FJÆRLAND AND THE FJÆRLANDSFJORD – FROM FJORD TO GLACIER

It was late May. We drove from Oslo to visit Fjærland in the Sognefjord, to spend some days in this picturesque village surrounded by fjord, mountains and glaciers. Map to use: Sogndal 1:50000.

May is a great month to visit the fjords. There are still snow in the mountains, the valleys are green, and the apple trees are blossoming.

Visit Sognefjord

Visit Sognefjord is the official destination company for the Fjærlandsfjord and Sognefjord area.

View from a kayak on the Fjærlandsfjord. This is from the spring, sometime in May. There is still snow on the mountains, the valleys are green, and the apple trees are blooming.
View from a kayak on the Fjærlandsfjord. This is from the spring, sometime in May. There is still snow on the mountains, the valleys are green, and the apple trees are blooming.

The road to Fjærland

See video from the three kilometer long road between the Norwegian Glacier Museum and Fjærland by the Fjærlandsfjord. The Fjærlandsfjord is a branch of the 204 kilometer long Sognefjord. Here we drive towards Fjærland.

Fjærland – The Norwegian Book Town

FJORDS NORWAY - Boat House in Fjærland. View outwards the Fjærlandsfjord.
Boat House in Fjærland. View outwards the Fjærlandsfjord.

We planned to cross the fjord in our kayaks and put up our tent on the other side of the fjord. But we arrived late in the evening, and it was dark outside. So we parked the car close to Fjærland, and found a spot with green grass by the fjord.

The weather was just perfect for camping, so good that we left the tent in the car and let the stars be our roof for the night.

Next morning we had breakfast by the fjord. The water was flat like a mirror, the sun was shining, and the only sound we heard was the birds chirping.

Kayaking on the Fjærlandsfjord.
Kayaking on the Fjærlandsfjord.

We entered our kayaks and glided into the Fjærlandsfjord. The first day we wanted to explore the inner part of the fjord, which is a branch of the 204 kilometer long Sognefjord. We had a great time on the fjord.

Later we strolled around in Fjærland. This place is so beautiful that it is almost unreal. It has it´s own museum, the Norwegian Glacier Museum. And Fjærland is also named The Norwegian Book Town due to all the bookstores in the town. It has a total of 2.5 miles with shelves filled with books, new and used. The smallest bookstore is a book stand by the road. Based on trust, you can pick a book and leave some money in a box.

Guided Tours in Fjærland and Floating Sauna on the Fjærlandsfjord

FJORDS NORWAY - Floating Sauna in Fjærland in the Sognefjord area.
Floating Sauna in Fjærland in the Sognefjord area.

Fjærland Guiding offers guided tours in Fjærland and on the Fjærlandsfjord. The guided tours starts from the head office of Fjærland Guiding in Mundal in the center of Fjærland.

The guides take good care of you and will tell you about Fjærland, the mountains and the Fjærlandsfjord and the beautiful surroundings.

Fjærland Guiding also offers you to experience the Floating Sauna “Dampen” which is situated on the Fjærlandsfjord just outside the center of Fjærland.

SEASON: Summer. Check with Fjærland Guiding when they offer guiding. Sauna Season is all year round.

A kayak trip on the Fjærlandsfjord

Kayaking on the Fjærlandsfjord.
Kayaking on the Fjærlandsfjord.

It was a fine day in August 2023. We were passing through and stopped by Fjærland to have a cup of coffee and something good to eat at Inkåleisn Café in the center of Fjærland.

The fjord was there as a mirror, and the weather was fine. The sun shone from an almost clear sky, there were only some decorative clouds that made the fjord even more beautiful. So we contacted Fjærland Guiding and joined them on a guided kayak trip on the Fjærlandsfjord.

Kayaking on the Fjærlandsfjord.
Kayaking on the Fjærlandsfjord.

We paddled a good distance out the fjord, on the same side as Fjærland. Then we crossed the fjord and paddled back along the east side of the fjord. We passed beautiful Bjåstad Farm on the way back to Fjærland before crossing the fjord again and back to where we started, at Fjærland Guiding’s “headquarters”, which is located by the Joker Grocery Store in the center of Fjærland.

It was three wonderful hours out on the fjord where we saw eagles, porpoises, some seagulls and lots of fish jumping in the water. That was probably the reason why the porpoises were there so close to Fjærland. We didn’t see a human on the trip.

Norwegian Glacier Museum – The Panoramic Movie

Movie teaser from the fantastic panoramic movie from the Jostedalsbreen Glacier that can be seen inside the Norwegian Glacier Museum in Fjærland. The film is produced by Falkeblikk.

