Bergen Sognefjord
5
Day Itinerary •
Norway
Five days in Bergen and the Sognefjord give you the full extraordinary sweep of western Norway, from Bergen's UNESCO Bryggen wharf and the Floibanen funicular to the Flam Railway and the Naeroyfjord UNESCO World Heritage landscape, the extraordinary inner Sognefjord villages at Balestrand and Mundal, the magnificent Briksdalsbreen glacier arm, and the Hardangerfjord with its apple orchards and the extraordinary Finse plateau high above the Bergen Railway. This route covers the complete Bergen and fjord region. Bergen's old town and seven mountains, the Norway in a Nutshell circuit and Flam Railway, the Naeroyfjord by electric boat, the extraordinary village of Mundal with its 150,000 second-hand books, the Briksdalsbreen glacier walk, the Hardangerfjord and Steinsdalsfossen, and the extraordinary Finse plateau on the Bergen Railway at 1,222 metres.
Best Time To Visit
May to September
Getting There
Fly into Bergen from most European cities
Getting Around
Bergen Card, Norway in a Nutshell, local ferries and buses
Budget Per Day
Approx 1,200 to 2,200 NOK per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, trains, ferries and walking
DAY 1
BERGEN
MORNING
BERGEN BRYGGEN AND THE HANSEATIC MUSEUM
Bergen's extraordinary Bryggen UNESCO wharf, the finest surviving Hanseatic trading post in the world, dates from the early 15th century. The Hanseatic Museum within one of the original merchant buildings gives the most extraordinary insight into medieval Nordic merchant life anywhere. The extraordinary narrow passages between the buildings reveal a hidden world of courtyards and storerooms. The Schøtstuene assembly rooms give the finest Hanseatic interior in Bergen. Museum entry approx 150 NOK. Travel: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
MOUNT FLOYEN AND THE SEVEN MOUNTAINS WALK
The Floibanen funicular to Mount Floyen at 320 metres gives the most extraordinary panorama over Bergen, the Bryggen below and the seven surrounding mountains. The extraordinary Floyen summit trails give walking routes back down through birch forest to the city. Bergen is the only European city surrounded by seven mountains, all accessible on foot or by funicular. The extraordinary view at sunset over the fjord from Floyen is the finest in Bergen. Funicular approx 115 NOK return. Travel: 20 min walk
AFTERNOON
BERGEN FISH MARKET AND THE OLD TOWN
The Bergen Fish Market at Torget is the finest outdoor seafood market in Norway, its extraordinary range of fresh Atlantic salmon, cod, halibut and shrimp the best introduction to Norwegian seafood. The Rosenkrantz Tower and Hakon's Hall in the fortress beside the market give the finest medieval architecture in Bergen. The extraordinary Bergen Art Museum in the Rasmus Meyer collection holds the finest Munch paintings in western Norway. Fish Market free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Theta Museum in a secret room above the Bryggen is the most extraordinary hidden museum in Bergen, the tiny concealed resistance room discovered by chance in 1980 containing original occupation materials. Tours by appointment. Entry approx 80 NOK. The extraordinary Bergenhus fortress at night with the Rosenkrantz Tower lit is the finest view in the old town.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Opera, Bergen Outstanding Bergen cafe. Coffee and Norwegian pastries before the Bryggen opens. | Lunch: Fish Market, Bergen Fresh shrimp directly from the boats. Eat on the harbour wall with the fjord view. | Dinner: Enhjorningen, Bergen Outstanding fish restaurant in a 17th-century Bryggen building. Local halibut and seafood.
