A romantic, culinary round trip with stops at historic hotels

Os has a beautiful location beside the fjord, not far from Bergen. Solstrand Hotel & Bad, just outside the centre of Os, is well known for its ‘Taste of the Coast’ menu. The hotel has a fantastic well-being section with an outdoor swimming pool, and if you’re lucky and the weather is good you can also swim in the fjord. Stroll along the shore or borrow one of the hotel’s kayaks, before getting ready for a delicious meal.

Visiting Oseana Art and Culture Centre to admire Per Grieg’s art collection is a must the following day, before you head for Haaheim Gaard where you can have lunch.

There are many attractions on offer along the Hardangerfjord. Haaheim Gaard in Tysnes serves food with a taste of history, based on local produce. Like Solstrand, it is one of the selected cafés and restaurants in the ‘Taste of the Coast’ network. On your way to Utne, stop by Agatunet, an open-air museum with 30 listed houses. At Utne Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Norway, dating from 1722, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy a meal of mountain trout from the Tyssedalsfjellene mountains or tender fillet of locally sourced venison. Berries and fruit from Hardanger are the highlights of the dessert menu.

On your way to Balestrand, stop at Voss, an inland village with strong cultural traditions. Among other things, Voss is known for the Ekstremsportveko extreme sport event, and there are plenty of activities to choose from. How about a rafting trip, or maybe you’d like to try the wind tunnel at Voss Vind?

Before you cross the Vikafjellet mountains, you will pass the beautiful Tvindefossen waterfall. And just before you get to the Sognefjord, take a well-deserved break and visit Hopperstad stave church. Or why not try the traditional gamalost (‘old cheese’) from Vik i Sogn? Tine Meierier (Norwegian Dairies) has its own cheese bar where you can sample the local cheese. Sylvringen organises guided trips where you can experience this.

Balestrand, across the fjord, is one of the most picturesque places in Western Norway. Ask for a table with a panoramic view of the fjord in the family-run Kviknes Hotel. It serves exciting local dishes based on the finest produce. Afterwards, you can walk among the Swiss-style villas.

Before you leave Balestrand, we recommend a visit to Ciderhuset where you can buy some of the delicious apple cider they make there.

In the peaceful village of Solvorn, you will find Norway’s oldest hotel, Walaker Hotell – a romantic, family-run hotel by the fjord. The menu includes Norway lobster caught in the fjord, locally sourced game, home-made cheese and home-made strawberry nectar and apple juice.

Only an hour from Walaker hotel lies Nigardsbreen glacier, an arm of the Jostedalsbreen glacier. Here, you can take a guided walk on the glacier, or just admire it from afar from the restaurant in the Breheimsenteret Glacier Centre, nearby.

Before you travel on to Aurland, you can take the ferry across the fjord the next morning to visit the 850-year-old Urnes Stave Church, an attraction inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. If you hire a bike from Eplet Bed & Apple in Solvorn, you can cycle along ‘the romantic road’ from Ornes to Skjolden where you can immerse yourself in the romantic era that took much of its inspiration from the scenery and mountains in this area.

On your way to Flåm, you can either drive through the world’s longest road tunnel, Lærdalstunnelen (24.5 km), or choose the Scenic Route Aurlandsfjellet, where you will be rewarded with a magnificent panorama of the Aurlandsfjord. Whichever route you choose, don’t miss the Stegastein viewpoint overlooking the Aurlandsfjord – a great opportunity to take photos of the spectacular views.

The hotel 29/2 Aurland, a unique boutique hotel set in historical buildings, awaits you in Aurland. Treat yourself to a junior suite in the Goat Barn.

You can explore Flåm the following day, by taking the famous Flåm Railway and a fjord cruise to the Nærøyfjord before you head home. Flåm also offers opportunities for guided kayak trips, SUP and RIB boat trips.

Or maybe you’d like to spend another night there?