Norway is, by any visitor’s account, an incredible country full of stunning scenery. Balestrand has been voted ‘Norway’s most beautiful village’ on many occasions, and it’s really not hard to see why. Balestrand is nestled at the foot of a mountain range called the Gaularfjellet mountains, and is the centre of the world’s deepest fjord, Sognefjorden meaning it’s ridiculously beautiful and well worthy of a place on any Norway itinerary.
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Important Balestrand Information
How to get to Balestrand
The closest airport to arrive at is Bergen, a wonderful gateway city in to Norway’s fjords. From Bergen it’s easy to hire a car and drive the 3.5hrs out to Balestrand. Balestrand is also often combined in a round loop itinerary from Bergen exploring Norway’s fjords, including other stops such as Norheimsund and Stavanger.
Language, Currency & Time Difference
The language in Norheimsund is Norwegian, but English is very widely spoken. The currency is the Norwegian Kroner (not the Euro), and the time difference is +1hr to the UK.
Weather in Balestrand
The weather in Balestrand always comes with a threat of rain, with every month in the year having 11-18 days of rainfall. October to January are the most rainy months. During the winter, temperatures hover around 0°C, and highs in the summer reach around 15°C. Daylight hours during the summer months are long, though in the winter sunrise can be around 10am, and sunset by 3pm.
Where to stay in Balestrand
Kvikne’s Hotel is the main place to stay, and one of the most famous buildings in the village. The hotel was really popular in the early 1900s following the multiple visits of Kaiser Wilhelm II prior to World War I. The hotel even still has the chair he used on his visits!
Balestrand itinerary for 1, 2 or 3 Days
Itinerary Day 1: Balestrand Town & RIB Boat Ride
Explore Balestrand town
Balestrand is a small place, but lovely to stroll around – walk around the harbour area for beautiful views out to the Fjords, check out the little aquarium, or pop in to the Norweigan travel museum as an introduction to your stay in this lovely part of Norway.
Visit St Olav’s Church
The church that was inspiration for Frozen! This church is the setting for Elsa’s coronation scene. This is an Anglican church, built in 1897 as an imitation of a stave church (medieval wooden churches). Nearby you can also visit a Statue of King Bele (a present from the aforementioned Kaiser Wilhelm II) and the charming Cider House is a nice lunch stop too.
Take to the water on a RIB boat ride
After lunch, take a Balestrand Fjord Adventures 2 hour RIB boat ride to explore the fjords. RIBs are guided power boats and they are quite the ride, especially over choppy waters. Definitely wear a life jacket and be prepared to be flung about…not for people with really bad backs or bad motion sickness! BUT the views are epic and worth the crazy ride.
Itinerary Day 2: Raudmelen Hike
To hike to the major view point in Balestrand will take up most of the day, so don’t try and cram anything else in and end up too exhausted. There are a number of signs in Balestrand centre leading to the ‘nature trails’. One of the more popular ones is known as Kreklingen which consists of six trails. These trails are colored coded and easy to see along the routes. The orange trail is the easiest and only a kilometer in length. The longest and more challenging is the Raudmelen which is only five kilometers long (but feels much, much longer because of the gradient), and gives the most epic views.
This enables you to visit the view point where the three fjords meet below (Fjaerlandsfjord, Esefjord and Sognefjord) alongside Balestrand. Breathtaking.
Itinerary Day 3: The Glacier Museum & The “Book Town”
The fjords of Norway are truly spectacular, and this day tour with Balestrand Adventure helps you learn a little bit more about their history. This tour first of all takes you from Balestrand Harbour to Mundal (the book town). Mundal is also the point where the glaciers meet the fjord and a short bus ride will take you to the Norweigan Glacier Museum and Climate Centre.
Here you can learn more about how how ancient glaciers formed the fjords of Norway and how climate change is impacting the country. A really worthwhile trip to finish off your last day in Balestrand.
Thank you for reading! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my guide to a stay in Balestrand. Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!
Saasdia Travel Gid
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