Hardangerfjord, Norway

The Hardanger Fjord is Norway’s orchard. In spring, he is buried in flowering trees. In summer, the fjord looks like some Kuban village: apples and pears hang from the branches on every street, just reach out your hand and pick, pick. They say that the most delicious cherry in the country grows here.

According to simplyyellowpages, the Hardangerfjord offers mesmerizing mountain views, glaciers, gently sloping shores and a mild climate. Tourists go fishing, boating and marvel at the local waterfalls. It is believed that this fjord offers the best holiday options in Norway.

How to get there

The nearest airport from the fjord is located in Bergen – it accepts up to fifty international flights. From here, there are many ways to get to your destination.

For example, by bus is one of the most developed modes of transport. Routes connect several cities: Bergen, Oslo, Kristiansand and others. Another way is to go by ferry. It is good because on the way you can admire the beauty of the fjords. Ferries through the Hardangerfjord run from 20 minutes to an hour, intervals are approximately every hour. Despite the fact that this is the shortest route from Oslo to Bergen, the roads are narrow and mostly deserted.

Transport

The best way to get around Hardangerfjord is by bus or private car. Tourists rent boats for excursions. To get to another fjord or a big city, you can wait for the ferry.

Cuisine and restaurants

In the Hardangerfjord, focus on fruits and fish, two of the region’s gastronomic highlights. Strawberries ripen in June, raspberries, pears, cherries and plums rush to help in July. Small farms in the vicinity of the Hardangerfjord annually harvest 50-70 tons of berries and fruits.

The best place to dine on the fjord is in open-air cafes – eat an apple pie and look at the Folgefonna glacier. Many establishments serve home-cooked meals. In general, traditions are honored in Norway, so the menu can easily include a dessert that was invented by the cafe owner two centuries ago.

The shops

Local stores are a storehouse of vitamins. Berries and fruits, homemade jams, confectionery and other products invented by farmers are sold here. Whether it will be possible to take all this home is the question. First, there is the temptation to eat on the way. Secondly, will friends be able to appreciate the taste of the day before yesterday’s product? It would be better if they come to the Hardangerfjord themselves and try everything.

Hardangerfjord Hotels

In the Hardangerfjord, you can choose a lot of options for accommodation – hotels, guest houses, campsites, huts in the mountains and marinas. The classic way is a hotel. Everything is simple here: you get a room, pay for it from 800 rubles, eat breakfast and go for a walk. Guest houses are slightly better as they offer more entertainment options. For example, sauna, swimming pools. They cost, respectively, more expensive by 10-15 percent.

Campsites are chosen by autotourists. Leave your car, pitched a tent – and live with a view of the mountains. The huts in the mountains actually look better than they sound. These are more fully equipped houses, which are located on the side of the mountain or not far from the waterfalls.

In addition, you can live on a boat or yacht if you arrived at the fjord in this way. The piers have everything you need for a comfortable stay.

4 things to do in the Hardangerfjord:

  1. See the healing crucifix – this crucifix is ​​located in a wooden church built in the 13th century. Once a year, the cross releases a certain liquid, and therefore has divine power. Until the middle of the 19th century, pilgrims came here to join this miracle. Today, tourists are taken to the church.
  2. Take part in the marathon – you have to overcome more than 42 kilometers along high mountain trails, passes, passages through rivers and narrow valleys. On the way you will meet glaciers and people with numbers on their chests and backs.
  3. See the fishing championship – it is held every year near the village of Ulvik. Participants compete to see who can catch the most crucian carp, manage the boat better, and who can stay on the water longer without food or drink.
  4. Drink cider – it is generously poured during the fruit and cider festival, which takes place in October. Local farmers come to the holiday and go on a spree from morning to night.

Entertainment and attractions of the Hardangerfjord

Norwegians love their country, cherish it and are happy to tell guests about how wonderful it is to live here.

Eidfjord Nature Center

This is a huge cultural and natural center that tells about Norway: landscapes, climate, people, animals. Rare exhibits are collected here, an aquarium bubbles and interactive stations work. Panoramic pictures show the country in all its glory – you fly over mountains, valleys, waterfalls and glaciers.

Maritime Museum

This museum is a great place for a family tour. Here you can see how Norwegians built boats and ships at different times. Moreover, artisans work in the museum, who process the details of future watercraft before your eyes.

Each visitor can feel what it’s like to build boats, as well as learn how to behave in an extreme situation on the water. For example, how to politely ask a whale not to capsize the ship.

Vöringsfossen

This is one of the most famous Norwegian waterfalls, located in the county of Hordaland. Its height is 182 meters. The seething water falls into the Bjoreya River, which has found its way between the mountain forests.

Near the waterfall is an observation deck where tourists gather. Rainbows often appear here, which is why Vøringsfossen is called the rainbow waterfall. By the way, near the streams of water you need to be extremely careful, otherwise you can break off a rocky ledge.

Hardangervidda Plateau

This plateau is home to the largest deer population in Northern Europe. Polar explorers Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen used this area to prepare for many expeditions. There are plenty of trails for cycling and skiing. And the fishermen patiently try their luck on the mountain lake and the narrow arms of the Sørfjord.

In the northwest is one of the largest glaciers in Norway – Hardangerjökulen. For travelers, Mount Horteigen is a landmark. It goes up to 1700 meters, and it can be seen from anywhere in the plateau.

The Hardangervidda plateau is also known for its rich flora and fauna. Here you can see arctic flora and fauna: more than 100 species of birds and animals, including arctic fox and snowy owl, and 500 species of plants.

Glaciers

On the Folgefonna glacier, the third largest in Norway, there is a ski center where you can go cross-country and downhill skiing and perform acrobatic stunts in the snow park. The slopes of the glacier offer a wonderful view of the mountains and fjords.

The Hardangerjokulen glacier is not so big, but standing on it, you can see the northern territories in detail, including the Haradngervidda plateau.

Hardangerfjord, Norway

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