Hikes in Western Norway

The following are just a few of the many hiking adventures that you can experience in Western Norway. Some of the hikes described in this section may be very challenging and/or very long. Be sure to be aware of the difficulty of any hike you are considering in advance, prepare ahead of time, and go with experienced hikers or guides if necessary. 

Preikestolen (the Pulpit Rock)

An extremely popular 6 km hike in the vicinity of Stavanger. The hike ends at a ~25 x 25 metre glacially-formed shelf looking out over Lysefjorden.

• Read more about Preikestolen and what to expect on these pages. 

Getting there

• Take the Bus from Stavanger to Pulpit Rock. Combination tickets are available for the bus and ferry needed to get from Stavanger to Tau and from Tau to Pulpit rock (travel time is a little more than one hour each way). 
• You can reach Stavanger by bus from Bergen Bus Station (between 5 and 5.5 hours) or by plane (~40 minutes flying time). 

Trolltunga

Considered among the most scenic cliffs in Norway, Trolltunga juts out 700 metres above lake Ringedalsvatnet. The hike to Trolltunga is an arduous 27-38 km round-trip adventure (depending on where you start) and can take 8-15 hours. If you hike Trolltunga make sure you have the proper gear and fitness level, and be sure to attempt it in an appropriate season (1 June - 30 September is the most favorable time of year). Be aware that in peak season, there may be queing at Trolltunga. 

• Read more about Trolltunga on these pages.   

Getting there

• Bus 930 runs from Bergen to Odda (about 3 hours travel time).
• A shuttle from Odda runs 20. May - 25. September to Skjeggedal, Tyssedal and Mågelitopp, the hike's starting points (up to 45 minutes each way).
• Check the Skyss Travel Planner for other options. 

Hardangervidda 

Hardangervidda is a plateau stretching between west and east Norway and encompasing Hardangervidda National Park as well as other protected land. The area is enormous with nearly 10,000 square metres of wilderness. Hardangervidda offers a wide variety of hikes, including long range hikes of several days to at least a week.

• For more tips about long range hikes on Hardangervidda
• For more tips about Hardangervidda and accomodation and Hardangervidda.
• For more tips about  cabins in Hardangervidda

Getting there

Options for getting to Hardangervidda include train, bus, or car.

• One possibility is travelling to Finse from Bergen by train (about 2.5 hours). 
• Another possiblity for accessing Hardangervidda is traveling to Haukeliseter by bus (about 4.5 hours, one change).  

Aurland and Aurlandsdalen

Aurland is located along Aurlandsfjorden and Nærøyrfjorden, two branches of Sognefjorden, earth's longest and deepest fjord. Its largest river valley is Aurlandsalen. Known as Norway's grand canyon, Aurlandsdalen offers opportunities for long range through hiking or shorter day hikes. Take a look at this site for hiking ideas through the Aurland canyon, ranging 10-20 km depending on the hike. 

Getting there

You can travel from Bergen to Aurland by bus, car, or ferry.

• The expressboat goes to Aurland pier or Flåm from Bergen (5 - 5.5 hours one-way).
• The train goes from Bergen to Flåm via Myrdal (~3.5 hours give or take).
• The bus goes from Bergen Bus Station to Aurland Station or Flåm Station (3 – 3.5 hours). Check Skyss or VY for more information. 

Kjerag

Kjerag is a 1,110 metre tall mountain featuring Kjeragbolten (a 5-cubic-metre stone wedged in the moutain's crevasse) and Kjergafossen (among the highest waterfalls in Norway and in the world) as well as opportunities for hiking, base jumping, and climbing. 

Magma Geopark

Magma Geopark is a UNESCO Global Geopark (an internationally important geological heritage site) featuring a rock type (anorthosite) more common on the moon than it is on earth. Activities in Magma Geopark include hiking, climbing, cycling, paddling and more.

In Magma geopark you can visit:

• Trollpikken (Troll's penis, a distinctively shaped rock formation)
• One of the largest screes (collection of fallen rock fragments) in Northern Europe, Gloppedalsura (Gloppedals scree)
• Gursli, a mine from the turn of the century

The Hardanger area

• Hardangerfjorden: The third longest fjord on earth, the area offers famous hikes (like Trolltunga) and waterfalls. 
• Hardangervidda: An enormous stretch of wilderness dotted with cabins, one can hike or cross-country ski from cabin to cabin across the plateau. 
• Vøringsfossen: One of the most famous waterfalls in the country, near Eidfjord.  
• Folgefonna: Refers to three glaciers in Hardanger. The glacier has a summer skiing resort and is part of Folgefonna National Park.

How to get there

• By Boat: You can get to Rosendal (in Hardanger Region) by boat on Rødne Fjord Cruises' Hardangerfjord Express Boat (about 2 hours).
• By Bus: You can get to a number of destinations within the Hardanger Region by local bus (Skyss), including Odda (the starting point for Trolltunga), Route 930 from Bergen Bus Station (about 3 hours). Use Skyss's travel planner to plan your trip. 
• To get to Kvamskogen you can take bus number 925 and 930 from the Bergen bus station. Use the Skyss Travel Planner to plan your trip. 
• Here is a complete guide for travel to the Hardangerfjord. 

