World class nature attractions

The majestic landscape of the Sognefjord area has enticed tourist, hikers, mountain climbers, adventurers and artist for more than 150 years. The narrow, world famous Nærøyfjord, one of the Sognefjord's arms, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Some of the most well-known national parks and landscape preservation areas by the Sognefjord are Jotunheimen National Park, the Jostedalsbreen Glacier National Park, Aurlandsdalen Valley and Utladalen Valley.

The national tourist route, Sognefjell Mountain Road, through the Jotunheimen National Park, is the highest and most impressive mountain pass in Northern Europe.

Other familiar names in the Sognefjord area are Flåm, Rallarvegen (the Navvies' Road), Nigardsbreen Glacier, Bøyabreen Glacier, Balestrand, Jostedal, Finnafjorden, Turtagrø, the Fjærlandsfjord, Skjolden and Solvorn.

Spectacular waterfalls

There are several places in the Sognefjord region where you can see majestic waterfalls cascading down steep mountain sides. Some of these waterfalls are between Norway's highest.

Vettisfossen in Øvre Årdal has a free fall of 275 metres and is the highest protected waterfall in Norway. Other known waterfalls are Feigumfossen in Luster, Kjosfossen in Flåmsdalen and Kvinnafossen between Leikanger and Hella.

The Flåm Railway - from fjord to high mountains

Go on an incredible journey with the Flåm Railway. Travel from the mountain station Myrdal, on the Bergen Railway, through the steep and narrow Flåm Valley, down to the village of Flåm beside the Aurlandsfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord. This is one of the world’s steepest railway lines.

National visitor centres and exciting museums

The award-winning Norwegian Glacier Museum in Fjærland offers interactive exhibitions and films about the glacier and much more. In Fjærland you can also visit the Norwegian Book Town.

Breheimsenteret is the information centre for the Jostedalsbreen Glacier National Park in Jostedal. Enjoy the great view to the Nigardsbreen Glacier from the centre’s restaurant. This is also the most well-known centre for outdoor activities.

At the Norwegian Wild Salmon Centre you can find out all there is to know about salmon and the traditions associated with salmon fishing. There are interesting exhibitions, exiting films and a salmon observatory.

Through exhibits, an open-air museum and a traditional farm with live animals, Sogn Folk Museum/the Heiberg Collections at Kaupanger shows you how life has been lived along the Sognefjord.

At the Sognefjord Aquarium in Balestrand you can visit the marine activity centre where you can study more than one hundred different species of fish from the Sognefjord.

The oldest stave churches in Norway

There are only 28 stave churches left in all of Norway. Five of the oldest are in the Sognefjord region, and all of them date back to the twelfth century.

The oldest stave church in Norway is Urnes Stave Church. This church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borgund Stave Church is exceptionally well-preserved and is one of the most distinctive stave churches in Norway. The richly decorated Hopperstad Stave Church in Vik is also reckoned to be one of the oldest stave churches, probably built in 1140. Undredal Stave Church is the smallest church in Scandinavia still in use, with only 40 seats.