The word underneath it is the name of the same river written in the Sami language – the language of the indigenous people of Scandinavia).

At some point on this particular day, I stopped to take a photo of me on my bicycle. When I stopped, I set my camera on the tripod I was carrying with me, set the 10-second timer, and then sprinted back toward my bicycle in order to get into position for the photo. But as soon as I began to run back towards my bicycle, I tripped over one of the legs on my tripod and fell to the ground, slamming my right shin directly into a large exposed rock.

I feared at first that I might have broken a bone – it hurt that bad! But when I looked at the sight of the wound, I couldn’t see a thing! I was wearing my rain pants at the time, so the pants had prevented my skin from being punctured during the fall. But I could tell that I had done some serious damage to my leg, and as I continued to cycle that day, the pain only got worse.

After a good solid day of cycling, I made camp again in the forest. Day after day, this became my pattern: I would wake up, pack up my things, cycle for 3-7 hours, and then make camp in the forest. I’d eat, read or listen to podcasts on my smartphone, and then go to sleep. Only to repeat the pattern the following day.

The hardest part of my bike tour to the Nordkapp was simply getting out of my sleeping bag in the morning. It was cold on every single night of the tour (except for maybe two or three nights), so that made getting up and going that much more difficult. Most of the time, I’d wake up, see that the sun was shining, reach for my bike computer to check the time, and then moan as I realized it was time to get up, pack up, and get going.

In the tiny town of Kabdallis, Sweden I stopped at a gas station to buy some food and water, and while I was there I was surprised to see two gentlemen traveling with bicycles. The two men were named Teo and Sepp and they were brothers conducting a long-distance bike tour from their home in Switzerland to the Nordkapp in northern Norway.

I cycled with Teo and Sepp for much of the day, and despite the two men being about twice my age, they were difficult for me to keep up with. They informed me that they had woken up at 4:00 AM on this particular morning and were pumping out more than 100 kilometers each day. They certainly made me feel like a wimp!

After a full day on the bikes, Teo and Sepp and I reached the sign marking the fact that we were now crossing into the Arctic Circle. We stopped to take a photo, gave each-other a little high-five, and then continued just a short distance up the road into the city of JokkMokk.

Once in Jokkmokk, Teo and Sepp and I made our way into the city center (which is easy to do in a town as small as Jokkmokk) and found a little restaurant serving up a wide variety of dishes. I ordered as pizza, Teo ordered a pizza, and Sepp ate some pasta. In addition to the food we all ordered, we were also given access to a small salad bar filled with all sorts of good vegetables. Best of all, Teo and Sepp were kind enough to buy me lunch! So, I had a delicious and filling lunch/dinner and I didn’t have to pay a single cent. Thank you Teo and Sepp!

After lunch, I said goodbye to Teo and Sepp. I was limping pretty bad at this point – due to the injury I had sustained less than two days prior. My shin and entire lower right leg had swollen up pretty significantly by this point and I could hardly walk, let alone ride my bike.

I told Teo and Sepp about my fall and they agreed, after looking at my leg, that I had injured myself pretty good. They planned to cycle another 100+ kilometers the next day, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to reach the Nordkapp at all thanks to the injury I had sustained. So, I said goodbye to the men at this point and told them I planned to take a rest day in Jokkmokk the following day. I would find a nice, quiet place in the woods to camp… and I would stay there for two nights: eating, resting and nursing my leg.

About 5 kilometers north of town, I pitched my tent in the forest next to a quiet pond and several small patches of snow. Tiny boulders dotted the landscape and I felt at home in my new sanctuary in central Sweden.

The following day, I cycled into the center of Jokkmokk and purchased some muscle relief cream at the local supermarket. I spread the cream across my shin/leg several times that day, and iced the shin with snow and ice I found on the ground near my campsite.

In the photo above you can just barely see the spot where the muscle or bone in my shin seems to be almost popping out of my skin. It doesn’t look very painful in the photo, but let me tell you… it hurt like crazy! The pain was so bad I could barely put my socks or shoes on. Walking was painful and riding my bike was no fun either.

After a full day of rest in Jokkmokk, Sweden, I decided to press on. Because of my shin pain, I considered staying in Jokkmokk for another day, but I knew that if I was going to reach the Nordkapp in time, I needed to press on. So, as I had done on every previous day of the tour, I packed up my bicycle and hit the road!

On this particular day, I focused on nothing else but covering some serious ground. I put my head down, tried my best to ignore whatever pain I happened to be feeling, and didn’t stop even once to take a photo. At the end of the day, I had covered over 124 kilometers!

Now approximately 30 kilometers north of Gällivare , Sweden, I rolled off the main highway, cycled down a dirt road, and quickly found myself in a snow-covered swampland.

What started out as a dirt road, quickly became a water-logged, snow-covered snowmobile path. Part of me wanted to turn around, return to the main road, and search for another campsite. But a part of me thought, “It’s going to be so amazing to camp here in the snow!” So, I just kept going to the road – searching for the perfect place to pitch my tent for the evening.

Eventually, I settled on an elevated hillside just a short distance from the road. Getting my loaded bike through the snowbank wasn’t easy (I had to unload the panniers and carry them across the snow first, then go back for my bicycle and carry it through the snow). My shoes got wet and my feet got cold, but I managed to find a nice little area between some trees and a few patches of snow, where I then erected my tent and climbed inside for the evening.

For the past several years, I’ve been traveling around the world without a camp stove, but on this particular bike tour (because I wasn’t carrying my laptop computer or my drone ), I decided that I had enough room inside my panniers to pack a stove and a cook pot. To be completely honest, I’m sure glad I did!

Reaching camp each night and knowing that I had a warm meal waiting for me was a very special treat. Most nights I would make pasta or vegetable burritos (two things I both enjoy and are easy to make on a camp stove). I burned through two medium-sized PRIMUS fuel canisters on the tour, each of which cost me about $7.00 or $8.00 USD.

The next morning, I packed up my panniers, carried them through the snow to the dirt road below my campsite, then trudged back through the snow to get my bike. My feet were totally soaked by this point, but I was fortunate that the weather on this particular day was actually kind of warm. Don’t get me wrong! It was still very cold… but , thankfully, the cold wasn’t affecting my wet toes for whatever reason.

This day was a special one, because on this particular day (if everything went to plan) I would reach the border of Sweden and Finland. It’s amazing just how much ground you can cover on a bicycle! At the start of a long trip, it feels as though you aren’t making any forward progress, but then, before you know it, you are able to look back and say, “Wow! Look how far I’ve come.”

77 kilometers on this particular day transported me to the border town of Karesuando, Sweden. My camera batteries were all but drained by this point in my bike tour, so my goal once reaching the city center was to find a place to charge my batteries.

I ordered some french fries from the town’s only gas station and charged one of my camera batteries while I was there eating my fries. Then, I made my way around town seeking out a power outlet where I could charge the rest of my electronics.

I found a single power outlet on the backside of this impressive church, but then found another (more accessible) power outlet down by the river on the south side of the city. I plugged in my two camera battery chargers and then cycled down to the river’s edge to take in the scenery and allow some time to pass. Each camera battery takes approximately 2 hours to charge!

While I was sitting on the edge of the river, I noticed some birds flying in the distance. At first, I didn’t think much of them, but after nearly an hour of sitting there on the water’s edge, one of the birds flew in my direction and passed immediately over my head. It was a small white, speckled owl… and it had flown so close to me that, if I had been paying more attention, I could have reached up and grabbed it straight out of the air. It was sooo cool. I’ve seen owls in the wild before, but I’ve never had one get so close to me. I waited for another hour on the edge of the river, hoping the owl would swoop past me once more, but that sadly never happened.

By the time two of my camera batteries had been charged, it was approaching what would normally be nightfall. But up here above the Arctic Circle, it never really gets dark during the summer months. Still, I wanted to cycle a ways out of town and make camp before it got too late. So, that’s exactly what I did.

Staying on the Swedish side of the river (so I would have at least one more night of Internet access on the SIM card I purchased back in Umeå ) I cycled a few kilometers outside of town, pushed my bike into the trees on the right-hand side of the road, and quickly set up camp. That night I cooked beans and rice and made some terrible camp stove burritos.

The following morning I cycled back into town and spent a couple hours recharging the rest of my batteries at the public library. Then, once the library closed at 12:00 PM, I cycled across the bridge that would take me from Sweden to Finland.

This was not my first time in Finland, but it was my first time in this particular part of Lapland, Finland.

Lapland is Finland’s northernmost region – a sparsely populated area bordering Sweden, Norway, Russia and the Baltic Sea. It’s known for its vast subarctic wilderness, ski resorts and natural phenomena including the midnight sun and the Northern Lights. I had heard from many people in Finland that Lapland was well worth seeing, so I was looking forward to my bike ride through this particular part of the country.

At the beginning, Lapland looked a whole lot like any other part of Sweden or Finland I had cycled through before. There were trees and lakes and rivers. But the further north I began to go, the more the landscape changed. What was once tall, green forests quickly began to morph into a short, sparse and barren brown landscape.

After filling up my water bottles and stocking up food in Enontekiö , Finland, I cycled north for about 14 kilometers and then pushed my bike just a short distance off the road.

Here, back in the trees, I made camp on a small ledge overlooking a massive field – the kind of spot where you might expect to see a moose or some reindeer (at the very least) wander past.

The weather on this particular day was so nice that I had been able to ride for most of the day without wearing a jacket of any kind (the first time I had been able to ride in just my jersey on this particular Nordkapp bike tour). In the evening, the weather was still very nice – so much so, in fact, that I considered sleeping in my tent without the rain-fly on it. Ultimately, however, I did decide to put the rain-fly on my tent. I know, based on experience, that the weather can change very rapidly in this part of the world.

The temperatures did drop a little bit around midnight, and I was happy to be inside my warm sleeping bag during the midsummer night.

In the morning, I checked my map and my odometer and realized that I had cycled just shy of 1,000 total kilometers since leaving Umeå , Sweden. My bike computer said I had cycled 874.9 kilometers, but my map (which I believe to be more accurate), said I had cycled 980 kilometers.

The reason I was missing more than 100 kilometers on my bike computer is because on this particular brand of computer ( the Blackburn Atom 4.0 ), you have to press one of the computer’s two buttons each time you start cycling. If you don’t press one of those two buttons, the computer won’t turn on and you’ll end up cycling a considerable distance without the computer recording any of the progress you are making. So, over the course of the first 1+ week of my bike tour, I had lost more than 100 kilometers because I had simply forgotten to turn the computer on whenever I started cycling.

The day before this one, I had crossed the border from Sweden into Finland. And on this particular day (June 9, 2017) I crossed the border from Finland into Norway.

Entering the city of Kautokeino, Norway, the landscape had really begun to change. Gone were the dark green forests I had grown so used to. Now, I was surrounded by short brown shrubs and murky low-lying water. The place was a brown Arctic swamp!

I refueled on food and water at the Rema 1000 supermarket in Kautokeino, then pushed my bike up the hill on the north side of the city. A short distance out of town, I made camp in a scary brown patch of wet shrubbery and felt as though I was being watched as I pitched my tent on the remote hillside.

For the first time on my entire Nordkapp bike tour, I felt unwell. I don’t know if it was the place itself or simply my body reacting to the environment, but after setting up my tent, I crawled inside and laid down to rest. My heart was beating fast, I felt dizzy, and I was scared to be so alone and so far from home and everyone I know. A few minutes later, however, I was totally fine.

You’ll note that in the photo above I was wearing my long-sleeved Fox racing jersey. I had three warm days in a row where I could wear this jersey without a jacket and what made this even more surprising was that I was further north than I had ever been at any other point in my life!

On the following day, however, the weather quickly cooled. I was forced to wear my jacket again… and I would not take that jacket off until I reached the end of my bike tour more than two weeks later.

On June 10th I cycled over 100 kilometers. The day began in that brown Arctic swamp I disliked so much. Then I began cycling through a resort-like village located along the edge of a long frozen river. And at the end of the day, I sprinted downhill and returned to a forested paradise just south of the city of Alta, Norway.

Not yet ready to enter the “big city” of Alta, I decided to spend one more night camping in the forest. As I had done on previous nights, I exited the main road, cycled down a dirt path for several kilometers, then pushed my bike through heavy moss to a flat spot located at the top of a small creek/river. After pitching my tent, I walked to the river to refill my water bottles, then returned to my campsite and made dinner.

The next morning, just minutes after exiting my forest campsite, I ran into this German gentleman traveling on his bicycle. When I approached him with my camera and started speaking in English, he said to me, “Sprechen zie Deutsch?” and I replied, “ Ja. Ich spreche bisschen Deutsch. Aber mein Deutsch ist sehr schrecklich. ”

I’ve got that one sentence nailed down so well that German speakers, like this man, seem to think I’m actually really good at German. So he went on for several minutes after that talking to me in German – of which, I only understood a few words here and there.

Once in Alta, I made my way to the nearest supermarket, only to discover that the store was closed! It was a Sunday and a national holiday on top of that, so practically all of the supermarkets in town were closed.

The free public WiFi pouring out of the Coop supermarket, however, had not been turned off for the holiday, so I was able to sit outside the store and access the Internet on my smartphone.

While I was doing that, I spotted another bicycle tourist coming toward me on his bicycle. He was wearing a bright, neon yellow jersey and as he got closer he said, “I know you! I watch all your videos on YouTube .”

Andreas was his name and he was from Estonia. Inspired in large part by Bicycle Touring Pro and the videos I’ve been posting on YouTube , Andreas decided he was going to conduct an 8,000 kilometer bike tour across Europe. He was several weeks into his tour by this point (having cycled to the Nordkapp already from his home country of Estonia) and stated that while everything on his tour was going well, he wished he had purchased different articles of clothing. “So many of the things I bought said they were waterproof, but as it turns out, they are not.”

As Andreas and I were talking, another man pulled up on what was obviously an unloaded touring bicycle. The bike had racks on both the front and the back, but the panniers were missing. The man introduced himself and stated that he too had just come from the North Cape and that he was French and staying for the night in a campsite just outside of town. He informed me of the price for the campsite (150 Norwegian Krone, I think) and stated that the price also included a hot shower.

I had been on the road for about two weeks at this point and I had not yet taken even a single shower. The only bathing I had done was in public restrooms or in freezing cold ponds and streams. I didn’t want to pay for a campsite or sleep in a campground crowded with other people, but I really wanted that hot shower… and I really wanted to recharge all my electronics. So, I said goodbye to Andreas and wished him the best for the rest of his journey. Then, I said goodbye to the French man and told him I’d likely see him later that night in the campsite.

I then cycled to the city center, found the one and only store selling food on this particular day, bought enough to get me through the night, and then made my way across town to the Alta River Campground.

I paid 150 Norwegian Krone for my campsite and was forced to pitch my tent in a small grassy area right near the entrance of the campground. After pitching my tent, the first thing on my agenda was charging my camera batteries, so I plugged them into an outlet in the shared restroom and then proceeded to shower for the first time in two weeks. Ahhh!

Later that night I rode my bicycle to a nearby river and sat along the edge of the river while cooking dinner on my camp stove. Then, after eating, I returned to the campsite, removed my battery charger from the outlet inside the restroom, crawled inside my tent and tried to go to sleep.

I didn’t sleep well at the campground though. Compared to sleeping in the forest, the ground was hard and it was noisy. There were cars and motorcycles coming in and out of the campground all night, there were people talking, and there were people walking past my tent at all hours of the night. As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t get to sleep!

When morning came around, I had slept for only a few hours (3 at most). But it was time to pack up and hit the road. So I packed up my bike and then I hit the road.

I wanted to get some food before I left the city… and I also needed to try and find some fuel for my camp stove, as Alta was the last major city on my map for quite some time. So, I cycled to the city center and went into the first supermarket I spotted.

Once exiting the supermarket, I took a seat on a bench right outside the building and began using the supermarket’s free WiFi to download some new podcasts on my smartphone. As I was sitting there, I spotted another bicycle tourist approaching from the distance. He was riding a mountain bike and pulling a trailer behind him. As he approached, a huge grin appeared on his face and he shouted, “NO… FREAKING… WAY!!!”

The man’s name was Trygve and he was from Fredrikstad, Norway. He informed me that he had watched all of my videos on YouTube and it was those videos that inspired him (at least in some way) to conduct this long-distance bike tour in celebration of his 40th birthday. “I have to buy extra data for my smartphone every month because I watch and re-watch all of your videos on YouTube ,” Trygve told me at one point.

We took some photos together and then Trygve went inside the supermarket for a moment while I stayed outside and watched his bike. When Trygve returned, he had a coconut pastry and a cappuccino drink for the both of us. We sat and ate/drank together for a moment while discussing our travels… and then we went our separate ways. I went north toward the Nordkapp and Trygve went south toward his home.

Before leaving town, I found a store called Claus Olsen inside the Alta shopping mall and managed to score a new fuel canister for my camp stove while I was there. Now with food, water and fuel loaded onto my bicycle, I left the city of Alta behind and began cycling north.

The bike ride out of Alta, Norway was a nice one. There was a bike lane at the start, which followed the water north up the coast, and then transitioned into a quiet two-land road.

At the base of a large hill, I spotted a bicycle tourist zipping down the road in front of me. I pulled over to videotape the man as he passed, only to realize moments later that he wasn’t alone – and that he was cycling with a small group of people.

Artis (on the far right, above) and Andris (on the far left) are two Norwegians who were cycling together from the North Cape south… who just happened to meet up with June (in the pink) and Vanja (in the yellow) near the Nordkapp in northern Norway. Because they were headed the same direction, the group decided to cycle together for a while. We stopped and chatted for a moment, took a few photos together, and then went our separate ways.

After leaving Artis, Andris, June and Vanja, I immediately began cycling up a long, steep hill – the largest hill I had encountered on the entire bike tour thus far. Luckily, it wasn’t the longest or the steepest hill I’ve ever climbed… and I quickly made my way to the top.

But once I reached the top, I noticed an instance change in the landscape. While the city of Alta, Norway had been warm and covered in green trees, this new elevated place I found myself in was barren and covered in snow! Everywhere I looked there was snow and melted water. It was a brown and white Arctic landscape… and it was cold.

Several kilometers down the road, I spotted a young man with a yellow jacket and a yellow set of panniers on his bicycle pulled over on the side of the road and eating what appeared to be a sandwich of some kind. I pulled my bike off the road and spoke to the young man for a bit. He was German and traveling alone for several months. He seemed a bit tired, or lonely, or something (I couldn’t quite put my finger on it), so I tried to give him some encouraging words of advice… and then I said good bye, wished him the best, and continued on my way.

No more than 200 meters down the road, I spotted two more bicycle tourists! Once again, I pulled over to talk with the bicyclists and discovered that they were two Norwegian sisters who were traveling from the Nordkapp to Bodo, Norway via Tromso and the Lofoten Islands. The one sister (on the right – in the black jacket) had done this exact same bike ride the summer before and had liked it so much that she had recruited her sister to do it with her again this year! They were both in good spirits and seemed to be enjoying their ride together.

After meeting so many bicycle tourists in such a short time span, I realized that I was on a very popular bicycle touring path. Most of these cyclists had flown to the Nordkapp and were then cycling south through the Lofoten Islands to Bodo, Norway and were then flying home from there. Having done most of that route myself (but not necessarily in that exact order), I can very confidently say that this is a fantastic place to go bicycle touring… and riding from the Nordkapp to Bodo via the Lofoten Islands is a wonderful way of going about it.

Shortly after meeting the two sisters, I spotted another woman sitting with her bicycle on the side of the road. She was stopped there with her clothes and belongings all sprawled out, but she appeared to be in no trouble – as she was calmly sitting and eating some kind of food.

As I cycled past the woman, I waved, and she yelled something back at me. I couldn’t quite hear what she said, so I slammed on my brakes and asked, “What???”

She yelled back at me, “It’s all wet up there and there’s nowhere to camp for at least the next 60 kilometers. You might not want to go any further.”

“Hmm…” I thought to myself. It was already pretty late in the day at this point, but I had wanted to go another 20 kilometers or so. I didn’t want to cycle 60 kilometers (that would be too far!). But I certainly didn’t want to stop right there and call it a day. So, I just waved to the woman and shrugged my shoulders. I was pressing on!

I’ve learned over the years that you should be careful who you listen to when you’re traveling by bicycle. The directions most people give are no good at all. I’ve been traveling the world on a bicycle for a very long time, so I knew that even though the woman said there was nowhere to camp, I could very likely find a place to pitch my tent for the evening – even in this cold, barren Arctic wasteland. So, I continued… And it’s a good thing I did, because I ended up spending the night in one of the most incredible places ever!

The woman was right, to some degree, however. There landscape was barren and there was water everywhere. Almost every patch of land on the side of the road was wet and water-logged. Plus, there were a bunch of private homes scattered along the roadside, which made camping in those areas completely off-limits.

At some point, however, I spotted a small ridge just off to the left side of the road. I pushed and then carried my bike over that ride, then walked my bike through several feet of snow, before finding the perfect spot to pitch my tent for the evening.

I ended up camping on the edge of a small cliff overlooking a river surrounded by snow! It was easily one of the best campsites I have ever had anywhere in the world!

After setting up camp, I cooked dinner on my camp stove and then sat inside my tent with the rain-fly open, just staring out at the river and snow and mountains that surrounded me. The view from my sleeping bag was so incredibly spectacular! And even though I know it looks really cold in these photos, it was actually pretty comfortable. I sat there for most of the evening in my shorts and only changed into my long pants once it was time to go to bed.

In the morning, I didn’t want to leave. But eventually, I packed up everything I was carrying with me, pushed my bike back through the snow, carried my loaded touring bicycle down to the road and then began cycling north.

As I cycled, the snow along the side of the road began to increase more and more. “By the time I reach the North Cape,” I thought to myself, “I am going to be surrounded by nothing by white powder, white clouds and a white sea.”

But that turned out not to be the case. After no more than 40 kilometers, the road took a deep dive down toward the sea and in the a matter of moments the snow that had surrounded me for the last couple days had suddenly disappeared.

