Geirangerfjord

The Geirangerfjord is a narrow blade of water, about 15 km long, cut into the mountains of Sunnmøre in western Norway. It branches off the Sunnylvsfjorden, itself an arm of the long Storfjorden, and ends at the small village of Geiranger, where the Geirangelva river runs into it. The walls rise so steeply from the water that there is almost no shoreline, and in 2005 UNESCO inscribed it together with the Nærøyfjord as the West Norwegian Fjords.

Seen from the water, the fjord's signature is its waterfalls. The Seven Sisters pour down one side in separate strands, and directly opposite falls the Suitor, which local legend casts as trying in vain to woo them. A third fall, the Bridal Veil, spreads so thinly over a rock edge that backlit by the sun it looks like gauze. Clinging to ledges high above the water are abandoned mountain farms such as Skageflå, Knivsflå and Blomberg, reached by paths so exposed that bridges were bolted to the rock face with iron rings. Skageflå can be reached on foot from Geiranger; the others need a boat.

From above, the fjord looks entirely different. The road climbing south towards Stryn passes the Flydalsjuvet viewpoint and a detour leads to Dalsnibba, a viewpoint at about 1,500 m. To the north, the hairpins of the road towards Eidsdal pass Ørnesvingen, the Eagle Bend, with a sweeping view back down the fjord; this road forms part of the Geiranger–Trollstigen National Tourist Route. In the village, the Norwegian Fjord Centre explains the region's life past and present. Hanging over the fjord is also a long-term hazard: the mountainside at Åkerneset is slowly sliding and is monitored because a collapse could send a wave into Geiranger and Hellesylt.

The fjord is one of Norway's most visited sights, and from 2026 it is to require zero-emission ships.

Getting there

Geiranger has no airport of its own. Molde Airport (MOL), about 73 km away in a straight line, is closest on the map but separated by mountains and fjords; the regional tourist board names Ålesund Airport Vigra as the practical gateway, about two and a half hours away by car. Buses connect Ålesund and Geiranger. The best way to see the fjord itself is the car ferry between Geiranger and Hellesylt, which doubles as a sightseeing cruise.