Solvorn, Fjærland and Undredal – Vibrant Fjord Villages by the Sognefjord

FJORDS NORWAY - Fjærland by the Fjærlandsfjord which is part of the 204 kilometre long Sognefjord.
Fjærland is located deep in the Fjærlandsfjord.

The Sognefjord is the lifeblood, indeed the main artery of the villages that lie along the fjord and of the fjord people who live there. The longest fjord is the very reason why these fjord villages exist and that they are located where they do.

Solvorn by the Lustrafjord, Fjærland by the Fjærlandsfjord and Undredal by the Aurlandsfjord are three great examples of vibrant fjord villages in the area around the Sognefjord.

These fjord villages have welcomed tourists since they began visiting Norway in the 17th century. At the same time, time has in a way stood still in these beautiful fjord villages. Many of the original buildings have been preserved and refined.

FJORDS NORWAY - Ferry heading towards Ornes. The beautiful village of Solvorn can be seen on the other side of the Lustrafjord.
Ferry heading towards Ornes. The beautiful village of Solvorn can be seen on the other side of the Lustrafjord.

The drive from Fjærland

See video from the three kilometer long road between Fjærland by the Fjærlandsfjord and the Norwegian Glacier Museum. The drive from Fjærland is, if possible, even more beautiful than the drive to Fjærland. Here we drive from Fjærland, inwards the fjord with the mountains and glaciers as backdrops.

Sognefjord – What to See and Do

Sognefjord.
Sognefjord.

The Sognefjord, the king of the fjords, is the longest fjord adventure in Norway. The Sognefjord is 204 kilometres long and 1308 metres deep at its deepest.

Join a guided glacier walk on the Nigardsbreen glacier. Take a short hike to Mt Molden in Luster and you will get a fantastic view down towards the Lustrafjord. See the beautiful stave churches around the Sognefjord. Urnes Stave Church is one of them, it is located at Ornes by the Lustrafjord and is part of our common world heritage.

Join a fjord safari or a fjord cruise on the Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord. Experience the view from Stegastein viewpoint above the Aurlandsfjord. Flåm Railway has been named one of the ten most beautiful railways in the world. This is the train journey from mountain to fjord, and many people take the train ride both ways.

In the middle of the Sognefjord, where the fjord is at its widest and the mountains starts to rise, you’ll find Balestrand, an idyllic village down by the fjord. The fjord village of Fjærland is located deep in the Fjærlandsfjord. It is so beautiful there that it is almost unreal. Fjærland is also called The Norwegian Book Town because of all the book sales in the tiny village.

Borgund Stave Church was built around year 1181 AD. and is the most visited stave church in Norway. Close by is the old Vindhellavegen Road that runs between Borgund and Husum in the Lærdalen valley in Lærdal. The old Vindhellavegen Road is part of the old King´s Road between east and west in Norway.

The Fjærlandsfjord, Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord, the Årdalsfjord and the Lustrafjord are all branches of the Sognefjord. These side fjords are perhaps even more famous than the Sognefjord itself, which is located in the middle of Western Norway. The Sognefjord is so long that it almost divides Norway in two.

Official page for Fjærland: Fjaerland.org
Things to see and do in Fjærland
Guiding in Fjærland: Fjærland Guiding Company
The Norwegian Glacier Museum in Fjærland
The Norwegian Booktown in Fjærland
Inkåleisen Café in Fjærland.

Hotels and Accommodation in Fjærland

Accommodation and Food in Fjærland
Fjærland Fjordstove, Historic Hotel in Fjærland
Bøyum Camping in Fjærland
Fjærland Hytter in Fjærland

 

Here you will find an overview of recommended HOTELS in addition to SPA & BATH HOTELS and OTHER ACCOMMODATION PLACES in Western Norway. The combination of beautiful nature, activities that you can do in all four seasons and a stay at a great accommodation is unique. A stay in one of these places will do you good, both for body and mind.

There are ten restaurants that have awarded Michelin stars and Michelin awards in Western Norway. Eight of the Michelin restaurants are in Stavanger and two in Bergen. Here you will find FJORDS MICHELIN, where you will also find a list of recommended hotels in Western Norway, recommended by Michelin.

USEFUL LINKS is a list of websites with great information on Norway and the Fjords. FAQ is an overview of articles that answer the most common questions you have when planning to visit the fjords in Western Norway.

Fjærland and the Fjærlandsfjord – Map Overview