Discover Gulen

Gulen brings remarkable stories together with experiences among islands, fjords and the sea. Gulatinget is linked to the political and legal history of Western Norway, while elsewhere a fishing-farmer museum and a preserved wooden shoe factory tell the story of life and work in the region. There are also hiking trails, art and activities on the water. So, when looking for a holiday rental, you might first consider which of these sides of Gulen interests you most during your stay.

Gulatinget and living cultural history

From 900 to 1300, Gulatinget was a regional assembly site during the Viking Age. People from Western Norway gathered there to discuss politics, make laws and administer justice. In Flolid, the Tusenårsstaden Gulatinget features monumental artworks by Bård Breivik. Cultural heritage trails around Gulatinget have been established in Eivindvik and Flolid and can be followed using a mobile phone or iPad. This lets you include historic sites and art in your exploration, without limiting your visit to a single attraction.

A guided tour in Eivindvik passes through the oldest assembly site of Gulatinget, where members of the assembly gathered for 400 years. It also tells the story of the Member of Parliament and “potato priest” Prost Niels Griis Alstrup Dahl (1778–1852), whose life’s work transformed Gulen. The municipality is part of the Council of Europe’s Viking Route. If you are interested in early history and its traces in the landscape, you will find a different focus here than on a stay devoted mainly to the islands and the water.

The Gulen Fiskarbondemuseum is located on Byrknes. It documents the lives of fishing farmers in Gulen’s coastal settlements. The Våningshuset was built in 1842; families who lived there until 1960 modified it and shaped its interior. The house served as a home, a school for the island population and a prison for the notorious thief Gjest Bårdsen. The Sellevåg treskofabrikk also tells the story of regional industry: it produced wooden shoes until 1972. Because the machinery and technical installations have been preserved at their original site, the factory is a cultural heritage site of national interest and an example of small-scale industrial production in Norway.

Hikes, island views and activities on the water

The Gulakvila day cabin is located on Løypingåsen. From there, the view stretches towards Gulafjord and out to the islands by the sea. The trail from the municipal building to the cabin is 900 metres each way; for adults, it takes about 30 to 45 minutes at a normal walking pace. It follows well-maintained, well-marked hiking trails with a moderate incline. A hike up Vestrefjellet involves an elevation gain of 160 metres.

If you are interested in the sea, there are several experiences to choose from. Blue Garden is an interactive exhibition about aquaculture, with a 300-metre-long trail. An RIB tour through the archipelago combines a visit to the islands with a visit to a fish farm. It can be booked in summer and is available by arrangement in autumn. Another guided RIB tour runs from Skjerjehamn to Eivindvik and Gulatinget, and includes a historical introduction, the stone crosses and the modern artworks at the millennium site.

Diving and cycling offer other ways to explore the area: Gulen Dive Resort offers dives among wrecks, nudibranchs and a rich variety of marine life. In Skjerjehamn, you can rent bicycles to explore the narrow roads and surrounding cultural landscape. The area has little traffic and wide views across the archipelago. When choosing a holiday rental, it may therefore help to decide what you want to focus on during your trip: historic sites, hiking, culture or experiences on and beneath the water. Gulen can be reached from Bergen by scheduled ferry or boat, and by car.

Places to help you plan further

If you would like to explore the individual places in Gulen, you can find Brekke, Gulen, Byrknes, Eivindvik, Åsheim, Ånneland, Dalsöyra, Byrknesøy and Mjømna here.

For the broader travel overview: Sogn Og Fjordane.