DAY 2
SOGNEFJORD AND FLAM
MORNING
THE BERGEN RAILWAY TO MYRDAL AND FLAM RAILWAY
The Bergen Railway to Myrdal at 867 metres passes through extraordinary mountain scenery, the extraordinary Finse plateau visible from the train as the highest point on the line at 1,222 metres. The Flam Railway descends 865 metres in 55 minutes through 20 tunnels on one of the steepest standard-gauge railways in the world, the extraordinary Kjosfossen waterfall stopping the train for photography. The entire journey from Bergen to Flam takes approximately 3 hours. Travel: 2 hour Naeroyfjord ferry
MIDDAY
THE NAEROYFJORD BY FERRY
The Naeroyfjord is the most extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage fjord in Norway, its 17km extraordinary passage only 250 metres wide at the narrowest point with vertical walls rising 1,400 metres. The ferry from Flam to Gudvangen or the electric boat service passes through in extraordinary silence. The extraordinary waterfalls dropping from the cliff tops directly into the fjord at Styvi and Bakka are outstanding. This is the finest fjord experience in Norway. Travel: 45 min bus to Flam
AFTERNOON
FLAM VILLAGE AND THE AURLANDSFJORD
Flam at the head of the Aurlandsfjord is the most extraordinary base in the Sognefjord region, its extraordinary compact village at the foot of the Flam Railway surrounded by extraordinary mountain walls. The Flam Railway Museum tells the extraordinary engineering story of the line. The Aegir Viking longhouse brewery beside the station is the most extraordinary microbrewery in Norway. The evening light on the Aurlandsfjord fjord walls is extraordinary.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Aurlandsvegen mountain road above Flam known as the Snow Road gives the most extraordinary free panorama in the Sognefjord region at 1,300 metres over both the Aurlandsfjord and the Naeroyfjord simultaneously. Open June to October. Drive takes 1.5 hours from Flam on an extraordinary mountain road. The finest undiscovered viewpoint in western Norway.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe at Bergen station Coffee before the early Bergen Railway departure. Pack provisions for the fjord day. | Lunch: Aegir Brewery, Flam Outstanding Viking longhouse microbrewery. Local ales and Norwegian food in extraordinary setting. | Dinner: Flamsbrygga Hotel Restaurant Outstanding fjord restaurant in Flam. Local trout and Sognefjord prawns.
DAY 3
INNER SOGNEFJORD
MORNING
BALESTRAND AND THE INNER SOGNEFJORD
Balestrand on the inner Sognefjord is the most extraordinary small resort village in Norway, its extraordinary English-style gardens, the remarkable St Olaf's Church built by an English woman in 1897, and the extraordinary views of the Jostedalsbreen glacier massif across the fjord giving a unique character. The Kaiser Wilhelm II stayed here every summer and the extraordinary Viking burial mounds at Dragsvik are outstanding. Ferry from Flam to Balestrand takes approximately 2 hours. Travel: 1.5 hour ferry to Mundal
MIDDAY
MUNDAL, THE NORWEGIAN BOOK VILLAGE
Mundal in the Fjærlandsfjord is the most extraordinary village in the Sognefjord, its extraordinary collection of 150,000 second-hand books sold from barns, sheds and old houses along the village street making it the finest book village in Scandinavia. The extraordinary view of the Supphellebreen and Boyabreen glacier arms of the Jostedalsbreen directly above the village is outstanding. Open May to September. Most books cost a few NOK. Travel: 1.5 hour bus to Briksdalsbreen
AFTERNOON
BRIKSDALSBREEN GLACIER WALK
The Briksdalsbreen glacier arm of the Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier in mainland Europe, is the most accessible glacier in Norway, its extraordinary blue ice tongue descending to within 1km of the car park at the end of the Oldedalen valley. The walk to the glacier front takes approximately 45 minutes on an extraordinary path through waterfalls and river crossings. The extraordinary colour of the glacier ice and the meltwater lake below are outstanding. Entirely free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Supphellebreen glacier walk above Mundal gives the most extraordinary close approach to the Jostedalsbreen with no other visitors, the glacier arm descending through extraordinary birch forest entirely unmarked on most maps. The walk from Mundal takes approximately 45 minutes. Entirely free. The finest hidden glacier approach in western Norway.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Flam Coffee before the morning ferry to Balestrand. | Lunch: Cafe in Mundal book village Outstanding village cafe among the second-hand books. Local waffles and Norwegian coffee. | Dinner: Restaurant at Olden or Loen Outstanding fjord restaurant near the glacier valley. Local freshwater trout and fjord shrimp.
