Places around the Geirangerfjord
Around the Geirangerfjord are places you can combine with Geiranger: Hellesylt on the Sunnylvsfjord, Stranda and Valldal, Ålesund, Åndalsnes beyond Trollstigen and Loen on the Nordfjord. They include two cable cars, a waterfall in the middle of a village, a town hill with 418 steps and the largest glacier in mainland Europe.
Hellesylt is in Stranda municipality at the head of the Sunnylvsfjord, from which the Geirangerfjord branches off. The village has 244 inhabitants. Hellesyltfossen flows right through the village between two bridges from 1902 and 1907. The waterfall is at its most impressive during the snowmelt in early summer.
A ferry runs through the Geirangerfjord between Hellesylt and Geiranger; connections are listed under Getting there. A live image of the village and a picture of the waterfall are on the Webcams page.
Stranda is the administrative centre of the municipality of the same name, which also includes the Sunnylvsfjord and the Geirangerfjord. The municipality has about 4,300 inhabitants. On Strandafjellet is Stranda Skisenter, the largest alpine ski area in north-western Norway. You can also ride the gondola without skiing.
Valldal is known as the strawberry village:
Valldal is on the tourist route between Geiranger and Trollstigen. Stops along the route include Ørnesvingen, Flydalsjuvet, Gudbrandsjuvet, the Linge ferry quay and Trollstigen; the first two are described on the Viewpoints page. From Valldal to Ålesund it takes an hour and a half.
Ålesund is on the coast west of Geiranger, about a three-hour drive away. Buses and boats run between the town and Geiranger; connections are listed under Getting there.
Åndalsnes lies north of Trollstigen, and the road over the pass links the town with Valldal and Geiranger. Trollstigen is closed in winter.
Romsdalsgondolen runs all year, taking seven minutes from the fjord in Åndalsnes up to Nesaksla at 708 m. The Eggen restaurant is at the top.
Loen lies on the Nordfjord below Jostedalsbreen. The Loen Skylift is one of the steepest cable cars in the world: in five to seven minutes it climbs almost 1,000 m to the Hoven restaurant. In winter it only runs during set periods, and it is closed for maintenance in early December.
Covering more than 470 km², Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier in mainland Europe, and the national park around it covers 1,315 km². Troll Cars usually run to its Briksdalsbreen arm from May to October, taking 10 to 15 minutes each way. After that you walk about 700 m; without the vehicle it is about 3 km. In May and from 20 September you need to book the ride in advance.
