The Norwegian Fjords.

EUROPE/NORWAY/61.3500° N, 6.8500° E

Cold Atlantic air hits vertical walls of dark gneiss here, turning deep sea inlets into mirror-flat waterways. The landscape runs from the sod-roofed farms along Sognefjorden to the sea-lashed islands outside Ålesund. You spend mornings watching deckhands coil heavy nylon mooring lines on car ferries and afternoons navigating single-lane tunnels bored through solid rock. It is quiet country built on cold-water cod, sweet mountain cider, and sheer scale.

Last updated 3 Sept 2026

Field notes

Photographs · Wikimedia Commons
Europe / Norway61.35°N 6.85°E
The Norwegian Fjords — Flåm-Aurlandsfjord-norwegian-fjords-tunliweb
Flåm-Aurlandsfjord-norwegian-fjords-tunliweb · Wikimedia Commons
The Norwegian Fjords — Norway and its fjords (1907) (14763730242)
Norway and its fjords (1907) (14763730242) · Wikimedia Commons
The Norwegian Fjords — Hjørundfjorden-norwegian-fjords-tunliweb
Hjørundfjorden-norwegian-fjords-tunliweb · Wikimedia Commons

What The Norwegian Fjords is about

Twelve ways to read the region. Pick a town below and you can turn any of these into a timed 1, 2 or 3 day plan.

LOCAL SEAFOOD

Salted klippfisk in Ålesund, freshly boiled langoustines off the dock in Bergen, and cured fjord trout served with flatbrød.

FERRIES & WATERWAYS

Public catamarans and diesel roll-on ferries linking remote farms along the Nærøyfjord and the Geirangerfjord.

MOUNTAIN DRIVING

Tight hairpin bends climbing the Trollstigen pass and the high-altitude, snow-framed tarmac of Sognefjellet.

CIDER & ORCHARDS

Hardangerfjord cideries around Ullensvang pressing tart Gravenstein and Discovery apples into crisp farmhouse bottles.

SACRED ARCHITECTURE

Twelfth-century wooden stave churches standing on stone footings at Borgund and Urnes with intricate pagan carvings.

GLACIER HIKING

Blue-ice tongues of Jostedalsbreen descending into valley lakes, reached by guided crampon walks from Nigardsbreen.

COASTAL WALKS

Wind-whipped headland trails and coastal paths across the craggy skerries of Karmøy and the islands near Florø.

RAIL JOURNEYS

The steep rack-and-pinion climb of the Flåm Railway alongside the cascading waters of the Kjosfossen falls.

ART NOUVEAU ARCHITECTURE

Stone reliefs, turrets, and ornate facades rebuilt across Ålesund following the great town center fire of 1904.

PRESERVED WOODWORK

The timber merchant wharves of Bryggen in Bergen, smelling of old pine tar and salt herring since Hanseatic days.

HIGH ALTITUDE TREKKING

Long ridge scrambles across Romsdalseggen and the cliff path out to the granite platform of Preikestolen above Lysefjord.

FARMSTEAD TRADITIONS

Rømmegrøt sour cream porridge and cured fenalår mutton served in turf-roofed sæter huts across Aurlandsdalen.

Where to go in The Norwegian Fjords

The bases worth booking. Each one has its own field guide with 1, 2 and 3 day itineraries.

  1. 01
    Bergen

    VESTLAND / NORWAY

    Hanseatic wooden quays, rainy cobblestones, and the starting dock for coastal ferries.

  2. 02
    Ålesund

    MØRE OG ROMSDAL / NORWAY

    Striking Art Nouveau architecture perched directly on the edge of the Norwegian Sea.

  3. 03
    Flåm

    VESTLAND / NORWAY

    The bottom terminal of the steep railway, right at the head of the Aurlandsfjord.

  4. 04
    Geiranger

    MØRE OG ROMSDAL / NORWAY

    Dramatic sheer cliffs and waterfalls dropping into one of the country's deepest waterways.

  5. 05
    Stavanger

    ROGALAND / NORWAY

    White timber cottages near the harbor and the jumping-off point for hikes over Lysefjorden.

  6. 06
    Balestrand

    VESTLAND / NORWAY

    Dragon-style wooden villas sitting quietly along the northern shore of Sognefjorden.

  7. 07
    Odda

    VESTLAND / NORWAY

    An industrial town turned hiking base beneath the towering Folgefonn glacier.

  8. 08
    Undredal

    VESTLAND / NORWAY

    A tiny fjord village known for brown goat cheese and a stave church with forty seats.

  9. 09
    Åndalsnes

    MØRE OG ROMSDAL / NORWAY

    The terminus of the Rauma railway, framed by the jagged peaks of Romsdalen.

  10. 10
    Lom

    INNLANDET / NORWAY

    A dry mountain valley town holding a grand stave church and a celebrated wood-fired bakery.

  11. 11
    Rosendal

    VESTLAND / NORWAY

    A quiet inlet village featuring a seventeenth-century barony and manicured stone gardens.

  12. 12
    Sogndal

    VESTLAND / NORWAY

    A practical hub along Sognefjorden with easy access to Jostedalsbreen glacier tongues.

What to do in The Norwegian Fjords

Western Norway is a maze of saltwater corridors flanked by vertical granite mountains and glaciers. Days here revolve around ferry timetables, tunnel crossings, and unpredictable weather shifts. It suits self-reliant travellers who appreciate quiet road journeys, hearty farmhouse meals of salted lamb or fresh cod, and the slow rhythm of island-hopping by boat rather than bustling nightlife.

When to go to The Norwegian Fjords

Mid-June through August brings twenty hours of daylight, open mountain passes like Trollstigen, and full ferry schedules. May offers blossoming apple orchards along Hardangerfjord with fewer tour buses. By October, snow closes high roads and ferry services thin out considerably.

Getting around The Norwegian Fjords

Driving offers the most freedom, with public car ferries acting as simple road extensions. The Bergen Line train links Oslo to the coast in seven hours. Allow four to five hours to drive between Bergen and Geiranger due to fjord crossings and strict speed limits.