In the tiny coastal town of Olderfjord, Norway I stopped for a few minutes and looked around the gift shop, then went into the bathroom and refilled my water bottles. From there, it was only another 130 kilometers to the Nordkapp!

The bike ride north of Olderfjord was a scenic one. The road was relatively flat, running along the coastline, with a thin stretch of land between the street and the sea. On this small stretch of land were dozens and dozens of grazing reindeer – many of which would run in front of my bicycle for hundreds of meters in an attempt to get away from me, before eventually running across the road and up a steep hill on the other side, or dashing their way to the distance seashore on my far right.

After a long and very cold day of cycling (more than 100 km) I pushed my bike up a steep dirt road and pitched my tent in a flat area just a few meters away from a rushing stream/waterfall.

By the time I pitched my tent on this particular evening, it was pretty late in the day (close to 9 PM) and there were very few cars out on the road. It was freezing cold (one of the coldest days of the entire bike tour) and I was exhausted, but the view from my tent was incredible. In the distance I could see the islands I would need to cycle over to the following day. And just beyond that was the Nordkapp!

I woke the next morning wishing I could get another 6 hours of sleep, but I needed to press on. I still had a good 50+ kilometers to go until I reached the Nordkapp and I knew that it was going to be a challenging day, with several different tunnels I would need to ride through… and at least one or more big hills.

My campsite was located just a few kilometers from the south side of the tunnel that would take me from mainland Norway over to Magerøya island. It only took me a few minutes to reach the tunnel entrance on my bike… and from there it was a step downhill ride, below the sea, and into the depths of this 7+ kilometer-long tunnel.

I don’t have any photos from inside the tunnel, but let me tell you… it was not fun! I enjoyed the downhill ride at the beginning, but riding uphill and out of the tunnel with the roar of semi trucks, RVs, motorcycles and automobiles coming up behind me and passing within inches at times caused me a great deal of anxiety. I had to pull over on more than one occasion just to calm down, control my breathing and try not to freak out. I’ve ridden through a lot of tunnels in my time, but this tunnel (because it was so steep and so long) was one of the worst tunnels I have ever cycled though. The only thing going for it was that the traffic was fairly light.

A few minutes after exiting the tunnel on the south side of Magerøya island, I spotted another bicycle tourist heading in the opposite direction. He was a retired gentleman from the Black Forest area in Germany. He had just started his bike tour at the Nordkapp that very day and was cycling south back to his home in Deutschland. When asked how long he thought his bike tour might be, he replied, “Approximately two months.”

15 kilometers up the road or so, I pulled into Honningsvåg, Norway. To my surprise, the last town before reaching the Nordkapp was a whole lot larger than I had expected it to be. The city seemed to run down the entire eastern coastline of the island. Lucky for me, I wouldn’t need to stop in town just yet. I was going to cycle straight past the city and go directly to the Nordkapp. Then, my plan was, to jump on a bus and take that bus back to Honningsvåg in the evening.

I had no idea that the bike ride to the Nordkapp was going to be so difficult. I had been on the road for about 2.5 weeks at this point, but the most difficult climbing of the entire tour was easily during these last few days. The road leading out of Alta… the tunnel connecting Magerøya to mainland Norway… and then finally, the road leading to the Nordkapp all had considerable hills to climb.

The good thing about my bike ride to the North Cape, however, was that on the day that I was there, the weather was actually very good. Don’t get me wrong, it was still very, very cold. But the sky was clear and the visibility was high.

I had heard from several of the bicycle tourists I had run into over the last few days that when they were at the Nordkapp it was cold and foggy and that you couldn’t see a thing. So, I had timed my bike tour to the Nordkapp just right as far as the weather was concerned.

There was one short, but very step hill to climb before reaching the Nordkapp. A parking attendant welcomed me at the gate and informed me that because I had ridden my bicycle there, there was no fee for me to enter. I gave the young man a high-five and asked, “Do you get a lot of those from the people coming in here?”

He replied, “No, not as many as you might think.”

It’s a little difficult to describe what it’s like there at the Nordkapp. When you come up the road you first spot the massive parking lot filled with cars and buses and (more than anything else) RVs. After going through the parking lot, you approach a large stone building and enter through the sliding doors at the entrance. Once inside, an individual at a small information desk points you in the direction of the gift shop, attractions, restaurant, bathrooms, etc. Then, on the north side of the building, just a short walk down from the building, is a large metal globe with dozens of people circled around it taking photos of themselves. Being there all alone, I didn’t really try to get a picture of myself with the globe. I was there! I had made it! And knowing that was all I needed to take with me.

On the east side of the Nordkapp building I spotted another bicycle traveler. I cycled over to introduce myself and he then asked if I would take his photo. I snapped a few pictures of the man using his iPad, and then he asked if I wanted a picture too. The image below is the photo he took of me at the Nordkapp with my bicycle.

The woman at the information desk inside the building informed me that there was indeed a bus going back to Honningsvåg that evening, but that it didn’t leave for at least a few hours. That was fine with me! I found a free power outlet inside the building, plugged in one of my camera batteries, and then sat inside (keeping warm) while answering emails and responding to messages on my smartphone.

When it came time for me to get on the bus, I went outside to where I had stashed my bicycle and found the area filled with three other bicycles and their owners. Mark and Jacquie Hyett were the first to see me coming and together there was a collective “Oh, there he is!”

Mark went on to explain that he had recognized my bicycle from the photos I’ve posted on the Bicycle Touring Pro website and knew for a fact that it was me when he spotted the custom “www.bicycletouringpro.com” paint-job on my bicycle’s rear chainstay.

“We were thinking about doing this bike tour,” Mark went on to explain, “and figured, surely someone must have done this before.” And that is how they discovered www.bicycletouringpro.com ! They had simply searched the Internet for other people bike touring in Norway… and found me. How cool is that!?!

After talking with Mark and Jacquie and their friend Terri Jockerst who was with them as well, a young man in a yellow jacket ran around the corner and said, “I’m sorry. I was inside the building and I saw you out here and I had to come and say hello. I watch all your videos on YouTube and I love your website. Can you wait here for a minute while I go get my bicycle? I want to take a photo with you.”

I agreed to wait and the young man returned just a few minutes later with his bicycle. We took a few photos together and then he informed me that he was working at the Nordkapp hotel, but that before that he had been conducting several short bike tours around Norway.

I would have liked to have stayed longer and talked with all my new bicycle touring friends, but at exactly that moment the bus to Honningsvåg pulled up and I had to say goodbye. I threw my bicycle into the bus’ lower luggage compartment and then jumped on board – paying quite a hefty fee to be transported back to Honningsvåg.

It was only a 30 kilometer bus ride back to Honningsvåg, but I was happy to pay the price to take that ride. It was warm inside the bus, and there’s nothing I like less than cycling down a road I’ve just cycled down a few moments before. I had reached the Nordkapp… and now it was time to turn around and begin making my way back to Umeå , Sweden.

By the time the bus arrived in Honningsvåg, it was well after 8 PM. I didn’t know where I was going to sleep that night, so I looked at my map and made an educated guess as to where I thought I might be able to find an isolated spot to pitch my tent for the evening. I rode out of town on Nordvågveien street toward the nearby coastal town of Nordvågen. On the left side of the road I spotted a small turn out where it appeared as though other people had camped in the past.

Sheltered from the road by a small rock pile, I quickly set up my tent, collected water from a nearby waterfall, and cooked my dinner in the shelter of my tent.

The next morning I planned to take the bus from Honningsvåg back to Oldersfjord. This way, I wouldn’t have to backtrack for more than 100 kilometers on the road I had cycled the day before, and I wouldn’t have to go through that terribly long and steep tunnel leading between Magerøya and the mainland. The only problem was, I didn’t know what time the bus left Honningsvåg. I had tried to find the schedule online, but had had no luck. So, I woke up early, cycled to the center of town and asked at the information office when the bus was leaving. To my surprise, I had timed things almost perfectly! There was another bus coming in less than an hour!

Using the little time I had, I went and stocked up on food at a small, local supermarket and then waited at the bus station for the bus to arrive.

The bus ride to Oldersfjord was far too short. There was free WiFi on the bus, so I used the time to get a little work done… and most importantly, to stay warm. It was another cold day in northern Norway!

Once I got off the bus in Olderfjord, I filled up my water bottles and then immediately began cycling south. The weather had warmed quite a bit at this point and I had to stop and put on my shorts, as I had been wearing my snow pants before that.

I didn’t cycle far on this particular day (only 35 kilometers) before pushing my bike off the road and up a steep trail to a flat spot at the top of the hill. From my campsite I could see a large lake off in the distance… and once again, I was alone in the wilds of northern Europe. I loved it!

The next morning, I continued cycling down the coast to the city of Lakselv, Norway. While I was there, I stopped at the city’s small tourist information office and asked if it would be okay for me to charge some of my camera batteries in one of their outlets for a while. The man working at the office was extremely friendly and said it was no problem for me to leave my camera batteries plugged in for several hours. “As long as you come back before 4 o’clock, it’s not a problem.”

So, I plugged in two of my camera batteries and then cycled across town to a nearby pizzeria for lunch. I ordered a vegetarian pizza and then sat there in my booth for more than an hour after eating – just so I could use the restaurant’s WiFi to download more new podcasts to my smartphone.

Shortly before 4 PM, I returned to the Lakselv tourist information office to retrieve my camera batteries and chargers. The man at the tourist office asked if I would sign their guest book… and so I did. When the man asked where I was from and I told him I was from the United States, he said, “Really? You’re the first person from the United States we’ve ever had in here!”

Apparently, this particular part of Norway is not especially popular with international tourists. But that’s what tends to happen when you go on a long-distance bike tour: you end up exploring areas that most other travelers simply skip over or ignore.

Leaving Lakselv, Norway, the landscape quickly changed from seaside and green forests to that brown, barren, Arctic wasteland I had cycled through days before on my bike ride north toward the Nordkapp.

I did not enjoy cycling through this particular region. It was ugly and it was difficult to find any place to camp – as the land was wet and watered down in almost every easily accessible place.

Lucky for me, I managed to find a small hillside on which to pitch my tent for the evening. My campsite was uncomfortably close to a small roadside rest area, but I figured it wouldn’t be a problem, as this particular part of Norway was very lightly traveled. One car might pass every five minutes or so.

Even though this particular camping spot was not my favorite, it worked out well. Once my tent was pitched, I realized I had a pretty good view of the valley in front of me and the mountains in the distance. And because there were no trees to shelter me from the sun, it meant my campsite was relatively warm and my solar power was free to do its thing.

The following day I had two major goals. 1) Charge my camera batteries some more in the nearby town of Karasjok and 2) cross the border from Norway into Finland.

I knew by looking at my map that there was a public library in Karasjok where I could likely charge my batteries, but when I got to town, the library was closed. There was some kind of street fair going at the time and there were musicians standing under a small awning and performing to a crowd of no more than fifty people.

I cycled around town for a while, trying to find a place to plug in my batteries. I even asked at the local information office (as I had done the day before) if they would be willing to let me charge my batteries there, but the young man working behind the desk didn’t seem to be open to that idea. So, after failing to find a public power outlet, I decided to simply stock up on food and water and hit the road. I had enough camera batteries to get me to the next town… and hopefully I’d find a place to charge my batteries once I arrived there.

A short while later I cycled across a large river and then crossed the border from Norway to Finland. Almost immediately, I was confronted with a large hill that seemed to go on and on and on. It was one of those hills that just when you think you’re about to reach the top, the hill reveals that it has even more in store for you. And when you reach the top of that hill, there’s even more uphill climbing beyond that! I thought that Finland was flat, but this hill right at the border was far from what I expected.

That night, I ended up finding the most beautiful campsite in a forested area just off the side of the road. I cycled down a dirt stretch for a little bit and then pitched my tent in an open flat spot near two small ponds.

That night, before going to bed, I snapped this photo of my odometer, which showed that I had cycled some 1,334.4 kilometers by this point in my tour.

The next morning, as I was making my way toward Inari, Finland, I spotted a couple on loaded touring bicycles headed in the opposite direction. Their names were Jens and Sabine Kunze and they were German bike tourists who informed me that they had traveled on their bicycles all around the world. They even gave me a business card which had pictures of themselves riding bicycles riding around the world, as well as their email address and website: www.fahrradnomaden.com

About 20 kilometers north of Ivalo, Finland, it started to rain. It was raining so heavily that I was having trouble seeing, so I pulled my bike over to the side of the road, pushed my belongings up a dirt logging road, and then found a campsite on the hillside overlook a massive lake.

From my hillside campsite I could see dozens of small islands in the distance.

It rained all night long and my tent started leaking from every direction. Water was getting in through the rain-fly above me and dripping onto my head as I slept. At the base of my tent, a small pool of water was forming, and when I woke up in the morning my down sleeping bag was moist at the toes.

I didn’t want to spend the entire day cycling in such intense, cold rain, so I went back to sleep… and when I woke up again around noon, it was still raining. The rain didn’t stop until 5:00 PM – at which point I crawled out of my tent and considered packing up and cycling a short distance into town, at the very least. But it was already so late in the day, so rather than go anywhere, I just left my tent where it was and went on a short hike.

I climbed up to the top of the mountain under which I had laid for the last 20-something hours and I snapped a few photos of myself and the scenery.

It continued to rain on and off all night long, and when I woke up the following morning, it was still sprinkling, but the rain had largely subsided. So, I packed up my bicycle and cycled into the nearby town of Ivalo.

Once in town, the first thing I did was go to the public library and plug in my camera batteries. As you can tell by this point, this became an ongoing part of my daily route. Every single day I had to look for food and water, find a place to sleep each night, and continually search for electricity and internet.

I spent 6 hours at the library that day, got three of my camera batteries charged, and charged my smartphone to 100% as well. Before leaving town I ate a disgusting thin-crust pizza from a local restaurant, stocked up on food and water, and then began cycling south.

I had spent almost the entire afternoon in the Ivalo public library, so I didn’t expect to cycle very far on this particular day, but I was well rested after having spent the previous day just lying in my tent listening to podcasts and writing in my journal, so I cycled well into the evening. After 8:00 PM, the traffic on the road died down so much that I was able to cycle for more than 20 minutes sometimes before I saw even another individual.

It was a wet and rainy day of cycling, but I managed to cycle over 105 kilometers. Toward the end of my day, I spotted this young man (shown above) traveling in a camouflage wilderness jacket. When I saw him approaching me in the distance, I at first thought he might be a moose or animal of some kind. But as he got closer I saw that, yes, he was a bicycle traveler. I didn’t get the young man’s name, but he said he was going to stay at a friend’s house nearby and that he was trying to get there before it became too late in the evening.

An entire day passed after that and I didn’t take even a single photo for more than 24 hours. Then, I snapped these two images from what would be my very last night in Lapland, Finland.

I spent the night camped out a few kilometers north of Rovaniemi, Finland… and the following morning I cycled into town and began looking for the bus station.

While I would have liked to have cycled all the way back to Umeå , Sweden on my bicycle, my time had run out. I needed to be back in Umeå by 2:00 PM on the 25th of June so I could meet the young woman I had rented my apartment from and check into the place that would be my home for the following 40 days and nights. So, in Rovaniemi, I went to the bus station, only to discover that I had missed the last bus of the day.

There was no one working at the bus station that night and there wasn’t another person in sight. There wasn’t even a schedule of when the buses might be running the following day. On top of that, this was the Midsummer holiday in Finland and Sweden, so I wasn’t even sure if the buses would be running the entire weekend.

I waited at the bus station for more than an hour to see if anyone might turn up who could help me or give me some information. That’s when a giant double-decker bus pulled into the station and I ran over to the bus driver and asked her for assistance. The middle-aged woman didn’t speak much English, but she was able to hand me a bus schedule and say that yes, the buses were running tomorrow.

Stuck in Rovaniemi for the night, I cycled north out of the city and down a quiet dirt road before finding a small patch of land on which to pitch my tent. As I began setting up my tent, the mosquitoes began to swarm and I realized that this was really the first time on my entire bike tour when I had had to content with mosquitoes.

I rushed to get my tent setup and then jumped inside as quickly as I could – vowing not to exit my tent until the following morning. By the time I got the zipper on my tent closed, there were dozens of mosquitoes already inside, and hundreds more swarming around outside. I killed the little guys who had made their way into my tent and then spent the next 20 minutes splashing the walls of my tent with citronella oil – hoping that would make the mosquitoes go away. A few minutes later – they were all gone… and I spent the rest of the night sleeping peacefully in my tent.

There were at least three buses that day going from Rovaniemi to Umeå , Sweden. Not wanting to miss my opportunity to get back to Umeå on time, I jumped on the earliest bus and left town just a few minutes after 8:10 AM.

It was a 7+ hour bus ride back to Umeå , but I enjoyed every moment of it. After having spent the last month of my life living outside and in the forest, it was wonderful to be inside, warm and comfortable. Plus, riding on the bus meant I got to see several small Swedish cities I had never seen before: Kalix, Luleå , Piteå and Skellefteå .

Once the bus arrived back in Umeå , Sweden, I knew exactly where I was. I had been in this city three times before, after all! Plus, because I had gotten on the early morning bus, there was still plenty of day left… and plenty of time to kill before I checked into my apartment at 2:00 PM the following day.

After loading up on enough food and water to get me through the night, I cycled west out of town toward an area called Röbäck and then beyond it to a small forested area marked with a cave icon on my map.

Cycling down a narrow single-track trail and frequently having to lift my heavy bicycle over fallen trees and up or down steep, rocky ledges, I eventually made my way to the Anna-Lotta kammaren (or the Anna-Lotta cave).

This area is unique because it features an impressive rocky outcropping with a small cave (only really big enough to shelter about 12 people or so). There were several fire rings around the cave entrance where people had camped previously, so I pitched my tent near one of these pre-existing fire rings and made this my home for the evening. I had the entire cave and everything around it to myself!

After pitching my tent, I spent a great deal of time walking around and exploring the area. There was so much to see and do here, I could have easily spent another hour or two walking around the cave. From the top of a rocky ledge, standing directly over the cave, I could see farmland and forests in the distance. Even though it was raining and the mosquitoes were out to play, it was an impressive place to be and a great way to end my bike tour to the Nordkapp and back.

I slept in late the next morning and didn’t pack up my tent until nearly noon. Then I cycled into the Umeå city center, changed into my cleanest pair of clothes at the bus station, then rode the short distance to my new apartment in the Haga district of Umeå .

Once there, I was greeted by Hillevi and Arvid, the young couple whose apartment I would be renting for the next 40 days.

Arvid and Hillevi showed me around, showed me where the laundry room was, showed me how the Internet worked, asked me to water their plants while they were gone, and then they said goodbye.

I was sad to see them go so quickly (and felt that we might be friends if I were to live here in Umeå full-time). But once they were gone, I was happy to have the apartment to myself… and to finally be able to take a shower! I had been on the road for 28 days and during that time I had only taken one real shower when I was in Alta, Norway. By the time I got back to Umeå , I was more than ready for a long, hot wash!

Here are some photos of the apartment I rented in Umeå , Sweden. Above and below are two different views of the living room. Check out that purple plant in the window! I love it.

The kitchen is where I ended up spending most of my time. The table here turned out to be the perfect place to sit and work on my computer.

If you watched my video from my bike tour across Norway and Sweden in 2016 , you might recognize this bedroom. This is the bedroom I got locked in last summer and had to call Arvid and Hillevi to come and help me get out. It was both a traumatizing and funny experience. This year, when I arrived at the apartment, Arvid made sure to point out that the lock had been completely removed from their bedroom door.

Finally, my favorite part of this apartment is the small enclosed patio that’s accessible via a door in the living room. I would sit out here in the mornings and work on my computer while taking in the view and watching the clouds slowly soar past.

Overall, my bike tour from Umeå , Sweden to the Nordkapp in northern Norway was one of the best bicycle touring experiences I have had in my 17+ years of traveling by bike all around the world. Even though it was cold and wet at times, I enjoyed the ride because I was in nature, the roads were relatively traffic free, the people were extremely friendly, the food was good, I was able to do the entire bike tour for very little money ($722.76 USD total or $26 USD per day), and more than anything else, I was able to just get away and be on my own.

I’ve bike across 9 different countries since being diagnosed with testicular cancer in late 2015 and having surgery to treat my condition. The physical recovery was a whole lot easier than I thought it would have been, but mentally recovering from the diagnosis has been extremely difficult.

I think I struggled on my previous bike tours (in Ecuador and Colombia especially) because I was worried about my health and my head was simply not in the right place. But this bike tour in northern Europe gave me exactly what I needed. It got me into nature; it allowed me some time to simply sit and be with myself; and it distracted me from the negative thoughts that had been running through my mind for the previous one-and-a-half years since I was diagnosed with cancer.

Ultimately, reaching the Nordkapp in northern Norway was not as memorable or as spectacular as you might think. The Nordkapp itself is basically just a big rock with a metal globe on top of it, located above and endless blue sea.

Of course, I knew that cycling to the North Cape was not really my goal on this bike tour. Getting to the North Cape was just a place to go… and the real highlight of the journey was everything that took place before getting there.

The journey was the memorable part – not the Nordkapp itself!

Darren Alff

17 thoughts on “ cycling to the north cape in nordkapp, norway ”.

Excellent stuff Darren! Looking forward in seeing video’s from this trip.

I recently moved back from the Carribean (Curacao, next to Aruba) to the Netherlands. One of the reason is that is got hooked by you on bicycle touring and wanting to do just that. An island is very limited, haha.

I this time I have a simple road bike and do long day trips so far. Looking into purchasing a touring bike soon. The plan is to ride for a week or so in late summer.

Hope to see you out there sometime.

Keep on pedalling…

What an amazing story, of your adventure! I spent my evening reading your latest story and getting so inspired! You’re really a good writer too, Darren! Thank you! I hope so we meet someday!

That was one awesome ride Darren. So well written and simple. Felt like I was there with you throughout the trip. Such an exciting trip and your routine during the trip is so much better than most of us follow in our daily lives.

