The Hjørundfjord is the “neighbour-fjord” to the more famous Geirangerfjord. The inner part of the 35 kilometer long Hjørundfjord is surrounded by steep mountains, narrow valleys and numerous rivers and waterfalls. In between all this, there are small idyllic villages down by the fjord, all of which are great starting points for adventures in beautiful nature.
At the innermost part of the fjord you will find the villages Sæbø, Urke, Øye and Bjørke. Øye with it´s mythical Hotel Union Øye. Maybe you will meet beautiful Linda, the ghost that lives in the hotel, in the “Blue Room”. A popular hike from Urke is to Mt Saksa, a challenging hike with a fantastic view to the Hjørundfjord.
Visit Ålesund
Visit Ålesund is the official destination company for the Sunnmøre, Geirangerfjord, Hjørundfjord and Ålesund area.
Some highlights from the Hjørundfjord area
The innermost part of the 35-kilometer-long Hjørundfjord is surrounded by steep mountains, narrow valleys, waterfalls and glaciers. In between all this, there are small idyllic villages down by the fjord, all of which are great starting points for adventures in beautiful nature.
The idyllic fjord village of Sæbø is a perfect starting point for activities and adventures in and around the Hjørundfjord. Sagafjord Hotel is located right down by the fjord at Sæbø. There you can enjoy the silence down by the fjord with the characteristic view towards the Hjørundfjord and Hustadneset with the mountains Slogen and Stålberghornet as a fantastic backdrop.
Try the world’s most famous swing at Christian Gaard Bygdetun in Trandal. A picture of a swing at Trandal on Instagram made the Hjørundfjord world famous.
The mountains surrounding the Hjørundfjord are great for hikes with fjord view. Slogen, Saksa and Urkeegga are the most popular mountains for hiking. Uteguiden organizes guided mountain hikes to Mt Saksa and Slogen, they also offer tailor-made mountain hikes to the other mountain peaks in the area.
Join a fjord cruise or a kayak trip on the Hjørundfjord. Experience beautiful Norangsdalen valley and dive into the ruins of an old mountain pasture in Lake Lygnstøylvatnet.
Drink beer at Fjordpuben in Urke. Fish salmon in Bjørkeelva River at Bjørke. Maybe you get to meet the beautiful ghost Linda if you stay overnight in “The Blue Room” at Hotel Union Øye? The Hjørundfjord is located in the southwestern part of the county of Møre og Romsdal, north in Western Norway.
Sæbø – The idyllic village by the Hjørundfjord
The idyllic fjord village of Sæbø is a perfect starting point for activities and adventures in and around the Hjørundfjord. There is a ferry connection between Sæbø and Leknes on the other side of the fjord. From Leknes, it is a short drive to Urke and Øye, which are the starting points for great guided mountain hikes to mountains such as Saksa and Slogen.
A nice mountain hike from Sæbø is the hike to Gunnarråsa (370 masl). There you can try the swing, which has one of the best views in the Hjørundfjord area. From Gunnarråsa there is a fantastic view of the fjord and the beautiful mountains that surround the fjord.
After the mountain hike to Gunnarråsa, you can enjoy heat in a sauna and jump into the fresh water in the Hjørundfjord. Sæbø Fjordsauna has two saunas located by the wharf at Sagafjord Hotel, and they are heated with wood.
The beautiful Sagafjord Hotel is located right down by the fjord at Sæbø. The hotel is like an oasis, where you can enjoy the silence down by the fjord with the characteristic view towards the Hjørundfjord and Hustadneset with the mountains Slogen and Stålberghornet as a fantastic backdrop.
Below you can see photos from a beautiful autumn day by boat on the Hjørundfjord and Norangsfjorden. Blue skies, bright fjords, beautiful autumn colors and fresh snow on the mountain tops, it doesn’t get any nicer than that. The boat trip started from Bjørke and went out the fjord past Viddal and into Norangsfjorden and then continued across the fjord towards Sæbø and a little way out the Hjørundfjord. Photo: Britt Karin Bjørke.
The worlds most stunning Swing – Trandal by the Hjørundfjord
A picture of a swing at Trandal on Instagram made the Hjørundfjord world famous. Trandal is a small and quiet village with a great view towards the fjord, and after the picture went viral, many tourists have visited the place to see the swing themselves.
Christian Gaard is the place to swing, eat and sleep. Video by photographer, filmmaker and illustrator Alex Atherton.
Fjord Cruise on the Hjørundfjord
This is a fjord cruise that goes between Ålesund and Øye in the heart of Norangsfjorden. The fjord cruise has season in the summer and visits Ålesund, Trandal, Sæbø, Urke and Øye. The boat goes both ways. See the Cruise Service website for more information about the season, boat routes and booking. Below you see the inner part of the Hjørundfjord with a marked boat route and places where the boat stops.
Guided Kayak Trip on the Hjørundfjord
Guided Kayak Trips on the Norangsfjord and Hjørundfjord. The start of this adventure is close to Øye at the innermost part of the Norangsfjord, a branch of the Hjørundfjord. The guided kayak trips are arranged during summer.
Fjord Fishing on the Hjørundfjord
Hjørundfjord Adventures provides boats and fishing equipment for fishing on the Hjørundfjord, with or without guide. Salmon, mackerel, herring and pollock are among many types of fish that is common in the fjord.
Hjørundfjord Adventures also sell fishing licence for salmon fishing at Bjørkeelva River at Bjørke in the season between June and August.
Guided Hike the Mt Saksa (1073 masl) from Urke
The hike to Mt Saksa start at Urke down by the fjord. The mountain lies between Norangsfjorden and the Hjørundfjord, and you have the fjordview to the two fjords from the start at Urke to the summit at 1073 masl.
