Hardangerfjord
Norway'S Second Longest Fjord (About 180 Km), Known For Spring Fruit Blossom, The Voringsfossen Waterfall And The Hardanger Bridge · Utne, Vestland
The Hardangerfjord runs roughly 180 km inland from the North Sea islands south of Bergen, making it Norway's second-longest fjord after the Sognefjord. Its character is gentler than the narrow World Heritage fjords to the north: broad water, steep green slopes, glaciers and bare plateau above, and on the shores a belt of orchards that has made Hardanger the fruit garden of Norway since monks are said to have planted the first trees in the Middle Ages. People come for the blossom in May, when cherry, plum, apple and pear trees flower under snowy peaks; for cider tasted at the farms that make it; for the Voringsfossen and Steinsdalsfossen waterfalls; for the Folgefonna glacier; and for villages such as Utne, Lofthus, Kinsarvik and Eidfjord, linked by small ferries and the Hardanger Bridge. It is also the road to Trolltunga. The honest caveat: the fjord is so long that it is a region, not a single sight. Without a car, or a careful plan around buses and boats that run thinly outside summer, a lot of the day goes on waiting for connections.
Hardangerfjord, with Utne, Lofthus, Kinsarvik, Eidfjord and Norheimsund on its shores, Ullensvang and Kvam municipalities, Utne, Vestland, Norway
A natural fjord, open all year with no entry fee; roads along both shores are open in every season, though they are narrow and winding. Farm cider shops, fruit stalls, cafes and most museums keep roughly May to September hours and open on shorter days or by appointment in winter - confirm each one. Voringsfossen and Steinsdalsfossen viewpoints can be visited at any hour. Car ferries such as Kinsarvik-Utne-Kvanndal run all year on a timetable, more often in summer. Getting there: by car from Bergen roughly 1.5-2 hours via Norheimsund or the Hardanger Bridge; express buses run from Bergen, and in summer a sightseeing boat has run from Norheimsund toward Eidfjord (confirm). Road 7 over Hardangervidda above Eidfjord can close or run in convoy in winter. Book summer rooms, fjord cruises, glacier guides and Trolltunga guides ahead.