I haven’t cycled in the past decade and I’ve been planning to get myself a cycle for commute to improve my fitness and also relive my childhood. I hope I’ll also be able to cycle like you and travel. So inexpensive too and nature friendly! Thanks again Darren. Take care.

Well done Darren. That last tunnel before going to the Nordkapp, yes, I remember that thing very well. Just in the middle, at the lowest point, hanging from the ceiling…there are two giant fans, blowing dirty air out of the tunnel. These fans were at work the moment I came along……the noise was deafening. I had terrible weather from Kautokeino to Alta….but the rest of the route to the Nordkapp the weather was excellent. It’s 15 years ago now I made this trip. Unforgettable, and reading your blog….I think you’ll not forget this trip.

Great post! You make touring look fun. I’m looking forward to experiencing it.

Awesome report. I’m currently cycling roughly the same route through Kautokeino and your reports are very accurate. Very useful information for people who are interested in doing the same thing.

Nice post. What I’ve been wondering for some time is why most of the tourists do not use dynamo hubs. One of the reasons is the price – I mean the expensive ones which do not affect so much the speed. However, and from personal experience, it is worth having one. I would say it is a much better option than using solar panel.

But yes – the price is a determining factor.

Enjoyed a fantastic read. It’s a bit of time that I’m dreaming about doing this journey in the future. I will start from my little town in the mid-south of Italy. I already studied the parcours on Koomot: I will pass the Brennero tunnel to cross Austria, then the Germany and continental Denmark (I want to see Skagen) to get to Oslo and then move to Sweden, Finland and again Norway. I think I’ll stay by the Botnia Gulf, so it will be a different route. The only thing that stops me is the potential encounter with wild animals and specifically bears. I respect them but I also fear them a lot. Have you had any experience with bears during your trip?

I’ve seen three bears in 20 years of bicycle touring. 1 bear was dead and the other two ran away from me as soon as they saw me.

Comments are closed.

Username or email address  *

Password  *

Remember me Log in

Lost your password?

• Norwegian Fjords
• Northern Norway
• Eastern Norway
• Itineraries & Inspirations
• Plan Your Trip

Nordkapp (North Cape): The Ultimate Travel Guide

Nordkapp or North Cape is considered the northernmost point in Europe and one of the most legendary destinations in the world. The journey to the North Cape ( Nordkapp in Norwegian) is one of the most beautiful road trips to take at least once in a lifetime , and passes through breathtaking landscapes and remote fishing villages to reach the iconic globe overlooking the Barents Sea.

What you will find in this travel guide to Nordkapp:

Nordkapp and Northern Norway: Where is the North Cape located?

How to get to the north cape by car or motorcycle, how to get to the north cape by bus, how to get to the north cape by plane, how to get to the north cape by ship, how to get to the north cape by bicycle, hotels and accommodations in nordkapp, nordkapp camping: is it possible to camp in north cape, things to do and see in nordkapp, visit nordkapp in the winter, visit nordkapp in the summer, nordkapp daylight hours: sunrise and sunset calendar, how much time do you need to visit nordkapp, nordkapp prices and opening hours, hiking in knivskjellodden: the real (unexplored) north cape.

Nordkapp (North Cape) is located in Norway , in Finnmark County , the far north of Norway. What is called Nordkapp is a 307m-high cliff rising above the Barents Sea , known as the northernmost point in continental Europe .

It is located on a large and wild island called Magerøya , connected to the mainland by a subsea road tunnel, but it has not always been so easy to reach this extreme place, located closer to the North Pole than to Oslo . The North Cape was named by Steven Borough , captain of the Edward Bonaventure , which sailed past in 1553 in search of the Northeast Passage , the fascinating shipping route to China, along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia.

The first tourist on the North Cape Plateau was the Italian priest Francesco Negri , who visited in 1664. In the following centuries, mainly around 800, the North Cape became an extreme travel destination for noblemen. It was then visited by the King Oscar II of Norway and Sweden and by the German Kaiser Wilhelm II .

North Cape became popular with wealthy travelers in the late 1800s after Thomas Cook & Son began arranging tours to the destination. In the mid-1950s the road to the North Cape was built, which involved crossing the Magerøysundet strait by ferry. In the 1990s the tunnel was built, which facilitated the success of the North Cape myth.

Is the North Cape really the northernmost point in Europe?

North Cape (Nordkapp) is the northernmost point in Europe that can be reached by car , while the true northernmost point in Europe is the neighboring Knivskjellodden Cape , which actually extends 1,450 m further north.

But both of these points are located on an island , which makes it inaccurate to say that they are the northernmost points of mainland Europe. So, what is the true northernmost point of mainland Europe?

The true northernmost point of mainland Europe is Cape Nordkinn (Kinnarodden) which lies about 5.7 km further south and about 70 km to the east of Nordkapp. And poor Cape Nordkinn is a desolate and unknown place. Reaching it is difficult: it is a rough, impressively beautiful, extreme place.

You can get there with a 24 km-long hike (one way) , and it takes more than two days to get there and back. There is no actual trail, only erected poles and cairns at rather long distances apart. The terrain is rocky, challenging and with frequent fog it is hard to find your way around. Cape Nordkinn (GPS: 71.13308, 27.65417 ) is a lonely but impressive place that can only be visited following at least a full-day hike from Mehamn and one day back.

The trail starts right from the parking lot of the small Mehamn airport , on the left side of the building. Consider that you should arrive in Mehamn at least the day before and leave at least the day after the hike. There are a couple of good (and rather quaint) hotels in Mehamn: the Mehamn Arctic Hotel and the Adventure Camp Mehamn .

While the northernmost point of Europe including islands, is hundreds of kilometers further north, on Franz Josef Land (Russia) and then on the Svalbard Islands (Norway).

Nordkapp is easily accessible by driving along the E6 from Alta (or Karasjok if you are coming from Finland ) to Olderfjord , from here you will take the E69 which will take you straight to Nordkapp (the road ends there).

From Olderfjord to Nordkapp it is 129 km, and the road is in good condition. In summer it is easy to drive and the road is very scenic, through the dramatic landscape of the Magerøya island, without trees and characteristic of the lands of the far north. You will drive through 5 tunnels , including the Nordkapptunnelen (North Cape Tunnel) , one of the longest and the northernmost of the subsea road tunnels in Norway, which is 6.875 meters long and reaches a depth of 212 meters below sea level . Since 2012, there is no longer a toll for passing through the tunnel. The road in the tunnel has a gradient of 9%, both downhill and uphill, so reduce your speed and drive carefully.

Driving towards Nordkapp in winter will be an experience in itself, because the weather conditions can be very harsh, with lots of snow, very strong winds, ice and zero visibility. The road to North Cape is officially closed in winter, you cannot drive on your own in these rough lands. But you can still get to the North Cape, because during the winter the road is operated by convoy driving . Trust me, it’s a crazy experience! I drove to the North Cape in February, and it’s an adventure worth doing!

Driving in a convoy means that a snow plow drives in front of a convoy of cars, and at the end of the convoy there is generally another snow plow or safety car. The convoy departs at scheduled times , from Skarsvåg intersection to North Cape: at 11:00 (private cars and buses) and 12:00 (Hurtigruten buses and the public bus). So, you should be in time to drive with the 11 am convoy . There is an additional convoy called Aurora Convoy which leaves at 7:30 pm . The return from North Cape is at 13:00 , 13:45 and 21:45 (Aurora Convoy).

Make sure you have enough fuel as the only petrol station is in Honningsvåg . Drive carefully and never leave the convoy. Sometimes the weather could be very bad, and the only thing you can do is wait for it to get better. So take it easy, it’s the far north. The road is very exposed to bad weather and for safety reasons the road may be closed for the whole day, so it is preferable to have a couple of extra days when traveling in these areas.

Getting to Nordkapp by bus is a long but feasible journey. From Alta you can get to Honningsvåg , there are two two daily buses. There are also buses from Karasjok and connections from Rovaniemi operated by Eskelisen Lapinlinjat.

To get to Nordkapp from Tromsø you have to take a bus to Alta , stay overnight and then take the bus to Honningsvåg the next morning. There are no direct connections.

From Honningsvåg there is a bus called North Cape Express and marked Line 406 , which departs daily near the Tourist Information at 11:30 (11:45 in summer) and arrives at 12:15 in North Cape. The return is at 13:45 and arrives in Honningsvåg at 14:30. The ticket can be done on the bus and the price is quite expensive, starting from 750 NOK per person.

Nordkapp can be reached from Tromsø by plane, flying to Honningsvåg Airport (30km from North Cape) or the more popular Lakselv Airport (193km from North Cape) or Alta Airport .

Alta Airport is the most convenient solution, as it is an international airport, with frequent and cheaper connections to Oslo and Tromsø . If you want to fly and drive to the North Cape , your best bet is to fly to Alta and rent a car there. But remember to book your car online well in advance. You can check prices and availability on Rentalcars or Discovercars .

Many tourists visit Nordkapp on a cruise. The famous coastal cruise Hurtigruten calls Honningsvåg , as well as many cruise ships. Some Hurtigruten ships also carry cars, but not RVs or caravans. From Honningsvåg you can take the bus to the North Cape.

Getting to Nordkapp by bike is an epic experience, but it requires the right preparation and training. Keep in mind that the weather conditions can get harsh already from Smørfjord , about 130 km from the North Cape. The last stretch, from Honningsvåg to the North Cape may be tougher than you think. Winds could be very strong, also expect something like strong gale 7-9 Bft with much stronger gusts.

The tunnel is downhill for the first 3 km, watch out for the ice and moderate your speed. Obviously remember good equipment, thermal clothing, and enjoy the trip, it will be unforgettable! Cyclists or those arriving on foot get free access to the North Cape – don’t forget to sign the cyclists’ guest book in the visitor center!

To visit Nordkapp you will need to stay in the surrounding area, the scenic Magerøya Island . Here the main town is Honningsvåg which boasts some good hotels, such as Arctic Hotel Nordkapp , The View and the famous Scandic Bryggen , all of which offer comfortable accommodation with great breakfast included in the price.

Also very distinctive is Nordkapp Camping , which offers affordable accommodation in beautiful cottages with a view and the picturesque Sarnes Seaside Cabins , located in typical fishermen’s cottages , with unbeatable views of the fjord.

It is worth making your way to the old and remote fishing village of Gjesvær , where colonies of seals, puffins and other water birds can often be seen, to stay at Nygård Apartments , which offers great accommodation in a perfect spot for spotting the Northern Lights .

No, it is not possible to camp freely in Nordkapp.

If you are traveling with a camper or caravan, then you can camp in your vehicle for free in the Nordkapp car park . It is not possible to camp with tents or other solutions, so the best solution is to stay overnight in the nearby campsites or hotels , such as Nordkapp Camping or Nordkapp Caravan og Camping , or Arctic Hotel Nordkapp in Honningsvåg .

Sleeping in a car in the North Cape in winter is impossible and dangerous, while in summer it is very difficult due to the midnight sun and the noise of the many tourists who crowd the parking lot at any time of day or night.

Getting to the North Cape is an experience in itself. You cannot describe the emotion you feel once you reach the iconic globe, you have to live it!

The North Cape Globe is one of the most iconic places in the world. In winter, waiting for the Northern Lights in the North Cape or in the nearby villages of Honningsvåg , Skarsvåg or Gjesvær is one of the most memorable things to do at least once in a lifetime.

While in the summer you can enjoy the magic of the midnight sun , with the wild waves crashing against the cliff, in the blue ocean hundreds of meters below. You will feel the pure wind from the North in your hair, the calls of sea birds, and you will be mesmerized by the endless horizon.

This is North Cape .

For the rest, nothing special. Once in the North Cape you will find a huge parking lot, a radar station (the big house with a kind of golf ball on the roof) and right next to it, the Nordkapphallen .

Nordkapphallen (The North Cape Hall) is Nordkapp’s visitor center , and here you can see an exhibit on the history of Nordkapp and that of the famous Battle of the North Cape , a massive naval battle that took place on December 26, 1943, during WWII, between the German battleship Scharnhorst and the British Royal Navy battleship HMS Duke of York , escorted by British and Norwegian cruisers and destroyers. It was the last naval battle between Germany and the United Kingdom, which ended with the sinking of the German battleship.

After the history binge, you can go to the Nordkapphallen cinema , where you can see a film about the four seasons at the North Cape, made with the spectacular Supervideograph wide-screen system. You can also see St. Johannes Kapell , which is the world’s northernmost ecumenical chapel (which seems to be quite popular for weddings), a post office (where you can send postcards with the iconic NORDKAPP  71°10′21″N stamp), a restaurant and a café with a view and a large souvenir shop.

Near the Nordkapphallen you can see the famous sculptures called “Children of the World” , made between 1988 and 1989 by the artist Simon Flem Devold and based on drawings made by 7 randomly selected children from 7 countries around the world. Right next to it is the “Mother and Child” monument by sculptor Eva Rybakken. On the opposite side is a granite column celebrating the visit of King Oscar II of Norway and Sweden , which took place in 1873. Also nearby is a memorial of the visit of German Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1891.

If you have enough time, are fit enough, and with the right equipment, I recommend that you take the hike to Knivskjellodden rather than come to the North Cape car park. That’s really wow! Read on and you will find all the information you need about it.

Nordkapp in winter looks like a wild, desolate land, lashed by icy and powerful winds. If you love the polar lands, the true north, then you must go! It will always be dark, as winter is the polar night time, so you won’t see much of the view. But except for December and January, you’ll have enough twilight hours in the morning to enjoy the view and take great photos.

In winter you will be able to see the Northern Lights in Nordkapp, usually after 7pm and until 3am, these are the best times. However, the visibility from Nordkapp could be bad, because the weather there is quite harsh. Better to spot the Northern Lights near your accommodation, towards Gjesvær, Honningsvåg or Skarsvåg, where you will have clearer skies.

Visiting Nordkapp in the summer allows you to make the most of the wonderful landscape , the view of the Barents Sea and the possibility of hiking towards Knivskjellodden . This season is the most popular, so expect to find many tourists who come here with cruises, buses, campers and lots of motorbikes!

The weather is good, you can drive easily, but remember to bring warm clothing – it could be colder than you think, and it could be very windy.

If you are wondering how many hours of daylight there will be in the month you visit Nordkapp , then these notes will be super useful:

Nordkapp in January

• 01/01: The sun is always down
• 1/15: The sun is always down

Nordkapp in February

• 01/02: 09:18 – 13:42
• 02/15: 07:57 – 15:04

Nordkapp in March

• 01/03: 06:45 – 16:12
• 03/15: 05:35 – 17:15

Nordkapp in April

• 01/04: 05:11 – 19:29
• 15/04: 03:58 – 20:35

Nordkapp in May

• 01/05: 02:20 – 22:07
• 15/05: The sun is up all day

Nordkapp in June

• 01/06: The sun is up all day
• 15/06: The sun is up all day

Nordkapp in July

• 01/07: The sun is up all day
• 15/07: The sun is up all day

Nordkapp in August

• 01/08: 00:56 – 23:49
• 08/15: 03:01 – 21:41

Nordkapp in September

• 01/09: 04:28 – 20:05
• 09/15: 05:29 – 18:54

Nordkapp in October

• 01/10: 06:37 – 17:35
• 15/10: 07:39 – 16:25

Nordkapp in November

• 01/11: 08:05 – 13:55
• 11/15: 09:44 – 12:18

Nordkapp in December

• 01/12: The sun is always down
• 12/15: The sun is always down

The midnight sun in Nordkapp can be seen essentially from mid-May to early August.

The cold, dark polar night starts from early December until the end of January. In February and November you can experience the so-called Polar Twilight , so there is then no true daylight at the solar culmination, but may still be enough light for most normal outdoor activities because of light scattering and refraction.

The months from November to the end of March are the best to see the Northern Lights in Nordkapp.

The beauty of getting to Nordkapp is the journey . So take your time, consider the endless photo stops along the way, and keep in mind that the weather may not be the best. If you travel to Nordkapp in the winter you will have few (or no) hours of daylight, and it can be quite tricky to drive to the North Cape, which takes a few hours longer than what Google Maps indicates.

So my advice is to arrive in the area (on Magerøya Island ) the day before, stay overnight there, and then go early in the morning to the North Cape. If you only visit the North Cape (i.e. the famous area with the Globe and the parking lot) then in a couple of hours you could have done it, also because it could be very windy. At that point you could get back on the road and continue exploring the island, such as the quaint old fishing village of Gjesvær and Honningsvåg , and stay overnight in the area and then set off for Alta the next morning.

If you want to walk around the area, enjoy the midnight sun or wait for the Northern Lights , then you could stay there for hours.

Entrance to Nordkapp is free .

Yes, you got it right. You can get to the North Cape and park in the large free car park. This has been going on since the beginning of 2021, because the Municipality of Nordkapp has won a long and gripping lawsuit against the company that owns Nordkapphallen. As a result of the decision of the Norwegian Court it is now possible to enter and park for free in Nordkapp . While admission to Nordkapphallen and its services is subject to a fee.

The ticket prices for the Nordkapphallen are:

• Adult: NOK 260
• Children 7 – 15 years: NOK 80
• Family (2 adults + 2 children): NOK 600
• Students: NOK 180

Nordkapp is accessible 24/7 . You can arrive at the car park and visit the North Cape at any time you want, provided the road is open. In winter, traffic may be limited and you will have to respect the timetables of the convoys.

Nordkapphallen opening hours are:

• 01 January – 17 May: 11:00 – 15:00
• 18 May – 15 August: 11:00 – 01:00
• 16 August – 31 August: 11:00 – 22:00
• 01 September – 30 September: 11:00 – 17:00
• 01 October – 31 December: 11:00 – 15:30

The real northernmost point of Europe is not Nordkapp, but Knivskjellodden , located about 3 km west of Nordkapp, on a rather inaccessible cliff. This spot is 1457m further north than Nordkapp, but it is almost a secret as it is much less known. And unlike Nordkapp it is not touristy.

But it takes some effort to get there, as it is inaccessible to vehicles and the only way to get there is to hike along a 9km trail . The trail starts from a parking lot located about 6km south of Nordkapp (GPS: 71.12201, 25.70815 ).

You can leave your car there (for free) and follow the path to the tip of the promontory. The trail is waymarked by stones and red T’s. It will take you between 2.5 and 3 hours to get to Knivskjellodden , and at least as long to return. The hike is not particularly difficult, but you need to have good hiking boots and bring warm clothing, and maybe something waterproof to wear in case (not so uncommon) of rain.

Once you arrive at the Knivskjellodden you will see a tall beehive-shaped obelisk, which announces that you have reached the latitude 71°11’08” N . Open the box, inside you will find a guest book on which you can write your name. Note down your reference number from the book, so if you want you can go to Nordkapp Camping where you can request a certificate attesting your achievement (for a fee of 50 NOK).

Since the weather is unstable at this high latitude , it may take longer than expected, you may encounter fog or storm. It may be a good idea to leave a message detailing where you were going and what time you left in your car. The trail is accessible only in summer , and is usually snowbound (and hence impassable) from October (sometimes from mid-September) to May.

Nordkapp on Three Wheels: Kamil’s Remarkable Expedition

Cycling to Nordkapp

Route and duration.

Cycling to Nordkapp, the northernmost cape in Europe, lies several hundred kilometers beyond the Arctic Circle, where the Norwegian winds, rocky terrain, and ubiquitous reindeer dominate the landscape. So far, my journey to Nordkapp by bicycle has been the adventure of a lifetime, spanning 152 days from May 8th to October 6th, 2023. During this time, I covered a distance of 10,420 kilometers, passing through 7 countries and visiting 5 capital cities.

The idea for a bicycle expedition Cycling to Nordkapp and the genesis of this venture originated from a combination of factors and personal interests.

I had been drawn to the idea of bicycle touring with bike panniers for quite some time. I watched with envy as a classmate embarked on a journey from Warsaw to Greece with a friend. However, it was only a few years later, in 2017, after facing some health issues, that I started my own solo bicycle journeys within Poland.

Around the same time, I started watching YouTube videos of people traveling the world on a budget by bicycle, and I stumbled upon a motorcycle trip to Nordkapp. The topic resonated with me due to my deep connection with nature. Concurrently, at my workplace, my manager, who was quite the wanderer himself and had traveled extensively across Europe, spoke about Scandinavia. So, the wanderlust seed had been planted many years prior.

It was only a matter of time before I decided to head in that direction. Less than a year after my initial solo journey, I began planning my bicycle expedition to Nordkapp. I was well aware of the indulgent smiles and skeptical reactions from people upon hearing about my idea. After all, cycling to the North Pole sounded like a freezing adventure where wolves and bears would devour me, and penguins would finish the job. Of course, it’s important to note that the North Pole is not the same as the Arctic Circle, which includes a significant area within Europe, especially the northern cape. Additionally, the few wolves and bears are found near the Russian border, and unfortunately, there are no penguins in the region.

So, the inspiration for this extraordinary journey was a combination of a fascination with bicycle travel, exposure to the beauty of nature, and the allure of remote destinations, all blended into a captivating desire to explore the northern reaches of Europe.

Overview of the Journey and Duration

I began my journey by first examining the route on maps and estimating the time it would take. Many people traveled from Poland to Nordkapp in just over a month, opting for the ferry route from Świnoujście to Sweden or Helsinki to Tallinn. An alternative was the route through Germany to Norway and through Russia. However, I dismissed this scenario, opting for the two ferries on the route.

So, the bicycle route to Cycling to Nordkapp was expected to take about 3 months, assuming I followed a relatively straightforward path with two ferry crossings and an average daily distance of 80 kilometers.

As I traced my finger on the map, I extended the route by additional weeks until the plan settled on 4 months of travel. Simultaneously, drawing from my own experience, I knew that my actual travel time for a longer journey could extend by a third, so I reserved five months for the expedition, which later proved to be the right decision.

Relying solely on the travel plan I had meticulously documented in a table, day by day with the number of kilometers, I had initially intended to return home in late August or early September. In reality, I left Nordkapp on August 21st and didn’t reach home until early October, concluding that leg of the journey in 51 days.

