Norway’s unique beauty lies in the fjords, and the Sognefjord is not only the longest and deepest, but also one of the most dramatic. After a four-hour sail from Bergen along a spectacular landscape, you’ll see the rambling Victorian carved-wood frame of Kvikne’s Hotel on a small peninsula jutting into the 127-mile long fjord.
Dating back to 1752, the hotel has been the destination for poets and monarchs for the four generations that the Kvikne family has been at the helm. A modern wing has been added, but ask for a room in the original house, where some rooms have balconies and unforgettable fjord views.
Though it is full of day trippers and tourists, the hotel maintains a family-run base-camp ambience, encouraging treks and bike rides into the extravagantly beautiful countryside. A sail up the gorgeous little Fjaerlandsfjord north of Sognefjord to see the Jostedals Glacier is a wonderful day trip. This is the true beauty of the Sognefjord.
Balestrand on the Sognefjord, 4 hours steamer from Bergen, daily departures www.kviknes.com
Open early May – October.
Written by the Daily Scandinavian team.