Map making tool

[Kalmageddon]

I'm currently working on a new setting for a rpg campaign and I'd like to make a realistic map of the continent where the game is going to take place, meaning something that looks like this when finished:

And not some kind of hexagonal puzzle with small drawings of mountains and castles to mark the landmarks.

I was wondering if there is some kind of tool available on the internet, for free or for purchase, to help me on this task. Ideally it should be free and easy to use, but since I feel it would be a good investment it's ok if it has a price.

Any advice?

[Elemental]

Find part of the real world that matches kind of what you want, grab a physical map, turn it upside down, flip horizontally, remove any names or markings and add your own cities, names and labels.

You may have to readjust your campaign setting.

I guarantee, that somewhere out there in the world is a location obscure enough to be not easily recognisable and reasonably similar to what you want.
Otherwise, I have no idea how you're going to get something of Atlas quality.

[Inglenook]

There are tutorials on Cartographer's Guild on how to create atlas-style maps, although the coastline is likely to be more simplified than the Scandinavian fjords, I think.

[Lensman]

I've used Campaign Cartographer for years, and it can produce some pretty impressive results. It isn't cheap, but it works very well. The bad news is that it needs a lot of work to get those results - there are some good tutorials which are worth working through. To do a good map takes time. Of course, the Fractal Terrains add-on is worth it if you want something as complex as fjords.

[Anxe]

I've been using Campaign Cartographer for years as well. It does take a bit of messing around in it to really grasp how it works. I still don't fully understand how to relayer icons in it. It's also not particularly cheap. With practice, you can do anything in it, but you need to pay the pricetag of money and time.