Sogndal is best known for it´s juice and jam, football and university. When it is autumn and the students come to the village, the population in Sogndal almost doubles.
But the fjord village is much more than juice, football and school. Sogndal is the very heart of the Sognefjord, and is a great area for activities and experiences in beautiful and wild nature. And from Sogndal there are only short distances to all the other side fjords of the Sognefjord.
Visit Sognefjord
Visit Sognefjord is the official destination company for the Sognefjord area.
Sogndal in the heart of the Sognefjord
Sogndal is located in the middle of all the side fjords of the Sognefjord. From Sogndal there is a short way to all the fjords in addition to being a great area for hiking along the fjord, kayaking, fjord cruises, mountain biking, climbing and bouldering, mountain hikes and skiing.
Enjoy the heat in a sauna and jump into the fresh water of the Sogndalsfjord. HEIT SOGNDAL is a sauna that stands on a parked tractor by the fjord. The sauna is located at Loftesnes by Sogndal, at the end of the fjord trail. The sauna is heated with wood, and you can jump into the fjord both from the beach and from the floating jetty which is right next to the sauna. Sauna season: All year round, but check the website for season and booking. You must book an appointment in the sauna in advance.
Some of the side fjords close to Sogndal are the Lustrafjord, Årdalsfjord, Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord and the Fjærlandsfjord.
Sogndal is surrounded by some of the most famous mountains for skiing and mountaineering in western Norway. The mountains in the Sogndal Area are well known for it´s powder snow, and many of the mountains have great fjord view. Hodlekve Ski Resort in the Sogndalsdalen valley is great for skiing in well prepared slopes and also for it´s crosscountry skiing.
Sogndal is located between the neighboring villages of Kaupanger and Fjærland, and since there is such a short distance and good relations between the three villages, you will also find information about Kaupanger and Fjærland here.
Grocery Stores and Petrol Stations in Sogndal
There are several grocery stores in Sogndal. Meny, Rema 1000 and Coop Extra are located in the center of Sogndal. Rema 1000 and Coop Extra are located just south of the city centre. Look at the stores’ websites for opening times and maps with location information.
There are also several petrol stations with options for charging of electric cars in Sogndal.
The Viking Battle of Fimreite in year 1184 AD.
One of the main historic events in the Viking age, the Battle of Fimreite, happened in the Sogndalsfjord. In year 1184 AD, King Sverre Sigurdsson with his 14 Viking Ships and King Magnus Erlingsson with his 26 Viking Ships met in the Sogndalsfjord outside Fimreite for the final battle about the Kingship of Norway.
The reason for the Battle of Fimreite was because the people in Sogn had killed King Sverre’s governor. King Sverre sentenced the people of Sogn to pay a fine because of this, but they refused to pay. Both the villages of Kaupanger and Sogndal and everything they came across in the area were then burned down by King Sverre’s men. When King Magnus heard about this, he and his army sailed to Sogndalsfjorden and met King Sverre for battle. King Sverre won, and King Magnus and more than 2000 men were killed in the battle.
Fjord X offers fjord cruises from Sogndal to Fimreite in the summer months June to August where you will be told the story of the Battle of Fimreite.
Fjord Cruises from Sogndal in the summer
Fjord X offers fjord cruises starting from Dampskipskaien in Sogndal in the summer months of June to August. You can choose between Historic Viking Cruise, Evening Cruise and Cider Cruise.
Historic Viking Cruise is a great fjord adventure that goes out the Sogndalsfjord from Sogndal to Fimreite and back to Sogndal. Experience the story of the Viking-battle of Fimreite in year 1184 AD. and the famous submarine-hunt in the Sognefjord during the cold war.
On the Cider Cruise you combine Cider Tasting on the local farm Haug Gard with a beautiful Fjord Cruise and bike ride along the Sognefjord.
The Evening Cruise is a nice and quiet fjord cruise from Sogndal and into the idyllic Barsnesfjord.
The Fjord Trail in Sogndal
Fjordstien in Sogndal, the more than one kilometer long Fjord Trail in Sogndal runs along the fjord, from Sogndalsfjøra to Loftesnes.
The Fjord Trail has great architecture with several rest areas and the possibilities of many experiences and activities along the trail. The Fjord Trail is illuminated.
Sogn Outdoor Museum – The Heiberg Collection
The outdoor museum The Heiberg Collection at Kaupanger is a beautiful oasis where you are brought back in time, to different eras where you can see and experience what life in the Sognefjord area was like before.
It is a great experience to walk around the outdoor museum and look at the old buildings and to see the animals grazing, and to enjoy the silence and the beautiful view towards the Sognefjord and the mountains in the distance. Here you can get the feeling of what life was like in the old days.
