WELCOME TO GUDVANGEN!

Gudvangen Fjordtell is the perfect base for exploring the many sights and activities available in the beautiful county of Sogn og Fjordane. Gudvangen is an old Viking village with a lot character and a myriad of adventures waiting to be discovered, from the Nærøyfjord, which is part of UNESCO’s World Heritage list, to a multitude of attractions for all ages and preferences. Visitors will be spoilt for choice between breathtaking valleys and fjords as well as ferry trips and historical sites. Just see for yourself!

Facilities

• 3 restaurants (à la carte, seafood and Viking Diner), cafeteria with seating for 250 people. We also arrange special menus for groups and parties.

• Outdoor terrace with seating for 150 people

• Fully stocked Bar with a wide range of beers, wines and spirits

• Souvenir shop with a large variety of souvenirs and other interesting products

• 37 rooms (Viking style, family apartments and apartments with kitchen

Gudvangen Seafood Restaurant

Gudvangen seafood restaurant is situated right by the fjord with spectacular views of the fjord, mountains and passing boats.

Norway is home to some of the most incredible seafood, so our goal is to create an extraordinary dining experience that goes hand in hand with the spectacular location that we have.

Seafood restaurant is open between 14.00 pm and 21.00 pm every day

VIKING DINER GUDVANGEN

Viking Diner is proud of cooperating with the finest local suppliers, so we can offer Norwegian seasonal cuisine based on organic, locally sourced ingredients.

Viking diner is situated in a visitor center to the Viking city in Gudvangen and it is open between 11.00 am and 24.00 every day.

The viking Market

The Viking Market takes place in Gudvangen every summer, offering a spectacular Viking life celebration. A lot of activities and experiences are prepared for children and adults.

The visitors are involved into the world of Vikings during all the Festival, experiencing fighting, archery, theatre, concerts, Viking ship, fire shows, storytelling, historical ballgames, Viking wrestling and other animations. In the market nice historic goods and food are to be found.

MAGIC WHITE CAVES

One of the most popular things to do in Gudvangen is a tour through the Magical White Caves, which leads you through a cave-labyrinth full of exciting shadows, lightening with Aurora (Nothern light), colours and sounds. You will also discover a large mountain room with a green lake as well as a stone bar and dining area. It is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. The ordinary round trip takes from 30 minutes to 45 minutes and the minimum size of a group to visit or hire the Caves is set of 20 people.

The tour through the cave-labyrinth begins in a welcoming hall where helmets and jackets are given to those who wish. The naturally white mountain walls, partly with running water and small lakes, gives quite incredible reflections and effects with the right use of lighting.

The lights come and go, giving each individual their own special experience of the tour. Out on ‘the other side’ it is at first dark for a moment, before the walk literally continues through the rainbow, step-by-step, colour-by-colour, till you discover that you are in a large mountain room with a little green lake, flickering and playful lights make you feel that you are in another world. Here there are seats to sit on, small candles to light and set on the water if you wish, or you can continue towards the stone bar where refreshments are served.

In Gudvangen you can find, second after the moon, the world’s largest deposit of anorthosite, a type of marble, which contains both gold and aluminum. The caves in Gudvangen are located about 8.2 km away from the Gudvangen ferry quay, right next to the E16 road to Voss.

There is a bus parking area just outside the entrance. The excursion between 1st of May and 31st of September is open only for the groups. The cave-labyrinth itself covers an area of 250 by 150 square metres, criss-crossing in nooks and crooks.

Around the corner from the bar is a dining area with tables and benches covered with reindeer skins, and also more private sitting-areas to sit down and absorb the magic atmosphere.

Tourist ferries

Tourist ferries between Gudvangen and Flåm and Gudvangen - Kaupanger: This is an opportunity to experience the incredible Nærøyfjord which is one of two fjords in Norway in the UNESCO world heritage list. Information and schedules can be found here.

During the ferry trip between Gudvangen and Flåm there are many things to experience. Ca 5 kilometers form Gudvangen is a small place called Bakka. In this place there is a small church and a few farms with the mountain Bakkanosi in the background. On the other side of the fjord you can see Holmo where Viking graves have been found. Further out the in fjord we arrive at Styvi. Here in Styvi you will find the smallest working post office in Norway. The postal number is 5748 STYVI. In Styvi, you will also find a farm museum well worth visiting. More information about the museum you can find at www.fjords.com

Kayaking in Gudvangen

Kayaking tours take you through the most spectacular parts of the famous Nærøyfjord in the UNESCO World Heritage Area, including the narrower, remote branches, accessible by boats or kayaks only. You can experience the most beautiful and dramatic scenery in all of Fjord Norway. For more information about kayaking you can find at www.nordicventures.com

Hiking in the mountains

Gudvangen is a good starting point for several mountain hikes, and in some places you can get all the way to the mountain edge and see straight down the fjord from an altitude of approximately 1000 meters. From Bakka (5 km from Gudvangen) there is a path going up in the steep mountain called Rimstigen. This path is very steep and with normal speed you use ca 2 hours to the top. At the top there is an amazing view down to the fjord below. Also you can walk the paths along the fjord and up the river. For more information about hiking in Gudvangen you can find at https://www.fjords.com/rimstigen-hike/

