The Atlantic Road: How to Do It, With or Without a Car

🚗 Driving the Atlantic Road (Atlanterhavsveien): How to Do It, With or Without a Car

The Atlantic Road is one of Norway’s most celebrated drives, a short but dramatic stretch of highway that leaps between small islands and skerries on elegant bridges, with the North Atlantic crashing on either side. It’s often described as a road built for the scenery rather than the destination — and that framing is important when deciding how to experience it.

Waves crashing against bridges on Norway’s Atlantic Road during stormy weather

Myrbærholmbrua, Storseisundbrua. Photo: (C) Jan Helge Birkelund, Atlantic Foto

Image courtesy of visitnorway.com

✈️ Which Airport Should You Fly Into?

The two most practical airports for the Atlantic Road are:

Kristiansund (KSU)
- Closest airport
- Quickest access to the Atlantic Road
- Limited flights, but convenient once you arrive
Molde (MOL)
- Slightly further away
- More flexibility for circular road trips
- Good base if combining the Atlantic Road with fjords and mountains
Trondheim is further away, but it offers a much wider choice of inbound flights — including budget flights from elsewhere in Europe — along with more rental car options; allow around three hours’ driving time from Trondheim to Kristiansund to begin your Atlantic Road experience.

Both airports have car rental available, and either works well depending on whether you want a simple out-and-back drive or a wider scenic loop.

💰 Seeing the Atlantic Road on a Budget

If your main goal is just to see the Atlantic Road itself, you can keep costs relatively contained.

Fly into Kristiansund (KSU)
Rent a small car for one or two days only
Drive the Atlantic Road as a return trip or short loop
Stay in Kristiansund or nearby towns rather than remote lodges

The road itself is short — the experience comes from stopping frequently, walking viewpoints, and watching the weather rather than clocking up distance. You don’t need a long rental period if this is your sole objective.

🌄 Combining the Atlantic Road With Fjords and Scenery

Where the Atlantic Road really shines is as part of a larger western Norway road trip.

With a car, you can easily:

Combine the Atlantic Road with fjord landscapes inland
Drive along coastal routes and mountain passes
Link Kristiansund, Molde, and smaller villages
Adjust plans around weather and light

In this scenario, flying into Molde and doing a one-way or circular route often makes more sense. This is not about ticking off one road, but about experiencing the region at a slower pace.

🎬 The Atlantic Road in No Time to Die — A Bond Boost for Road Trips

The Atlantic Road received a major visibility boost when it was featured in the James Bond film No Time to Die. In the movie, an intense driving sequence uses the road’s dramatic bridges and curves as part of a North Atlantic chase, making it look like one of the most spectacular roads on the planet. This cinematic role naturally swings the pendulum even further toward wanting to drive a car here, because the experience in the film reinforces the idea that the Atlantic Road is about motion, momentum, and dramatic coastal landscapes rather than static sightseeing. The sequence was filmed in Norway along Atlanterhavsveien, helping to cement its reputation as a must-see road trip destination.

🚗 Is a Rental Car Necessary?

For most people, yes.

The Atlantic Road is:

Not served by regular public transport in a visitor-friendly way
Spread across rural areas with limited bus frequencies
Designed for stopping, detouring, and changing plans

Without a car, your options are very limited.

🚌 Can You Do the Atlantic Road Without Renting a Car?

It is technically possible, but rarely practical.

Your alternatives are:

Guided tours (often from Kristiansund or Molde)
Buses, which exist but don’t allow easy stops or flexibility
Taxis, which are prohibitively expensive for this distance

If your aim is photography, walking viewpoints, or timing visits around weather, public transport simply doesn’t work well.

🚴 Is the Atlantic Road doable by bike?

Yes — absolutely.
The Atlantic Road is fully open to cyclists, and it’s well known in cycling circles as a scenic (and occasionally brutal) coastal ride.

