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"Fjord" is one of the few Norwegian words that are now used in other languages - and the magnificent fjords are the number one tourist attraction in Norway. Norway has the highest concentration of fjords in the world. There are fjords all along the Norwegian coastline, but the most spectacular ones are found on the western coast to the south of Trondheim, in the four counties Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland and Rogaland.
The fjords of Norway were carved out by glaciers during several Ice Ages. Fjords are found in areas where glaciers once extended below the current sea level. When a glacier retreats, it leaves behind a U-shaped valley (in contrast to valleys formed by rivers, these are V-shaped) - the sea water fills the valley floors, and the result is a narrow, steep-sided inlet. The fjords are often quite deep - the 204-km long Sognefjord is the world's deepest, with a maximum depth of 1309 m, and the mountains surrounding the fjord are as high as the fjord is deep.
The western Norwegian fjords enjoy a quite mild climate, thanks to the warm Gulf Stream, and they usually remain virtually ice-free throughout the winter. Fruit trees (apples, pears, plums, cherries...) are grown along many of the fjords, and it's a truly fantastic sight in May, when tens of thousands of fruit trees are blossoming on the steep sides of the fjords - with snow-capped mountains in the background... it's truly beautiful!! You'll see numerous waterfalls along the fjords - and there are several glaciers in the Fjord region, including Jostedalsbreen, which is the largest glacier on the European mainland.
The Norwegian fjords, represented by Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, are included on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Leave a Comment
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Northern Norway is a great place to watch the glowing, dancing northern lights. I live in Tromsø, and in winter we do see northern lights on practically every clear evening. Sometimes you might see the northern lights in southern Norway as well, especially if there's been a lot of activitiy at the sun (solar storms) - but that is quite rare.
A little science...: The northern lights are caused by charged particles emitted from the sun - when these particles hit the atmosphere of the earth, they collide with gas atoms. Part of the collision energy is used for excitation of electrons in the gas atoms - and when the excited electrons return to their normal state they emit greenish (which is the colour most commonly seen), purple, bluish or red light: Aurora Borealis!
There are northern lights all year long, and in all types of weather - but for you to see them the sky has to be clear and dark. (That means it's impossible to see the aurora in summer, the sky is way too light - to the north of the Arctic Circle there's even midnight sun during parts of the summer.) You have a good chance of seeing the northern lights if you visit the northern parts of Norway between September and late March. Leave a Comment
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 My Norway tour - Route 2:
visits in the fjords by Diana75
The first part of our first day in fjords we drove from Stryn to Geirager, climbing the mountain up to Dalsnibba plateau for a wonderful view of the mountains and the fjord.
After a pleasant stop in Geiranger, with the world?s most famous fjord, we continued driving on Orneveien (the stunning Eagles Road), passed the Nordfjord with the ferry from Eidsdal to Linge and finally arrive to... Trollstigen.
What a great experience guys!!!
And how can you feel better all this new and terrible sensations than driving down the Trollstigen with a 12.7m long bus (the maximum allowed is 13m) and meeting another bus just right before a bend when your engine stops and all you can see around in an endless precipice.
The road followed on the shore of the fjord until Magerholm where we took the ferry to Orsneset and continue to Stranda and Hellesylt back to Stryn.
In the morning of the second day we went to Loen and climb the Kjenndalbreen (Kjenndal Glacier).
In the afternoon we continued the road to Maloy, had a bath in the ocean and came back to Stryn in the evening for a wonderful Romanian party on the fjord shore.
Total driving distance:
- first day: Stryn-Dalsnibba-Geiranger-Trollstigen-Eidsdal-Linge-Magerholm-Orsneset-Stryn: 402km;
- second day: Stryn-Loen-Kjenndalbreen-Maloy-Stryn: 322km.
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Fedje is a small municipality situated in the northern parts of the county of Hordaland - a two-hour journey from the city of Bergen: 1 1/2 hours by car, then 30 minutes by ferry from Sævrøy. The main island of Fedje, where most of the ca 650 inhabitants live, is surrounded by around 125 smaller islands and tiny little islets.
