NEWSEASONS SOGNEFJORD NEW SEASONS is about showing you what magic lies beyond the regular summer travel CONTENT 4 Sognefjord villages SOGNEFJORD 7 The Sognefjord scenic route 8 Our stave churches The longest fjord. The largest glaciers. The highest mountains. 14 Activites & Attractions Balestrand 42 Activites & Attractions Two UNESCO world heritage listed sites. Høyanger Lærdal Three amazing national tourist routes. Lavik Utladalen Four gorgeous stave churches. Vik Årdal More than nine idyllic fjord villages. Thats why we believe our playground is the finest in the world. 22 Activites & Attractions 46 Activites & Attractions Fjærland Aurland New seasons showcases products that are Kaupanger Flåm available from the 1st of September to the Sogndal Gudvangen 30th of May in all areas surrounding the fjord. 32 Activites & Attractions 56 Resorts, Charter Jostedal Roundtrips & Transport Luster Photo: Sven Erik Kjennerud Skjolden AUTUMN 2 AUTUMN WINTER SPRING ALL YEAR AUTUMN WINTER SPRING ALL YEAR 3 FJORD VILLAGES A trip along the Sognefjord takes you on a journey from adventure to adventure as you experience wild and beautiful nature, idyllic fjord villages and exciting activities. The sognefjord branches out like at tree from Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen Photo: Ole Gudmund Bjørk Photo: Hans Smedegård the west coast of Norway. At the very end of each branch you´ll find a gorgeous fjord village. In every village you will find unique accommodation, activities right at your doorstep and a taste of local food and culture. Due to lack of connection by road throughout history, each village has an unique heartbeat Photo: Sverre Hjørnevik Photo: Lærdal Kommune Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen and cultural history. Today the villages are connected to three National Tourist routes and “The Sognefjord Scenic route” - routes that will lead you through some of the most beautiful landscape Norway has to offer. Photo: Helge Grønningseter Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen Photo: Arvid Fimreite Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen WINTER WINTER 4 ALL YEAR AUTUMN SPRING ALL YEAR 5 THE SOGNEFJORD THE SOGNEFJORD SCENIC ROUTE The Sognefjord scenic route connects all the fjord villages around the sognefjord. On the route you will find activities, attractions and adventures around every bend. Beautiful fjord landscape, rivers and waterfalls seasoned with unique architecture allows for some of the most memorable experiences on the route. For questions regarding travel, products This is the perfect roadtrip and a once in a and pricing lifetime experience. SALES MANAGER • Oslo - Lærdal Heidi Hauge • Bergen - Flåm [email protected] • Bergen - Lavik +47 91 35 07 30 Ferries between Oppedal and Lavik (20min) CEO VISIT SOGNEFJORD Ferries between Balestrand and Hella (10min) Ståle Brandshaug Ferries between Sogndal and Lærdal (15min) [email protected] +47 90 96 11 79 Photo: Sverre Hjørnevik 6 AUTUMN WINTER SPRING ALL YEAR AUTUMN WINTER SPRING ALL YEAR 7 BORGUND STAVE CHURCH HOPPERSTAD STAVE CHURCH OUR STAVE CHURCHES 6888 Borgund - YEAR 1180 6893 Vik i Sogn- YEAR 1130 Season: 16.04 – 30.09 Season: All year on request Opening hours daily 10 – 17 Opening hours daily 10 – 17 In the Sognefjorden area you are able to visit four national treasures and an important part of Peak season: 11.06–21.08 Rates: Norwegian cultural heritage. Opening hours daily 08-20 Adults 70 nok Groups (min 15 pax) 60 nok Rates Pensioners 60 nok BORGUND Adults 100 nok Family ticket 180 nok Built around 1180 and dedicated to the Apostle Groups (min 15 pax) 90 nok Student/children 50 nok Andrew, The church is exeptionally well preserverd Pensioners 90 nok and it is the most distinctive stave church in Norway. Family ticket 240 nok Email: Students/children 80 nok [email protected] HOPPERSTAD Email: The reichly decorated Hopperstad Stave church in Photo: Dickson Photo: Rikke Vidde Westvig [email protected] Vik would have been lost if it weren´t for the Photo: Helge Grønningseter intervention of cultural conservationists, who KAUPANGER STAVE CHURCH URNES STAVE CHURCH managed to save it just in time. 6854 Kaupanger - YEAR 1140 6870 Ornes - YEAR 1130 URNES Season: 01.6-31.8 Season: 02.05 – 30.09 Urnes Stave church is the oldest and most highly Opening hours: daily 10.30 – 17.45 decorated stave church in the Sognefjord area. Rates: Adults 70 nok Rates: UNESCO World Heritage listed in 1979. Groups (min 15 pax) 60 nok Adults 100 nok Pensioners 60 nok Groups (min 15 pax) 90 nok KAUPANGER Family ticket 180 nok Pensioners 90 nok This church is the larges stave church in the region. Students/children 50 nok Family ticket 240 nok Student/children 80 nok The church has the largest number of staves to be Email: found in any one stave church. [email protected] Email: [email protected] Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen Photo: Rikke Vidde Westvig Photo: Espen Mills SEP APR MAY 8 OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR ALL YEAR 9 OUR SKI CENTERS SOGNDAL SKI CENTER - HODLEKVE Situated in the Sogndal Valley, this ski center is In the heart of the winter fjord you will find close to some of of the most epic two ski centers, each one a 15 min drive from backcountry peaks in the Sogndal Valley. Sogndal. Known widely for their amazing combination of being family friendly and Hodlekve has a 1200 meter long ski lift, that will having some of the most awesome powder take you up about 290 meters with four slopes. skiing and backcountry skiing in Norway. 