Voss

Voss is one of the most famous winter recreation areas for Norway featuring outdoor recreation all year round. Rafting, climbing, skydiving, skiing or just flying inside an indoor wind tunnel. Read more information about Voss here. 

How to get there:

• By Train: Voss is easily accessible by Train (about 1 hour away from Bergen). Plan your trip on Vy’s site. 
• By Bus: It is also possible to take the bus to Voss (about 1 hour, 45 minutes), with Nettbuss.

Jostedalsbreen Glacier

Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier in continental Europe. Briksdalsbreen, one of the best known and most accessible arms of Jostedal Glacier, attracts international tourists. 

Jølster river

The 22 km long Jølstra River flows out into Fødefjorden from 207 metres above sea level. It offers recreation such as rafting. 

Skåla (1848 m)

A mountain with a depression in it that earned it a name meaning 'the bowl'. This is the longest uphill stretch in Norway - providing a hike with amazing fjord views. At the top of Skåla you will find two DNT cabins and enter the famous Skålatårnet. 

Fjords

Many picturesque fjords cut through Sogn og Fjordane. 

• Aurlandsfjorden: a branch off of Sognefjorden, sometimes referred to as 'the King of Fjords' (Norway's longest fjord). You can view the Fjord from the famous Stegastein viewpoint. Join our trip to Flåm and you can experience this.
• Fjærlandsfjord: also a branch of Sognefjorden, is at a meeting point between glacier and fjord. Read about visiting Fjærlandsfjord here.
• Nærøyfjorden: another branch of Sognefjorden, 18 km long and at times only 500 metres wide, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Other, more man-made attractions include Selje Abbey, a Benedictine monastery; stave churches such as the Borgund Stave Church (the best preserved of Norway's stave churches); as well as the extremely scenic and steep Flåmsbanen (the Flåm railway line). If you want to take the Flåmsbanen, you can buy tickets at Norway’s national rail service, VY. Flåmsbanen runs between Myrdal and Flåm (you can take the train from Bergen to Myrdal first). 

Geirangerfjorden

Geirangerfjorden, a UNESCO World Hertitage Site, is one of the major natural attractions in the region of Møre og Romsdal. 

A 15 km branch of a larger system of fjords. It was listed as a UNESCO World Hertiage site in 2005. Surrounded by some of the west coast of Norway's steepest mountains, it is a narrow fjord with no habitable shoreline. The looming mountains house a part of notable waterfalls that face each other across the fjord: Seven Sisters and The friar. 

How to get there

• By boat: In the summer you can take the Hurtigruten from Bergen to Geiranger. In winter you can take the Hurtigruten from Bergen to Ålesund and a bus from Ålesund to Geiranger. If you want to book a port-to-port trip through the Hurtigruten English web page, you must contact their customer service directly. You can book havn-til-havn (port-to-port) on the Norwegian Hurtigruten webpage if you can get by in Norwegian.
• By Bus: Vy bus has buses that run from Bergen Bus Station to Ålesund (about 9 hours 45 minutes). From Ålesund you can take a local bus, with ferry in between, to Geiranger (~3.5-4.5 hours). 
• Take a look at options for getting to Geirangerfjord on their official website. 

Hjørundfjorden and Sunnmørsalpene

Hjørundfjorden is a roughly 33 km branch off of Storfjorden and is surrounded by a mountain range called Sunnmørsalpene (Sunnmøre Alps).The Sunnmøre Alps offer hiking and skiing and is known for its long skiing season. UT.no is a great tool for exploring the Norwegian mountains but is only available in Norwegian. Copy and paste text into a translator, such as Google translate, if needed.  

How to get there

• By boat: You can visit Hjørundfjorden and the Sunnmøre Alps via the Hurtigruten. The Hurtigruten has a port at Urke (Urke and Sæbø are roughly opposite each other across the Hjørundfjorden). If you want to book a port-to-port trip through the Hurtigruten English web page, you must contact their customer service directly. You can book havn-til-havn (port-to-port) on the Norwegian Hurtigruten webpage if you can get by in Norwegian.
• By Bus: One option for traveling to Sæbø is to take Vybus from Bergen Bus Station to Ørsta (about 8 hours) and then take a local bus from Ørsta to Sæbø. From there you can take the ferry to Urke and travel on to the Sunnmøre Alps. 

Other attractions include: Trollstigen (Troll's path), a steep section of the Norwegian County Road 63 with dramatic hairpin turns; Atlanterhavsveien (The Atlantic road), a 8.3 km section of County Road 64 that runs through an archipelago connected by eight bridges; and Hotel Union Øye, a hotel dating back to 1891 in a scenic location that has been visited by royalties since it’s opening.