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Norway Fjord Country Self-Guided Hiking Tour: Breathtaking fjord panoramas, stunning mountain peaks, and glaciers within easy reach – this is what awaits you in Norway’s wild west. In a truly unique landscape shaped by the last Ice Age, you will experience a wild and romantic region nestled between the snow-capped peaks and the mile-long fjords – the place that makes every hiker’s heart skip a beat. The spectacular mountains surround the king of fjords – Sognefjorden – one of Norway’s most popular hiking areas. With the colors of blue, green, and turquoise, the fjords give a spectacular dimension to the hikes. Thundering waterfalls cascade down from snow-covered mountains, with fields of wildflowers coloring the landscape. Starting in Bergen with its famous UNESCO site of Bryggen, you will experience all of Sognefjorden from west to east, getting the bird’s eye view of its arms when reaching the peaks. Majestic landscapes along with charming, historic hotels and the best of local food, make this trip the best way to visit Norway’s fjord country.
Pro-tip: Book early! The historical, boutique hotels in this beautiful region of Norway book up many months in advance. We recommend booking 4-6+ months before your desired travel date.
Fly in/out of Bergen or transfer to Bergen from Oslo by plane/train.
Included Standard Hotels
Upgraded Options:
About: Availability is not guaranteed until booked, we use several hotels in the same standing to assure quality and to accommodate all dates. Upgraded option consists of beautiful historical rooms with original and authentic Norwegian charm; highly recommended.
Local Expert: Merete, your guide throughout this trip, is from the region and knows it so well! “After a degree in marketing, I have spent the last ten years working with cycling tourism, ensuring quality and great service for biking enthusiasts. My greatest wish is for you to discover how wonderful it is to travel alongside the Sognefjord by bike and really have time to see the fjord landscape at it’s best!”
Need to Know:
Today is your arrival day and we’ve left you time to relax and explore Bergen! The vibrant and historic city of Bergen is Norway’s second largest city and has a lot to offer. Most famous is Bryggen; the wooden buildings on Bergen’s iconic wharf are reflections of its history in the Hanseatic League. St. Mary’s Church is Bryggen’s tallest and oldest structure, dating to 1180. The Hanseatic museum provides wonderful insight into daily life of German merchants living and working here during the Hanseatic era. Just beside it, is one of Norway’s best-preserved fortresses; Bergenhus. The oldest structure on site, Håkon’s Hall, dates to 1250, and was a royal residence during the Middle Ages. Tonight, you will have a welcome orientation (by phone and an in-person meeting when you get to Balestrand.)
Meals: None
Overnight: Bergen
Today’s hike is a walk with beautiful views and is suitable for all ability levels! You will start with a ride on a lovely cable car (roundtrip tickets are included for the cable car.) Take the cable car up, or down, or some of the way. At the top, which is 1049 feet above the city, you can enjoy a bird’s eye view of the city! Stop for a break in the café, restaurant, or at the scenic viewpoint. Several nice walks start from the top, so it is quite easy to continue on. For example, on short walk takes you to the small lake “Blåmannsvatnet” (+ 5 km.) To finish your day, you can either take the cable car down to the city centre, or walk down. The path winds its way down from the mountain with many twists and turns, but it is easy to follow. Make sure you have plenty of time to admire the views and stop in the one of the parks! Tonight, enjoy dinner on your own.
Meals: breakfast
Distance/Elevation: 3-15 km / 2-9 mi, +628/-375m, 2-5 hours
Highlights: Mount Fløyen and panoramic views
Overnight: Bergen
This morning take the coastal express boat into the Sognefjorden, whose glacier waters mirror snow-covered majestic mountains. Admire small villages along the fjord and cascading waterfalls as you make your way to Balestrand at mid day. As early as the 18th century, Balestrand was known as a popular tourist destination for the wealthy and also many artists from Norway and Europe. A number of artists built their summer residences in the dragon style, a popular architectural style from this period. Many of these houses are well preserved today, creating a unique architectural environment and also Scandinavia’s largest concentration of dragon style houses. Take a walk along King Bele’s Road, to enjoy these houses or take a longer hike, which also features artistic influences! Tonight, stay at the Kvikne’s Hotel (from 1877), with its imposing façade facing the fjord.
Meals: breakfast & dinner
Distance/Elevation: 2 different options in the afternoon – ca 4 km / 2.5 mi, +46/-28m
Highlights: boat ride, exploring Balestrand, cider tasting option
Overnight: Balestrand
After breakfast, today’s hiking starts from the hotel. Follow a relatively steep path up through the woods, until it opens up to a view over Balestrand and the Sognefjord. From here, follow the path upwards to a marvellous viewpoint over Sognefjord and Esefjella. On one side you will see the bright green slopes of Balestrand and on the other, dramatic rocky mountains towards Esedalen. Follow along the ridge towards the highest peak, Raudmelen, with its expansive views on both sides. Note: There are plenty of options to take shorter routes in case of bad weather or other.