Sogn Outdoor Museum (The Heiberg Collection) was established as early as in 1909 on parts of landowner Gert Falch Heiberg’s property in Amla at Kaupanger. Heiberg had collected more than 3,000 objects from Sogn in addition to a house, and in 1909 he donated the collection to Historielaget i Sogn, which then established the Sogn Outdoor Museum.
The museum was Heiberg’s great passion, and he managed the museum until his death in 1949. By then he had more than 20,000 cataloged objects in the collection.
Experience the science center ViteMeir at Kaupanger
The science center ViteMeir at Kaupanger is a mix of a playground, a laboratory, a show, and a museum. ViteMeir is a place to explore and learn and inspires children and adults to seek new experiences together.
A visit to the Virtual Reality Simulator will take you on a journey from the bottom of the Sognefjord at 1308 meters below sea level to Galdhøpiggen, the highest mountain in Norway at 2469 meters above sea level. Watch the movie about how the Sognefjord, Norways deepest and longest fjord has been created over time.
Kaupanger Stave Church at Kaupanger in Sogn
Kaupanger Stave Church has been in continous use since it was built around year 1140 AD. It is one of the largest Stave Churches in Norway, and is built with wood from the forest around Kaupanger.
The church is situated on the hillside above the Kaupanger Bay by the Sognefjord, which originally is an old Viking trading town.
The name Kaupanger origins from the two norse words “Kaup” (to buy) and “angr” (bay).
Kaupanger Stave Church is still in use as a parish church and is used both for services, baptisms and weddings. Apart from Kaupanger, Sogndal is the closest town to the church, it is about 12 kilometers to drive from Sogndal to Kaupanger Stave Church.
Ferry trip on the Sognefjord between Kaupanger and Gudvangen
Kaupanger is one of two ports where the iconic ferry trip along the inner part of the Sognefjord departs and arrives.
This is a two and a half hour long fjord cruise on the Sognefjord and the Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord, between Kaupanger and Gudvangen.
On this ferry trip you will see the mighty Sognefjord, where the fjord is at its widest. The outermost part of the Aurlandsfjord is narrower than the Sognefjord, but still quite wide. The Nærøyfjord is narrow and the precipitous mountains rise high above the fjord.
Countless rivers and waterfalls cascade down the steep mountain sides. On this ferry trip you can see and experience the stark contrasts and the beautiful and wild nature of this wonderful piece of Norway.
You can take your car on this ferry trip.
Season: Summer, see link for more information about season and scedule.
Sogndalsdalen Valley and Anestølen Mountain Pasture
Between Fjærland and Sogndal, you can explore the beautiful Sogndalsdalen Valley and the Anestølen Mountain Farm where you can buy homemade goat´s cheese during summer. The video below is from lake Dalavatnet in the Sogndalsdalen valley.
Skiing in the Sognefjord area
The mountains in the Sogndal Area are well known for it´s snow and the fjord view.
Hodlekve Ski Resort in the Sogndalsdalen Valley is great for skiing in the well prepared slopes and also for it´s crosscountry skiing. From Sogndal, it is a short drive to Sogn Ski Center at Hafslo.
In Sogndal, they even make they´re own skis, SGN Skis, design to fit the Norwegian Mountains and the Norwegian snow.
The Ski-festival Fjellsportfestivalen is arranged in Sogndal every year in February.
Nils Olsson Reppen from Sogndal – a pioneer in fjord-photography
Photographer Nils Olsson Reppen was born in 1856 on the farm Reppen in Sogndal in western Norway. His pictures from the Sognefjord area from around year 1900 is a treasure from a bygone era.
In 1882, Nils Olsson Reppen immigrated to America and worked as a photographer in Browns Valley and Morris in Minnesota. He returned to Norway in the late 1800´s and continued to work as a photographer in Sogndal, the village where he was born. Nils lived until 1925.
In 1898, he moved back to Sogndal and lived in Tårnhuset in Sogndalsfjøra. In 1965, Tårnhuset burned down to the ground and most of his glass plate negatives were lost. There are 424 negatives left from Reppen, they are stored at Fylkesarkivet in Vestland.
Sogndal Football
It shouldn’t really be possible for a small village located deep in the Sognefjord to have a football team that has a “voucher” to the Norwegian Elite League in football. But in Sogndal, everything is possible.
The best position in the Norwegian Elite League is 6th place in -88, they were finalist in the Norwegian League Cup in -76, and the audience record of 7,000 spectators was also set in -76 when Sogndal met Start in the quarter-finals of the Norwegian League Cup. Just to mention it, the population in Sogndal is under 5,000. Video: Sogndal Football and Ylvis.
