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Well-known fjords

Travel in the wake of fishing boats and merchant ships. Most of the landscape in Fjord Norway has changed little since Viking longboats set sail for distant shores.
What is a fjord?

Geirangerfjord

The fjord is 15 km long and is on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list since 2005. It attracts travellers to its pristine beauty. Along the fjord you will see farms situated far up in the mountains, where it is hard to believe that anyone could live. Today they are abandoned, but accessible by trail and boat. The Geirangerfjord is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Western Norway.

At the head of the fjord, you find Geiranger. Midway through, you will find "The seven sisters" - a waterfall with an approximate fall height of 300 meters. The name arose because the falls, at a distance, resemble the hair of seven women. On the opposite side of the fjord is the waterfall "Friaren" (suitor). With its bottle-shaped appearance, apparently an unfortunate suitor, (and therefore addicted to the bottle), as he waited for a response to his proposal to the sisters. Read more about Geirangerfjorden

Hardangerfjord

179 km long, Norway's second longest fjord, and the third longest in the world. On the deepest it is more than 800 meters. Hardanger is famous for its flowering fruit trees. The glacier Folgefonni is located on the south side of the fjord, and in this area you also find the impressive Trolltunga - it is a tough hike before you reach it, but it is definitely worth it!

The density of fish farms for salmon makes the Hardangerfjord one of four major farming regions in the world (please note that it is illegal to fish for salmon without a permit in the fjord).

Hjørundfjord

33 km long. Considered by many as one of the most beautiful fjords in the world, because of the sharp-pointed peaks on both sides. These are the core area of the Sunnmøre Alps. Furthest north the fjord is 2.5 kilometers wide, and narrows down towards the bottom of the fjord. At its deepest the Hjørundfjord is 441 meters. The name might come from "sword" (hjorr), since the fjord's shape can be compared with a sword. Around the fjord there are about 70 small lakes. One of these is Tusse Lake, which has given name to the power company Tussa.

Lysefjord

42 km long and almost 500 meters at its deepest. The famous Pulpit Rock and Kjerag is situated along the fjord. Because of high mountains and large lakes on the plateaus, the Lysefjord is used for hydropower generation. One of the plants has a fall of 740 meters. The mountains are, at their highest, 1 000 meters above sea level. Read more about Lysefjorden.

Nordfjord

The Nordfjord is the sixth longest in Norway and is 105 (66 mi) kilometres long, and 565 metres (1,854 ft) deep. It encompasses the rough coastline of Stadlandet to the great blue Jostedalsbreen Glacier, Europe's largest mainland glacier. The Jostedalsbreen is one of Norway’s National Parks, and in Stryn you can visit the most famous of the glacier arms – the Briksdal Glacier. The region also includes Lake Hornindalsvatnet, Europe's deepest lake at 514 metres (1,686 ft) below sea level. The Stryn area provides almost year-round alpine skiing, and there are numerous villages, going back to pre-Viking times. The district comprises the municipalities of Stryn, Hornindal, Eid, Vågsøy and Selje.
Read more about Nordfjord.

Nærøyfjord

Nærøyfjord is 19 km long and constitutes an arm of the Aurland Fjord, which in turn is an arm of the Sognefjord. Extends to the little place Gudvangen. The fjord is only 250 meters at its narrowest point. The mountains in the area are stretching the entire 1 800 meters above sea level. Here, too, abandoned farms can be seen high up in the mountains. Nærøyfjord was in 2005 inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.
Read more about Nærøyfjord

Sognefjord

Stretching 204 km into the foot of the national parks Jotunheimen and Jostedalsbreen, the Sognefjord is Norway's longest and deepest, and the world's second longest fjord. It is 1 308 m at its deepest. Sognefjord has been an important transport source from ancient times and has made it possible to transport agricultural products, fruits, berries and fish between the villages in Sogn and Bergen. In 2004, Lewis Gordon Pugh, was the first to swim the Sognefjord lengthwise.
Read more about Sognefjord.