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West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord

Near Vik · Norway

Background

World Heritage since
2005
Type of site
Natural
Height of the fjord walls
1,400 m

Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, 120 km apart in south-western Norway, are part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape that stretches 500 km from Stavanger to Åndalsnes. UNESCO calls them archetypal fjord landscapes among the most scenically outstanding anywhere, their narrow crystalline rock walls rising up to 1,400 m from the sea and reaching 500 m below it, with waterfalls, free-flowing rivers, glacial lakes and glaciers.

The Geirangerfjord is the upper end of the Storfjord, 60 km inland; the Nærøyfjord is the innermost arm of the Sognefjord, 100 km inland and crossed by the E16. Only a few hundred people live in each. Wikivoyage says Geiranger, a village of 200, takes 5,000 or more visitors a day in summer, with some 300,000 cruise passengers a year, and is reached by the hairpin passes of the Eagle Road and the Geirangervegen. The GoGo Bergen guide reaches the Nærøyfjord on the Norway in a Nutshell day.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. Ice agesGlaciers cut the fjords to 500 m below sea level
  2. 60 km inlandGeirangerfjord forms the upper end of the Storfjord
  3. 100 km inlandNærøyfjord is the innermost arm of the Sognefjord
  4. 2005Inscribed as World Heritage

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    Nærøyfjord Cruise
    The narrow fjord by boat on the Norway in a Nutshell day from Bergen.
  2. 2
    Flåm Railway
    The mountain railway down to the Sognefjord, on the same day.
  3. 3
    Geirangerfjord
    The 15 km inner fjord with its waterfalls, from Hellesylt to Geiranger.
  4. 4
    Flydalsjuvet and Dalsnibba
    The viewpoints above Geiranger named by Wikivoyage.
  5. 5
    Eagle Road
    Road 63 north from Geiranger, with ten hairpin turns; the Geirangervegen south has fifty.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

Norway in a Nutshell
The GoGo guide: train, the Flåm railway and a Nærøyfjord cruise in one ten-hour day from Bergen.
Summer Only for Geiranger
Wikivoyage: winter closes most roads into the Geiranger fjord; visit between June and late August.
Weather Changes Hourly
Warm, windy, cool and freezing in one day; bring layers and sunscreen.
Crowded by Day
Cruise ships and charter buses make Geiranger crowded in the daytime; mornings and evenings are quieter.

Fjord and Railway

From the GoGo Bergen guide · Open the Bergen Guide ›

  1. 08:00
    Nærøyfjord Cruise and Flåm Railway10 hrs
    Train, mountain railway and the fjord by boat.
  2. 21:00
    Bryggen at Night45 min
    The wharf lit up across Bergen's harbour.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: Jun. Freezing days in Oct–Apr. Rainy season Jul–Jan.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Dec (189 mm), driest Apr (100 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Pair It With

Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance

WORTH A NIGHTDAY TRIPSAME DAYDistance not to scale · tap a site
Do These Together
Urnes Stave Church is 46 km from the site's centre point and Bryggen in Bergen 108 km, both World Heritage sites.
Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 1195 · Wikipedia: West Norwegian Fjords · Wikivoyage: Geiranger (CC BY-SA 4.0) · GoGo Bergen guide · UNESCO listing