3,5 km of groomed slopes and off-piste is waiting for you! With plentiful snowfall, generally quiet slopes and SOGN SKI CENTER - HAFSLO a warm welcome, Sogndal skisenter Hodlekve, has huge attractions for all type of skiers and This humble ski center has Norways longest button snowboarders of all ability levels, including families lift, and probably some of the best lift accessible Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen Photo: Håvard Nesbø with kids. freeride areas in Norway. With 700m of vertical drop and large areas designated for freeride and family The ski resort has 5 ski lifts and 13 slopes, offering friendly off-piste, this is not an unpolished gem, it is 5 km of illuminated cross-country slopes and an unpolished granite. additional 5 km slopes for daytime use. Get away from the hustle and bustle of larger ski In the weekends we make sure to groom the 25 km resorts and enjoy the quiet luxury of untouched xc-slope accessing beautiful high altitude skiing and snow. views. There are two shorter uplifts in the large and safe For those interested in snow activities without skis, family area, a sledding slope and of course, walking across the plateau with snow shoes is an XC-skiing for both the active skier and the smallest experience not to be missed. kids. The center is open every weekend and offers “night-skiing” two nights a week. Close to Sogn Skisenter you will find Jotunheimen national park with some of the most well-known ski Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen Photo: Håvard Nesbø Photo: Håvard Nesbø touring in Norway, accommodation and an indoor waterpark, perfect for those family weekends. WWW.SOGNSKISENTER.NO WWW.SOGNDALSKISENTER.NO [email protected] [email protected] +47 478 02 501 +47 458 19 519 WINTER WINTER 10 AUTUMN SPRING ALL YEAR AUTUMN SPRING ALL YEAR 11 ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS Our fjord has a vast menu of activites and attractions. On the following pages you will find all our new seasons activites and products, divided by our most known travel regions. Turn the page - let´s go! Photo: Eric Ryan Photo: Karen Weichert Photo: Håvard Nesbø Photo: Sverre Hjørnevik Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen Photo: Vegard Frode Tufte Photo: Bulder & Brak Årdal Photo: Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen 12 AUTUMN WINTER SPRING ALL YEAR AUTUMN WINTER SPRING ALL YEAR 13 ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS THE NORWEGIAN MUSEUM OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM BALESTRAND A timeless and near universal source of wonder and enjoyment, the study of travel has enjoyed a surge in HØYANGER interest during the last decades. LAVIK At The National Museum of Travel and Tourism, we are VIK enthusiastically working to uncover, to understand, and to tell the stories of how Norway was discovered by tourists – and by Norwegians themselves. Where to stay From the bold undertakings in infrastructure that laid the Hotels Location Rooms Conference Open Email Web foundation for modern northern cruising, to the surges in romanticism that saw the growth of fairytale Dragon-style Kviknes Hotel Balestrand 190 400 01.04.-16.10 (On request autumn/winter) [email protected] www.kviknes.no villas and hotels around the country; the museum provides Dragsvik Hotel Balestrand 21 20 15.04.-15.10 (On request April & October) [email protected] www.dragsvik.no a comprehensive insight into modern tourism history. Midtnes Hotel Balestrand 29 40 15.04 -10.10 (On request April & October) [email protected] www.midtnes.no We offer museum tours for groups ranging from a 5 minute Lavik Fjord Hotel Lavik 10 - All year [email protected] www.lavikfjordhotell.no introduction and up to 45-60 minutes, and are happy to Blix Hotel Vik 27 70 All year (except christmas/new year weekend) [email protected] www.blixhotell.no provide a degree of customization of the topics, Photo: David Zadik Øren Hotel Høyanger 25 100 All year (except 21.12-02.01) [email protected] www.orenhotel.no Photo: David Zadik depending on particular interests of participants. Our two Good to know most popular tours are the quay walk, and the introduction to infrastructure. CAMPING & CABINS Location Cabins/Apar. Caravans/tents Open May – September: Sognefjord Fjordhytter Balestrand 5 - All year [email protected] www.sognefjordhytter.no Tuesday – Sunday (please refer to our Four museum exhibits, the Dragon-style house of A.