Gudvangen Hydrobikes

No matter the season, Hydrobikes are the perfect adventure, whether you’re vacationing or looking for something new and fun. Hydrobikes are incredibly stable and can easily be ridden in even the windiest and waviest conditions. They are virtually impossible to tip over, environmentally friendly, and a great way to exercise and enjoy the nature while having fun on the water. For more information about Gudvangen Hydrobikes you can find at https://gudvangenrent.com

Sup Norway - Fjord expeditions in Gudvangen

Unique and exclusive stand up paddling adventures in the most magnificent nature Norway has to offer. The best equipment, the most experienced guides in the most beautiful UNESCO protected areas in the world. These are truly stunning adventures! There’s a special feeling you get, standing on your SUP next to a 1500m high mountain knowing there’s an 800m deep fjord under your feet. For more information about Fjord expeditions in Gudvangen you can find at https://supnorway.com

Aurlandsvegen:

If you don’t want to drive through the long Lærdal tunnel, as an alternative you can drive over the mountain. This is a scenic route and approx 6km from Aurland you get to a view point called Stegastein. Here there is a platform which is 33 meters long and 4,2 meters wide located 640 meters over the spectacular Aurland Fjord offering you an breathtaking view. This construction won first prize in a national architectural contest and is well worth a visit.

Undredal

Undredal is a small valley ca 15 minutes drive from Gudvangen. Up until 1988 you could only get to Undredal by ferry, but now there is a good road connection. In Undredal you can visit the smallest stave church in Norway, and the famous Undredal Stølysteri where local cheese is produced. Every year people in Undredal have their own festival called Geitostfestivalen (the goat cheese festival). Read more about Undredal at en.naroyfjorden.no, www.undredalsost.no
and www.visitundredal.no

The Lærdal tunnel

The Lærdal tunnel is located ca. 30 minutes drive from Gudvangen is the world’s longest road tunnel, with a length of 24509 meters. The tunnel is a part of the E16, which is the main road between Oslo and Bergen. The tunnel opened on the 27th of November 2000. Inside the tunnel there are three big halls that are light up so that the drivers don’t fall asleep in the long tunnel.

History

The name Gudvangen means “Gods place by the water” and in the Viking era it was an important market place and communication centre. During the “black plague” in the 12th century all inhabitants of Gudvangen died, and it took several hundred years before life returned to Gudvangen (according to the old church records).

In 1647 ad, a government minister called Hannibal Seierstedt started the Royal Mail route between Oslo and Bergen. The mail was brought from Oslo over the Filefjell to Lærdal and then on to Gudvangen, Voss and Bergen. Gudvangen then became a natural resting point for both postal workers and travelers. Due to the Nærøyfjord icing over in the extreme winter months, a primitive road to Bakka was constructed, where the mail was then brought over the fjord by boat. The mail the continued its journey by foot to a place called Styvi, where today you will find Norways smallest working post office. The post was then taken by boat to Lærdal and then further with horse and cart to Oslo.

The first hotel opened in Gudvangen was in 1805 ad. During the 17th century the cruise tourists started to arrive in Gudvangen and more hotels opened. Gudvangen was in this time also a popular subject for Norwegian artists and several of the most famous paintings in Norway are painted in this area. Some of these artists include JC Dahl and A Tideman. In the 1840s the first Norwegian steam boat “Constitutjonen” started to bring the mail between Gudvangen and Lærdal. From the 1880s until World War One, a large number of foreign tourists visited Gudvangen where they could experience the steep mountain that emerges from the fjord.

The increase in tourism was a direct result if the opening of the ferry route from Newcastle in England to Bergen. From Bergen ships transported tourists to Gudvangen in an early version of today’s “Norway in a nutshell” roundtrip, where the tourists were brought from Gudvangen up the steep road to Stalheim (stalheimskleiva) and back to Bergen.

How to get to Gudvangen

Gudvangen is located just off the E16, which is the main road between Oslo and Bergen. By car Gudvangen is located 331 km from Oslo and 149 km from Bergen.

From Bergen there are several busses departing for Gudvangen daily. From Bergen there are also express boats departing for Flåm that correspond with the ferry from Flåm to Gudvangen.

From Oslo there are also several busses departing for Gudvangen daily. If you travel by train from Oslo or Bergen you can take the train to Voss and further by buss to Gudvangen. Another option is to take the Flåm railway to Flåm and then take a bus or boat from there to Gudvangen.

Train:

Timetables and ticket sales: www.norled.no and www.visitflam.com

Train schedules: www.nsb.bo,

Bus:

Info: www.skyss.no or www.nor-way.no

Timetables/Sales (Bergen): www.norled.no and www.visitflam.com

Timetables/Sales (Oslo): www.nor-way.noIf

Boat:

Info www.visitflam.com