I’ve written about visiting Norway’s most beautiful fjords – and I even ranked them here – but there are a few Norwegian fjords that you’re more likely to visit than others. And one fjord that few tourists want to skip is Geirangerfjord. Many Norwegians consider Geirangerfjord to be Norway’s most beautiful fjord, and while personally I instead give the #1 spot to nearby Hjørundfjord, I do agree that Geirangerfjord is particularly magical.
Geirangerfjord is a picture perfect Norwegian fjord – in fact if you’ve seen photos of the fjords, it’s likely they were from Geirangerfjord. More specifically, they were probably from the small tourist village of Geiranger, right on the inner end of Geirangerfjord.
Geiranger is a 7+ hour drive from my home in Bergen, but I’ve still visited many times, not only for the fjord but also for the beautiful views along the way.
Geiranger, Norway
A lot of people confuse Geirangerfjord and Geiranger. Geirangerfjord is one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway and absolutely worth a visit. Geiranger is a village on the edge of Geirangerfjord, but it is not one of the most beautiful villages in Norway.
While Geirangerfjord is gorgeous, the village of Geiranger itself is just a few tourist shops, usually flooded with an overwhelming number of cruise tourists. I’ve stayed in Geiranger a few times, but I try to stay up above the village and avoid venturing down to the water where all the cruise tourists are. But staying above Geiranger is great, because the surrounding area truly is spectacular.
You can skip Geiranger altogether and stay somewhere else along the fjord, but there are some fantastic hotels here and the views from above the village are some of Norway’s best, so I do recommend staying in Geiranger, even though the village itself is quite touristy.
Geiranger makes a great base from which to explore this UNESCO protected area, so while I don’t love the village itself I do usually stay here when I’m in the area.
Waterfall Walk & Norwegian Fjord Centre
If you do one thing in Geiranger, make it the waterfall walk up to the Norwegian Fjord Center. The walk takes you up (or down) 327 steps from the Geiranger center up to the Norwegian Fjord Centre, which is across the street from the Hotel Union Geiranger, my favorite hotel in Geiranger.
The walk criss crosses along the bottom of Storsæterfossen waterfall. If you don’t want to do the whole walk, you can simply walk down a bit from the top by the Fjord Centre, as that’s the prettiest part of the walk. This is what I always do, because I like to avoid the bottom part near the cruise port because of all the crowds. The walk is free and you can enter from wherever you like.
Personally I don’t think the Norwegian Fjord Centre is that interesting, but it is a good place to learn more about the fjords. There’s also a children’s area, which could be worth it if you’re traveling with kids. Admission is 145 NOK (ages 16+) and 75 NOK for children (ages 5-15).
Fosseråsa National Hiking Trail
There are many wonderful hikes around Geiranger, but Fosseråsa is so spectacular that it was nominated as Norway’s first national hiking trail in 2019. The hike takes you from the center of Geiranger up to Storsæterfossen waterfall, 550 metres above sea level. The first part of the hike is actually the waterfall walk up to the Norwegian Fjord Centre. From there, you’ll follow signs up a hillside to the Vesterås farm. And then at the top you can actually walk behind the gushing water of Storsæterfossen waterfall, which is quite refreshing after a steep hike!
Skageflå Farm Hike & Fjord Cruise
Another popular hike in the area actually begins by boat from Geiranger. Well, you can do this entire hike on foot, but as it will then take over 6 hours, most people opt to take a boat one way (or both ways). Skageflå is an abandoned mountain farm overlooking the Seven Sisters Waterfall and the neighboring mountain farm of Knivsflå in Geirangerfjord.
This sightseeing boat will take you to Skagehola, and from there it’s a steep 45 minute hike up to Skageflå. The hike is tough for people not used to hiking in Norway, but the views are worth it. And then you can either hike back to Geiranger via Homlongsætra, another farm, which is a beautiful 3 hour journey, or if you’re too tired to hike back you can get the boat back again from Skagehola.
RIB Boat Excursion
If you’re not much of a hiker but want an adventure, I love taking RIB boat tours out into the fjords. The RIB goes quite fast so it’s exciting (and maybe not a great choice if you have back issues) and then it will also slow down at points so you can enjoy the peaceful fjord views and take photos. This RIB excursion leaves from downtown Geiranger.
Zipline
Geiranger also has a zipline and via ferrata, though I haven’t personally tried either since I’m a tiny bit afraid of heights.
Viewpoints
And then of course you don’t want to miss the viewpoints at the top of Ørnevegen (Eagle Road) and the Geiranger Skywalk, both on the Norwegian Scenic Route leaving Geiranger on the way to Trollstigen.
Where to stay in Geiranger
Because I don’t love downtown Geiranger with all the cruise tourist crowds, I highly recommend booking a hotel up the hill from the center, or outside of Geiranger instead. These are my three favorite Geiranger hotels I’ve stayed at:
Hotel Union Geiranger
If you want to stay in Geiranger, this is definitely the nicest hotel in town! It’s very grand and perched a bit above the fjord, so if you upgrade to a room with a view you’ll get wonderful views of Geirangerfjord right from your bedroom. They also have a spa and pool, and breakfast is fantastic – one of the best I’ve had in Norway. Check current rates and availability here
Hotel Utsikten
My second favorite Geiranger hotel is Hotel Utsikten. Though to be honest, the Hotel Union is better in most ways – my room was way bigger (and cost the same), the breakfast was better, and there was a spa and pool. The one thing that was better at Hotel Utsikten was the view from my room. The Hotel Utsikten is a bit higher up from Geiranger, so the view is a bit tiny bit nicer. But you don’t get this view from the dining room, so I would only stay here if you upgrade to a room with a view. Check current rates and availability here
Grande Fjord Hotel Geiranger
On the other side of Geiranger, about 2 kilometers from the center, the Grande Fjord Hotel has some of the best views of Geirangerfjord. I haven’t yet stayed here myself, but the breakfast is supposed to be fantastic, and they have a very inviting jacuzzi overlooking Geirangerfjord. Check current rates and availability here
Valldal Fjordhotell
If you want something a bit outside of Geiranger, this hotel is close by both Geiranger and Trollstigen, yet it’s tucked away from the tourist crowds. I stayed here with Alfie and loved it. It has an amazing view of the fjord and makes for the perfect base from which to explore Norway’s fjords. Valldal is known as the “strawberry valley” and here you can buy freshly picked strawberries, or visit Valldal Safteri for fresh berry juice and jam. Check current rates and availability here
Getting to Geiranger
This is one of my favorite regions for a road trip – you can read my guide to driving in Norway here.