Throughout the entire route, there were many places and situations that detained me longer than planned:

• I delayed the ferry to Sweden by 2 days.
• In Hamar (100 kilometers north of Oslo), I spent a weekend with fellow countrymen and, after discussions about the area, changed my route to a much longer loop, extending the travel time on this stage by several days.
• At Geiranger Fjord, I spent 4 days.
• In the Lofoten Islands, I extended my stay by 2-3 days.
• At Stendalsbreen Glacier, 1 day.
• Nordkapp, where I spent 5 days.

Statistically, I covered an average of 73 kilometers per day, not counting rest days. There were stages where I covered significantly more or fewer kilometers in a day. For example:

• Southern Norway – 54 kilometers per day.
• Finland – 79 kilometers per day.

This variation was due, on one hand, to the terrain and the climbs, and on the other hand, to the landscape itself. In Norway, every turn offered breathtaking views, while in Finland, which has a much gentler terrain, there were primarily forests and fewer typically photographic spots, though no less beautiful in their own way.

How I Planned the Route

I planned my route before the trip during my free time at home using Google Maps and Mapy.cz. However, Google Maps has limitations because it may not indicate suitable winter routes for bicycles due to some roads being closed in the winter.

An important resource for planning was https://www.sykkelveg.no/latest , where Norwegian tunnels and marked bicycle routes are displayed. I’m not sure about the update frequency of this map, but I didn’t encounter significant issues with it during my journey. You can also check street view to see if there are any restrictions before entering a tunnel.

During my bicycle journey to Nordkapp, my intention was to connect with nature, so I generally avoided larger cities and opted for exploring areas outside urban agglomerations. I often checked street view for picturesque spots, both before and during the trip, using my phone while on the road. Once in Scandinavia, in addition to the planned route, I would also check when the next store would be, as if you plan your route “well,” you might not encounter a store for up to 300 kilometers. Typically, the longest stretches without stores were up to two days of travel.

Packing for Nordkapp

One of the initial challenges I had to tackle was how to pack for a multi-month adventure. My style of travel requires a significant amount of gear, and this load was further increased by my passion for filmmaking and photography (approximately 10 kg). I had no intention of embarking on the journey without this equipment, as I aimed to extract the best possible content from this trip.

Assuming I would depart in May and travel for four months, I looked back at historical weather data and noticed a slight risk of short-term weather disruptions beyond the Arctic Circle, including the possibility of temperatures dropping to -5°C in the worst-case scenario for a few days.

My clothing had to cover a temperature range from -5°C and upwards, including rainy conditions, which are quite common in Scandinavia. Additionally, even though I didn’t encounter freezing temperatures, I also packed my warmest clothing.

While planning my bicycle expedition Cycling to Nordkapp, I quickly realized that I wouldn’t be able to fit everything into my standard set of four bicycle panniers plus two transport bags. This doesn’t mean it’s impossible, of course. My style simply necessitates a greater amount of luggage, especially if I want to be as self-sufficient as possible during my journeys.

I explored the entire market of options and settled on a bicycle trailer. During this process, I considered both single-wheel and double-wheel trailers. Double-wheel trailers have an incredibly large capacity and can fit half of a household, but from my perspective, they come with disadvantages such as length, width, weight, and smaller wheels compared to the bicycle. This would restrict me from entering narrow places, and the non-standard wheels would require me to carry different tires and tubes.

Single-wheel platform trailers can also be quite heavy, sometimes weighing several kilograms, but they offer a relatively sufficient cargo area and are much narrower, allowing entry into more challenging locations. I chose the single wheel bike trailer Extrawheel bicycle trailer, which stands out due to its significantly lower weight compared to other designs. Additionally, it is not wider than the bicycle itself, and its load capacity comfortably accommodates two large panniers, which perfectly suited my needs.

Could I have opted for larger bicycle panniers and skipped the trailer? Theoretically, yes. In terms of volume, everything would match, as I could have purchased four 35-liter panniers for the bicycle plus two 35-liter transport bags and one 20-liter bag, totaling 195 liters, versus two 12.5-liter panniers, two 20-liter panniers, two 35-liter transport bags, and one 20-liter bag (120 liters) along with the Extrawheel trailer, depending on the model of bicycle bags, ranging from 40 liters to 100 liters in total.

Unfortunately, my bicycle frame, which was absolutely not designed by the manufacturer for this type of touring, began to flex under the weight of such bicycle panniers . This made the ride uncomfortable and even dangerous. Initially, I considered the Voyager trailer for standard bicycle panniers, but I ended up with the Brave model, complete with two 35-liter panniers. Thanks to their design, these panniers hold their shape very well and provide ample storage capacity. They can even accommodate bulky items with ease. Additionally, the construction is lightweight, and the trailer wheel is the same size as the one on my bicycle. In case of any issues, I can use the same spare tube as on the bike.

My observations regarding the bicycle trailer:

• During the ride, the trailer never disconnected, and I must admit I often checked it nervously, as I didn’t feel its presence while cycling.
• I did feel it after a full day of climbs or when going over higher obstacles like curbs. However, it was not in any way bothersome.
• The trailer can return its energy if you make sudden steering movements. Fortunately, such incidents on my part were rare.
• The manufacturer recommends not exceeding a speed of 35 km/h with the trailer. During relaxed riding, I often exceeded this suggested speed significantly, and it didn’t cause any issues as long as I wasn’t making abrupt, jerky maneuvers. Nevertheless, I don’t encourage or endorse this behavior.
• If the trailer is very heavy, and you brake very sharply, you might get the impression that it’s pushing the bike and affecting braking distance and overall handling. This mostly happens during emergency stops from 50 km/h to 0 in the shortest possible time. It resembles the situation when you’re braking a car with a trailer, and the trailer is proportionally heavy compared to the rest of the setup.
• The trailer tracks the rear wheel very well, and there are no issues with it catching on obstacles you pass by.
• Backing up requires some practice.
• I didn’t need any spare parts for the trailer.

After several thousand kilometers, I consider the Extrawheel bicycle trailer to have been a very wise choice. If I were to go on the same journey again, I would take it with me without hesitation. It’s an ideal solution for recreational cycling rather than racing, and it doesn’t put undue strain on your neck.

Nordkapp by Bicycle: Before and After the Trip – Practical Tips and Inspiration

You don’t need perfect language skills to travel. We’re well aware of how language learning is in Polish schools. My English, after more than a decade since graduating, is at Kali’s level, and a year before the trip, I diligently used language learning apps for over an hour each day. Unfortunately, grammar was always my Achilles’ heel. Eventually, I shifted my focus to vocabulary, and that was sufficient to prevent me from starving and living in filth. In the worst-case scenario, no one was going to shoot me just because I didn’t know the language, which almost everyone in Scandinavia speaks, starting from childhood. I usually informed my conversation partners at the beginning that my English was somewhat limited, and as a last resort, I used the Google Translate app on my phone, which almost everyone had as well. Typically, no one had an issue with this fact, and my conversation partners were smart enough to understand the basics of what I was trying to convey. It’s true that I missed out on some information because I couldn’t learn much from the people I met, but fortunately, interpersonal relationships weren’t my primary focus during the trip. Another thing to note is that every nation has its version of English. While we often joke about “Indian English,” this applies to other nations as well, and sometimes it was challenging to understand the same phrases. For example, it was only after naming neighboring countries that I realized my conversation partner was from Belgium, and he seemed somewhat offended, though it wasn’t my fault this time; I was speaking unusually unclearly.

Planning accommodations

The matter looked twofold. During the planning stage at home, I selected places for overnight stays in the wild using Google Maps and Street View. On the road, if I deviated from the plan, I searched for accommodations in the same way but using my phone rather than a computer. Another thing to note is that sometimes accommodations happened by chance, as was the case in the Lofoten Islands when some Poles approached me and offered a place to stay. There were also times when I didn’t have internet access, which was rare compared to Poland, where I feel like there are many more areas without coverage, and in those situations, I simply looked around the area while cycling.

Other tools I used included maps:

• Budy Sweden
• And maps of Finnish cabins

Access to Finnish infrastructure is not always straightforward by bike, but thanks to these tools, I could plan quite a bit. In most cases in Sweden and Finland, there’s a place for lodging, making a campfire, and having fuel.

Tent or hammock?

During my 152 days of travel, I spent 71 nights in a hammock and 52 nights in a tent.

For my bicycle trip Cycling to Nordkapp, I decided to bring both a hammock and a tent. Why? My philosophy was as follows: The tent would certainly be necessary at times because in many places, especially beyond the Arctic Circle, there wouldn’t be suitable attachment points for a hammock. So, the tent was already on my packing list. I also wanted to bring a tarp (a flat tarpaulin or “roof” for the hammock), which is very useful for creating a sheltered area during breaks or meals where there is no other cover available, and I wanted to shield myself from rain or wind.

My tarp, the Lesovik Heksa, weighs just over 500g and takes up very little space. At this point, adding a hammock weighing 800g, considering all the gear and the capacity of my bags, doesn’t make a significant difference. Personally, I strongly prefer sleeping in a hammock over a tent. I find it more comfortable, and my spine appreciates it. Of course, it’s a matter of personal preference, and not everyone may like it, as both hammocks and tents have their limitations. I see them as two different forms of accommodation, each with distinct and complementary features. In a tent, I can set up on a flat piece of ground, while a hammock is independent of the ground beneath it.

If I had to choose only one for Cycling to Nordkapp, it would be the tent. However, for several years now, I’ve been traveling with a hammock in Poland, and I don’t plan on changing that. I choose the tools that are appropriate for the task at hand.

Cycling to Nordkapp by bike: How much does it cost?

It depends, and it’s not an evasive answer because it truly depends on various factors:

• How long is the journey (daily expenses multiplied by the duration of the trip)?
• What is your travel style?
• What type of bike do you have/buy?
• Do you service your bike yourself or send it to a workshop?
• The cost of maintaining your equipment.
• What kind of camping and bivouac gear do you have?
• Your daily food expenses.
• Do you visit and explore places along the way?
• Do you primarily wild camp or stay at campgrounds?
• What kind of photography and video equipment do you use?
• Costs related to your home during the trip (rent, utilities, gas, etc.).
• Souvenirs and other expenses during the trip.

The most significant cost tends to be food. In my case, I spent an average of 96 PLN per day on food. However, I met a Czech traveler in Finland who successfully managed with 5-6 euros per day.

Here’s a breakdown of my expenses during the trip:

• Food: 14,528 PLN
• Attractions (museums, kayak, boat trips): 1,238 PLN
• Campgrounds and accommodations: 1,603 PLN
• Restaurants (e.g., McDonald’s, KFC): 243 PLN
• Souvenirs, magnets, hoodies: 4,074 PLN
• Other expenses*: 4,290 PLN
• Total from Revolut and PLN account: 25,976 PLN

*Other expenses include a tarp (which I lost), shorts, cartridges, jack-jack cables, headlamp, SSD drive (for storing photos and videos), derailleur cable, sending two packages to Poland, tire, camera remote, lens filter, glue/naphtha, ferry fares, etc.

Summary of the Cycling to Nordkapp Bicycle Expedition: In Search of Northern Adventures

The bicycle expedition Cycling to Nordkapp was an unforgettable experience that will forever remain etched in my memory. It was a journey I embarked on with a mixture of excitement and uncertainty, but now that I’m back, I can honestly say it was the most incredible adventure of my life. I invite you to watch the trailer for the film about the bicycle expedition to Nordkapp.

With cycling greetings, Kamil – Blogger and Traveler [Link to Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/Okoloroweru ]

Privacy Overview

SORT CONTENT BY LOCATION

CLICK TO DRILL DOWN BY COUNTRY/PROVINCE

Your browser is ancient! Upgrade to a different browser or install Google Chrome Frame to experience this site.

Inspiration

• Bikepacking 101
• Join/Support

• View Latest/All
• Bikepacking Videos

Your Stories

• Rider's Lens
• Field Trips

Popular Tags

• #bikerafting
• #Tour-Divide
• #family-bikepacking
• #winter-bikepacking
• #1Q5V (1 Question 5 Voices)

Gear/Reviews

• Bikepacking Bags
• Camping Gear
• Accessories
• #Editors-Dozen (Our Favorite Gear)
• #Gear-of-the-Year
• #MYOBG (DIY)
• #Decade-in-Review (Best of All Time)

The Gear Index

Latest indexes.

• Mini Panniers
• Saddlebags & Top Openers
• Cargo Cages & Anything Bags
• Gravel Bars
• Drop Bar 29ers

Bikepacking Bikes

• Rigid & Plus Bikes
• Drop-bar & Gravel
• Full Suspension

Rigs & Roundups

• Rider & Rig
• Race/Event Rig Roundups
• Worthy Builds
• Handbuilt Bikes
• #29+ (29-plus)
• #vintage-mountain-bikes
• #cargo-bikes
• Readers' Rigs (Dispatch)
• New Bikes (Dispatch)

Plan Your Trip

• Bikepacking Guides
• Bikepacking Food
• Gear & Pack Lists
• Bike Photography

Essential Reading

• Leave No Trace (for Bikepackers)
• Guide To Bikepacking Bags
• Bikepacking Gear That Lasts
• #Bikepacking-Awards
• Power Of An Overnighter
• Advice For New Bikepackers
• Our Favorite Bikepacking Routes
•     

Where to Begin

We have over 300 original and curated bikepacking routes in our global network spanning nearly 50 countries.

Start at our worldwide routes map to dig into our detailed guides with GPS maps and inspiring photography.

By Location

• The United States
• Latin America
• Middle East

By Length (days)

• Overnighters & S24O
• Weekend Routes (2-4)
• Week-long Routes (5-10)
• Odyssey Routes (11-30)
• "Freakouts" (31+)

Local Overnighters

The Local Overnighters Project is a unified effort to document and map one-night bikepacking routes all over the world—by locals, in their own backyards.

The Bikepacking Journal is our biannual printed publication. Each issue features a collection of inspiring writing and beautiful photography. Find details on the three most recent issues below, join the Bikepacking Collective to get it in the mail (anywhere in the world), or click here to find a collection of selected stories in digital format.

The special edition 10th issue of The Bikepacking Journal is one you won’t want to miss! It features 25% more pages with extra stories, bonus art and maps, and much more...

Issue 09 takes readers on trips through time—one to the early days of bicycles—and offers several reminders to be grateful for supportive friends and family, and strangers we meet along the way...

For Issue 08, we invited several contributors to return and pick up where earlier trips and ideas left off and also feature a handful of first-timers whose perspectives we’ve long been eager to share...

Northcape 4000: A Journey to the End of Europe

Sophie Gateau spent more than three weeks navigating the unknown as she rode from Italy and into the northernmost expanses of Europe in this year’s Northcape 4000. Read on for her story of pedaling through the wild and wonderful, plus a collection of uniquely beautiful photos…

PUBLISHED Oct 4, 2019

Words and photos by Sophie Gateau ( @sofigato )

It all started with a story of mutts. A panicked fear of packs of stray dogs in the Balkans—biting the calves of cyclists who dare pass in front of their muzzles—convinced me to register for the Northcape 4000 instead of the Transcontinental Race. The ferocious beasts I’d face would be reindeer, not wild canines, during my self-sustained 2,800-mile adventure connecting Torino in Italy to North Cape in Norway following a fixed route.

July 27, 8:00 AM. Torino, Italy. We’re 141 eager cyclists, a motley mix of long-distance experts and newbies like me and my friend Myriam. An untimely puncture 100 meters after the start and we will hardly see anyone again. The leaders of the race will ride nearly 250 miles per day. We’ll stick to a more modest 130. Our humble goal is merely to reach the end.

We quietly conquer the first 1,250 miles, spread out as they are between Italy and Denmark with two mandatory checkpoints: Strasbourg in France and Bastogne in Belgium. The highlight of these festivities is an epic arrival at the top of the Great St. Bernard Pass. There, we have to walk the final 20 meters because the wind nearly blows us off our bikes. The subsequent descent into the clouds, the crossing of the Jura Mountains via a crowded pass that I soon hope to forget, and the rugged and beautiful course of the classic Ardennes Liège-Bastogne-Liège, also known as “The Green Hell.” Adding a classic as a short interlude in the whole parcours helps give a sense of perspective to the challenge. It’s longer that most, to say the least.

The landscapes change quickly. The hills disappear, leaving the flat fields free to the advances of the western wind. Dutch brick houses dot the horizon, their flowery gardens and lawns mowed with precision, then to the endless German and Danish agricultural plains where wild animals frolic. In Denmark, villages—between rows of Christmas trees and lowland fields of cereal crops—are fewer and fewer and smaller and smaller. Oddly, there’s rarely a supermarket but always a hairdresser. Priorities.

The routine of the ride is firmly installed by now. Ride, find a coffee, ride, find something to eat, ride, look for a place to sleep. Simple. The big winner for one night’s sleep is the sandbox under the pirate ship in a children’s playground. It deserves a four-star ranking in the guide to the best roadside bivouac spots. Our routine is set to repeat, ten days in a row.

Your relationship with time evolves when you spend hours after hours on the bike. A day seems to pass extremely quickly, but there’s so much going on that it also comes with a sense of eternity. Our routine is well established but fragile. It’s constantly being adapted due to unexpected events: an unplanned meeting with a Dutch dot watcher who offers us something to drink; a friend from Strasbourg who rode a few kilometers with us; the loss of a bivy bag that rendered the future of the adventure uncertain; mechanical problems that lengthened the days. Days blend together, my only reference point is on which day supermarkets are closed.

August 7, 6:30 PM. Oslo, Norway. Crossing the Skagerrak Strait allows us to rest for nine hours. Myriam decides to stop there and I’ll continue solo. More than half of the participants have already scratched. Buck up, old chum! I hit the road right away. I know if I spend the night in the comforts of the city, leaving will be harder. I don’t know what to expect beyond the certainty that the weather will deteriorate and the distances between the villages will lengthen. Drastically. Riding alone doesn’t frighten me; quite the opposite. The time, distance, and fatigue will now be managed on my own terms.

Into the unknown. Scandinavia is a new playground and I don’t yet know its rules. Having brought only a simple bivvy bag in place of a tent, places to camp become difficult to find. With the cold and humidity settled in, camp placement becomes an important part of my strategy. An attempt to sleep on the side of a Swedish lake infested with mosquitoes proves quite catastrophic. The silver lining: it provided the nicest and most improbable meeting with Marine, a Parisian hiker on vacation who took pity on my forlorn, soaked state and feed me a warm meal. She promised to follow my journey to the end by dot watching. Motivation levels were reset to 1,000!

After a quick traverse of Norway, I enter Sweden—an entirely different story. The crossing of the country is nearly 560 miles long. Everywhere I look I find wild nature, fir and birch forests, colorful wooden houses, and pink, mauve, white, and yellow flowers growing randomly along the road. It felt almost like riding through the set of a film by Ingmar Bergman. And I meet my first reindeer. Turns out they don’t bite.

Villages are a scarce commodity. No more improvisation. I must now plan the details from one day to the next, such as where to find food and sleep, because the resupply locations are sometimes spaced more than 60 miles apart. Most of the time I end up in a gas station that offers coffee, hotdogs, licorice candies, and fishing tackle. The region is full of campsites, most often cute little wooden cabins with all the modern comforts. That is to say, a heater, immediately transformed into a dryer for rain soaked kit, and a kettle. They’re my godsend. It takes little for me to be happy.

I cross the Arctic Circle. Admittedly, I didn’t research the geography of this part of the parcours and find myself in the middle of a desolate plateau. It’s as surprising as it is challenging. There is only one road, shared by motorcycles, cars, double-trailer trucks, and me. I spent almost 250 miles on this axis, balanced on a 10-centimeter ribbon between the white line and the gravel at the side of the road. Teeth gritted, music turned up, and turbo mode engaged to finish as soon as possible.

Back in Norway, the beauty of the landscape, the respect of the drivers towards the cyclists, and the many messages of encouragement from my buddies motivate me again. Too much euphoria and along comes my first mistake. I aim for a long day and a sleepless night to catch the early morning ferry some 200 miles away. But I’ve been on the road for 17 days and at 11:00 PM, exhausted, I stop and settle into a bus shelter. To avoid getting out all the bivouac equipment, I give it a try with only my bivvy bag and a survival blanket, despite the cold night. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t go well. I leave at 3:00 AM and it’s already daylight. I have hardly slept, but I tell myself that the boat will give me the opportunity.

Second mistake: I neglect to take a proper look at the map. There are only 60 miles remaining, but there’s a mountain in the middle. An icy rain comes in a deluge during the ascent. There is no shelter. In the middle of this misery comes a magic moment when an elk emerges from the fog in front of me. Even so, I start falling asleep on my bike. Although I wear all the clothes I have, I’m frozen and my feet and hands are soaked. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I take a 10-minute nap in the Norwegian drizzle and wrap my survival blanket under my waterproof jacket. It’s my a silver, gold, and yellow armour that will get me to Bodø harbor. Back on the bike and I arrive at my destination around 1:00 PM. I book a hotel and go directly to bed. The boat can wait half a day.

The next morning I land on the Lofoten Islands, just before the start of the Artic Race of Norway, the UCI Continental Race for pros. The roads are blocked, except for bikes, and roadside supporters wonder what I’m doing there, two hours before the peloton. The landscapes are breathtaking, the vegetation is luxuriant, the fishing villages are traditional, and the sun is back. The upcoming final 600 miles are promising. Yet the day on the bike will be short as my friend Guillaume, who works on the race, offers me a bed and a hot meal. It’s an offer I can’t refuse, and that’s how I find myself watching Van Der Poel’s stage victory on a giant screen in the central square of the small town of Svolvær, surrounded by other cycling fans.

I pass through the Troms area—somehow even more majestic than Lofoten—with its spectacular fjords surrounded by snow-capped peaks. Reindeer are everywhere, gray wagtails swirl in front of my wheel, and the roads are empty. The pleasure of riding a bike is concentrated in these few moments. I experience the Venturi effect on a monumental scale. The topography of the fjords suddenly heightens the force of the wind, which stops immediately once these glacial valleys are bypassed. The weather changes extremely fast. Rain, sun, cold, hot. Everything evolves in a few minutes.

