Andalsnes

A stop in Andalsnes during your MSC cruise of Northern Europe will give you the opportunity to admire the nature of the Norwegian fjords in all their splendour.
Andalsnes, together with Molde, the main town in the region, is located in the Romsdalsfjord, one of the fjords protected by UNESCO as a world heritage site. It is already exciting to enter a fjord on board a cruise ship but here you can also tackle the most incredible treks like the Trollstigen, the trolls’ staircase, that looks like it’s painted on the imposing mountains.

As you will discover during the MSC excursion, you climb all the way up to Stigrøra (858 metri a.s.l.) along 11 u-bends, in some parts cutting right into the mountain rock. Finally, a massive stone bridge will take you across the awesome Stigfossen Falls. But reference to trolls doesn’t end here: Trollveggen is one of the most famous mountain faces amongst rock-climbers around the world, as also the Romsdalshorn cloimb.

You can explore the Eikesdalen valley and the Mardalsfossen falls, that plunge vertically down almost 300 metres into the valley. A vacation in Norway allows you to travel along some of the most extreme routes in the world like the Atlantic Road that connects the fishing villages of Ona, Bjørnsund, Bud and Håholmen. Or the Aursjøvegen road that goes from the Eikesdalen valley across the Sunndaløra valley.
You then reach Varden, 400 metres above Molde, to enjoy the spectacular view: the entire Romsdalsfjord in front of your eyes and behind you as many as 222 peaks covered in snow almost all year round.

In Andalsnes you should not miss an excursion by train: the Rauma Railway trains travel slowly, occasionally stopping so you can admire unique spots such as the imposing Trollveggen, the ancient stone bridge in Kylling, as well as the falls and the Stavem tunnel where the train makes a 180° turn inside the mountain.