Barney Travel Technologies

Norheimsund is a town in South West of Norway; North West of Oslo and East of Bergen. It is a beautiful town right on the water’s edge and a perfect base for exploring the region’s fjords and waterfalls. If you’re visiting Bergen from the UK, it’s a great addition to the trip as you can reach Norheimsund in just over 1hr if you hire a car, and it enables you to see more of this beautiful country.

Contents

1. Contents
2. How to get to Norheimsund & how long is needed in Norheimsund
3. Important Information about Norheimsund
   1. Weather
   2. Language, Currency and Time Difference
4. Norheimsund 2 day Itinerary
   1. Itinerary Day 1: Fjord Trip, Maritime Centre & Steinsdalsfossen
      1. Fjord trip
      2. the Hardanger Maritime Centre & Museum
      3. Steinsdalsfossen
   2. Itinerary Day 2: Glacier Hike
5. Have a little Longer?

How to get to Norheimsund & how long is needed in Norheimsund

The easiest way to get to Norheimsund is to fly in to Bergen, and then hire a car to drive the 1hr 15 minutes to the town. Alternatively, it’s also a great stop if you’re doin the cross-Norway adventure of Oslo to Bergen.

The amount of time needed in Norheimsund depends on your interests. If you just want to look out at the lovely Fjords you could visit on a day trip, but if you want to do some of the beautiful hikes and take a bit more time to see the sites, 2 days gives enough time to do so.

Important Information about Norheimsund

Weather

The weather in Norheimsund always comes with a threat of rain, with every month in the year having 11-18 days of rainfall. October to January are the most rainy months.

During the winter, temperatures hover around 5°C, and highs in the summer reach around 20°C. Daylight hours during the summer months are long, though in the winter sunrise can be around 10am, and sunset by 3pm.

Language, Currency and Time Difference

The language in Norheimsund is Norwegian, but English is very widely spoken. The currency is the Norwegian Kroner (not the Euro), and the time difference is +1hr to the UK.

Norheimsund 2 day Itinerary

Itinerary Day 1: Fjord Trip, Maritime Centre & Steinsdalsfossen

Fjord trip

Norheimsund sits on the amazing Hardangerfjord, which is the second largest fjord in Norway. Start your time in Norheimsund by getting out on the water, whether by boat tour or by kayak – a boat trip will be around 2 hours and a kayak tour about 3.5 hours.

the Hardanger Maritime Centre & Museum

Norheimsund has a rich boat making tradition, and this museum keeps the tradition of boat building alive. You can even try your hand at making rope, though we were terrible at it!

Steinsdalsfossen

A 40 minute walk out of the town there is a beautiful waterfall which you can actually walk behind, called Steinsdalsfossen. It’s a lovely spot for an afternoon stroll, though it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway so be ready for some crowds in the peak tourist months.

Itinerary Day 2: Glacier Hike

Today is a full day trip to visit Folgefanna, a glacier which you can hike up. Lots of tour companies run trips here, including Fjord Tours, who run a 9 hour excursion to the glacier.

To get there, you ride a Catamaran away from Norheimsund over the fjord to Herand, and then take a (very scary) coach ride to a ski resort. You then get kitted out with ropes, ice picks and helmets and are sent to walk 200m up the ski slope. At the top, they speak through how glaciers are formed and then you walk on a few sections of the glacier. It was fun to do and a unique experience, but it really would have been better to get on the ski lift and spend more time at the top instead.

Have a little Longer?

Norheimsund is a great base to explore a bit more of the local area, so if you have longer than 2 days in town then I recommend taking a road trip across the fjord by car ferry and cross to Jondal, Tesenarsstaden, Utne, Kinarvik and Herand. These are beautiful, scenic drives through apple orchards, fruit farms and fishing villages, so is perfect for a relaxed day of enjoying the amazing scenery and nature around.

This also then enables you to see the fjords of Utnefjord, Sorfjord and Eidfjord, as well as take in the incredible Voringfossen waterfall. You can also then drive back to Norheimsund via the Hardanger bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world.

Thanks for reading! Has this post inspired you to go in search of the fjords? Have you already been? Let me know in the comments below! Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!