Fedje is still a quite traditional coastal community, even though nowadays (with better communications to the mainland) fewer inhabitants are depending on the North Sea for income - but there are still quite a few fishermen, and also two whaling ships, on Fedje. (Read my "Local customs" tip about whaling in Norway for more info!) A visit to Fedje would make an interesting day trip from Bergen - and if you'd like to stay longer there are rooms or modern, comfortable cabins for rent.
It is possible to go on a lighthouse-safari at Hellisøy Fyr (but contact Fedje tourist information, the lighthouse is only open occasionally) If you want to spend the night it's possible to rent the former lighthouse keeper's quarters (but you'll need to book well ahead!). Don't miss walking the North Sea Trail - a very nice hiking trail, great for birdwatching. Kræmmerholmen was a trading post and inn as early as around 1650, and the restored buildings now house a restaurant - unfortunately, it is only open to groups and also occasionally in summer - check the Fedje website for more info. Don't forget to try the small, weird cable ferry across the bay, and if the pewter workshop is open (summer only) a visit there shouldn't be missed. And of course - go fishing, either from the shore or from a rented boat.
Fedje is a beautiful place, and well worth a visit even though it takes quite a while to get to Fedje from Bergen (especially if you haven't got a car - buses are, like in most of rural Norway, unfortunately not very frequent!)
Have a look at my Fedje page for more pics and more detailed info... :o) Leave a Comment
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Tromsø, with 62000 inhabitants, is the largest city in Northern Norway. This is where I've been living for the past few years, studying at the world's northernmost university... :o)
Situated at the arctic latitude of 70 degrees north, Tromsø has a relatively mild climate, with temperatures rarely falling very far below zero C in winter. (-18 C is the all-time low). In my opinion, Tromsø's main attraction is the fantastic nature surrounding the town - steep, wild mountains, fjords and scenic islands. If you're travelling to Tromsø in winter you have a great chance of seeing the beautiful, dancing northern lights (aurora borealis) - and for two whole months in summer you can enjoy life under the midnight sun. Go skiing, ice fishing, snowmobile riding or reindeer sleighing in winter - and enjoy hiking, fishing, whale watching (or perhaps just sun bathing, beer drinking & barbecuing) in summer... :o)
In Tromsø you'll find all kinds of "the world's northernmost" this and that - including a university, brewery - and Burger King (but that's not the one in Storgata / the main street!;o) The town is known as "the gateway to the Arctic", and has been the starting point for many Arctic expeditions - you'll find several museums in Tromsø focusing on this part of the town's history. Among the museums, the most popular one is Polaria with its arctic aquariums and seal pool.
The town has lots of cafés, pubs and restaurants - and the nightlife is surprisingly good, probably because of the relatively large number of students in Tromsø. Leave a Comment
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 Urnes, beautifully situated
high above the fjord by FletteMette, 4 more photos
Urnes stave church was built around 1130, and is believed to be the oldest of the remaining stave churches. It has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1979, and is particularly known for its exquisite animal carvings. Urnes is my favourite of the many stave churches I've visited - the wood carvings are beautiful, and the location is also quite unbeatable!
Parts of the church have been dated to 1050-1100, and it is believed that there has been one, possibly two, older churches on this site before the stave church was built - and that parts of these churches were recycled into Urnes stave church.
The stave church is open to the public from June 7th to August 31st, between 10.30-17.30.
Admission prices:
Adults: NOK 45
Students / Children: NOK 30
Family (Parents + kids up to 18 years of age) : NOK 90
To get here, take the small car ferry from Solvorn (or drive the narrow road from Skjolden). No need to bring your car along on the ferry, the stave church is situated a short (but steep) walk from the ferry quay. Gorgeous views of the fjord and the fruit trees! To find out more, see my Sogn og Fjordane page.
If you want to know more about the stave churches, please see my "General tip". Leave a Comment
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 My Norway tour - Route 1:
from Oslo to Stryn by Diana75
We drove north to the small town of Gjovik, our first short stop.
