Since Norway is quite big, we decided to essentially split our Norway trip into two roadtrips. The first part was exploring Northern Norway on an epic road trip starting in Tromso and going through Senja and Lofoten. The second part is detailed below and is all about exploring the beautiful Norwegian Fjords with kids. Read on to find out about our favorite parts on this trip to Norway with kids!
Ålesund
After wrapping up our 10 day adventure across Senja and Lofoten, we took a domestic flight to Ålesund. Note that oftentimes Google Flights misses smaller local flights so it’s good to check other sources like SkyScanner or just see if there are other options online.
We rented a one way car from Alesund to Bergen for a week. There wasn’t really a one-way fee, so I wouldn’t worry too much about renting one-way within Norway!
Ålesund is a beautiful port town on the west boast of Norway, and is the gateway to Geirangerfjord. It can get quite busy when cruise ships dock but there are ways to avoid the congestion. The town is usually fairly quiet early in the morning and around dinner time when most of the cruise passengers are back on board the ship.
We stayed in Thon Hotel Alesund, which was perfect for exploring the city. It also had a really great buffet breakfast that my kids still talk about. There’s a stunning lookout you can hike to right from the city (and Thon Hotel), where you can see the entire town and surrounding archipelago.
There are tons of cute coffee shops and restaurants by the water, the architecture is beautiful and full of colorful houses. Most of the town was rebuilt after a fire in 1904.
Geiranger
This port town is just a short 2 hour drive from Ålesund. Geiranger is the jewel of Geirangerfjord and is nestled right at the head of the Fjord. There aren’t too many accommodation options so make sure you book here in advance. We’re known for our last minute trip planning, and our options were quite limited when we were looking. There are some hotels right by the port at sea level, but I think the best hotels are higher up on the hill with glorious views of the Fjord. Grande Fjord Hotel has quite the views and is about $200 per night (outside of peak season).
Geiranger cruise 
Geiranger Lookout
The entire area is gorgeous, but the best way to explore this region is by a combination of boat and hiking. If you’re not doing a multi day cruise, there are a few options to explore this area by boat. Keep in mind that not all boats allow infants, but we were able to find at least one that allowed children under 2 on board.
We did this tour to Skagefla which combined a scenic boat ride through the fjords, as well as a stop at the start of the trail to Skageflå. Skageflå is a historic mountain farm at the top of Geirangerfjorden. The hike to it is pretty much a straight 250 meter climb which takes about 40 minutes, and could get quite slippery just after rain.
We bought our tickets right at the tourist center in Geiranger for the next day and took the first boat out in the morning. This worked out well as we had most of the boat – and the hike – to ourselves in the middle of July! The boat that picked us up on the way back was quite packed so I was glad we got to do this hike without the crowds.
The views from up here were totally worth the climb, and the kids really enjoyed the part where we had to take a boat to reach the trailhead. I loved that this combined a scenic boat ride with a scenic hike at the end, all for quite a reasonable price.
Geiranger gets quite crowded when cruise ships pull up, but just like in Ålesund you can easily avoid the crowds if you time your trips correctly. You could also look up cruise schedules ahead of time, and try to avoid the busy dock days.
If you haven’t gotten your fill of epic views from Geiranger, you could also do a quick stop at Dalsnibba Viewpoint on your way to the next town.
Briksdalsbreen
I can’t believe this wasn’t originally on our itinerary and that we almost missed it!
I knew I wanted to stay somewhere near Styrn or Loen, but the only place I could find was down by Briksdalsbreen, and thank goodness that was the case because I think we would’ve skipped it otherwise! There are a lot of great options around both Styrn, Loen and Briksdal and they will all have incredible views of the lakes, the mountains or the glacier (or all of the above!). We stayed in a tiny home similar to this one and had fantastic views of Briksdal glacier right from our deck
We only stayed here for two nights but I wish we had more time to explore the other towns. We decided to go to Jostedalsbreen National Park since the other hike options in Styrn and Loen were somewhat similar to what we had just done in Geiranger.
The hike to Briksdal glacier is only about 2 miles one way and I would budget 1-2 hours for all the sightseeing. It’s fairly accessible and pretty flat most of the way. There are also troll cars that can take you part of the way to the glacier.
Briksdal Glacier 
Briksdal Glacier river 
Briksdal Glacier Hike
Aurlandsvangen
We broke up our drive by staying in Sogndalsfjøra. I wanted to avoid staying in Flam specifically because I’ve heard it gets quite crowded, but neighboring towns are much less busy and just as beautiful. There are some nice affordable options for 1-2 bedroom apartments like this one, and the town itself is pretty cute with lots of cafes.
You could also drive just a little bit further along the way to Aurlandsvangen and get a beautiful apartment right by the lake if you plan far enough in advance. This town looked straight out of Frozen, and had a gorgeous lookout at Stegastein.
Aurlandsvangen had a very relaxed feel to it, lots of beautiful cafes along the lake and was not super crowded. We later drove past Flam and I was so glad we did not stay there!
Gudvangen
I did not expect to like this stop as much as I did! We didn’t stay here overnight, but we did spend the entire day at the Gudvangen Viking Village living out our best viking days.
Gudvangen Viking Village is a living history experience set in Nærøyfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Norway. The village recreates daily life from over a thousand years ago, where volunteers dressed in Viking costumes welcome visitors into longhouses, workshops and marketplaces. As a guest, you can try traditional crafts, try Viking-era food, learn about Norse mythology and even try archery and axe-throwing.
This was such a highlight of our trip to Norway with kids!
Gudvangen Viking Village 
Gudvangen Viking Village 
Gudvangen Viking Village
Just north of Gudvangen there’s a beautiful hike called Rimstigen. We skipped it due to timing constraints and doing a similar looking hike in Geiranger, but if you have extra time to spare this is a good place to go!
Bergen
The last leg of the trip is driving down to Bergen!
There’s a really beautiful waterfall called Tvindefossen on the way that you absolutely must stop at, especially since it’s just off the side of the road. It’s accessible and super easy to get to – very low effort to reward ratio for this one!
Tvindefossen 
Tvindefossen
Bergen was quite rainy for the entire time we were there so we mostly stuck to indoor exploration with a little bit of sightseeing when it wasn’t pouring. Don’t get discouraged if the forecast for Bergen is rain – it does tend to get quite a lot of it. It’s still possible to explore in the rain, just make sure to bring the right clothing with you! Just remember – sometimes rain makes for the best photos!
We packed all our Reima rain gear for the girls (use SLJ20 for 20% off!) and I’m so glad we did!
In Bergen we checked out the Aquarium, the climbing gym and of course the historic downtown.
We had plans to drive further down to Stavanger and hike to Pulpit Rock, but unfortunately the forecast called for a LOT of rain and we decided to cut our losses and stay in Bergen until our flight out.