Western Norway, situated along the Atlantic coast of the country, conjures images of majestic, rugged mountains, deep fjords, glaciers, fishing villages and Vikings. This is all true, but there is much more to it than that, and I was quite surprised by the diversity and history that this beautiful region has to offer.
The picturesque fjords and mountains have been attracting visitors to western Norway for centuries, and for a long time I had wanted to witness these sites for myself. As part of a recent 11-night Nordic cruise on the NCL Prima, I was able to visit three ports over three days in western Norway, before continuing across the Norwegian Sea to Iceland. Our itinerary included one day each in Bergen, Ålesund, and Geiranger. This provided the opportunity to see a mixture of urban sites and architecture, as well as some of the most stunning natural scenery in the world. While the limited one day stops allowed a basic introduction to these places, it left me with the desire to come back and spend more time here. One of the wettest regions of Europe, we were told by numerous locals that we were lucky to have mostly sunny and mild weather during our time here.
An interesting fact is that Norway’s history began on the west coast, where humans settled after the last ice age, some 10,000 years ago. Since then, there have been interactions and settlements with various regions including Denmark, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. It was also from western Norway where sailors discovered and settled in Iceland in the 9th century, and the earliest of the roughly 900,000 Norwegians emigrated to the United States.
Bergen
Our first port was Bergen where the day started out very rainy, but by afternoon, the sun was out, and my shoes were finally dry. Our time here allowed us to visit the historic central area of the city. Situated on a peninsula along the west coast of Norway, Bergen is the country’s second largest city after Oslo. Founded in 1070 by King Olav Kyrre, the city served as Norway’s capital during the 13th century, and was Norway’s largest city until the 1830s. The city is located in a beautiful setting along a fjord, surrounded by green colored mountains, numerous islands and plenty of water. Much of the historic and commercial area is located along both sides of the Vågen harbor, lined with adjacent hilly brick streets, attractive quaint and colorful buildings and architecture, ancient fortresses and fishing and shipping related activities. The commercial area wraps along the eastern end of the harbor leading to more modern buildings and beautiful spacious parks. Just east of the commercial area is the attractive Lille (Lake) Lungegårdsvannet, a five acre octagon shaped lake. The surrounding park is beautifully landscaped, and offers nice views of the lake and surrounding hills terraced with homes. The city hosts numerous museums, but we only had a chance to visit two of them.
Bryggen – A scene on many postcards, and one of the most photographed parts of Bergen is the Bryggen area. Bryggen, which translates as ‘wharf’, comprises a series of UNESCO listed colorful wooden commercial buildings along the north side of Vågen harbor. The area was originally a 12th century trading post of the Hanseatic League, a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Unfortunately, the original wooden buildings were damaged from a series of fires through the centuries, and the current structures date after 1702. However, there are some stone cellars that date to the 15th century. Preservation of the Bryggen area began in the 1960’s and “The Bryggen Project” was established in 2000 to monitor, safeguard and restore Bryggen. Today, some 62 buildings remain, demonstrating how the merchants lived and worked. The two to three story gabled buildings are separated by narrow passages running parallel to the docks.
Bergen Fish Market – The fish market is a popular attraction on Vågen harbor that sells seafood, produce and other items, and also has numerous restaurants and shops. The market began in Bergen as early as the 1200s as a place for trade between fishermen, farmers, and residents. The market was originally located in Bryggen during the Hanseatic period. In 1556, the market was moved to the inner part of Vågen to prevent the Hanseatics from gaining too much power over the city’s most important trading place. In 2012 the indoor Fish Market, known as Mathallen opened. Here the merchants have permanent indoor shops and restaurants and are open all year.
Rosenkrantz Tower – The Rosenkrantz tower is known as the most important Renaissance monument in Norway. Originally constructed in the 13th century, the Rosenkrantz tower was the residence of one of Norway’s most significant kings, Magnus the Lawmender. The tower has been been extended and reconstructed several times since then. Climbing the narrow winding staircase, you’ll see the various rooms, including the basement dungeons, the royal bedroom, a chapel, and cannon attic. The tower was also the home of King Eirik Magnusson, the last king to hold court in Bergen, until he died in 1299. The top of the tower provides an extensive and scenic view of Bergen.
King Håkon’s Hall – Adjacent the tower is the King Håkon’s Hall, which was built between 1247 and 1261 by King Håkon Håkonsson as the royal residence and banquet hall. It was the largest of the royal residency in the 13th-century when Bergen was Norway’s political center. It was here that Norway’s first set of complete laws was drawn. When his son Magnus Håkonsson Lagabøte married the Danish princess Ingeborg in 1261, 2000 guests were invited. Today, Håkon’s Hall is still used for royal dinners and other official occasions.
Fjord Tours – Bergen is situated between the two biggest fjords in western Norway – the Sognefjord and the Hardangerfjord. These fjords have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and voted the world’s most unspoiled tourist destination by National Geographic. There are numerous tours of the fjords available to choose from. Fjord tours and many other types of tours in and around Bergen can be arranged through Viator. While we didn’t tour the fjords near Bergen, we did visit others in Ålesund and Geiranger.
Ålesund
Ålesund, with a population close to 70,000, is located near the entrance to the Geirangerfjord. The town is situated on a row of linear shaped islands connected by a series of bridges, that are part of a larger archipelago. Fishing and ship building are the primary industries.