Our stop to Gjovik had in fact another reason than a simple visit; we just had to meet the guy who, so perfectly, took care of our Scandinavian tour, organizing everything so well. I'm talking about one of the most important travel agencies in Norway - Robinson Scandinavia with the headquarters in Gjovik.
After another 48km we've stopped to Lillehammer, the heart of the 1994 Olympic Games, for visiting the Olympic Park.
Ringebu and its magnificent stave church was the following destination of our tour.
After visiting our first stave church in Norway, we continued our road to Stryn, being surrounded by a magnificent landscape made of high mountains, lakes and numerous waterfalls.
Late in the evening we arrived to Strynvatn Camping, our home in the fjords for 3 days.
Total driving distance: Oslo-Gjovik-Lillehammer-Ringebu-Fosnes-Stryn: 517km.
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Aurland is a municipality right in the heart of Fjord Norway, beautifully situated by the Aurlandsfjord and the Nærøyfjord - these are arms of the 204-km long Sognefjord. Aurland has around 1800 inhabitants, of which 1100 live in the village of Aurlandsvangen. The rest live in even smaller villages in the lower river valleys, including Flåm, Gudvangen and Undredal.
In Aurland you'll find both spectacular fjords, rivers, waterfalls, glaciers and steep, wild mountains - the dramatic nature of this region is among Norway's top tourist attractions. Around 100 cruise ships visit the Aurland Fjord each year, and the area is a great starting point for fjord trips or mountain hikes. The world's longest road tunnel connects Aurland to Lærdal to the east - but driving the narrow, steep, old road across the mountain between Aurland and Lærdal is a lot more interesting than whizzing through the mountain in in a 24,5 km long road tunnel.
The famous Flåmsbana, part of the "Norway in a Nutshell"-roundtrip, is one of Norway's most visited tourist attractions - the incredibly steep Flåm railway offers quite breathtaking views of the Flåm valley, as the train climbs almost 900 meters from the village of Flåm by the fjord, to Myrdal in the mountains. Another exciting option would be riding a bike down the old Navvies' road (Rallarvegen) from Haugastøl and Finse (on the Oslo - Bergen railway) to Flåm.
If you come to Norway looking for stunning scenery, chances are you'll end up in Aurland. For more information on the region, have a look at my Sogn og Fjordane - page. Leave a Comment
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In my opinion, Bergen is an absolute must-see for tourists coming to Norway. The 245000 inhabitants make this the country's second largest (but certainly the most pleasant;o) city. (Biased, me?? Not at all!:o)
Bergen is beautifully situated among seven mountains on the fantastic, wild, western coast of Norway - and is known as the "gateway to the fjords" - but don't travel straight to the fjords, waterfalls, mountains or glaciers nearby - spend some time in this nice little city as well.
King Olav Kyrre sailed into Vågen, the harbour, and founded the city Bjørgvin (the old Norse name of Bergen, meaning "field among mountains") in 1070 - and Bergen's colourful harbour has ever since been very important for the city, making it a hub for trading and shipping. The old wharf area, Bryggen (the row of colourful wooden buildings seen in my main pic), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Bergen's prime landmark.
Bergen has one of the world’s oldest symphony orchestras, many interesting museums (including the home of composer Edvard Grieg) and several international festivals - the most well-known being Festspillene which take place every May. Bergen has also got Norway's best football team - Brann - we won the league in 2007, and will surely repeat it this year!;o)
Bergen is a very charming city, and has lots to offer any visitor - some of the attractions include the Fish Market, the Aquarium, the funicular ride to the top of mount Fløyen, cable car to Mount Ulriken for some spectacular views of the city and surrounding islands - and most importantly: just strolling around the cobbled streets and numerous narrow lanes and alleys between pretty little wooden houses, enjoying a skillingsbolle (Bergen's special cinnamon bun) in one of the city's bakeries, and having a pint or four of Hansa beer somewhere by the sea... ahhhh lovely.... Leave a Comment
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