Nordfjord is the 6th longest fjord in Norway. It is 565 meters deep and 105km long! Nordfjord is a gorgeous fjord country in Norway and FjordTours calls it: “Norway at its highest, wildest, deepest and most enjoyable.”
Olden, Nordfjordeid, Loen and Stryn are all towns in the Nordfjord that provide beautiful unique experiences in each destination. Olden is in the top 10 most visited cruise ports in Norway!
The views are the main attraction here and the Nordfjord provides multiple opportunities to experience it. Below is a list of things to do in Nordfjord during the summer months of May-mid September.
Getting to the Nordfjord
You can experience the Nordfjord through one of the many Norwegian cruises out there. Olden is in the top 10 most visited ports in Norway so you have a great way to experience the Nordfjord from the comfort of a cruise ship.
If you have rented a car in Norway and are doing a driving tour of Norway, Nordfjordeid is a 5 hour drive from Bergen. This route includes a ferry crossing of the Sognefjord, as well as, across the Nordfjord.
If you are driving from Alesund, it is a 2.5 hour drive to Nordfjordeid and also includes 2 ferries.
Where to stay
Nordfjordeid:
Olden:
Loen:
There are also plenty of places to camp along the Nordfjord and AirBnBs available.
Day 1: Nordfjordeid and Vestkapp
Morning
In Nordfjordeid, visit Sagasatd Museum and the Mykelbust Viking Ship. The Mykelbust Ship in the museum is a reconstruction of remains of the original that was found in a viking grave. They believe the burnt grave they found was a northern king, Audbjørn, who died during a battle against King Harald Fairhair who eventually went on to unite all of Norway.
They found remains of 30 large shields in the grave indicating the ship he was burnt in was big enough to contain 30 men powering it. This would make the Mykelbust ship the largest viking ship found.
As a visitor you get to walk on the viking ship! They also have information on additional items found in the grave and about viking burnt ship burial customs.
The museum is sleek and mdoern and has beautiful views of the Nordfjord. There is a little park right next to the museum, so those with little ones can take a break while they play outside!
If you’re lucky enough you may also get to see the Norwegian fjord horse! The museum is open 11am-3pm Monday-Friday, closed Saturday and Sunday.
After the museum you can grab some pizza at the Pizza House Nordfjordeid (Sjøgata 98, 6770 Nordfjordeid), right behind the museum!
Afternoon
Head to West Cape to get some amazing panoramic views of the Norwegian Sea. Weather is extremely unpredictable here and is known for changing rapidly. This is about an 1.5 hour drive from Nordfjordeid.
Alternate Option
Another option is Selje Kloster, a Benedictine monastery founded around 1100 C.E. During the founding of the monastery it was an important Christian site and the location of the original shrine of Saint Sunniva.
A chartered boat takes tourists to the island at noon Monday-Friday. It returns back to the mainland at 2:15pm. The boat ride takes about 15 minutes to get to the island the monastery sits on and they also provide guides to tell you the history of the monastery.
Day 2: Olden and Briksdalbreen
Head to the Briksdalbreen Mountain Lodge (Oldedalsvegen 2211, Briksdal, 6792 Briksdalsbre) to park your car and head out on your journey to the viewing point of Briksdalbreen. The entrance to Jostedalsbreen National Park is at the mountain lodge.
Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier in continental Europe. The glacier is 600 meters (2,000ft) thick at its thickest point! Briksdalbreen is the most accessible arm of Jostedalsbreen.
You can walk the 3km wide gravel path to the viewing point of the Briksdalbreen glacier at the glacier lake formed at the foot of the glacier. The path is very well maintained and even has ramps up some of the steep parts to make the glacier viewpoint stroller and wheelchair accessible.
While I’m not sure I would want to push a stroller up the path, we certainly saw people doing this! For those that want an easier time in reaching the viewpoint, the mountain lodge provides troll cars! The max capacity is 7 people and takes about 1.5 hours to reach the view point. You can book a troll car here.
The mountain lodge has a large store where you can buy knick-knacks, Norwegian clothes and snacks/drinks. They also have plenty of bathrooms to use before and after you set out to see Briksdalbreen. There is a 10 NOK fee to use the bathrooms.
There are other harder trails you can take to get great views of the Oldendalen Valley and Briksdal glacier: Kattanakken and Oldeskaret. These trails are for expert hikers.
The scenery is amazing on the drive to Briksdalbreen. So, either on the drive there or back you can stop and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Oldevatnet.
There are two churches that provide beautiful subjects in your pictures with the valley backdrop: Olden Old Church (in Olden Sentrum) and Olden New Church, along the road to the mountain lodge.
Additional Activities
Kayak the Nordfjord from Olden! This tour is 3 hours long and leaves from Olden. This tour does require 4 people to run.
Day 3: Loen
During the summer months, the Loen Skylift opens at 10am. It is much cooler at the top, so be sure to bring layers and dress warm!
At the top there is a restaurant and cafe to grab some lunch or have dinner after a day of hiking up top! The restaurant even has a large kid-friendly area chalk full of toys and activities to keep your kids busy while you enjoy a meal with an INCREDIBLE view!
At the top there are a number of hikes you can choose to pursue based on your level of comfort. View the list of hikes at the top here.
For those that want a little more adventure- you can choose the Via Ferrata path! Checkout all of the different options here. You can choose between different packages that include the Via Ferrata + skylift return; Via Ferrata + Zipline and skylift return.
Day 4: Stryn hiking trails or glacier walk
At this point you have seen the glaciers from afar, but what about walking on a glacier? Checkout this 7-hour guided tour that leaves from the Stryn Summer Ski Resort. The tour runs from June 18 to August 14 only and is a guided hike on the Tystig glacier!
There are also plenty of hiking opportunities around Stryn, Lovatnet and Oppstrynsvatnet- checkout ut.no for all the possibilities!
Day 5: Glacier Museum and Bøyabreen
In Fjæland, there is the Norwegian Glacier Museum and Climate Change Center (Fjærlandsfjorden 13, 6848 Fjærland). This is such a cool museum! It has an incredible IMAX movie about the Jostedal glacier and fair warning- it is also a sensory film…the seats and floors shake to make you seem like you’re flying in the helicopter over the glacier!
The exhibit has tons of hands-on activities to help explain the science behind glaciers and has a fun “ice cave” you can walk through! They also have an immersive exhibit on climate change that presents the problem and does a good job of staying objective.
The museum also allows you to go up top to the roof to get amazing views of the valley and surrounding mountains.
On your way to the museum you will come across the Bøyabreen Glacier viewpoint. This is right off the main road- you can’t miss it! There are additional hiking trails from the viewpoint you can take to experience the area.