DAY 4
HARDANGERFJORD
MORNING
THE HARDANGERFJORD AND EIDFJORD
The Hardangerfjord between Eidfjord and Ulvik is the most extraordinary fruit-growing fjord landscape in Norway, its extraordinary south-facing slopes covered with apple orchards that blossom in pink and white in late April. The Hardanger Waterways connect a series of extraordinary lakes above the fjord. The extraordinary Voringsfossen waterfall above Eidfjord drops 182 metres into the Mabodalen gorge, the most extraordinary single waterfall in western Norway. Free to view from the road. Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
STEINSDALSFOSSEN AND THE WALK BEHIND THE WATERFALL
Steinsdalsfossen near Norheimsund is the most extraordinary accessible waterfall experience in Norway, the path behind the 50-metre waterfall allowing visitors to walk directly behind the falling curtain of water in extraordinary closeness. The mist, sound and extraordinary proximity to the water make it the finest free attraction on the Hardangerfjord. The extraordinary fjord spreads below with the orchard villages across the water. Entirely free. Travel: 45 min drive to Voss
AFTERNOON
VOSS AND THE GONDOL CABLE CAR
Voss is Norway's adventure capital, the extraordinary mountain town between the fjords and the Hardangervidda plateau giving the finest adventure sports in Scandinavia. The Voss Gondol cable car rises to 820 metres giving a panorama over the extraordinary Voss valley and the surrounding peaks. The 13th-century Voss Church is the finest medieval building in the region. The extraordinary Tvindafossen waterfall beside the road to Voss is outstanding.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Hardangervidda plateau above Eidfjord is the largest mountain plateau in northern Europe at 8,000 square km, the extraordinary tundra landscape home to the largest wild reindeer herd in Europe. The road across the Hardangervidda between Eidfjord and Geilo gives the most extraordinary plateau panorama in Norway. Drive takes approximately 1.5 hours. Entirely free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bakeri near Eidfjord Coffee before the drive to Voringsfossen. | Lunch: Restaurant Ulvik Fjord Outstanding Hardangerfjord restaurant. Local apple cider, freshwater trout and Hardanger lamb. | Dinner: Fleischer's Hotel, Voss Historic railway hotel in Voss. Outstanding Norwegian cuisine and local Hardanger cider.
DAY 5
FINSE AND BERGEN RETURN
MORNING
FINSE, THE ROOF OF THE BERGEN RAILWAY
Finse at 1,222 metres is the highest station on the Bergen Railway and the most extraordinary railway stop in Norway, with no road access and surrounded by the extraordinary Hardangerjokulen glacier and the Finsevatnet lake. The glacier was used as the ice planet Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. The extraordinary walk from Finse station to the glacier edge takes approximately 1 hour across the plateau. The extraordinary Arctic feel even in July is outstanding. Train from Voss takes approximately 1 hour. Travel: 2.5 hour train to Bergen
MIDDAY
THE BERGEN RAILWAY RETURN
The Bergen Railway from Finse to Bergen is one of the most extraordinary railway journeys in Europe, descending from the extraordinary Finse plateau at 1,222 metres through the extraordinary Myrdal junction, past the Voss fjord and through the final tunnel into Bergen in approximately 2.5 hours. The extraordinary changing landscape from Arctic plateau to fjord to coastal city is unlike any other railway journey in Scandinavia. The window views are extraordinary throughout. Travel: 20 min walk
AFTERNOON
FINAL BERGEN AND DEPARTURE
The final afternoon in Bergen gives time for the extraordinary Bryggen passages in evening light, a farewell shrimp at the fish market and the extraordinary view from the Floibanen if time allows. The Bergen city centre compresses extraordinary medieval, Hanseatic and contemporary architecture into a remarkably compact and walkable area. The extraordinary Bryggen lit at dusk reflected in the harbour water is the finest farewell to western Norway.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Finsevatnet lake shore walk from Finse station is the most extraordinary free Arctic walk accessible by train in Norway, the extraordinary plateau landscape and the Hardangerjokulen glacier entirely wild and free. The lake freezes solid in winter and is used for ice skating. The extraordinary Finse 1222 hotel on the shore is the highest railway hotel in Norway.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Finse 1222 Hotel Outstanding mountain hotel at the extraordinary Finse plateau. Coffee before the glacier walk. | Lunch: Cafe on the Bergen Railway train Pack Norwegian provisions for the extraordinary rail journey back to Bergen. | Dinner: Lysverket, Bergen Outstanding modern Norwegian farewell dinner. Local ingredients and extraordinary wine list.
Where To Stay
Bergen, Nights 1 and 5 Hotel Oleana or Grand Hotel Terminus. Bryggen location. Approx 1,200 to 2,500 NOK. Flam, Nights 2 to 3 Flamsbrygga Hotel or Heimly Pensjonat. Fjord location. Approx 1,000 to 2,000 NOK. Eidfjord, Night 4 Quality Hotel Vossestrand or Hardanger Hotel. Hardangerfjord base. Approx 900 to 1,800 NOK.
Top Tips
1. Book the Norway in a Nutshell and Flam Railway months in advance for summer. Seats sell out by March for July.
2. Take the Floibanen at 8am before the tour groups. The view over Bergen from Mount Floyen is extraordinary.
3. Mundal book village has 150,000 second-hand books in barns and sheds. Open May to September. Extraordinary.
4. The Naeroyfjord is most extraordinary by electric boat from Gudvangen. The silence amplifies the fjord walls.
5. Finse is the highest point on the Bergen Railway and has no road access. Extraordinary in any season.
6. The Steinsdalsfossen walk behind the waterfall is entirely free and one of the finest experiences in Hardanger.
Total Budget
1,200 to 2,200 NOK/day