But the end of the adventure approaches. I enter the austere region of Finnmark and its arid tundra of stones, moss, and small, crooked trees. The only people I meet are the employees of the few gas stations and some cycle tourists. Our roads all converge on the North Cape, a symbolic magnet.

The last of the countless tunnels crossed is in front of me, and this one is somewhat out of the ordinary. It’s 4.3 miles dug under the sea, in the obscurity, with a descent followed by a 9% climb out to reach the island of Magerøya. I feel as if I am entering the darkness. The temperature drops to 30 degrees Fahrenheit in five minutes and the water flowing on the interior walls is frozen. Let’s get out of here as soon as possible .

After a short night in Honningsvåg, the northernmost city in the world, I leave at dawn to enjoy the last 20 miles alone. The journey is crazy. The harsh landscape is hilly, the wind is icy, and clouds rise along the cliffs. Emotion grips me as I see the North Cape building in the distance. It’s August 21st, the sun is rising, and have reached the end of Europe.

Torino – NorthCape / 4,631 km / 40,754 meters of climbing / 24 days, 22 hours, 42 minutes

About Sophie Gateau

Filed in (categories & tags).

Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.

Rad Companies that Support Bikepacking

You need to be logged in to use these features. Click here to login , or start an account if you’re not yet a member of the Bikepacking Collective…

Categories/Places

Previous articles.

Nordkapp, part 1: the dreaded tunnel, steep climbs, and a lonely hike

06 Sep Nordkapp, part 1: the dreaded tunnel, steep climbs, and a lonely hike

For the last few days, I’ve had a really hard time figuring out what time it is… because no matter what time it is, the sun is up!

It is already making its way across the horizon early in the morning when I first open my eyes, it follows us all day while riding our bikes, it shines when I get hungry and when I get tired, it even still puts a spotlight on me when I sneak out of the tent to go pee in the middle of the night. Even since before we have ever entered the Arctic Circle in Finland, we caught ourselves riding until close to midnight without a worry in the world: we do not have to worry to find a camp spot before it gets dark and we do not have to worry about breaking up camp before sunrise; we don’t have to worry about taking a too long break during the day, because we could theoretically ride all night to make up for the lost time; and we definitely do not have to worry about where we have misplaced our headlights again, while setting up our tent late at night…actually we have not needed our headlights for so long, that I do not even know anymore which pannier bottom it is calling home lately.

For now, we pretty much just wake up when it is getting uncomfortably hot inside the tent, which is sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning, the rest of the day we pretty much follow our gut-feelings. We eat when we are hungry, take a break when we are hungry, and stop riding at night when we are hungry once again and finally realize that it is already close to midnight again.

This morning I wake up again to the sun beaming on our tent early in the morning. It is unbelievable! Here we are inside the Arctic Circle and we have to keep both tent entrances open and have only the screen part of the inner tent zipped up to stay cool. It is only 6:00 am and I am already sweating my butt off! I slip out of our sleeping bag and take a quick peek into the vestibule area. Since I do not see any mosquitoes waiting for their bloody meal, I unzip the screen door to get a little bit more ventilation, before dozing off again…after all, we did not go to bed until after 2:00 am!

A couple of hours later, we finally drag our sore bodies out of bed. We set up our chairs, make coffee and enjoy the scenery while having breakfast.

Across the water, the sea-fog has lifted and we can finally see that there was a whole town, Honningsvag, hiding under what looked like a sea-fog-waterfall yesterday. We also spot several cruise boats anchored near the small town.

By the time we get done packing and jump back on our bikes, it is already late morning.

The dreaded tunnel!

From our campsite, it is only a few miles of mostly downhill cruising and a short pedal around another bay to reach the dreaded tunnel, aka Nordkapptunnelen . We have already ridden through two tunnels yesterday, one about 3 km long and the other one much shorter, which were cold and wet even during the warm daytime hours.

However, I call this one the ‘dreaded tunnel’ , because it is almost 7km long: precisely 6,870 meters (22,556 ft) and reaches a depth of 212 meters (696 ft) below sea level. Like that is not enough to marvel over, it has a 3 km 9% decline on one end, levels out for a short distance, and then has a 3km 10% climb back out on the other side.

As we approach the tunnel, we see Alessandro standing near the entrance. He stopped to put on some extra clothes, because rumor has it that it gets very cold down there under the sea. We stop as well, say hi, don our windbreakers, and gloves and pull our buffs over our head. Then we make sure our lights are on. Alessandro seems relieved to have met us before entering the tunnel and is happy to ride with us to the other end.

As we enter the tunnel, it does not take long for the dark, rough walls to suck up every bit of daylight. There are plenty of lights in regular intervals illuminating the wet and almost icy looking road surface. Not sure whether the road is slippery, I gently squeeze my breaks often to slow down. Not only because I do not like blasting downhill too fast with a fully loaded bike on a wet road, but also because I can see my breath down here and my fingers are stiff and frozen within no time.

Suddenly, I can hear what sounds like a convoy of tanks behind me… or was it in front of me…or maybe even overhead?! Ahead of me, I can only see Ron and Alessandro, who are also turning their heads to check where the ruckus is coming from. I check my rear-view mirror and see a couple of headlights approaching us from far away. The loud roar is deafening and disorienting at the same time. Every little sound seems to bounce off the walls in the cave-like tunnel. It  echoes in all kinds of directions back and forth and gets multiplied in the process. A small motorcycle or car sounds like a freight train down here, the ventilation system overhead is not much quieter and adds to the disorienting roar under the sea. We can not tell, whether the sound comes from cars coming at us or approaching us from the rear.

Finally, cold and frozen we reach the bottom of the tunnel and start pedaling along the short straight away before hitting the long 10% climb.

It does not take long to warm up again! I downshift one gear after another; soon I find myself spinning in granny gear. There are several emergency phone booths nestled in alcoves along the way, each adorned with a sign that lets us know how much further it is until we reach the end of the tunnel. Also, there are several handwritten numbers on the rough tunnel walls, daunting me with how much further I still have to climb to get out of this hell hole.

Before even finishing the first km of climbing, I am already unzipping my wind breaker, a few more meters of elevation and I am ready to rip off my buff. Since I have a hard time holding a straight line when I am climbing this slowly and with a steady flow of cars passing by on the narrow road, I do not dare to fidget with my gloves.. so they stay on.

Ron of course, does not seem to have any trouble climbing. He removes his buff, gloves, and unzips his jacket while spinning up the steep slope. He sings, and yells out to hear his echo and if it wasn’t for the disorienting roar ripping through the big tube throwing off his equilibrium every once in a while, he was having a grand ole time.

Surviving the dreaded tunnel!

After what seemed an eternity of climbing, we notice that the overhead lights are placed closer together…maybe to get people’s eyesight used to the daylight again. Shortly afterward we pass the freeze gates and we finally escape the dark gateway to Nordkapp. We’ve made it! The warm air hits our face, and the sun is blinding us as we exit the tunnel. The sun feels so good! We stop near the exit, take our jackets and gloves off and eat a banana and a handfull of trail-mix before heading toward Honningsvag.

The ride to the small town on Nordkapp, leads through another shorter tunnel, which seemed like a piece of cake at this point. Since, there will not be anymore towns or stores further up on the island, we stop at the only grocery store in town to restock our food supply for the next few days. We still can not get over the ridiculous prices up here, but what can we do, we have to eat.

After Alessandro comes back out of the store with a small bag of groceries and an unhappy look on his face, he also announces that it is time to go on a diet and lose a few pounds up here.

While eating another boring Salami and cheese sandwich next to the store, Alessandro ponders different options on how to leave the island again after he has seen the most northern point. He really did not care for the Nordkapptunnelen and is wondering how much a ferry, bus, or a cruise would be to take him off Nordkapp. Considering, that a bed in a dorm-room at the youth hostel already would cost around 50,00 $, and anywhere else in the world we could get a gyros for the price of our salami sandwich here, we figure that any transportation off this island would cost a pretty penny. We suggest finding a trucker, who is willing to stow his bike away and hitch a ride.

Although, we did not particularly enjoy the ride through the tunnel; we figure, we’ll chance it again when it is time to leave the island.

After our lunch break, we decide to look for the tourist info office, to check e-mails, and say our good byes to Alessandro, who wants to check on buses and ferries. Unfortunately, we cycle the extra miles for nothing, since the office has no internet available.

So off, we go, toward Nordkapp.

The island is anything but flat, we cycle over several rollers, before hitting another long 9% climb. The road is fairly narrow, and most vehicles passing us are either touring buses or RV’s on their way to see the midnight sun.

Hills…

As we finally make it to the top of the long steep climb, we spot several small patches of snow. Finally a sign that we really are way up north! Although, we are sweating up every hill in our short sleeved shirts!

There are also several reindeer standing or laying on the snow, like they are missing the cold, freezing season.

Yup, snow and reindeer

We ride up and down several more rollers, before hitting another long, curvy climb. Several buses pass us while coming and going off the island.  A lot of the passengers look at us and point at us, smile and wave.

Nordkapp is not flat

We keep riding past another small fjord, up and down more hills, while admiring the views around every turn. It is truly a stunningly, beautiful place to cycle up here.

It is truly a beautiful place to cycle!

We decided beforehand, that we did not really care to see the “touristy, most northern point of Europe”, where loads and loads of touring buses unleash their passengers to flock to the Big Globe Monument on the steep cliff of the Nordkapp plateau. Instead, we wanted to see the r eal most northern point, located on the neighboring Knivskjellodden point, just to the west, which actually extends 1,457 meters (4,780 ft) farther to the north but involves a long 5.6 mile hike.

To get there, we stop at a parking lot about 4 miles south of Nordkapp. Knivskjellodden is supposed to be a much quieter and enjoyable experience, because not many tourists venture to take the long hike.

As we reach the parking lot late in the evening, we see a couple of RVs parked. We push our bikes off the pavement, over a large area of rocky terrain, and find a spot near the hiking path to pitch our tent, while several sets of curious eyes are watching us.

Once set up, we fix a quick meal and then Ron decides he wants to hike out to Knivskjellodden point. I, on the other hand, feel exhausted and believe it may not be a good idea for me to stumble over the rocky hills, twisting my ankle, just because I am too tired and fatigued. That does not seem to faze Ron at all, and he heads out in hopes to get a few nice pictures of the midnight sun over Nordkapp. Since the sky is clear at the moment, he might get lucky. However, the weather can change quickly out here…and off he goes, while I get comfy with a book.

Our camp near the trail head that leads to the true most northern point

As Ron tells me later, the weather was great initially: clear, bright, blue skies. Yet, the further he hiked and the closer he got to the water, the more sea-fog was rolling in. Although, he met a few other hikers along the way, who told him, that they were barely able to see anything and had a difficult time navigating due to the dense fog, he still kept going, hoping the fog would lift again by the time he reached the most northern point.

When he finally reached the monument, he was surrounded by sea-fog, and was unable to see much. In deed, the steep cliff and Nordkapp plateau were nowhere to be seen.

On the way back, while trying to orient himself along the stone markers, he lost the path several times, but finally managed to find his way back to the tent by 2:00 in the morning.

Hopefully, the weather will be more agreeable tomorrow.

All comments are welcomed here, so if you would like to leave us a comment that would be great! We appreciate all your kind words that are left over on Facebook, but when we return home, our Facebook page will most likely go away and sadly so will your wonderful comments. If you are having troubles with leaving a comment or if you are worried that we will sell your email address to the NSA, just make up an email.

Thank you for blogging your experience. At 63 I was thinking next year of riding from my Father’s family’s farm in Vöyri, Finland to Nordkapp, however seeing it is some 1,203 km by Google Earth directions, I’ll pass. Your marvelous narration and photos are good enough for me! Thank you. Doug in Northern California.

John Masters

Good morning…thank you for your interesting and well written account. I am hoping to start my ride next summer (2025) from Nordkapp. I do not relish the idea of the 6km tunnel. Did you hear of any shuttle services or busses that would take me, my bicycle and all my gear through to the southern end? Any assistance or information would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hey there John!! Congrats and we wish you all the best on your cycling adventure. Also, we hope you have as amazing weather as we had during our few days in Nordkapp! So to answer your question. We cycled through the tunnel with a fella from Rome and we met him again up in Nordkapp while camping. He did mention something about catching a ferry back to the mainland because he wasn’t doing that tunnel again. We on the other hand, did cycle it again and while it was not very enjoyable it is very doable. We’d recommend dressing very warm because it was freaking cold going down, but you will warm up coming out of it. Also, we’d recommend some sort of ear plugs or listening to music because the echoing sound of traffic and the ventilation fans can be a bit disorientating if that makes sense. The tunnel is very well lit and we don’t recall having any issues with the minimum traffic that we encountered. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions we’ll do our best to answer them. Take care and happy cycling! Ron & Petra — BTW Norway is so freaking beautiful and expensive.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Lessons Learned while Cycling to the North Cape (and Back)

Posted on 

Today’s guest post is from Bram Reusen , a serial traveller who this summer set off to cycle to Nordkapp in Norway. His tale is a reminder that the best laid plans always go astray — and, when travel is involved, that’s often for the better.

Usually, I tend to romanticize things. I like that about myself, because it allows me to see the positive side of what I do.

In the past three years I have travelled to four continents and got around using various means of transportation. In order to finance those travels I also spent – and am currently spending – a significant time at home working temporary jobs.

Every time I come home I find that it gets easier to adapt to the routine of the work-week. What never changes, though, is the fact that after a certain amount of time has passed, I get anxious and feel the need to leave again. This usually happens after about a month or two. That’s the moment when I start picking up travel books and guides and begin daydreaming about new and exciting adventures.

This exact thing happened a year ago. I was reading a book about the world’s greatest journeys and before I knew it, I was thinking about exploring Europe on a bicycle.

For me personally the first stage of planning a new journey is reading. I like myself to be prepared whenever I go somewhere new, wherever I go. It’s important to be aware of potential dangers on the road and to be informed about local customs and habits. One big thing to watch out for when planning is to not over-prepare and kill your journey.

When I decided I was going to cycle to the North Cape in Norway, Europe’s northernmost point, and back home to Belgium, some power work-outs and regular bike rides were my main preparation. I thought that was going to be enough.

Besides trying to make sure that I was at least in basic physical shape, I read. I read books about Scandinavia and blogs about bicycle touring.

I tend to romanticize things.

Whenever I was reading those things I would fantasize about how amazing it was going to be to sleep in a tent in a Swedish forest, cooking food on a wood fire, maybe even catch some fish.

I’m incredibly glad that my mind works like that. I dream about perfection. And that’s what I chase as well. When I go travelling, experiences like that are what I’m after. It keeps me going.

Let’s fast-forward a couple of months.

It was the end of March 2013 and I was almost ready to leave. I had made sure I had all necessary equipment and I thought I was a pretty decent shape by now. I had worked out a route too, a direction I was going to follow at all times, allowing only a few days to explore a couple of new cities. I was going to cycle all the way there and back again too.

After three days on my bicycle I injured my knees. They hurt so badly that I had to take two days off in the first week. Turned out I wasn’t in proper shape at all. Afterwards I heard from other long-distance cyclists that it’s normal for your body to ache during the first days, as it tries to adapt to a new routine. My knees ached a lot , though.

I also took a train to Hamburg that first week. That wasn’t part of my grand plan at all. That week confirmed a lesson that I had learned a couple years before in Australia: be flexible. Although I’ve always been open-minded and someone who changes his mind a lot, that week was pretty tough. It was hard to deal with having to change my plans this early. It all turned out for the better.

“Because my plans, direction and intention of cycling the whole way had already been abandoned, I might as well do whatever I want now”, I thought.

I never thought of my original itinerary again.

From then on it was all about seizing opportunities. On a rainy afternoon I drank coffee and ate biscuits with a retired German man. I spent several days strolling through Copenhagen and visiting museums in Stockholm. A Swedish farming family invited me to dinner one night. I broke my rear derailleur halfway through Sweden and had to hitch-hike back into town to get it fixed. I visited Santa Claus on the Arctic Circle in Finland. All of them wonderful experiences, exactly what I was after.

I do have to admit, however, that on my way north I was still extremely focused on getting to the North Cape. Although I didn’t want to skip stuff on the way, there was always this voice in my head telling me to keep moving.

The day/night I reached the North Cape will always be one of the greatest days in my life.

After that, I felt a sense of relief. Even though I was technically only halfway, I was glad I had made it that far and was certain that the way back would be no problem now. And I was right. Besides getting sick for a week, it was incredibly easy. It felt as if I had accomplished what I wanted and I was enjoying everything more. I’m sure the nice weather had something to do with that too.

From northern Norway to Belgium I travelled with the Hurtigruten, which took me through some phenomenal landscapes, I spent a week in Bergen and surroundings with my parents, who came to visit, and I crossed the North Sea to England on a cargo ship. In England I cycled to Stonehenge to experience the Summer Solstice, together with some ten thousand people.

It was magical. And the beautiful part is that I just made everything up as I went along.

Of course I had a romanticized vision of how everything was going to unfold, but reality is always better.

Thinking back, this journey has taught me three valuable lessons:

• Mental strength is more important than physical strength.
• Take chances.
• Be flexible.

By the way, I never slept alone in the Swedish woods or cooked meals on an open fire. Nor did I catch a fish.

The things that I did do were a million times better.

Check out more of Bram’s writing and photography at  travel-experience-live.com .

Save or share this post:

• Share Copied to clipboard

Also relevant to this post:

• Planning A Really Long Bike Trip? Ask Yourself These 7 Critical Questions First
• 15 Unorthodox Ways To Train For Cycle Touring & Bikepacking (Bicycle Optional)
• What’s Really The Difference Between Bikepacking & Cycle Touring?

Comments ( skip to respond )

8 responses to “lessons learned while cycling to the north cape (and back)”.

Hi, I intend to make a similar trip starting North Germany upwards Denmark Oslo west coast Norway up to North Cape and down through Sweden . This is my first tour but I also think this may be one of the 2 or 3 I will do in this lifetime. I don’t want spend money on buying a tour bike as I want to use the same bike also for nearby trails at home. Can I go with a regular mtb?

Of course – you can tour on pretty much any comfortable bike. MTBs are often a good choice as they’re durable and comfortable and have a good range of gears. It’s probably worth changing the tyres for more road-oriented ones, which will speed you up a lot. If you can’t fit racks to your frame, consider frame luggage or a trailer . Have fun!

I found Bram’s blog while he was doing his journey and immensely enjoyed following along! It’s certainly no small feat that he accomplished.

That pretty much reminds me of my first bike trip ever back in 1998. North Cape it was, too, poorly prepared. Suffering from achilles-tendon inflammation when I reached Hamburg, met & hung out with people, explored cities, took the Hurtigrouten back south and all that. It had been a great adventure!

Nice to see Bram’s journey getting more exposure!

This is amazing! We did a 1,000 mile cycling trip through Vietnam in much of the same way. We found cities we wanted to see along the way and managed to change our route 3 or 4 times throughout the trip. We were in no way prepared for the physical and mental challenges that presented themselves but it is still one of our most life-changing journeys we have ever completed. Looks like you had an amazing adventure as well!

I had The Same experience! In 2008 my friend and I started in Atlanta going North to Yorktown Virginia. I had Kneetroubles too. We rented a truck and after three days started Cycling again. Never had any issues with my knees anymore. The trip was incredible! Next year I’ll start again for 6 months from Prudhoe Bay to Panama City with The Same recumbent I used last time. I planned The route but this isn’t fixed I’ll be flexible. Just enjoy Cycling!

Awesome pictures! This one (journey) is high on my list to do.

Something to add? Cancel reply

Nordkapp by bike or e-bike!

Only in the breath of the sea, in the contact with the nature of the Norwegian fjords, the famous painter Edvard Munch succeeded in appeasing his obsessions. A trip to the North Cape is not just a cycling adventure, it is above all a deep inner experience, which reassures the spirit and brings us closer to the important values ​​of life.

• 15 Days / 14 Nights
• Price From : € 5.300,00
• Level : Challenging
• Collection : Holidays

Let's start from Lofoten Islands, a UNESCO heritage site, otherwise defined as the "tropics of the Arctic", incredibly beaten by the warm current of the Gulf of Mexico, for a "three days" of incredible emotions riding and skirting fjords with white sand beaches and very clear waters. From Lodingen the road runs climbing along walls overlooking the sea, "breathtaking" views at latitudes that it would be unthinkable to be able to reach in winter. Stop in Tromso " the capital of the Arctic ", a lively and entertaining city, rich in history, culture, as well as the university city to the north of the world and surrounded by mountains,  fjords and islands . more ancient prehistoric traces of Norway thanks to its rock carvings that in 1985 were included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites, the journey continues to reserve, behind every curve, scenarios of incomparable beauty that will remain indelible in our hearts. the sun lights up the road to Cape North late into the night, we arrive at  Honningsvag , a quaint fishing village, after crossing the Lapland plateau and reaching the island of Mageroya through an  underwater tunnel , then the legendary cliff that flows into the water. impetuous of the glacial sea, to catch all the colors and the shades of the midnight sun.It is time to put the bicycles in the van, even if the thought is still a fantastic landscapes crossed and the legendary cliff conquered. Transfer to Alta, from where you depart by plane to return home. Do it using our ebikes to rent!

Arrival in Bodo and transfer to the hotel. We unpack our bikes and perform a general check to prepare them for this great journey. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

In the morning we travel to the terminal to take the ferry that will take us to Moskenes, then we will cycle 50km to reach the beautiful village of "A," where we will spend the night.  This day of acclimatization will allow us to visit this part of the archipelago, where we will fish and dine on cod that is exported around the world—an appetizer of what awaits us during the rides.

