Oslofjord Short Loop

Oslo–Son is cycle path almost the entire way, running south through the suburbs and out past Vestby on a forgiving profile with very few real climbs. You get into a rhythm quickly, and before you've really started working the road tips downward into two long sweeping descents toward the fjord. Watch the first one — there are a couple of sharp corners, and while my Garmin warned me about the first, the second one came up unannounced. Worth knowing before you're committed.

Son itself is the kind of fjord village that makes you want to extend the café stop. Whitewashed wooden houses, a busy guest harbour, sailboats clinking on their lines. Håndverksbakeriet is the mandatory pause — stock up on bread and pastries for the ferry, then drop down to the marina to top up bottles before boarding. The B21 summer ferry to Filtvet only runs in season and there are just two weekend departures, so check the timetable the night before. Miss it and the day plan falls apart.

The crossing itself is fifteen minutes of pure holiday: Norwegian flag snapping over the wake, sailboats scattered across the inner fjord, the Hurum coastline growing on the horizon. If you decide you've had enough riding, the boat continues all the way to Aker Brygge — a clean exit. But the second half is where the route earns its keep.

Filtvet–Vollen is the wild card. The cycle path largely disappears and you're on rural road with 40–70 km/h speed limits. Traffic is light but real, and the forest sections under canopy are properly shaded — rear light on, even in sunshine. The terrain is constantly up and down, with two longer climbs to break the rhythm. There's a little red café cabin right on the quay in Filtvet if you want a quick stop the moment you roll off the boat, or a proper sit-down lunch at the restaurant by Filtvet fyr if you'd rather fuel up before the climbs. Vollen, when you finally roll in, feels like a Sørlandet village transplanted north — a tidy marina, white clapboard, ice cream on the quay. Cafe Villa, right down by the sea, is the last sensible pause.

From Vollen back to Oslo it's easy going compared to what you've just done. Dedicated cycle path returns, and from Holmen onward the road is essentially flat, hugging the inner fjord into the city. After-bike: Kongen Marina, Vippa, or a terrace at Sørenga. All on the water, all earned.