Fjærland

Fjærland lies at the end of the Fjærlandsfjord and combines striking glacial scenery with an unusual book town. From a trip along the fjord and books in former village buildings to challenging hikes, there are many different ways to experience the area. Which holiday apartment in Fjærland is right for your trip therefore also depends on whether you want to focus on culture, activities on the water or hiking.

Experience the fjord and glacier

A fjord and glacier cruise on the Fjærlandsfjord runs between Fjærland and Vik or Balestrand from 20 May to 30 September. The service offers a way to experience Fjærland from the water. If you are planning your trip during this period, you can take this seasonal cruise into account when choosing your activities.

Bøyabreen is also part of the area's glacial landscape: it is an arm of Jostedalsbreen and can be seen from the main road in Fjærland at close range. This is different from the hikes to Supphellebreen, which require more time and effort.

Book town and museum

In Mundal, a village in Fjærland, the Norwegian Book Town has around 4,000 metres of bookshelves. It uses former ferry waiting rooms, barns, a bank, a cold-storage building and a post office as bookshops. The variety of building types gives the book collection a distinctive setting: a visit takes you not only to bookshelves but also to former village buildings that once served other purposes. The Kaffistova book café serves coffee and homemade pastries.

Another cultural stop is the Norsk Bremuseum & Ulltveit-Moe senter for klimaviten, an interactive museum for the whole family. The educational play park at the museum is also interactive and is aimed at children and young people. Families can therefore include both a museum visit and a dedicated play area for younger visitors in their plans, while bearing in mind that these offer different kinds of experiences.

Activities on the water and on trails

The kayaking activity offered by Fjærland Guiding starts at the company's base in Mundal on the Fjærlandsfjord. Another fjord experience is “Dampen”, a floating fjord sauna on the Fjærlandsfjord in Fjærland. If you prefer getting around on two wheels, you can rent e-bikes in Fjærland and ride on relatively flat, easy-to-cycle roads along the fjord and through the valley.

For the hike from Øygard to Flatbrehytta, a constructed path with stone steps leads through steep terrain. There are two alternative routes: the steeper, shorter one takes 2 to 3 hours. The somewhat longer option is listed as taking 2.5 to 3.5 hours and offers views of the glacier waterfall at Supphellebreen at an altitude of about 800 metres. The ascent is steep and challenging in places. The two options therefore differ both in their stated duration and in the character of the route.

This is separate from the challenging hike from Fjærland to Supphellebreen at an altitude of about 1,000 metres. It takes 2 to 4 hours; this hike must be completed before you can step onto the glacier. If hiking is an important part of your trip, consider this longer, challenging outing separately from the shorter or somewhat longer route to Flatbrehytta.

When choosing your holiday apartment, you can consider which of these sides of Fjærland matters most for your trip: the book town and museum, experiences on the fjord or the hikes described above. This way, you can start planning with your family's interests rather than making assumptions about accommodation that cannot be inferred from the activities alone.

More places to discover: Slinde, Sogndal, Fardal, Kaupanger.

Return to the main travel overview: Sogndal.