Optional services, advance booking required:
-Easier hike (ca 5 km) that can end with a cider tasting.
Meals: breakfast, packed lunch & dinner
Distance/Elevation: 5-13 km / 3-8mi, +/- 1000 m, <6 hours
Highlights: views from Raudmelen
Overnight: Balestrand
Transfer from Balestrand to Årøy. From the end of Barsnesfjorden you pass the mighty Årøy River and start the hike at the other side of the bridge. Follow the same road that King Holy Olav took in 1023 with his men. This is the path where they found fresh water from the source and since then, was named the “Olav Source.” The path goes up to Hafslo and continues along the lake until Galden, where you hike down to picturesque Solvorn. A small village with white wooden houses, Solvorn is busy in the summertime with its public beach, ferry to Urnes, and nice summer atmosphere. The town has a small café and a nice art gallery in one of the old boathouses. Overnight at the historic Walaker Hotel, which is over 370 years old. Passed on from generation to generation since 1690, the hotel is now an attraction in itself.
Optional services, advance booking required:
-Transfer (or bus) – hike from Nyre from Solvorn, or to Legene. Both tours along the fjord, 4 to 8 km.
Meals: breakfast, packed lunch & dinner
Distance/Elevation: 10.5 km / 6.5 mi, +399/-322m, easy walk
Highlights: hiking by Årøy River, Hafslo Lake, cute town of Solvorn
Overnight: Solvorn
Transfer to Molden, ca. 6 km to reach the trailhead. The first few km follow trails through the forest, then the path rises steeply and climbs to Svarthiller, with its spectacular view over the fjord towards Ornes. Leaving Svarthiller, the path turns and winds its way past steep crags before levelling out, where you reach the top of Molden, at 1116 m above sea level. The best view is to the east, over the innermost parts of Lusterfjorden with Nes and Høyheimsvik in the foreground. Molden is described as the finest viewpoint of the Sognefjord, with a panoramic view of the fjord arms and the high mountains of Jotunheimen. Return to Solvorn to relax and have dinner.
Optional visits, payable on-site:
-Ferry to Urnes: (20 minute ferry) visit the famous Urnes stave church and hike from the church. You can also add this to an extra day.
-Visit the inside of the historical Urnes church
Meals: breakfast, packed lunch & dinner
Distance/Elevation: 8 km / 5 mi, +/- 569m
Highlights: magnificent Molden, Urnes stave church option
Overnight: Solvorn
Today is your departure day, following your last delicious Norwegian breakfast. We hope you enjoyed your time in Norway’s magical fjord country!
Departure:
-Take the bus to the coastal express (either from Sogndal or Leikanger). Departure from Sogndal is at 7:05 am and Leikanger is 12.20 pm. Must check timetable for every booking because Saturday and Sundays are different.
-Take the bus to Oslo.
-Flight from Sogndal Airport to other parts of Norway.
Dates: Plan your trip at a time that best fits your schedule! Pure Adventures tours have flexible start dates.
2025 Tour Rates:
Superior Three & Four Star Hotels: (based on double occupancy)
Need to Know:
The Norway trip was fabulous! A few highlights/shoutouts:
1) Your local representative was an absolute joy to work with. She was so kind, helpful, accommodating, and gracious. She was knowledgeable, communicative, timely and just a delight to chat with as we journeyed about. Truly above and beyond the call and we are so so grateful to her. We felt so taken care of and she made everything on the trip feel smooth and easy.
2) The accommodations at Kvikness and Wallaker were so beautiful and a real highlight of the whole trip. As we had been told by our Pure Adventures expert, the food at Walaker was unreal, and the dinners there were possibly the best of our entire month of travel (in which we did several nights at Michelin/fine dining places).
3) Raudmelen was our favorite hike, but all were truly lovely (even though we had some very rough weather at the top of Molden).
4) The cider tasting and lunch in Balestrand was so fun, informative, and so Tasty!
Thank you so much for helping us have such an amazing, well organized, beautiful adventure for our honeymoon.
We had an AMAZING time on our Norway Hiking tour, and the trip definitely met or exceeded our expectations. We wondered (at the outset) if we could have found enough information to plan a trip this good ourselves, and came to the conclusion that we simply couldn’t. There’s just too much insider information that you can’t get from here, about hidden gems over there. And your local point person was a fantastic, flexible, accommodating. We had good luck with amazing weather, as a bonus. Highlights: Bergen hike at top of Floyen; Cider tasting and lunch; hike in Balestrand to top of fjord; both Walaker and Kviknes hotels (and meals); stave church visit. In Bergen, we would have preferred a hotel that was not so close to the shops and restaurants, but that is our preference. Overall, we had a great trip!