Vestlandet travel guide

You will probably be visiting Ålesund for one of two reasons: to marvel at its Art Nouveau architecture, or to catch one of the many boat tours that leave from here to explore the nearby islands and waterways. It is a pleasant town, and its history makes it quite unique – it burned to the ground in 1905, and the Art Nouveau centre is the result of an impressive rebuilding effort. These buildings are concentrated in one part of the city; the rest of it is rather uninspiring, and not particularly attractive. Other than exploring the colourful town centre, the highlight of a visit to Ålesund is climbing the 418 steps up Akla hill, which provides gorgeous views of the town and its surrounding islands, hills and inlets. But half the fun of visiting Ålesund is getting here, as it is located at the western end of a peninsula – lots of bridges, winding roads, ferries and tunnels connect it to the rest of the country.

It is not often that a road becomes a destination, but the Atlantic Ocean Road is up there with Australia’s Great Ocean Road and the United States’ Route 66. In fact, Norway seems to have made it a challenge to design and build spectacular roads in the most unlikely of places, be it across mountain passes or, in this case, to connect various remote islands. At just over 8km it isn’t very long, but there are plenty of places to stop, go for walks and admire the crazy bridges with their fjord and mountain backdrops to ensure that it will take you a good few hours to get past. Very exposed to ocean storms, driving here on a sunny summer’s day and a gloomy, windy winter’s evening are two very different experiences. No road trip to Norway is complete without a visit here!

Boasting one of Norway's 7 UNESCO listed sites, the port city of Bergen is unquestionably the most popular destination in the country. Bryggen, the city's old wharf, is a pleasure to wander around, even if you might need to jostle with the hordes of tourists that show up in the busy summer season. The town is no one-hit wonder in terms of attractions. With a variety of forts, parks and a cool hike (or funicular ride) to an outlook over the city, Bergen has enough to occupy travellers for a few days. But the true life of Bergen is found in the outdoor cafes, pubs and restaurants that overspill into the walkways, almost forcing passersby to sit down, relax and enjoy the people watching.

For bird watchers, bird cliffs are a bit like an all-you-can-eat buffet. They are found primarily in the Arctic and north Atlantic, and Norway has some of the most spectacular ones: in Svalbard, on the Lofoten Islands and on Runde. The steep cliffs have small shelves on which bird colonies nest, and a single site can play host to hundreds of thousands of birds at any one time. Needless to say, bird cliffs are a good place to see and photograph birds, primarily Little Auks, Atlantic Puffins, Kittiwakes and Razorbills. They also provide good opportunities to see the predators that prey on these birds, such as White-tailed Eagles. Just keep in mind that these cliffs really are very steep, and many of them present drops of hundreds of metres down to the sea, so try not to step over the edge.

Even if churches aren’t your thing, this one is well worth a visit. For one thing, it’s got four wooden dragon heads on the roof. That’s right – it’s a church with dragons on it! It’s also very beautiful, more reminiscent of a Chinese temple than a church. The inside has a mixture of Norse and Christian carvings and decorations, and there are even a few rune carvings. From the late 12th century, Borgund is the best preserved (although neither the oldest nor the largest) of Norway’s 28 stave churches – so named because of the load-bearing posts or ‘staves’. Visiting at least one stave church should definitely be on any to-see list!

When driving or biking along Norway’s west coast, it inevitably becomes necessary to catch ferries across the fjords. Although expensive, the fjord ferries certainly add a bit of variety – and save a lot of time – to the long, narrow, winding roads. Some are short, some are long, but they all provide beautiful views of water, mountains and villages. The most famous fjord ferry in Norway is the Geirangerfjord Ferry, which takes you past some of the country’s most beautiful waterfalls. The western and northern fjords alone boast more than 80 ferries. As they say in Norway: the fjord is the road!

The tiny village of Flåm is a true tourist phenomenon. Although the village itself is very old – its name dates back to the 1340s – its small size belies its popularity and significance. It receives a crazy half million visitors per year, including 160 cruise ships, and these – with their accompanying convoy of sight-seeing buses – are almost as interesting as the village itself. The two main attractions here are the fjord on which it lies (Aurlandsfjord, an arm of Sognefjord) and the Flåm railway, one of the steepest and arguably most beautiful train journeys in the world. Since it is only 20 km long, it can easily be done as a day trip. Boat trips on the fjord are popular, too. There are Viking graves and abandoned farms, steep cliffs and majestic waterfalls. For those wishing to stay on dry land, there are some touch but mind-blowing hikes and bike trails in the area. The village itself has some nice buildings, but the feeling is really that this is mainly a cruise-ship port with accompanying hotels, souvenir shops and restaurants.

Geiranger is essentially a tourist village, which is supported primarily by the many cruise ships which travel up the fjord almost every day of the year. Small and somewhat quaint, Geiranger is mostly of interest as a place from where to explore Geirangerfjord, or to pick up a hideously tacky and overpriced troll souvenir (the cruise participants love them, it seems). But there cannot be many more beautiful locations for a village anywhere in the world, surrounded as Geiranger is by mountains on three sides and Geirangerfjord on the forth.

Geirangerfjord is one of two Norwegian fjords to enjoy UNESCO World Heritage status, and it is one of Norway’s most visited tourist attractions - and for good reason. It’s really that beautiful. The best way to see the whole fjord is by catching the hour-long ferry that travels from one end of this 15 km stretch to the other. Steep mountains line it on all sides, and waterfalls – some of them with drops of more than 1,000 m – are everywhere, particularly in spring and early summer as the snow begins to melt. Some of the area’s early inhabitants clearly did not want to feel crowded, judging by the isolated farms that dot the sides of the fjord – reachable only by boat and long, steep climb. There are lots of hikes around Geiranger, located at the head of the fjord, but the most rewarding trips are hikes combined with kayak or boat excursions. And a fjord swim is a must – but you’d be wise to choose a sunny day, as the temperature rarely climbs above very cold!

Hardangerfjord is the world’s third largest, almost 180km long. It is more a collection of destinations than a destination in itself – in it and along its shores you will find glaciers, fruit orchards, salmon farms, powerful waterfalls and some of the best hikes in Norway, including the famous Troll’s Tongue. The soil is more arable along Hardangerfjord than many of its northern neighbours, so in spring and early summer the cherry, plum and apple trees are in bloom. Snow persists in the nearby mountains until quite late, so if hiking (but not trudging through deep snow) is what you are coming here for you would be wise to wait until July. The town of Odda is the place to organize hikes, although much of it can be done independently. As with much of Norway’s nature, its attractiveness changes dramatically with the weather, so be prepared to hang around for a few days in the hope of glimpsing the sun – it really is worth it!