Excursions
Here is a website with info about the area and info about Fjord1 Roundtrips.Not all excursions can be done the whole season and some do not work in the weekends or certain days. Check with us if you are really interested in seeing or doing certain things. The Fjord1 provide transportation for most of the trips and several are recommended to book in advance.
You can send an email to fylkesbaatane@fjord1.no or call the office in Bergen 55 90 70 70 to arrange.
An option will be to look into hiring a car locally for the day. There is a very small local company doing this. Cars have to be picked up and dropped in town. If you require a car with an automatic transmission, make sure you mention this as most cars in Norway have a manual.
Especially early and late in the season when public transportation has less options, the car rental can be a good way to go. Recommended to arrange the car rental in advance. Let us know if this is an option for you and we can give more info.
| ASTRUP MUSEUM Visit on web Visit the home and gallery of the famous Norwegian artist Nikolai Astrup. Tour the grounds and learn about the artist, how he lived and what inspired him. Visit the home where he lived and worked until his untimely death at the age of 47 in 1928. The museum is located in Jølster, approximately two hours from Balestrand, and can be reached by private car. Full day. |
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| BERGEN Visit on web Take the morning express boat from Balestrand to visit the city of Bergen. Walk along the harbor, visit the fish market, old town, hansiatic museum, and other various museums of interest. Or just shop and enjoy the daily life of the local townspeople. But don’t miss the funicular up Mt. Fløyen to get a birds eye view of the city. Short sightseeing tours are also available. Catch the afternoon express boat back to Balestrand. Full Day. Monday - Friday. |
| FJÆRLAND AND THE GLACIER MUSEUM Visit on web A visit to Fjærland and the Glacier center will give you in-depth knowledge of glaciers and how man has learned to co-exist with one of natures ever changing wonders. The center has an excellent film presentation offering a 180 degree viewing screen that takes you on a virtual glacier experience. Fjærland and the glacier center can be reached by private or public transportation. Ferry from Balestrand into the Fjærlandsfjord to the village of Fjærland. Local buses will transport you to the glacier center and from the center optional excursions are available for viewing two different extensions of the Jostedals glacier. THERE IS NO HIKING ON THE BLUE ICE ON THIS EXCURSION. Morning boat will give you full day excursion and mid-day will give you half day. Both trips return on the same boat and you will be back shortly before 17.00. ( connection with the express boat to Bergen )
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| FJÆRLAND AND THE GLACIER MUSEUM HALF DAY If you are on the morning boat from Bergen, you could take the mid day boat to Fjærland as the glacier boat waits for the boat from Bergen. Let us know when you make the booking if you wanted to do this, and we can give you some more info. You can also do the morning boat to Vik to see Hopperstad Stave Church ( does not work on Sundays ) and be on the 11.30 boat from Vik ( express boat that starts in Bergen in the morning ) and be back in time to take the half day trip to Fjærland.
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| FLÅM AND THE FLÅM RAILWAY Visit on web BALESTRAND TO FLÅM Take the express boat from Balestrand to the bottom of the Aurlandsfjord for a brief visit of Flåm. Board the Flåmsbana for one of the more scenic railway rides in Norway. The train will take you to Myrdal and after a short wait, the train will come down again the same railway. Take the express boat back to Balestrand.
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| JOSTEDALEN AND NIGARDSBREEN - BLUE ICE WALK Visit on web Glacier excursions are available from Jostedalen with experienced guides for a glacial experience of a lifetime. Climb, walk and hike in and on the Nigards glacier. You can also visit the Glacier Cathedral and enjoy the exhibitions and slide show. You need to cross the fjord to Hella and it is about a 2 hours drive to get to the Nigardsbreen. Full day excursion. There is a glacier bus mid June to mid August, not Saturday and Sunday. Final schedule for 2010 not decided. An option would also be to rent a car locally in Balestrand for the day. Let us know and we can give more information about this. |
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| NORWEGIAN WILDSALMON CENTER IN LÆRDAL Visit on web Experience one of the most famous Salmon rivers in Norway, fished by Kings and Kaisers, past and present. Visit the wild salmon observatory, salmon steps, waterfalls and the fly tying exhibit. The center, located on the bank of the Lærdal river, was opened June 1, 1996. Check with tourist information or the reception for opening hours. |
| NÆRØYFJORDEN Visit on web The spectacular Naroyfjord is now on the World Heritage List You can take an early boat to Aurland and change over to a bus to continue to Gudvangen by road. Here you will board the passenger boat and cruise the Naroyfjord back into Flam. You will then have some hours in Flam while you wait for the express boat to take you back to Balestrand. Schedule 2009 for trip 16 offered by FJORD1. Schedule for 2010 not decided Purchased locally, reservation in advance recommended. |
| SOGN FOLK MUSEUM AND BOAT MUSEUM Visit on web The outdoor portion of the folk museum gives you a glimpse of farm life as well as manor houses in Norway of days gone by. The museum house has an extensive collection of exhibits depicting life along the fjord from the days of the Vikings to the present. A visit to the Folk Museum can be combined with a visit to the Boat Museum in Kaupanger. This museum offers a glimpse of the seafarers and fjord dwellers of the past. 1/2 day to full day excursion. Reached by private car or public bus. |
| STAVE CHURCHES Visit on web There are several stave churches located not too far from Balestrand. If you are planning to see stave churches while visiting, make sure you have checked the opening hours and the logisitics of how to get there. Some stave churches are not easily accessed by public transportation and even if you have a car, you might need to plan your day. Click her for the opening hours. |
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| URNES STAVE CHURCH Visit on web Visit Urnes Stave church in Solvorn, a small idyllic village by the fjord. The church is on UNESCO’S list of "places and buildings to be preserved". It can be reached by car via Sogndal and Solvorn with a short ferry crossing to Urnes. Full day excursion. Here is the schedule for the ferry. Return This is for 2009 as the 2010 will not be printed till early May. It will however give you an idea of the times. Urnes ferry also has its own website. |
| VIK AND THE HOPPERSTAD STAVE CHURCH Visit on web Board the early express boat for a short crossing to the south side of the fjord and get off the boat in Vik. The walk to the stave church is about 20 minutes. You will have to be back at the harbor in Vik for the boat back across the fjord. Half day trip, daily not Sundays. |
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