Key points:

The road surface is good
Traffic speeds are moderate (though wind can be fierce)
Bridges are exposed but have reasonable shoulders
Cyclists are a normal sight here in summer

It’s not extreme in terms of distance, but it is exposed to weather.

🚲 Bike hire in Kristiansund

This is the main constraint.

Bike hire is limited, not mass-market
There are seasonal and small-scale rentals, often:
- local sports shops
- tourist offices
- accommodation providers (especially guesthouses)
E-bike hire is more likely than traditional touring bikes

This is not a place where you just walk off a plane and choose from 20 rental bikes. You’d need to:

check ahead
be flexible on bike type
potentially rent for several days

Many cyclists actually bring their own bikes via plane or train + ferry.

🗺️ How long would you need? (Realistic itineraries)

🚴‍♂️ Option 1: Tight, fit cyclist (2 days)

Day 1

Kristiansund → Atlantic Road area
Slow riding, lots of stops, photos, weather watching
Overnight near Averøy / small coastal accommodation

Day 2

Loop inland or along the coast
Return to Kristiansund

This is doable but rushed, and very weather-dependent.

🚴‍♂️ Option 2: Sensible scenic pace (3–4 days) ✅ best balance

This is the sweet spot.

Short daily distances
Time to stop, walk viewpoints, wait out weather
Easier accommodation planning
Less pressure from wind and rain

A typical loop:

Kristiansund → Averøy / Atlantic Road
Continue toward Molde or inland fjords
Loop back via quieter roads

This turns the Atlantic Road from a “ride” into a journey.

🚦 Cycling Safety and Traffic in Norway

One reassuring factor for cyclists in Norway is driver behaviour. Norwegian drivers are generally patient and respectful towards cyclists, and the country consistently ranks among the safest in the world for road traffic overall. That said, this part of the coast does not have dedicated cycle lanes.

You will be riding in regular traffic, sharing the road with cars and occasional heavy vehicles. For most experienced cyclists this is manageable, but it’s important to be comfortable riding on open roads rather than expecting protected cycling infrastructure.

🏨 Accommodation while cycling

This is actually a strength, not a weakness.

Small guesthouses
Cabins
B&Bs
Camping (in season)

Norway is very cycle-friendly in terms of overnight stops, even if bike rental itself is limited.

🚤 The Atlantic Road from the Water: RIB Boat Tours

For something completely different, it’s also possible to experience the Atlantic Road from the sea via a high-speed RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) excursion known as the Atlantic Open Road. These tours operate from Strømsholmen and run parallel to the bridges and skerries from water level, offering an entirely different perspective on the landscape. You see the bridges rising above you, feel the scale of the open Atlantic, and experience the coastline in a way that roads — even dramatic ones — simply can’t replicate.

💰 Spectacle, Not Savings

At around 1,600 Norwegian kroner per person (roughly €135–€140), this is very clearly not a budget option. It’s far more expensive than renting a small car, especially for couples or groups. That said, it is a one-of-a-kind experience rather than a transport solution. The departure point can be reached by public bus, making it accessible even without a car, but the appeal here is drama rather than economy. Think of it as a high-adrenaline add-on to an Atlantic Road visit — not an alternative to driving it.

🧭 The Bigger Picture

The Atlantic Road is less about transport efficiency and more about freedom of movement.

You stop when the light changes
You wait out storms or sunshine
You detour without planning

That experience is almost impossible to replicate without your own vehicle.

Conclusion: what’s the best way to do the Atlantic Road?

On a tight budget, focused only on the road:
Fly to Kristiansund, rent a car briefly, keep it simple.
For the full western Norway experience:
Fly to Molde or Kristiansund, rent a car for longer, and explore fjords, coast, and mountains together.
Without a car:
Possible in theory, but highly constrained and rarely satisfying.

💡 Final rule of thumb:
The Atlantic Road isn’t just a road — it’s a reason to rent a car. 🚗🌊

Car or no Car