After tuning our bikes, it’s all in the saddle and off we go! In the Lofoten Islands, “the Tropics of the Arctic,” there are beaches of white sand where, if the sun shines during our ride, we can enjoy a surprising bathing day north of the Arctic Circle! Skirting fjords and crossing bridges and undersea tunnels that unite these islands, we arrive at Svolvaer, the main city of this archipelago. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

We climb on our bikes to finish crossing the last islands, again along bridges and tunnels under the sea. Here in Norway, where nature dominates, it is thanks only to these great works of infrastructure that it has been possible to make these beautiful places easily accessible to tourists. We arrive in Lodingen, a small village by the sea. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Along a series of fjords with waterfalls overlooking the path, we feel a part of this unique and extraordinary landscape, where traffic does not exist and the scent of the sea fills every breath. We arrive in Bjerkvik, a village located on the Ofotfjorden. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

We will leave the sea with its fjords to cross a region that is hilly but not like the Alps or the Dolomites—the differences in elevation are modest and the climbs not particularly steep. Then we descend from that landscape until we reach Bardufoss, in the valley of Målselvdalen. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

After a short ascent we descend towards the sea to reach the fjord that we follow until we reach Tromso, again over bridges and through underwater tunnels. This university town is the seventh-largest Norwegian city, considered the capital of Lapland. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

This stop will allow us to recover our strength, relax in the hotel, take a walk, and visit the beauties of the center. Not for nothing is Tromso called the Paris of the North! Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

We mount our bikes again heading north. We are well into the Arctic now, and in a few days we will have reached the roof of Europe. From Lyngseidet we take the short ferry ride to Olderdalen, an agricultural village on the Kafjorden. Continuing north, we arrive in the small village of Sorkjosen. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Cycling ever further north, we take in the view of the fjord and the mountains above it that still bear the signs of winter, with tongues of ice that shine and are reflected in our eyes. We arrive in Storeng, a seaside village. Dinner and overnight in chalet.

Today we skirt the sea, continuously up and down along the fjord. We fully enjoy the privilege of cycling immersed in these breathtaking landscapes, where the force of nature dominates and where cars are almost non-existent. This afternoon we arrive in Alta, a city in Finnmark county. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Starting from Alta, after a few kilometers we leave the sea to climb a very characteristic plateau of Lapland, remaining at an altitude of between 200 and 400 meters for almost the entire stage, before descending again towards the sea, where we reach Olderfjord and will spend the night. With anticipation, we rest and recover our strength. Only one night now separates us from the goal toward which we have been cycling for nearly two weeks. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

This stage is unforgettable for its beauty, and for the emotion of arriving at the North Cape on our bike. As we skirt this beautiful fjord, the reindeer accompany us along the way through beautiful landscapes. Finally, we arrive at the famous tunnel dug into the rock under the sea that takes us to Magheroya Island. The landscape has changed totally—no trees or bushes, only grass and moss. Once on the island, we head towards the Rupe di "Nordkapp" along a road that begins to rise and fall along cliffs overlooking the sea, testing our preparation. We will never forget these last 40 kilometers of this experience of a lifetime: the landscapes, colors, and scents of this unique place—all will remain forever indelible in our minds. We have arrived! We make a ritual photo with the midnight sun as a background. Transfer to the hotel, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

We dedicate the morning to visiting the village of Honningsvag, and if we feel up to it, we will do a nice bike ride in the surrounding area. After lunch we put our bikes in the van. Organized transfer to Alta, which we will reach in the evening. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Farewell to all participants. Transfer to the airport to fly to home.

Dates + Availability

Inclusions + details.

The price includes

• 14 nights in hotel or cottage with breakfast | 14 dinners
• All transfers by van | transfer from / to Alta airport
• 2 guides on bikes | photos and videos along the routes and during visits
• Assistant on the van for luggage transport, logistic and technical assistance in tow | road-book
• Welcome kit  V ince Team  supplements | 20% discount on  Cinelli Bike  apparel and accessories

The fee does not include

• Flight and bike transport
• Travel and accident insurance 
• Tolls and ferries not included | lunches | drinks with meals 
• Entrance ticket to the North Cape cliff

Anything not mentioned in "The fee includes"

The K60 is the ideal model for those who switch to a carbon frame for the first time and wish to do so while being careful to optimize the quality / cost ratio. Also designed for cycle touring, the reactivity and stiffness of this bike will amaze you! The monocoque carbon frame weighing about 990 grams, is characterized by modern lines, in the name of cleanliness and elegance. 

This site uses anonymous third-party technical and analytical cookies (Google Analytics) which do not require the user's prior consent. The former, of a technical nature, guarantee the normal navigation and use of the website. The latter analyze anonymous and/or aggregated information on the use of the site by the user (pages visited, etc.) to provide a better browsing experience. Further information on the cookies used by this website and on the protection of personal data processed by Ital Cycling is available by accessing the Cookie page and the Privacy page of the italcycling.com website respectively.

PeterPanPlanet

Tour News from PeterPanPlanet?

small group  - BIG TOUR :)

Thank You... we will be in touch! :)

Aussi en français!

Cliquez sur pdf, nordkapp  north cape motorcycle tour , a motorcycle tour to europe’s northernmost point , the  north cape . on our  scandinavia motorcycle tour , you will discover the beauty of the arctic and the magic of the midnight sun land . ride on empty roads and experience the long summer nights when the sun does not set in this part of northern europe . a traditional sauna  and a late-night swim in one of the thousand lakes is a must after a great motorcycle ride . you will cross twice the arctic circle on your motorcycle trip to nordkapp . .

Highlights of the Tour   ° Midnight Sun ° 1000 Lakes Finland ° Clean Nordic Nature ° Santa Claus ° Arctic Circle ° North Cape ° Mountains & Fjords ° Sauna & saunamakkara :)

° 10.06 - 20.06.2025

° With Private group months 6-8!

€uros 2025

° Driver with own bike ° 2680€

° Back seat ° 1980€

° Rental bike? Possible! ° Ask!

From Day To Day

We wish you arrive at your first hotel until 6 pm. Before welcome dinner, you can do what to Finns do... have a Sauna! At 8 pm you will have a welcome dinner with your tour leader. During the dinner we learn to know each other a bit and talk about upcoming days!

Kuopio - Rovaniemi

Finland ° 510km

After a very Finnish buffet breakfast this morning with specialities, we continue our motorcycle trip to the North Cape and will ride to the Finnish Lapland 's capital, Rovaniemi . Most likely you will see on the roads our first reindeers today! You will ride on lots of empty roads, be careful with the wild animals.. For the night we park our bikes almost at Santa's doorsteps, here in Rovaniemi.

Inari - Nordkapp

Finland - Norway ° 360km

Go more north! And going more north from Ivalo means also that we contine our motorcycle trip  out from the forest area. The trees shrink to bushes before they totally disappear when we will arrive at Nordkapp !

But before we drive anywhere, we visit Siida museum! Siida is a Sámi Museum and Nature Center. We will learn about the Sámi people, the native people of Lapland. Later, w e change country and drive to Norway . But the only real change you will notice on the road, is just a road sign saying Norge - Norway!

Nordkapp - N.boton

Norway ° 530km

Today we say 'go south'! It is also the most spectacular driving day of the whole motorcycle tour North Cape ! The North Atlantic and mountains are with us all day! And curves... many many many great curves to ride! After a full motorcycling day, we stop at the small Nordkjosbotn for the bright night.

Gällivare - Umeå

Sweden ° 500km

Another great driving day with big curves, open roads, and small traffic. On our motorcycle tour North Cape back, we ride through the North of Sweden, a very sparsely populated area like the Northern Finland. In the evening we arrive at the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia and a small town whose name is Umeå. It is the largest city in Northern Sweden, nice and small, as they are many in Sweden and Scandinavia.

Finland >

The tour ends and time to go home. But if you have a spare day or two, so in our opinion, it is not a bad idea at all to enjoy our big small capital, Helsinki!

Helsinki - Kuopio

Finland ° 460km

Showtime. Our first driving day on our motorcycle tour to Nordkapp takes you to beautiful Pulkkilanharju , along the beautiful and longest lake in Finland, located in the famous lake region. Did you know that there are over 180000 lakes in Finland ? We will see a few of them on this motorcycle tour through Finland , all in great landscapes to enjoy on this trip. Most of the day we avoid main roads and drive secondary roads which are much more fun for us bikers. We end our day in the city of Kuopio where you can have for dinner local cuisine specialties, small fishes "Muikkus" with mashed potato. You can taste another local speciality, the "Kalakukko". All are typical food from the region.

Rovaniemi - Inari

Finland ° 330km

Every day is a good day to visit Santa Claus! And Santa is living in Finnish Lapland. He is working 364 days a year  in an amazing fantasy world named after him, the SantaPark. His  home cavern is  underneath the Arctic Circle and nestled deep beneath the ground. It is the only place in the world where you can cross the Arctic Circle underground! After the visit, we get back to our motorcycles to continue our  motorcycle trip to Nordkapp . W e ride to the north across Lapland's remote areas where reindeers are the most common inhabitants. Our hotel is on the shore of Lake Inari where you can have a very refreshing swim... with or without sauna!... You are now staying in the area of the awesome  Midnight Sun !

Today is a kind of a day off on our motorcycle trip to North Cape . After breakfast, we ride in the middle of magnificent views to Nordkapp , and when we arrive there, we have no timetable! It means you can enjoy the Nordkapp site as long as you want, and can drive back on your own to our hotel. A fter that, you recommend you to visit the small city of Honnigsvåg or maybe go hiking, or relax and listen to the strong wind here in North Cape . If you like hiking, there are many signposted trails... however, you can't get really lost here on the site.

N.boton - Gällivare

Norway - Sweden ° 440km

A great driving day today! We drive from Narvik, we will turn east towards Riksgränsen, a state border. We might stop for lunch, if we didn't already take a late lunch in Kiruna. In Sweden, we  still have a lot of nice curves, but the road start to be more open. We will overnight in Gällivare, which is still Sámi area.

Umeå - Helsinki

Sweden - Finland ° 430km

Breakfast at the hotel, a big buffet lunch on the ferry between Umeå and Wasa... and then we do not need much to eat before Helsinki and our farewell dinner! From Wasa to Helsinki we drive via Tampere, which is the second biggest city in Finland. At Tampere market square we stop for a very special local snack... the local Musta makkara!

Including & Excluding the Price

Nordkapp 11 days

Including the Price

° Finnish tour leader (Peter & Martine) who speaks; Finnish, Swedish, English and French!

° Accommodation in good midrange places in 2 person rooms

° Entrance fee to Nordkapp

° Good breakfast on days 2-10

° Lunch on days 2-5 and 7-10

° Welcome & Farewell dinner on day 1 and 10

° Sauna when available at the accomondation

° Tourshirt

° All tourleaders pictures

Nordkapp 11  days

Good to Know

° Weather is many in Scandinavian summer, but especially in Nordkapp it can be in the middle of summer +3 or +30 Celcius so be prepared!

° Midnight Sun means literally midnight sun. When the sky is clear you can see the sun up there in the middle of the night on the north side of Polar Circle!

° Traffic is light in Scandinavia. The biggest risk are the reindeers in the north!

Excluding the Price

° Lunches on 1 and 6

° Dinners on days 2-9

° What is not mentioned in 'Including the Price' 

Private tour

MAKE YOUR OWN TOUR

° If you are a group of Friends, driving buds, co-workers...  you can make your own tailor-made trip  for more or less the same price than a ready tour!

° You can send us your wish list simply with an email (mail @peterpanplanet.com) or go to  Own Tour  page and we will be back to you in 24hours!

Bikes on Tour

This tour you will drive with your own bike! Almost everything goes from 500cc and up! We drive on paved roads! However, there are some rentals bikes available! Ask!

Motorcycle trip North Cape Memories

The most Participated UltraCycling Bike Adventure in the World.

Registrations for Edition VII 2024 are SOLD OUT

Subscribe to the Newsletter and receive a Notification for the Opening of Subscriptions.

1 Continent, 7 Countries, 4000 km self supported with a legendary destination, the Arctic Circle! This is the NorthCape4000, the Most Participated Ultracycling Bike Adventure in the World.

Now sit back, take a deep breath and get ready to Experience the UltraCycling Bikepacking Event that has changed the lives of People all over the World. 4000 km of Incredible Beauty and Extraordinary Road Companions in the Bike Challenge, Followed and Reported Live from All Over Europe, which will take your Life to the Next Level.

There are the Bikepacking Events, then there is the NorthCape4000

FIXED ROUTE

We traced 4000 km of timeless atmospheres, amazing landscapes and natural sceneries. All united, to the Great North!

There are 4 obligatory Gates where participants have to pass through. Here one can catch their breath whilst having their pass validated.

UNSUPPORTED

A Legendary Adventure requires Legendary Participants. No outside support whatsoever; total autonomy. You have to earn the Title of Finisher.

Experience the event and cover the distance in the time you want; however, to be a Finisher of Edition VII, you must reach North Cape by August 10, 2024

The Experience of Life

The NorthCape4000 is not just a sporting event, but an indelible experience that will accompany you for a long time and that you will treasure every day, probably for the rest of your life. Ask who has already participated and discover why this is the reference Event in the UltraCycling Bikepacking World.

Far away from the “races” and fanaticism that now spoil every corner of the sport world, at NorthCape4000, you come to run or enjoy the journey, the choice is yours, but with respect, a fair play and a desire to have fun that unite all our participants and that you will not find in any other bikepacking event. Then, it’s up to you to cycle with your eyes glued to the front wheel or to cycle in dreamlike scenarios with fellow bikers who make the difference. 

An Extraordinary Route

We don’t draw a line from A to B and we don’t find our tracks on the internet or on travel forums. Every year, the NorthCape4000 staff creates a completely new event, in numbers and route, which is planned thanks to dozens of hours of study on maps through the most advanced map- making and the most accurate field research.

Every year, we bring new faces, atmospheres and suggestions of an ever-changing Europe able to excite you and make you feel like pioneers even in the age of smartphones. Every year, we take you to an unparalleled place making everything terribly Special.

Nature and Beauty: Our Most Important Partners

The NorthCape4000 is Unique for many reasons but what you will be lucky enough to admire from the saddle of your bicycle, you will see with your own eyes, exceeds all your expectations and represents one of the Unique and Inimitable Characteristics of the Event.

Imagine crossing an entire continent on the most beautiful and safest roads in Europe, an infinite maze of dream routes away from traffic and suitable for bicycles and which, kilometer after kilometre, reveals before your eyes small villages, spectacular countryside and a uninterrupted carousel of postcard scenarios.

Imagine pedaling immersed in natural paradises such as Lapland, the Magic of the Alps and some of the most famous and spectacular parks and natural areas in Europe. Lush nature, dreamy atmospheres and a track so beautiful that you didn’t even think it could exist on a continent as developed as Europe.

Up to the point where, pedaling in the company of splendid reindeer families, you will touch one of the Greatest Natural Spectacles we have planned for you: The Arctic Circle and the North Cape.

It is the commitment that we decide to make every year towards our Participants: To give an Experience so Powerful and Extraordinary as to become an Indelible Reference Point in People’s Lives.

A Commitment that we keep every year.

NorthCape4000 VII

An Extraordinary Route that crosses Europe for 4000 km, through 7 Nations and Formidable Natural Wonders

Discover the VII Edition >

Infinite Emotion

Watch the Videos, the Photos and find out who the Protagonists of the Past Editions are.

Unique and Inimitable

Subscribe to the Newsletter and receive a Notification for the Opening of the next edition.

© 2023 NorthCape4000. All rights reserved. – “Bike Soul SSDrl” C.F./P.I. 02379130970 The NorthCape4000 logo is a registered Trademark (Euipo patent). Unauthorized use is prohibited. contatti: [email protected]

Select your language

• The North Cape Tour
• North Cape Winter Tour
• North Cape Summer Tour
• Public bus to Nordkapp
• North Cape Express
• Bus and driver rental

Travel info

• Convoy driving
• Bus to Nordkapp

Terms & Privacy

• Terms and conditions

Get inspired

• Things to do when stuck
• Winter adventures
• Polar twilight

Travel agent

• Agent booking
• Practical information

Stunning Outdoors

Nordkapp in Norway – our experience at the northernmost tip of Europe

Hiking · Norway

When planning our 2 months trip to Norway, we didn’t even dream we will reach as far as North Cape! But then it actually happened and we were over the moon to have arrived to the northernmost tip of Europe!

Being in such an iconic location we felt very lucky, hence we ensured to get to know Nordkapp Norway area as much as possible and explore its hikes. Also, we spoke to the locals, eager to find out about life in such a remote region.

During the Nordkapp road trip we found out, for instance, that the northernmost place in Europe isn’t really the famous Nordkapp Point, but the tip of nearby peninsula, Knivskjelodden. Did you know that?!

Find out important Nordkapp facts, to ensure a memorable visit to Europe’s most remote corner!

Nordkapp and Knivskjelodden – exploring the northernmost tip of Europe

1. How to get to Nordkapp 2. Knivskjelodden – the real northernmost point of Europe vs Nordkapp Point 3. How much is Nordkapp charge (and how we visited ‘the globe’ for free) 4. Our experience at Nordkapp and Mageroya island  – exploring the area & meeting Sami, the reindeer herders of the North 5. Hikes near Nordkapp 6. Wild camping and campsites near Nordkapp

Driving to Nordkapp

1. How to get to Nordkapp

North Cape (Norwegian: Nordkapp) is a part of Mageroya island in Finnmark, Northern Norway.

It can be accessed either by road E69 from Porsanger Peninsula (Porsanger-halvoya) or by ferry from Kjollefjord on Nordkinn Peninsula (Nordkinn-halvoya), operated by Hurtingruten .

Driving to Nordkapp from nearest towns : from Alta 240 km, time 3.5 hours; from Lakselv 192 km, approximately 3 hours.

If you’re already on Mageroya island and fancy a short trip, you can book a bus trip from Honningsvåg to North Cape, click here for timetable.

Return to top of page

Nordkapp Point seen from Knivskjelodden

2. Knivskjelodden – the real northernmost point of Europe versus Nordkapp Point

The controversy starts here! Is Nordkapp Point the northernmost place in Europe? What is Knivskjelodden? Learn some surprising Nordkapp facts!

Let’s start with the obvious: Nordkapp Point (or North Cape) is the northernmost location in Europe, right? Surprisingly – wrong!

Cliffs of North Cape are located at 71°1 0′21″N   25°47′04″E making it the most northerly point reachable by car , however the true most northerly point of Europe is nearby  Knivskjelodden peninsula . It reaches 1.5 km further north than Nordkapp, at 71°11 ′ 08°N 25.71°E. That, clearly, makes Knivskjelodden the northernmost point of Europe (excluding Svalbard). 

Knivskjelodden peninsula seen from Nordkapp Point

Hmm… you may wonder why you heard about Nordkapp Point but not about Knivskjelodden? For very typical Norwegian reasons: practical reasons!

To understand it, you have to get to know the area; once at Nordkapp, it will seem obvious why Knivskjelodden is lesser known.

Knivskjelodden versus Nordkapp

Knivskjelodden is a remote peninsula, its tip (THE point) can ONLY be reached by a 9 km hike across tundra, there is no tourist infrastructure apart from a small path. For an average John Smith, an 18 km hike (there and back) over rough path (and then slippery boulders) would be a challenge; very likely it would discourage our John Smith from venturing to the real northernmost point in Europe . For many others it would simply be inaccessible.

On the contrary, Nordkapp is located almost just as far north and easily accessible by car; hence it appeals to wider public. A visitor to Nordkapp will only have to walk 300 metres to the ‘globe’, over flat and paved ground. There is another reason for choosing Nordkapp as a ‘tourist northernmost point in Europe’ – it’s located on a plateau large enough to have typical tourist infrastructure – massive car park, restaurant and visitors centre. Knowing how many travellers visit Nordkapp every year, having a charged ‘tourist dedicated facility’ is also a good business.

Our main destination was Knivskjelodden rather than crowded tourist spot, therefore we enjoyed the thought of half-day hike to the peninsula (approximately 5-6 hours, find detailed information in ‘hikes near Nordkapp’ section).

Read further to learn about Nordkapp charges (and how possibly avoid them)

At Nordkapp

3. How much is Nordkapp charge (and how we visited ‘the globe’ for free)

When planning your trip to Nordkapp, ensure to budget for admission fee!

I called it ‘admission fee’, but officially it’s a ‘parking charge’ applicable to motor vehicles, therefore if you have a slightest chance to visit Nordkapp by bike or by foot, you should definitely consider it! I appreciate that the nearest village, Skarsvag, is located 15 km away, however to visit Nordkapp on foot, you can leave your car at a small car park (free), roughly 5 km before Nordkapp Point (directions).

Why should you bother?

Have a look at Nordkapp ‘parking charge’ for 2020 *. Interesting how parking fee is calculated ‘per person’ rather than ‘per car’.

Opening Hours 2020

* source: official Nordkapp website

OK, so now when you already know how much a visit to Nordkapp is going to cost you (and you’re shocked!), find out how we managed to visit Nordkapp globe without paying a krone !

Parking charge can only be enforced when there are means to collect it, right?

Charges at Nordkapp are collected at the entrance to car park by a person, rather than ‘pay and display’ system. Hence, visiting Nordkapp Point outside of opening hours means avoiding fees! Stay assured that there is no barrier at the car park therefore you’ll be able to drive in and out as you please (and park for free),  just ensure to arrive to Nordkapp outside of opening hours (see above). Keep in mind, however, that all facilities will be closed (most importantly – you won’t be able to use toilet).

Such high admission fee may be a bitter pill to swallow for tourists who already find Norway an expensive country to visit; especially when travelling long term (like ourselves) one has to spend their money wisely. To put it in perspective: 570 NOK (per couple) spent on parking charges (at tourist attraction which takes 1-2 hours to visit) pays for more than 2 nights at the campsite, more than two ferry crossings along Helgeland scenic route…

Therefore before driving to Nordkapp you should ask yourself what is important to you, what would you like to do at the northernmost point in Europe? If you only want to wander around a little and take a photo with the globe, you should definitely think about visiting it when the facilities are closed. If, however, you’re keen on visiting the restaurant and exhibition or watch the midnight sun, you’ll have to pay the charge. We can’t comment whether the exhibition is worth the money as we skipped it.

In our case; after visiting Knivskjelodden we only wanted to top off the day by having photo with the globe, hence visiting outside of opening hours worked very well for us.