My favorite drive down towards Geirangerfjord is Gamle Strynefjellsvegen, which also happens to be a great place for wild camping:
And then on the other side of Geiranger you have Trollstigen, one of Norway’s most famous roads. The National Scenic Route between Geiranger and Trollstigen runs 104 kilometers, but it’s only open in the summer (if you search Google Maps when the road is closed, it won’t come up as an option).
Of course a lot of visitors to Geiranger arrive by cruise ship, as the village is a popular tourist port as well.
Lili says
Beautiful photos! My friends refused to go to Geiranger and were satisfied with watching it from the distance. Guess why? … There is a significant risk of having tsunami in that fjort >_<'. Well….
Silvia says
Aaah no! A bit funny though, ha.
Carlin says
Beautiful photos! We live near Seattle but we were just there on Sept 10th traveling south from Trondheim via the Atlantic Road to Andalsnes then through Geiranger to Vaga (where we spent the night with relatives). We drove on 63 and I wish I had known about the tourist route Gamle S. The fall colors were just starting and it was stunning. I know what you mean about the color of the water – it seemed to almost glow and your photos almost capture that. Love your blog and we can’t wait to return to Norway and spend some more time. Our trip was much too short even though we were there for over two weeks!
Silvia says
Oh that sounds like an amazing trip! I still haven’t done the Atlantic road – we had wanted to but just ran out of time. Next time you should definitely try to go through Gamle Styrnefjellsvegen 🙂
Kelly says
So beautiful! It certainly seems like road-tripping is the best way to see this area. Are gas stations easily accessible? It looks so remote in the photos!
Silvia says
We did make sure to have plenty of gas before starting down one of the remote routes, though none of the routes are very long so it was never a real problem.
Nynke says
Sooo beautiful, all of it! And the fog is an excellent reason to come back soon 🙂
Silvia says
Yes! In a way I sort of liked getting an excuse to HAVE to return, haha.
Emily says
These photos are just unreal! I was going to say that Geiranger looks completely charming until you said it was totally gross haha.
Melanie Fontaine @ Journey & Camera says
All your recent Norway posts make me so, so eager to return!! I thought that after living in Bergen for ten months, I’d be fine not traveling to Norway for a few years, but the truth is that not being in Norway only makes me want to go there more… am I even making sense? 😉 I think the Geirangerfjord looks beautiful, but just like Nærøyfjord I think the beauty suffers a bit from the amount of tourists visiting. I don’t want to be one of those travel bloggers that moan about tourists, because – come on – I’m a tourist too, but my favorite memories of Norway have been those when I’ve pretty much had nature to myself. For some reason, the landscape seems so much more intense if there aren’t many other people around that can remind you of the human world! 😉 Can’t wait to read more about your trip!! 🙂
Ling says
OH MER GUURRDD!! Looks amazing! My parents just came back from Norway and it looked stunning. You really captured how beautiful this area looks! First time going through your site too, but I’ll have to jot down these spots! Thanks for sharing!
Helena says
I love all your pictures in this post. And all the fog is just perfect! And that car is definitely Instagram-worthy! Love it and want it! I’m hoping to go there next year, will you come with me? 😉
Amanda says
Such a pretty part of Norway! Bummer that you didn’t get to see Trollstigen from above – you will definitely just have to go back! (And yes, stay in Norddal if you have a car and need accommodation around there – I stayed at a lovely guesthouse there and it was awesome.)
Silvia says
Oooh I bet you stayed at the one I saw – it looked so lovely! And it made me really sad for all the people who stayed in Geiranger instead, haha. Now I just need to find the time to return and properly see Trollstigen!
Dearna says
Gorgeous post! We are heading to Norway in September and were planning on visiting Geiranger but don’t like the sounds of how touristy it is – did you have any other recommendations of other fjords to visit? We love the idea of spending a night or two in a small scenic town (but not too touristy).
Dag says
I do not think it will be that bad in september. But also it seems that the big tourist crowds are like sheep, they stay together in huge crowds following each other.
You can easily go to Trollstigen or Geiranger and find peace and calm even in the middle of the tourist season. I was at Trollstigen yesterday in beautiful weather. Hundreds of tourist of course checking the photo trail. Me and my son just walked the hill next to the centre and 10mins later we where all alone in fantastic nature and even greater scenery.
Get of the main trials if they are crowded. You are free to go where ever you want in our nature. It is actually stated in our laws.
Nicole Haber says
what month were you in Norway?? Thinking of going the very first week in Sept (like Sept 1- 9) but worried about the weather.
Cindy says
Hi!
I am leaving for Norway TOMORROW! I cannot believe it, we have been planing this trip for a long time. I think I have read almost all of your Norway posts in preparation, so thank you for sharing all of your knowledge with us! My husband and I plan on camping for a few nights during our stay. Do you have any campgrounds in the Geiranger area that you recommend? We plan on using our tent, but would love a shower if need be. 🙂