You walk a short distance through the forest before reaching some open land. The trail in the forest is steep but well maintained with stairs made of stone on the most difficult stretches.
Bentebu is a nice place to take a break and enjoy the fantastic view towards Norangsfjorden and Øye and the surrounding mountains. Mt Slogen is one of those mountains. We recommend to join a Guided Hike to Mt Saksa.
Tailor-made Ski and Sailing Tours
The Hjørundfjord is also an eldorado for summit ski tours. This is one of the fjords where it is possible to combine boat trips on the fjord with summit trips on skis. Uteguiden arranges tailor-made skiing and sailing trips with guides and a personal chef onboard the boat. The starting point for these tours is the city of Ålesund, which is just north of the exit of the Hjørundfjord.
Norangsdalen Valley and lake Lygnstøylvatnet
If you are driving from Hellesylt, it is about five and a half kilometers in a westerly direction before you turn right onto Fv 655 which goes through the Norangsdalen valley.
Norangsdalen, also described as “the most beautiful valley in the world”, is a valley between Øye and Tryggestad. The valley is narrow and the surrounding mountains are steep, so steep that they built the mountain pastures into the ground so they worked as shields towards avalanche.
Lake Lygnstøylsvatnet is a lake in the Norangsdalen Valley that was “created” in year 1908 after a landslide blocked the Lygna River.
The word Lygn is the local Sunnmøre dialect for the name of the plant species Lyng (heather). The name of the Lygna River that passed by the mountain pasture before the landslide also comes from the word Lygn. The terrain around Lygnstøylvatnet was previously an area where there was a lot of juniper and heather. From there come the names Lygnstøylvatnet and Lygna.
Today we can see the ruins after the old mountain pasture under the water, it is now a popular place for diving.
By car through Norangsdalen
Join a journey through Norangsdalen, one of the most beautiful valleys in Norway. This road trip was filmed from a car, and we drove through Norangsdalen and past Lake Lygnstøylvatnet to Øye and Urke. The drive took about 25 minutes, the film is the same length as the drive.
Below you can see a 360 panoramic picture from Lygnstøylvatnet in the Norangsdalen Valley. At the bottom of the panoramic picture, you will find navigation buttons that allow you to “travel” around and focus on places you want to take a closer look at. Some panoramic pictures allow you to “jump” to other locations. The 360 panoramic pictures are provided by 360 Aircam by Arild Solberg.
Hotel Union Øye at Øye
Hotel Union Øye is located at Øye at the innermost part of the Hjørundfjord and in the middle of the Sunnmøre Alps. This makes Hotel Union Øye the perfect getaway, all four seasons.
The hotel is a secluded, family owned boutique hotel and a favourite among adventurers exploring the fjords and mountains of Western Norway. Video by De Historiske.
Sagafjord Hotel at Sæbø
Sagafjord Hotel down by the fjord at Sæbø is a modern adventure hotel. The hotel is like an oasis, where you can enjoy the silence down by the fjord with the characteristic view towards the Hjørundfjord and Hustadneset with the mountains Slogen and Stålberghornet as fantastic scenery in the background.
The hotel collaborates with guides who can tailor make activities such as kayaking, mountain hikes and summit tours on skis. They also have their own marina where they rent out kayaks.
You can also enjoy the heat in a sauna and jump into the fresh water of the Hjørundfjord. Sæbø Fjordsauna has two saunas located on the wharf at Sagafjord Hotell, and they are heated with wood.
In the restaurant at Sagafjord Hotel, you will be served dishes made from the best of local ingredients harvested and produced in and around the Hjørundfjord and on the coast of Sunnmøre.
Hjørundfjord Adventures/Hjørundfjord Hostel
Hostel and Adventure Company at Bjørke, the innermost part of the Hjørundfjord. Hiking and fishing in the fjord and the surrounding mountains.
Driving to the Hjørundfjord
There are many ways to travel to the Hjørundfjord, one of them is with a car. This is from when I drived over Standalseidet Mountain Pass between Ørsta and Indre Standal by the Hjørundfjord.
We were heading to Trandal on the other side of the fjord, and needed to cross the Hjørundfjord by ferry from Indre Standal to Trandal and Christian Gaard.
Lake Eidsvatnet in Volda
When driving between Sæbø and Trandal I drove past Eidsvatnet in Volda. It was a beautiful day, the grass was green and the mountains were covered with fresh snow. And the lake was calm like a mirror.
Road Trip Åndalsnes – Geiranger – Sæbø
The Romsdalsfjord, Geirangerfjord and Hjørundfjord are the three most beautiful and best-known fjords in the fjord county of Møre og Romsdal.
Here you can read about a road trip from Åndalsnes via Geiranger to Sæbø and what you can see and do in the three fjords that you will experience on the trip. You can do this drive in a day, but if you spend a week or two, you will get so much more.
This road trip starts at Åndalsnes by the Romsdalsfjord and ends in Sæbø by the Hjørundfjord. You drive through some of the wildest and most beautiful landscape we have in Norway.
You get to experience the alpine mountains by the Romsdalsfjord, the National Tourist Route Trollstigen – Geiranger, the fantastic ferry trip out of the Geirangerfjord from Geiranger to Hellesylt and the beautiful and wild Norangsdalen valley on the way to the village of Øye and the Hjørundfjord.
Hotels and accommodation by the Hjørundfjord
Sagafjord Hotel – Sæbø
Hotel Union Øye – Øye
Christian Gaard Bygdetun – Trandal
Hustadnes Fjordhytter – Sæbø
Hjørundfjorden Brygge, Maritbu – Sæbø
Hjørundfjorden Brygge, Studio – Sæbø
Hjørundfjord Camping – Sæbø
Bondalselva Camping – Sæbø
Rekkedal Gjestehus – Bondalen, Sæbø