Along the road, Mageroya island

4. Our experience at Nordkapp and Mageroya island

The day we arrived to Mageroya island was miserable. It was madly pouring it down. Having heard of the high charge at Nordkapp Point, we thought it would be a waste to drive there in such weather, pay the extortionate fee only to get soaked and leave the place within maximum 15 minutes, without even seeing anything as the clouds were very low… Instead, we decided it would be wiser to spend the rest of the day somewhere nice, warm and dry; and visit Nordkapp Point next day.

Hence we called at 3 campsites passed along the way, they were all closed for winter (mid-September)! Only when we arrived to Skarsvag village, we found an open campsite and lodges! Yay!

A warm welcome in Skarsvag campsite

We checked in at Skarsvag campsite (‘ Base Camp North Cape ‘) despite being terribly early; oh, you can only imagine how grateful we were for warm welcome! It turned out that on that very campsite, at the end of the world we were greeted by a Polish receptionist! You know that feeling, when you unexpectedly bump into your fellow countryman in the middle of nowhere, in a far-away country!? That happens to us quite often, I must say! And it’s awesome!

Having met a ‘local’ Pole we chatted a lot; then how we found out that it’s possible to avoid steep parking charges at Nordkapp (see section 3).

Typical Mageroya island scenery

Despite rain and heavy skies, we somehow felt uplifted. We made ourselves comfortable in campsite’s kitchen and canteen; our Swiss companion, Linnea, baked fresh rolls and the sitting area smelled heavenly! When looking thru the window, couple of times we spotted reindeer casually wandering to the camping grounds, roaming amongst lodges and on nearby hill. Happy and warm, we planned destinations and attractions for next couple of days. That was the first day at the northernmost location in Europe.

Knivskjelodden and Nordkapp

We got up early next morning to hike to the real northernmost point in Europe, Knivskjelodden. The hike was 18 km and we really enjoyed it. We also timed it well, so directly after the hike we drove to Nordkapp Point, already outside of opening hours and therefore visited the place free of charge!

Along the trail to Knivskjelodden we encountered even more reindeer, I actually joked that they’re our guides! We both really liked it – read all about hiking to the most northerly peninsula in Europe, in section 5 ‘Hikes near Nordkapp’ (below).

Along the way, Mageroya island

Upon our return to car park we were met by Linnea; together we set to explore the ‘touristy’ northernmost point on the continent. It was  quite surprising to see so many cars and camper vans at car park at this time of the year (mid-September)! We were in no hurry and decided to wait a bit, as we believed that most visitors will be gone by evening and the place will be much quieter in a couple of hours time; we wanted to spend the night at Nordkapp anyway, we had all the time in the world.

Nordkapp celebrations!

At Nordkapp Point

As predicted, it didn’t take long before day-trip visitors left the area and number of people wandering around the globe dramatically thinned.

That was our time to finally have a closer look at the globe, the rocky cliffs of Nordkapp and never-ending ocean to the north.

Reaching such a unique and important landmark required proper celebrations! Linnea kept a bottle of champagne for that very occasion, she kindly shared with us!  So there we were, three of us very happy and having the globe just to ourselves!

Of course we didn’t have any champagne glasses in the van; nope, we definitely won’t surprise you in this respect! Again, Linnea came to the rescue with three, fancy, bowl-shaped tealight holders! I assure you, champagne never tasted as good as at Nordkapp! Cheers!

Next morning we set off early again; we thought it would be decent of us to disappear from car park before the facilities open.

Meeting Sami, the legendary reindeer herders of the North

Having left the most northerly place on European continent, we headed in the only possible direction – south. Very soon we came across Sami homes and shop , just before Skarsvag.

Sami are indigenous folk of the Far North; they’re mostly met in northern Norway as well as Swedish and Finnish Lapland. Sami are the legendary reindeer herders of the North; even nowadays many of them still live semi-nomadic life and work with reindeer, and of reindeer. Travelling in Finnmark, we came across many Sami settlements, lodges and cultural centres. Curious as we are, we took the opportunity to find out more about Sami and their close relationship with reindeer.

Sami of Nordkapp, Norway

We entered the Matkemuittut Somby Sami Souvenir Shop and were warmly greeted by a young guy wearing traditional Sami outfit. He was very friendly and happy to tell us more about Sami life and culture.

Sami have always been a nomadic folk, they followed their reindeer thru tundra, looking for richest pastures. Today, they still live of reindeer – selling meat, skins and traditional souvenirs made of antlers, wood & leather.

During a chat at Matkemuittut Somby we learned many interesting facts about Sami, reindeer and living near Nordkapp. Did you know that:

• reindeer shed their antlers and grow new ones every year! Hence you shouldn’t hesitate when buying souvenirs made of reindeer antlers – animals were not hurt, it all happens naturally!
• male reindeer shed antlers in the beginning of December, female reindeer keep them longer (till spring), therefore, surprisingly Rudolf the reindeer must be a female!
• Sami folk don’t own the land, but they have special arrangements with Norwegian government to use the land for reindeer herding. The whole of Mageroya island is divided between 3 Sami families, hence the animals we spotted near Nordkapp and Knivskjelodden must have belonged to ‘our’ guy’s family!
• winters at Nordkapp are too harsh for reindeer! Ground covered by thick snow freezes due to high winds and reindeer find it impossible to dig thru the frozen shell to find food. Therefore, every year Sami from Nordkapp (and other ‘far north’ lands) gather their reindeer and relocate them further south for winter, often near Karasjok. Yes, you remember well, Nordkapp is on an island; reindeer have to swim the 2 km distance to across from Mageroya to mainland!
• although you may think that reindeer roam totally freely and uncontrolled over vast spaces, Sami know exactly where their herds are.
• herding reindeer is a full time job, whole year!
• before winter comes, Sami gather their herds to mark young reindeer, check their health and keep an eye on them during severe winter cold. The event is called ‘reindeer roundup’, families work together for several weeks to prepare for winter.
• Sami language is widely spoken in northern Norway and Lapland (northern Sweden and Finland), for many it’s the first language
• different dialects of Sami language are spoken by different Sami tribes (yes, there are several Sami tribes!), also their cultural heritage and traditional outfits differ.

Hiking to Knivskjelodden

5 Hikes near Nordkapp

Hiking always is a highlight of any trip we do! Visiting Nordkapp (and Mageroya island) was no exception, we spent some time studying map to find hiking trails to bring us closer to unique nature of the area. Below, we’re presenting 4 ideas for shorter (and longer) hikes recommended during your visit to Nordkapp. Enjoy!

5.1 Kirkeporten

Kirkeporten is a rock arch located near Skarsvag village, some 15 km from Nordkapp. It’s a very short hike, total distance of a circular walk is approximately 1.5 km, however to reach the arch you’ll have to climb a small hill. Several paths lead to the unique rock formation, all of them are well defined and easy to find. The paths are also marked with small wooden posts.

We hiked to Kirkeporten from Skarsvag campsite, left the car at a small parking area just past campsite’s gate. Alternatively you can leave the car along main road, a bit further towards the village as there are some parking spaces available. Allow approximately 1-2 hours for visit to the arch and nearby quirky rocks. Keep in mind that trail becomes slippery in places as you descend lower, towards the rocky coast. This shouldn’t stop you from exploring thou; if you’re a geology enthusiast (like myself) you’ll find Kirkeporten of great interest.

Kirkeporten arch near Skarsvag

At Kirkeporten

Kirkeporten circular hike from Skarsvag village, near Nordkapp. Map copyright Norgeskart.

5.2 Visiting Nordkapp by foot

In a section above, I mentioned the high parking fees at Nordkapp Point. Therefore, to avoid the charges I recommend dropping your car at a free, small car park 5 km before Nordkapp (directions) and walking to the globe, rather than driving (walking time approximately 1 hour each way). Follow a faint path running along main road. It will take you thru typical northern landscape – gentle bumps (too low to be called a ‘hill’!), and overgrown wetlands. Have a closer look at the ground – you’ll be walking on a beautiful tundra carpet. Try to spot the ‘laces’ of dwarfed birch ‘trees’ entwining rough rocks; looking at them I realised how tough conditions must be in this remote corner of earth.

If you’re lucky, you may encounter some friendly locals!

Friendly locals at Nordkapp peninsula & tundra  – dwarfed birch.

5.3 Tip of Knivskjelodden peninsula, the real northernmost point in Europe

We strongly recommend walking to the real northernmost point in Europe, Knivskjelodden peninsula. It can only be reached by a 9 km hike thru tundra, please allow 5-6 hours for the total of 18 km hike.

Knivskjelodden hiking trail starts at a small, free car park (directions) and is marked with standard Norwegian red ‘Ts’ painted on rocks along the way.

At first, path is very rough – rocks stick from the ground like randomly pitched cobblestones and walking over them is a bit awkward. However, very soon the trail becomes smoother, albeit wetter.

Local guides met along trail to Knivskjelodden

Ensure to take in the views around you; as much as some can consider them little exciting, others can appreciate the rough beauty. Before your eyes are gentle hills covered by finest tundra. Look at the ground and spot dwarfed birch ‘trees’. I know, I mentioned them already; don’t take it against me, but I absolutely fell in love with them. They created ‘laces’ of tiny, entangles branches; their fine yellow leaves like amber drops. Oh, autumn & tundra go together very well!

You’re very likely to come across numerous herds of reindeer; during our visit to Knivskjelodden we spotted them every couple of minutes, literary everywhere. Sometimes we only noticed antlers sticking out from behind the rocks or over the hill, other times they casually crossed our path. I’ll be honest, despite seeing reindeer couple of times every day (while travelling in Finnmark and later in Lapland, Finland) we never took them for granted, and every sight was special and exciting!

Nordkapp Point seen from Knivskjelodden hike

At the beach and further, along the rugged path to the tip of Knivskjelodden

About 5 km into the hike, you’ll note that now you’re mostly descending the gentle hills, towards a small bay with a pebble beach. Once at the beach, continue along the shore, to the left.

This is where ‘the fun’ starts – you’ll have to cross some large boulders. Take care – some are very slippery! It’s the last section before reaching Knivskjelodden, but it seem to be dragging forever.

Then, when you think you’ll never get there, you suddenly arrive to Knivskjelodden trig point!

At Knivskjelodden, the northernmost point of Europe!

Make sure to put your name in a ‘guest book’; look for our names under 14/9/18. If you’re lucky, you may find a bottle of whisky at the ‘guest book’ box 🙂

Well warmed up, we sat at the rocks and admired the view before our eyes – endless ocean! How did it feel to have reached the northernmost tip of Europe? It felt amazing! We were both really happy to have been able to travel that far and enjoy so many great experiences while exploring Norway!

At Knivskjelodden Norway

It won’t be to anyone’s surprise that we felt reluctant to return. Also, as the weather improved, we both wanted to spend more time at Knivskjelodden and just enjoy the warm sun.

Eventually, we retraced our steps to the car park.

Nordkapp hiking trails. BLUE – foot path to Nordkapp. RED – Knivskjelodden hiking trail. GREEN -alternative trail to shores of Kjerkeneset. Map copyright Norgeskart.

5.4 Skipsfjord to Torvhamna

Skipsfjord is located approximately 4 km north-west from Mageroya’s largest settlement, Honnigsvag. You’ll easily find it – look out for a large campsite and red hotel complex, just alongside the main road (near the only hairpin bend on Mareroya island). Walk from the campsite to Torvhamna coast takes about 20 minutes, distance is approximately 1 km (one way).

Leave your car in the campsite’s parking area (just at the gate) and walk towards the end of camping zone. Once you reach two small buildings, take a rough track towards small bumps (too small to be called ‘hills’). The track will take you thru moon-like landscape. We found it a weird place; by ‘weird’ I mean that it didn’t match the rest of tundra on Mageroya island; barren rocks made a rather out of this world impression and the landscape was kind of ‘volcanic’.

Rough track from Skipsfjord to Torvhamna

About 500 metres further, the views suddenly changed and we ‘returned’ to tundra; gentle green-yellow bumps. There were numerous paths cutting across the hills and we set to explore some of them – we’re always looking for higher viewpoints over the area.

Another funny fact about the track was the amount of fish bones laying around! Wherever we looked, we saw white fish bones – along the track, on the hills, virtually everywhere. We didn’t spot any predators thou, but surely there were some fish hunters in the area!

Moon-like Skipsfjord

After about 30 minutes from setting off we reached picturesque shores of Torvhamna; rugged coast with some small islands. On the other side of the fjord was Honningsvag village. Having explored the area a bit further, we retraced our steps to the campsite.

Picturesque shores of Torvhamna

Hiking to Torvhamna. Map copyright Norgeskart.

6. Nordkapp camping (including wild camping)

Wild camping  is allowed and widely accepted in Norway. By law, everyone is allowed to stay overnight at any spot at least 150 metres from nearby buildings.

It’s not very easy to find a suitable wild camping spot for a camper van nor a tent near Nordkapp, as there aren’t many parking bays nor viewpoints along the road. The best spot for wild camping near Nordkapp is a small car park 5 km before the ‘globe’ (directions) . Alternatively, you can stay overnight in a campervan at Nordkapp Point car park; please note that there is only limited space suitable for pitching tents. During our visit, there were dozens of camper vans and only a handful of tents staying for the night at Nordkapp Point.

Another idea; why not take your camping gear and stay overnight along the trail to Knivskjelodden , or actually at the northernmost point of Europe? That would be something special!

Nordkapp camping. There are several campsites on Mageroya island, two of them relatively close to Nordkapp. Skarsvag campsite & ‘Base Camp North Cape’ offered good facilities at a reasonable price; most importantly its ‘kitchen-canteen’ was large, warm and clean. We thoroughly appreciated it during our visit – on the day we arrived to Nordkapp area weather was wild and we greatly enjoyed the afternoon spent at Skarsvag campsite, working on laptops and planning further adventures.

Another two large campsites are located near Honningsvag.

If the weather is wild during your visit to Nordkapp and you prefer to find a reasonably priced accommodation, why not try lodges (hytter)? Finding hytters is very easy – there are numerous hytter-sites along main road between Honningsvag and Skarsvag.

Sharing is caring!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Disclosure: please note that some of the links on this website are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of those links, you won’t pay a penny more, but we will get a small commission, which supports us in our travels. Cheers!

No part of this site may be reproduced without prior permission from Stunning Outdoors. This includes logos, graphics, words and photographs.

The locations and hikes on the website have been researched, visited and tested by Stunning Outdoors and are believed to be true at the time of publishing. Stunning Outdoors can accept no responsibility for any unforeseen circumstances encountered while following the routes and/or advice. Users should be aware of their own skills level and experience and should ensure to be able to navigate using map and compass when required.

By using this website you accept and agree to be bound and abide by the Privacy Policy. 

Journey to Nordkapp: Plan Your Motorcycle Route Europe’s Northernmost point, Nordkapp – Norway's North Cape – is one of the continent’s most popular motorcycling destinations. Located well above the Arctic Circle, Nordkapp is a bucket list goal for many bike travelers – and not just because of its legendary location. The road to Nordkapp is just as scenic, so if you’re planning a motorcycle touring trip North, here’s what’s not to miss along the way:

The Finnish Loop While the most popular route to Nordkapp runs along the Norwegian coastline, a longer loop is also a possibility if you have the time. Riding the Finnish Karelia is a surreal experience as you follow a lonely road surrounded by seemingly endless dark woods, and Finland’s Lapland, its northernmost region, is just as stunning.

Don’t expect mountain views or fun twisties until just before you hit Route E6 running alongside the Norwegian border, but there’s something special about riding what feels like a European Alaska.

calimotour finnish Loop

Geiranger Fjord and Trollstigen If you choose to reach Nordkapp via the Norwegian roads, you’re in for a treat. The Atlantic Coast views are incredibly stunning, but once you reach Bergen, head inland following Route E39, then jump on Route 63 to see the spectacular Geiringer fjord. Geiringer is one of Norway’s most breath-taking fjords, and if you have the time, it’s worth taking a day or two off the bike and exploring the area by foot or kayak.

From here, it’s a short ride to the famous Trollstigen pass where the mountain switchbacks and views rival, if not overshadow, that of the Stelvio Pass in Italy. Because of its stunning hairpins and awe-inspiring scenery, Trollstigen gets busy during the high season, so it’s best to ride it earlier in the morning to avoid the crowds.

Atlantic Ocean Road Riding further North, another iconic detour is the Atlantic Ocean Road, an eight-kilometer section of Route 64 that runs across a small archipelago. Some of its bridges, arches, and twists make you feel like you’re literally riding into the ocean. Built in 1989, the Atlantic Ocean Road soon became popular among motorcycle travelers because of its unique design and engineering, making it appear like something out of a Salvador Dali painting rather than an actual road.

Arctic Circle Museum If you choose to ride Highway E6 past Mo i Rana, you’ll soon see the Arctic Circle sign and museum by the roadside. Congratulations: you’ve officially entered the Arctic! It’s worth a stop for a cup of coffee and to check out the museum if you need a break – or if it’s time to warm up a little.

Lofoten Islands You're drawing closer to Nordkapp now, but if you're up for it, Lofoten Islands is another detour worth a visit: considered to be the most scenic islands in Norway, if not the entire European continent, the Lofoten archipelago was once a settlement of fishermen. Fishing is still huge here, but if you’re there just for the riding and the scenery, you won’t be disappointed: pristine fjords, picture-perfect villages and stunning roads abound in Lofoten, and it’s worth spending a day or two exploring.

calimotour Lofoten

Nordkapp Now for the last stretch North: after visiting Lofoten islands, there are seven hundred kilometers left to Nordkapp. Slowly, you’ll notice the scenery changing – fjords and mountains give way to barren, windswept hills and treeless landscape. Be careful with that throttle, and stay alert: this far north, reindeer often wander freely onto the roads, and it’s especially dangerous for motorcyclists who aren’t paying attention.

Once you reach the North Cape, leave your bike at the parking lot and walk up to see the famous globe statue and enjoy the views of the Barents Sea. Even during the summer months, the weather is chilly, and the cliffs plunging into the icy waters create dramatic scenery.

The best months to visit Nordkapp weather-wise are July and August, but they also happen to be the busiest. If you can brave the cold, ride there a little earlier or later – but be prepared to layer up! Beware of reindeer and distracted camper van drivers on the road. Take your time, and enjoy Norway’s most scenic roads – the route to Nordkapp is a long one, but the destination and the journey are more than worth it.

Eglé Gerulaityté is a motorcycle journalist and author. She works with calimoto's partner MOTOURISMO, the world's largest booking portal and online travel agency for motorcycle tours, training, and shipping. Curious to find your own Norway ride? Check out the latest motorcycle tours and trips to Nordkapp on MOTOURISMO .

MCi TOURS MOTORCYCLE HOLIDAYS WORLDWIDE

• Tour Programme
• Photo Album
• Testimonials
• Policy of Fair Trading
• Privacy Policy Home

The North Cape (aka Nordkapp ) is a bucket list destination for motorcylists the world over, and  Norway is a  fascinating destination. Wild untamed countryside await you on this amazing Viking adventure, with plunging deep sided fjords, majestic peaks, stunning scenery and coastal splendour,  contrasted by the vast open wilderness of the Arctic.

This tour starts from Harwich to Hook of Holland on an overnight sailing, via an overnght stop near Hamburg to the northern most point of Denmark for another overnight ferry to Bergen. Our ride next day is through scenery of jaw-dropping beauty as we ride our motorcycles alongside fjords where the still waters reflect the sky in a complete mirror image. On a clear, still day every bend is a major photo opportunity - it really is just sooo pretty. We spend the next night in a super hotel in Ulvik  (where all the rooms overlook the magnificent Hardanger Fjord) before continuing to  Geiranger   (stopping at the superb  Dalsnibba  viewing platform over five thousand feet above the town)  for a two-night stay, where a  limited number of Fjord view rooms are available on request. On previous visits it was amazing to wake up, look out of the window from our superbly located hotel and be confronted by a view of such stupendous beauty.

This is one of the most extraordinary destinations in Norway and really is one of the highlights of this tour. Often described as  "Probably the most beautiful place in the world" , it’s all you expect Norway to be! A deep plunging fjord with an amazing mountain backdrop. It is from here we ride-out to the  Atlantic Road , returning via the  Trollstigen  - a day out on the bike that you will never forget. A major engineering achievement that bridges a number of islands out into the Norwegian Sea, followed by twisty switchbacks, a cascading waterfall and a glacier at the top of the climb. Norway in all it's natural beauty explored by motorcycle. Truly a unique experience!

Leaving Geiranger we continue our exciting adventure riding northwards, leaving Fjordland behind. As we ride you will notice the scenery changes and becomes wilder and more rugged as we motorcycle onwards to  Trondheim  (the former capital of Norway with its famous Nideros Cathedral) and then onwards to  Mo-i-Rana  (known locally as the  “Gateway to the Arctic”) s ituated halfway between the very north and the very south of Norway.

Entering the Arctic Circle the following morning, the next port of call is  Sortland for three nights, which is our base to explore the  Lofoten Islands and Vesteralen , and maybe a whale watching trip. We are then on our last leg to the North Cape, stopping at Tromso and Alta  (where we can visit the Tirpitz Museum at nearby Kafjord) before we reach our most northerly hotel at  Skaidi .  It is from here we will make our midnight sun ride-out to the   North Cape , to see the sun skimming the horizon rather than dropping below it - astonishing!

All too soon it’s time for us to head south again, but remember this is  Norway  so the journey continues with great scenery all the way. After an overnight stopover at  Lyngen Fjord ,  we continue to Narvik,  then Mo-i-Rana via the  Arctic Circle Visitor Centre , getting our passports stamped to prove we have been inside the Arctic Circle! From here it is on to Trondheim , followed by a stop north of Lillehammer   before we leave Norway on the overnight ferry from Oslo to Copenhagen, continuing to the Hook of Holland for our overnight ferry back to Harwich via our last overnight stop near Hamburg.

From the mild southern Fjords to the wild coastal landscape and the vast open areas of the north, we have planned this tour to include all that Norway has to offer. It is a true motorcycle riding feast.  Come and join us on this 3 week adventure to the northernmost point of continental of Europe.

