St Olav's Way Trail

A 640 km multiweek pilgrimage to Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, typically walked in 28 to 35 days.

Time to Hike: 28-35 days to cover about 640 km, with common daily stages of 20-30 km. Plenty of options to shorten or join sections.

Best Time to Go: Late spring to early autumn - most walkers choose May to September when trails are clearest and services are open.

Getting there: The route is a network with multiple trailheads reachable by regional train, bus and ferry; most international arrivals fly into Trondheim Airport Værnes or travel by rail from Oslo and other cities.

Costs: No general permit required. Budget for a mix of pilgrim hostels, guesthouses and occasional cabins or hotels; camping and simple municipal sites reduce costs.

Difficulty: Primarily lowland and valley walking with some rolling hills and road sections. The challenge is distance and variable weather - expect wet, muddy ground at times and long days on foot.

Norway’s St Olav’s Way is a network of historic pilgrim tracks and marked routes that converge on Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. Landscapes vary by corridor - from gentle farmland and river valleys to wooded sections and occasional coastal stretches - with frequent village churches, medieval sites and local farms as highlights.

Accommodation along the way ranges from simple pilgrim hostels and guesthouses to privately run cabins; many towns on route offer food and resupply. The route’s appeal is cultural continuity rather than high mountain drama: it is a living pilgrimage that passes churches, memorials and landscape features tied to the medieval cult of St Olav.

Trondheim is the destination; the closest major airport is Trondheim Airport Værnes (TRD) with regular rail and bus connections into the city. Because the Way is a series of routes, walkers commonly join at different towns rather than a single official trailhead.

Regional trains and long-distance buses connect many of the larger towns on the corridors; some pilgrims start from points reachable by ferry or by rail from Oslo. The usual direction for long through-walks is toward Trondheim and the Nidaros shrine.

Norway’s walking season for lowland and valley routes runs roughly from May to September, with July and August the busiest months and the warmest conditions. Many pilgrim hostels and seasonal services operate only in these months, so book key stays in high season.

Expect changeable weather - rain, muddy trails and occasional cold spells early or late in the season. There are no national permits required for the pilgrimage, but observe local rules for camping and the right to roam - plan for shorter daylight and cooler conditions outside peak summer.