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.
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
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. 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
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
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 were able to join them on a guided kayak trip 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.
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
The Sognefjord, the king of the fjords, is the longest fjord adventure in Norway. The Sognefjord is 204 kilometers long and 1308 meters deep at its deepest. Join a guided glacier walk on the Nigardsbreen glacier, see the beautiful stave churches. Join a fjord safari or a fjord cruise on the Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord. Experience the view from Stegastein viewpoint above the Aurlandsfjord. Take a short hike to Mt Molden in Luster and you will see the fantastic view down to the Lustrafjord. Balestrand is one of the first places the foreign tourists visited when they discovered Norway in the mid-19th century. 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.
Great Fjærland-Links
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.
Accommodation in Fjærland
Accommodation and Food in Fjærland
Fjærland Fjordstove, Historic Hotel in Fjærland
Bøyum Camping in Fjærland
Fjærland Hytter in Fjærland