Lerum Saft og Syltetøy
Lerum Saft og Syltetøyfabrikk (squash, juice and jam factory) are synonymous with Sogndal. It is not without reason that Sogndal is called Saftbygda (the Squash Village). Saft og Syltetøyfabrikken started at Sørheim by the Lustrafjord in 1907. Old N.H. Lerum’s Saftfabrik AS at Sørheim is today a museum that you can visit in the summer. See the website of the museum for information about the season and opening hours.
In 1919, Lerum moved the production to Sogndal. Now they have gathered all production in a new and modern factory at Kaupanger, which is only a few kilometers from Sogndal. Lerum is Norway’s largest juice and squash producer, and much of the raw material is short-travelled fruit and berries from the area around the Sognefjord.
My own favourites from Lerum? Solbærsirup (blackcurrant squash) and Mosa Jordbærsyltetøy (mashed strawberry jam)…yum😋 I always have thinly mixed Solbærsirup with me on hikes. It taste good, it helps with thirst and gives me a lot of energy at the same time.
The University at Vestlandet in Sogndal
Every autumn, when the students come to the village, the population in Sogndal almost doubles. More than 3,000 students from all over the country have perhaps their very best years in Sogndal, which is known for its great student environment.
The University in Sogndal has a wide range of studies to choose from. Teacher Education, Engineering- and Maritime subjects, Sports- and Outdoor subjects, Economics, Tourism Management and Health- and Social studies are some of the subjects you can study at the University at Vestlandet in Sogndal. Video: The University at Vestlandet
Kjørnes Camping in Sogndal
Kjørnes Camping at Kjørnes in Sogndal was in 2014 voted as Norway’s best campsite. The high standard campsite offers cabins, apartments, many places for motorhomes, caravans and tents and several service buildings. Kjørnes Camping is beautifully located down by the shore of Sogndalsfjorden.
Vesterland Holiday Park at Kaupanger
At Vesterland Holiday Park there is both a play area, an indoor swimming pool and a café. The indoor pool keeps the water at 33 degrees Celsius every day, all year round. The swimming pool has a children’s pool in addition to the main pool. Vesterland Holiday Park is located next to Sogn Outdoor Museum at Kaupanger. There is also accommodation at Vesterland Holiday Park.
Fjærland and the Fjærlandsfjord – From Fjord to Glacier
Fjærland is a picturesque fjord village surrounded by fjord, mountains and glaciers. Early summer is a great time to visit Fjærland and the Sognefjord. There are still snow in the mountains, the valleys are green, and the apple trees are blossoming.
The Norwegian Booktown, Norwegian Glacier Museum, Guided Kayak Trip on the Fjærlandsfjord, Guided Hike to the Glaciers and the Historic Fjærland Fjordstove Hotel are some of the things you can experience in beautiful Fjærland.
Fjærland Guiding also offers you to experience the Floating Sauna “Dampen” which is situated on the Fjærlandsfjord just outside the center of Fjærland.
Sognefjord – What to See and Do
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 fjord to mountain, 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.
Hotels and Accommodation in Sogndal and Kaupanger
- Hoflsund Fjordhotell in Sogndal
- Sogndal Hotell in Sogndal
- Lægreid Hotell in Sogndal
- Kjørnes Camping – at Kjørnes in Sogndal
- Sogndal Fjordpanorama between Kaupanger and Sogndal
- Vesterland Feriepark at Kaupanger
- Amlasanden Fjordcamping at Kaupanger
Eat and Drink in Sogndal – some recommendations
- Dampskipskaien down by the fjord – Short-travelled food and drinks in a great atmosphere.
- La Pergola på Sogndal Hotell – Italian, great food and drinks. In the summer you can sit outside.
- Restauranthuset Malin – Asian food
- Fjøra Gastropub – Gastropub/Pizza in the first floor, Pub and football in the basement.
- In the summer, it’s nice to sit in the garden at Hofslund Fjord Hotel and enjoy something good to drink.
How to travel to Sogndal
It is easy to travel to Sogndal and the Sognefjord, you can travel there by a combination of car, bus, train or plane.
There are several daily bus departures between Sogndal and Oslo and Sogndal and Bergen.
The nearest airport is Sogndal Airport at Haukåsen near Kaupanger. Most flights that go to and from Sogndal Airport come from and go to Oslo and Bergen. The driving distance from the airport to Sogndal is 19 kilometers, there is a bus connection between Sogndal and Sogndal Airport.
You can travel by train from Oslo or Bergen to Myrdal station. Then you get to experience the Bergen Railway between Oslo and Bergen and Flåm Railway, one of Norway’s most spectacular railway lines, from Myrdal station to Flåm, which is located down by the Aurlandsfjord. If you take Flåm Railway, you get to experience the beautiful Flåmsdalen valley at the same time. The driving distance between Flåm and Sogndal is approximately 72 kilometres, including a ferry crossing over the Sognefjord.