The town has an abundance of architecture in the Art Nouveau style, most built in the very early 20th century. The colorful, pastel painted buildings were constructed after a massive fire in 1904 destroyed most of the town’s original wood buildings. Many face the quaint harbor area. Following the fire, Ålesund was rebuilt in stone, brick, and mortar in the Art Nouveau style, designed by approximately 20 master builders and 30 Norwegian architects, drawing inspiration from all over Europe. The Norwegian Centre of Art Nouveau Architecture, Jugendstilsenteret, is a museum located on the harbor with exhibitions telling the story of the town fire and Art Nouveu / Jugendstil architecture in Norway and Europe. The primary commercial area is centered along the attractive pedestrianized Kongens gate, located on the east side of the harbor. The cobblestone street is lined with many shops, restaurants, cafes and other services.
Hjorund Fjord – We took a four hour excursion (booked through Norwegian Cruise Lines) through the spectacular Hjorund Fjord, located south of Ålesund, and regarded as one of the most beautiful fjords in the world. The 20 mile long fjord is lined with diverse scenery, including farms, villages and mountain peaks. The north end of the fjord is over 1.5 miles wide, and the deepest point is over 1,446 feet.
The initial part of the journey took us along the waterfront residential areas of Ålesund, followed by quaint and colorful farms and villages. The further we traveled inland, the mountains became more dramatic, reminding me of the Swiss Alps, with occasional waterfalls cascading down the mountains. My only disappointment with our excursion is the size of the boat, and the number of people on the tour. It felt like there were too many people booked for the size of the boat, and many of the people had to sit inside on the lower level away from the windows. We were lucky that we could grab a spot on the open deck to witness the beauty.
Geiranger
One of the most beautiful spots in Norway is the small village of Geiranger, located at the head of Geirangerfjord, 50 miles inland from Ålesund. In fact, Lonely Plant named Geiranger the best travel destination in all of Scandinavia. Geirangerfjord is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Geiranger has become a major cruise stop, providing tourism related income to the 250 local residents. Our cruise ship made its way up the fjord in the early morning, and we stood on the top deck to catch the awe inspiring views as we made our way into Geiranger. Both sides of the 850 foot deep fjord are lined with snow capped mountains, with their lower half covered in emerald colored forest, and a series of spectacular waterfalls draping the steep cliffs. A number of abandoned farms are scattered on small pastures shelved on parts of the mountains, begging the question of how they were reachable at all.
The tiny Geiranger port area is lined with a scattering of restaurants, hotels, souvenir shops, grocery stores, and site seeing and boat tour operators. The main activity here is visiting the surrounding natural beauty.
Storfossen – Within a easy walkable distance south of the port of Geiranger is the Storfossen waterfall. A 327 step walkway with occasional viewpoints allows visitors to get close to the 100 foot powerful waterfall. The trail can be accessed at the base of the waterfall near the port, or from the top at the Norwegian Fjord Center, and is free to the public. The Fjord Center provides information and education on the Norwegian fjords. The exhibits provide an overview of the fjord landscape that was granted world heritage status by UNESCO in 2005, and the center also provides various tours.
RIB Boat tour – A great way to experience the fjord is to take a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) tour. A RIB boat is a lightweight, open air high performance boat that has inflated side air tubes to provide resilience at high speeds. The tours allow passengers to get close to the mountain sides and see the fjords and surrounding scenery from right on the water. The tours can range from one to two hours. Our group had an amazing time taking the 90 minute tour, listening to our guide tell the facts and stories of the fjord and history of the area. RIB Boat tours can be arranged through Viator.
One of the most spectacular sites that we witnessed is the Seven Sisters waterfall. Situated about three miles west of Geiranger on the north side of the fjord, the waterfall has seven streams that tumble 800 feet to the water. Seen from a distance, they resemble the hair of seven women, hence the name. On the opposite side of the fjord is a waterfall known as The Suitor which is shaped like a bottle. The legend is that the suitor proposed to the Seven Sisters numerous times, each time to be rebuffed. The Seven Sisters remained unmarried, while the Suitor turned to the bottle. Next to the Seven Sisters on a mountain shelf is a deserted farm known as Knivsflå. The inhabitants abandoned the farm in 1898 due to the dangerous terrain, numerous accidents and deaths, and fear of avalanches.
Eagle Road and Mt. Dalsnibba – A popular tour excursion in Geiranger is a bus tour that takes visitors up Eagle Road to Mt. Dalsnibba. We booked this tour through Viator, and it was well worth it. This tour offers one of the most breathtaking views in all of Norway. The road to Dalsnibba was completed in 1939, and was one of the most ambitious road projects ever built in Norway, with 11 hairpin bends. Along the way, we witnessed rugged mountains, ice blue lakes, glaciers, diverse flora, and stunning views back toward Geiranger and the fjord. Flydal Gorge offers one of the most photographed viewpoints, were we could look down below toward Geiranger, seeing our cruise ship docked in the harbor. We continued ascending via many hairpins to Mount Dalsnibba which stands at 4,900 feet. Along the way, we passed the deep blue colored Lake Djupvatnet, which lies over 3,000 feet above sea level. At Mount Dalsnibba, we could look toward Geiranger, as well as the surrounding rugged snow peaked mountains covered by low clouds. A visitor center includes a café, gift shop and restrooms.