For more details on this tour please send an email to '[email protected]' or just call us on 0800 774 7149.

E2406 - Norway

21st june 2024 to, 14th july 2024, north cape of norway.

• North Cape & midnight sun
• Lofoten Islands & Vesteralen
• Fjordland & Geiranger
• Dalsnibba view point
• Trollstigen
• Atlantic Road
• Arctic Circle visitor centre
• Trondheim - ancient capital of Norway
• NINETEEN nights in quality hotels with bed and breakfast
• NINETEEN evening meals, some buffet style, some light buffets
• Harwich/Hook of Holland return overnight ferry with cabin
• Hirtshals/Bergen overnight ferry with cabin
• Oslo/Copenhagen overnight ferry with cabin
• Single room booking include single cabins on 3 of the overnight ferries
• Bognes/Lodingen ferry ticket
• Swimming pools & gyms at some hotels
• Daily Route Plans and GPS files
• Escorted by MCi Tour Managers

• Cabin upgrades on request
• Fjord View Rooms at Ulvik and Geiranger (upon request)
• Toll fees and short ferry crossings
• Entry fees to attractions/museums
• Hull/Rotterdam & Newcastle/Ijmuiden overnight sailings
• All Motorcycle Tours
• Escorted Motorcycle Tours
• Self Guided Motorcycle Tours
• Fly Ride Motorcycle Tours
• Motorcycle Race Meetings
• Privacy Policy

© All material on this website is copyright to MCi Tour Limited and may not be copied or reproduced in any form without express permission.

Why You Should Add Nordkapp Motorcycle Tour To Your Bucket List

I magine cruising on your motorcycle on winding roads, enjoying beautiful landscapes, the smell of greenery in your nose, and a cool breeze on your face. The Nordkapp motorcycle tour gives you this and more. 

If you are a motorcycle enthusiast looking for adventure, then, taking the Nordkapp motorcycle tour is a must. You have to explore Europe's northernmost tip at least once in your lifetime and what better way than on the back of a roaring bike?

But if that's not enough of a reason for you, here are a couple more.

Unparalleled Scenery

North Cape motorcycle tour or Nordkapp has one of the best views and Norway's best landscapes-coastal roads and towering slopes on one side and an immaculate Arctic Ocean view on the other. When you ride, there is always something to look forward to. You'll marvel at the difference in terrain-green vast valleys and tall wild slopes, rocky mountains and steep drops-and how nature can be so ideal for any adventure.

The Midnight Sun

The Nordkapp motorcycle tour offers a unique midnight sun experience. During the summer season, the sun doesn’t set in the Nordkapp,  guaranteeing a beautiful golden light scenery. This means you can ride through the route, experiencing beautiful scenes with long-lasting sunlight. 

Thrilling Roads

If you are a motorcycle lover and you love curves and twists, then the Nordkapp motorcycle tour has to be on your list. From mountain ranges with continuous loops to quick straight stretches and bold hairpin turns. 

The Nordkapp rides make you fall in love with the bike as you explore a truly unique road trip adventure. 

Cultural Experiences

The Nordkapp motorcycle tour is not just about riding. It is also about tasting the locales and experiencing their cultures. You'll ride by immaculate Norwegian towns, try local food , explore beautiful sites, and learn the history of the land and people. 

Further, don't miss out on the king crab, the local specialty. The fishing towns are where you get the best and fresh king crab.

Practical Tips

When you plan to go on your Nordkapp motorcycle tour, there are a few things you need to plan before the trip. Make sure your motorcycle is in top condition. The road trip will be as demanding for both you and the bike. 

Also, don't forget to add ride absorbers,  which will make your riding more comfortable and safe. Carrying a GPS and map is also a must, as many places don't have network coverage.

Explore Europe's Northernmost Tip: Enjoy The Sense of Accomplishment

When you finally reach Nordkapp, you feel a sense of accomplishment, having conquered the harsh weather and difficult riding conditions. You've made it! It's time to celebrate your love and spirit of adventure and adrenaline.

If you are a biking enthusiast, this unique experience of Europe's most breathtaking and northernmost tip leaves a mark. This memorable European trip brings a whole new meaning to experiential motorcycle riding. Take your motorcycle bags, and your motorbike map, and find out where the northernmost point in Europe is.

The post Why You Should Add Nordkapp Motorcycle Tour To Your Bucket List appeared first on Malorie's Adventures .

2024 Tour de France: How to watch, schedule, odds for cycling's top race

The biggest cycling event of the year - the 111th Tour de France -- kicks off Saturday from Florence, Italy. The 2024 Tour de France's unusual route starts in Italy for the first time ever to honor 100 years since the first Italian victory in the Tour by Ottavio Bottecchia in 1924. Also, due to the 2024 Summer Olympics, the Tour de France will not finish in Paris for the first time in event history.

The 21 stages will cover more than 2,000 miles from Saturday through July 21. Two-time defending winner Jonas Vingegaard looks to become just the ninth cyclist to win at least three Tour de France races. Last year's runner-up, Tadej Pogačar, is looking to do the same. He won in 2020 and 2021 before finishing second to Vingegaard in 2022 and 2023.

Here's what you need to know about this year's race:

How to watch the 2024 Tour de France

NBC Sports will broadcast the 2024 Tour de France in the U.S. All stages will be available via streaming on Peacock and fuboTV with three stages - 8, 14, and 20 - broadcast on NBC as well.

How to watch: Catch the 2024 Tour de France FREE on Fubo

Looking for reliable streaming options? Check out  USA TODAY Home Internet  for broadband service plans in your area.

2024 Tour de France stage schedule, distance, characteristics

• Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 6:05 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 6:50 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 6:55 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 7:10 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 6 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 7:05 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 7:30 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 7:35 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 10:10 a.m. ET

2024 Tour de France odds

Pogačar holds a slight edge as the favorite for victory in the 2024 Tour de France, per BetMGM's latest cycling odds . Here's how the field looks:

Odds as of Tuesday afternoon.

• Tadej Pogačar (-165)
• Jonas Vingegaard (+200)
• Primož Roglič (+800)
• Remco Evenepoel (+1400)
• Juan Ayuso (+3300)
• Carlos Rodríguez (+3300)
• Adam Yates (+3300)
• João Almeida (+3300)
• Matteo Jorgenson (+3300)
• Egan Bernal (+6600)
• Simon Yates (+6600)
• Enric Mas (+10000)
• Tom Pidcock (+10000)
• Felix Gall (+10000)
• Richard Carapaz (+10000)
• Mikel Landa (+10000)
• Geraint Thomas (+10000)
• David Gaudu (+30000)
• Oscar Onley (+30000)
• Wout van Aert (+30000)
• Romain Bardet (+50000)
• Giulio Ciccone (+50000)
• Mathieu van der Poel (+100000)
• Mark Cavendish (+500000)

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.

• Skip to Navigation
• Skip to Main Content
• Skip to Related Content
• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Balance transfer cards
• Cash back cards
• Rewards cards
• Travel cards
• Online checking
• High-yield savings
• Money market
• Home equity loan
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Options pit
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard
• Scores/Schedules
• Power Rankings
• Fantasy Baseball
• Scores/Schedule
• Fantasy Football
• Free Agency
• Copa América

• Free Agent Tracker
• Wemby Watch
• Fantasy Basketball
• In-Season Tournament
• All-Star Game
• How To Watch the 2024 Season
• Paris Games Home
• USA Swimming
• UFC Schedule
• Leaderboard
• Scottie Scheffler Arrest
• Masters Tournament
• PGA Championship
• Tournament Schedule
• French Open
• Australian Open
• Fantasy Hockey
• Playoff and Bowl Games
• Yahoo Sports AM
• College Sports
• March Madness
• Fantasy Sports
• Sports Betting 101
• Bet Calculator
• Legalization Tracker
• Casino Games
• Kentucky Derby
• Preakness Stakes
• Belmont Stakes
• Ball Don't Lie
• Yahoo Fantasy Football Show
• College Football Enquirer
• Baseball Bar-B-Cast
• Paul George to become a free agent
• UFC 303 live updates
• Warriors preparing for Klay Thompson's exit
• Defending champs out of Euro 2024
• LeBron to opt out, but stay in LA

Tour de France 2024: Five yellow jersey contenders and five more riders to watch

The Tour de France is upon us with a star-studded peloton set to contest cycling’s most prestigious prize.

For the first time, the four premier stage racers of this generation are set to battle at a grand tour, though questions surround each of Tadej Pogacar , Jonas Vingegaard , Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel .

An intriguing route starting in Florence offers plenty of opportunities for the sprinters, too, even if there is no final-day dash down the Champs-Elysees due to preparations for the Paris Olympics.

A time-trial in Nice could instead prove a decisive denouement with the drama set to continue to the last across three weeks of racing.

Here, we pick out the five top contenders to win the yellow jersey, and five other riders to watch at the Tour:

Tadej Pogacar, UAE Team Emirates

The two-time champion arrives in Florence as the strong favourite to win again after a near-perfect season featuring wins at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Strade-Bianche, Volta a Catalunya and his first Giro d’Italia – the latter won with astonishing ease. The only question mark is whether his body can handle the stress of attempting to win the Giro-Tour double, a feat not accomplished for 25 years. But few are doubting Pogacar right now after such an imperious few months, and a third yellow jersey is in his sights.

Jonas Vingegaard, Visma-Lease a Bike

The last two summers have shown that not even Pogacar can match Vingegaard in full flow , but the defending champion arrives with major questions over his fitness and form. The Dane has not ridden competively since a horror crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in April and has said that anything beyond simply reaching the start line will be a “bonus”. A cagier character than arch-attacker Pogacar, it may be that Vingegaard is keeping his cards close to his chest but chances of a challenge seem slim. Losing Sepp Kuss, the best mountain domestique in the world and now a Grand Tour winner too, to Covid is another blow to Visma-Lease a Bike, with Wout van Aert also working his way back from injury.

Primoz Roglic, Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe

The defining image of Roglic’s time at the Tour so far is his ghostlike visage on La Planche des Belle Filles as a yellow jersey that seemed a certainty slipped away in 2020 . Roglic has not finished the race since but will lead Bora-Hansgrohe this summer after an off-season switch out of Vingegaard’s shadow at Visma-Lease a Bike. If the Dane and Roglic’s compatriot Pogacar are on top form, completing the Grand Tour set may be beyond him, but Roglic has two useful mountain lieutenants in Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov at a team bolstered by backing from Red Bull. A win at the Criterium du Dauphine on return from injury was encouraging.

Remco Evenepoel, Soudal Quick-Step

The brilliant Belgian makes it a big four alongside Pogacar, Vingegaard and Roglic, and Evenepoel will add a different dimension to the yellow-jersey fight as he makes his long-awaited Tour de France debut. He is the time-trial world champion and that will prove handy in a race with two individual time-trials, including the unique finale in Nice, but does Evenepoel have enough climbing power in the mountains to stick with his rivals? The superiority of Roglic in last month’s Dauphine, in which Evenepoel won the time-trial but finished seventh overall, suggested he may not – the best young rider’s white jersey may be a more realistic target.

Carlos Rodriguez, Ineos Grenadiers

There are two Tour winners in Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas in the Ineos Grenadiers line-up , but Rodriguez is team leader after finishing fifth on debut last year. His relative lack of time trialling prowess will make challenging the lead quartet trickier, yet the Spaniard is a natural climbing talent, as he showed when beating Vingegaard and Pogacar on Stage 14 last year. The 23-year-old may well vie with Evenepoel for the white jersey and should have the edge over the Belgian in the high mountains.

And five more riders to watch...

Mark cavendish , astana qazaqstan.

The 39-year-old is riding what he says is his final Tour de France – although we have heard that before, of course. Will Cavendish finally win a historic 35th stage to eclipse Eddy Merckx’s long-standing Tour record? He is up against a stacked sprint field but there have been some promising signs this season, with two stage victories and a couple of near misses in an injury-free year, and the addition of his wise old lead-out man Michael Morkov to the Astana team this year is big boost.

Tom Pidcock , Ineos Grenadiers

The second series of Netflix’s Tour de France: Unchained hinted at dissension in the ranks at Ineos during last year’s Tour, with Pidcock shown to seemingly defy team orders. That portrayal has been summarily dismissed by the British rider, who will be afforded greater freedom this time around without having to worry about his general classification position. Ahead of a double gold medal bid on the way at the Olympics, Pidcock will instead pick and choose his moments but a demon descender and adroit bike handler will fancy his chances of a stage win or two.

Jasper Philipsen, Alpecin-Deceuninck

After winning four stages and the green jersey last year, Philipsen returns as the overwhelming favourite to dominate the points classification once more. Even in something of a down year he has still managed to pick up a handful of wins including the prestigious Milan-San Remo, and with Mathieu van der Poel dragging him into the finishing straight, Philipsen will certainly be the man to beat among the power riders in the peloton.

Derek Gee, Israel-Premier Tech

The surprise package of the Dauphine, a podium finish was evidence of Gee’s potential as he mixed it with the headline GC names at the traditional pre-Tour test. An avid twitcher, Gee could soar to new heights in an Israel-Premier Tech squad set to chase stages having left Chris Froome out of their selection . A top-ten finish may not be out of reach for the Canadian, who might also fancy a dabble in the fight for the polka dot jersey.

Lenny Martinez, Groupama-FDJ

The wait for a French winner will extend into a 40th year but in Martinez, the crowds might just have a new home hope to rally around. The dinky climber wore the red leader’s jersey at the Vuelta last year while barely out of his teens and has the capacity to challenge on steeper slopes. Teammate and fellow debutant Romain Gregoire may also be a threat on lumpier terrain when not supporting team leader David Gaudu.

The Tour de France begins on Saturday 29 June at 11am (BST). Coverage is on ITV4, S4C, Eurosport and Disney+

Recommended Stories

Usa gymnastics loses another olympic team contender with shilese jones ruled out for trials.

Three different contenders for the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team have gone down with injuries this week.

A'ja Wilson's WNBA-record streak of consecutive 20-point games ends in Aces' win over Mystics

A'ja Wilson's WNBA record streak of consecutive 20-point games ended at 20. The Las Vegas Aces star scored 11 in a win over the Washington Mystics.

Mets infielder José Iglesias performs his song, 'OMG,' at Citi Field after a win

The release of "OMG" on streaming platforms was moved up a week.

Euro 2024: Switzerland knocks out defending champions Italy; Germany advances past Denmark

The Swiss will play the England/Slovakia winner, while Germany will face Spain or Georgia in the quarterfinals.

Caitlin Clark redirects question after reporters ignore Aliyah Boston following Indiana Fever loss

After a fifth straight question directed only at Clark, the rookie guard tried to get reporters to pay attention to her teammate.

Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda dies at 86

Cepeda was one of the first great Puerto Rican baseball players.

Simone Biles leads Olympic Trials field after injury-filled Day 1

Simone Biles is once again dominating the field.

NCAA tournament breakout, Oakland sharpshooter Jack Gohlke, signs with Thunder

Oakland University sharpshooter Jack Gohlke, who led the Golden Grizzlies to an NCAA tournament upset of Kentucky, has signed a contract with the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder.

Cincinnati DT Dontay Corleone out indefinitely due to blood clots in his lungs

Corleone was was voted All-Big 12 Second Team last season.

2024 NBA Draft: Winners and losers from the first round, featuring the Spurs, Grizzlies and France

Here is a stab at a first draft of history — a thumbnail sketch of who had a pretty good first night of the 2024 NBA Draft, and who might wind up looking back at the evening wistfully, with some regret.

NBA Draft 2024: Results, grades, picks for Round 1 as Zaccharie Risacher goes No. 1 overall to Atlanta

The second round of the NBA Draft will kick off on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.

Copa América: Venezuela clinches quarterfinals berth with 1-0 win over Mexico

For the second straight 2024 Copa América match at SoFi Stadium, the “home” team failed to deliver.

Texas judge dismisses sexual assault lawsuit against Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott filed a separate lawsuit against his accuser claiming she tried to extort him for $100 million.

Euro 2024: Kylian Mbappé scores in return as France finishes second in Group D after 1-1 draw with Poland

Mbappé's penalty kick goal in the 56th minute gave France the lead.

Phillies turn rare triple play not seen in 95 years in win over Tigers

It marked the first triple play for the Phillies since 2017 and the first of its kind since 1929.

Men's College World Series Finals: Tennessee holds on to beat Texas A&M and claim first national title

Tennessee closed out the College World Series with back-to-back wins over the Aggies to win the national championshp.

Padres place Fernando Tatís Jr. on 10-day IL due to stress reaction in leg

Tatís Jr. could return in early July or after the MLB All-Star break.

JJ Redick joins the Lakers with zero NBA coaching experience. How has that worked for other teams?

The Lakers are hoping for something better than Steve Nash or Mark Jackson as JJ Redick takes the reins in Los Angeles.

Panthers went from -3000 odds to win Stanley Cup to a coin flip in 9 days

Not too long ago, the Panthers were an overwhelming favorite to win it all.

Monday Leaderboard: Scottie Scheffler resumes his reign of terror with another victory

Plus: The longest putt in history, protests mar the Travelers and Nelly's going the wrong way.

Powered by Outside

Tour de France

Unreleased tires from vittoria and continental break cover at tour de france 2024, watch out, the aero gains are coming for your road bike tires now.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Welcome to the future, where we’re aero-optimizing everything, including the front tire of your road bike.

You’re always likely to find new gear at the Tour de France. More often than not, that gear is something that’s either recently released or set to be released soon. So what’s up with these new tires from Continental and Vittoria? It depends.

First up is Continental, with a tire featuring a tread pattern I’ve never quite seen before. Spotted on Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale’s Van Rysel race road bikes, the tires feature these square indents staggered along the tire’s casing.

Why the staggered indents? We suspect it is for some kind of aero gain, at least at the front of the bike, as the rear tire was just a standard Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR that almost feels like a standard issue tire across half the peloton. We’re unclear what aero advantage the design offers, but we’d suspect it would work not unlike the dimpling or scaling one might find on some carbon road wheels.

While the logos were nicely blacked out with a Sharpie, careful reading shows the words ‘Continental’ stamped into the tire’s sidewall. The stamping also indicates the tires are at least labeled as 28 mm versions.

If it isn’t already there, Vittoria’s new tire looks ready for production. The tire–something we’ll call the Vittoria Corsa Pro Wide– is based on the Corsa Pro tire we’ve come to love, just adopted for use with 25 mm internal rim widths. Traditionally, Vittoria has recommended a minimum 30 mm tire with a 25 mm internal rim width, but these are labeled 29 mm.

Why would a company do all of this work just for a 1 mm width decrease? These are the pros after all, and every millimeter matters. We suspect this is another case of aero optimization, getting the best tire combination with your rim. It isn’t clear exactly what Reserve wheelset Visma-Lease a Bike used for Stage 1, but we’d bet it was the Reserve 42|49 wheelset, featuring a 25.4 mm internal rim width up front and a 24.8 mm internal rim width out back.

We’ve reached out to both Continental and Vittoria for comment and will update accordingly.

Popular on Velo

What’s it like to be an American cyclist living in France? Watch to get professional road cyclist Joe Dombrowski’s view.

Related content from the Outside Network

One way south, mountain bikers react to their first taste of non-alcoholic craft beer, video review: bmc urs 01 two gravel bike, kiel reijnen vuelta video diary: the painful decision to abandon.

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is set to fight for Tour de France glory

• 1 New jersey and new bike revealed
• 2 The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe 2024 Tour de France team
• 3 What bikes does Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe use?
• 4 Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is entering a new era
• 5 Focus on developing talent and building the next cycling superstar

New jersey and new bike revealed

Introducing the red bull – bora – hansgrohe tour de france bike.

Enter the Red Bull hangar for the build of Jai Hindley's Tour de France bike as Red Bull - BORA – hansgrohe prepare to chase victory.

The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe 2024 Tour de France team

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is headed towards the Tour de France

© Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe

• Primož Roglič
• Jai Hindley
• Aleksandr Vlasov
• Matteo Sobrero
• Danny van Poppel
• Marco Haller
• Bob Jungels

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe's Tour the France squad on a training ride

Who is behind BORA - hansgrohe?

What bikes does red bull - bora - hansgrohe use.

Roglič puts his S-Works bike through its paces

© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool

What are the biggest achievements of BORA - hansgrohe so far?

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe cycling team ahead of the Tour the France 2024

© Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool

Who joined Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe?

Roglič has three Vueltas a España to his name

© Gianfranco Tripodo/The Red Bulletin

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is entering a new era

Focus on developing talent and building the next cycling superstar.

Find out more about Red Bull Junior Brothers

Red Bull Junior Brothers

Red bull junior brothers aims to build the next generation of road cycling professionals., want to become a red bull junior brother here's what …, road cycling scouting programme red bull junior ….

Authorities investigate Vingegaard team's 'control room' on Tour de France

• Medium Text

Sign up here.

Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab

Sports Chevron

Lozano determined to take Mexico to Copa America quarter-finals

Mexico face Ecuador in their final Copa America group-stage match on Sunday and coach Jaime Lozano is determined to get his side through to the next round, claiming they must win as they are 'playing for their lives'.

• Route planner

Klaus Söder planned this outdoor adventure with komoot!

Discover your own fun with the #1 outdoor app., von nordkap nach gibraltar.

Better plan each individual stage of your adventure with the multi-day planner — available as a part of komoot Premium.

• Select Starting Point
• Open in Planner

Tour Overview

html.ReactModal__Html--open{overflow:hidden;}html.ReactModal__Html--open:not(.fullsize){scrollbar-gutter:stable;}html.ReactModal__Html--open.ReactModal__Html--panel #pageMountNode:before{content:'';position:fixed;width:100%;height:100%;} Nordkap

Bike Touring Highlight

Sign up to see route details

Know exactly what to expect with inch-by-inch surface, waytype, and elevation info.

Weather Forecast

August 5, 2017

• Create a Copy of This Tour
• Report Tour

Sign up for a free komoot account to join the conversation.

You Might Also Like