A base – that’s what we first look for when driving around in a new country. A base is some place where you can stay for several nights without having to pack every morning and unpack in the evening if you move from place to place.
A base must meet some parameters:
- It must be a pretty place, where you can relax in the evenings, watching the dusk set in, after a long day touring around.
- There must be several beautiful sights within short driving distances for pleasant day trips.
- And of course, there must be a comfortable room and good choices for enjoyable dinners.
(click on the images below for expanded views)
Eidfjord is great on all counts. It is a picturesque little town sitting at the tip of a bay, surrounded by mountains. Our hotel had a great view especially around dusk when the long evenings slowly melt into darkness amid the slowly changing lights and shadows. There are several attractive dining choices too. Incidentally, Eidfjord is a favorite stop for many cruise liners.
There is a lot to see within fair driving distances. Here are the best ones we found.
Vøringsfossen
Voringsfossen is a spectacular waterfall with a free fall of 145 metres, and a total fall of 182 metres. It is truly magnificent and the most famous waterfall in Norway. You can easily see the waterfall in 15 minutes as the parking is right on top of the waterfall. If you are a hiker you can climb all the way from below, a 3-hour challenging return hike, but you will need proper sturdy hiking boots.
If you are a waterfall lover like us, you are in luck because there are a dozen other huge and impressive waterfalls nearby many of them requiring some amount of moderate hiking experience, the best ones being Skrikjofossen, Skytjedalfossen, Vedalsfossen and Valursfossen.
Norsk Natursenter
Nature lovers will enjoy our next suggestion – the Norwegian Nature Centre at Hardanger. Three floors of exciting exhibits, dioramas, interactive stations, innovative aquariums and educational videos show you the best in Norwegian nature. The super cinema hall took us on a 20-minute helicopter ride with a 225-degree view of steep canyons and cascading waterfalls. mountain lakes, glaciers and reindeer – a very real-life experience.
Sysendammen
Sysen dam is one of Norway’s largest rockfill dams, over a kilometre long, with a large lake and some beautiful views. We came across this dam on our way back to Eidfjord from the Hardangervidda mountain plateau.
The dam holds back Lake Sysen – the main reservoir for the Sy-Sima Hydroelectric Power Station. The dam is quite remarkable as it is constructed purely of rock, not concrete! It creates an artificial lake for generating hydroelectric power. The Vorings Falls are regulated by this dam and there is a requirement for minimum water supply during summer.
The views of mountain range and glacier are simply stunning! It was lovely to walk along the dam wall. We were there on a bright sunny day which helped. It is certainly worth a stop.
Kjeåsen mountain farms
Kjeåsen mountain farms sit high above the fjord, 600 metres above sea level. Not so long ago there was no road to these farms, only an impossibly difficult trek, but enterprising Norwegians made the tough climb because of the rich farmland with sunshine guaranteed almost all year round, and hunting, trapping and fishing as additional boons. Everything, including a 90 kilogram grindstone, had to be carried up and it took 30 years to build a house because every plank had to be carried up too. Children climbed up and down every day to go to school in Simadal, but only in summer. Nowadays it’s a comfortable car ride through a tunnel, blasted out by the power company in Sima, though the road is narrow, twisty and one-way, switching directions every 30 minutes. Once there, the views are gorgeous, especially overlooking the fjord.
It is worth going there just for the views, not to mention a glimpse of the past – how people eked out a living from inaccessible but bountiful resources.
Seasoned hikers can also hike the trail up the steep mountain side, starting below the Sima Powerplant, about 1-1.5 hours each way – a difficult hike requiring ropes, logs and ladders.
Skytjefossen
In just a 23 minute drive from Eidfjord is another lovely waterfall and hiking spot – the Skytje waterfall. Plunging almost 300m off the Hardangervidda plateau to the valley floor below, these falls are among the highest in Norway. It is regulated for the hydroelectric energy production but may periodically have good water flow and is then a wonderful sight. To reach the trailhead, you need to drive as far as Tveit and park just after the last house. The hike to the falls is about 3 kilometres, and it can take a few hours there and back including a bit of time at the waterfall.
After having had our fill of all the wonderful sights at Eidfjord, we moved on to Flam – another picturesque fjord village, where more beautiful sights awaited us.
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I visited Norway several years ago and just love its rugged landscape and magnificent waterfalls. Every turn of the road has you inhaling deeply at the vistas in front of you. A lovely post about a fabulous part of Norway.
Its a 6 hour trainride from where I live in Sweden to Norway… do you think I have even been there? Nope… I know, what a waste right? But I have felt for the longest time, that traveling to Denmark and finland is to close to really count as traveling to another country 😛
I like any place that is surrounded by mountains! This village sounds like a perfect base for exploring the surrounds – I especially would love to explore Kjeåsen mountain farms.
Some stunning landscapes here .. and you can almost smell the clean air oozing out of them. I’ve never been to Norway before, but it looks like the type of place I could spend a few weeks exploring – there’s no way you could OD on those glaciers . That virtual helicopter ride sounds fabulous too. Great way to see great swaths of scenery.
Norway looks beyond magical! It’s my dream to go there one day!
I don’t know when we’ll be able to go to Norway (maybe retirement???) but that is beautiful!
Wow, Norway is beautiful! I would love to see the Norwegian Nature Center. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into a world far away from many of us. I want to add it to my bucket list.
This is a beautiful base for traveling around Norway. The pictures are breath-taking. I think I would have the most difficult time just pronouncing all these names!
We don’t usually travel with a ‘Base’ but have been trying it more as we have been getting older and taking the travel blogging more seriously! Norway looks amazing and we can’t wait to visit!
What a beautiful place! I’ve never been to Norway & this looks like a great base to explore this spectacular scenery. It’s definitely on my list & thank you for sharing.
This is beautiful. We had planned to road trip through Norway next year after completing a campervan conversion. Obviously this is all on hold right now, but I’m book-marking this for our itinerary next year. Thanks for sharing.
I was due to go to Norway later this year, but everything is on hold, which gives me more time to plan. Eidfjord is definitely on my list
Oh my! these images are stunning. Norway is such a beautiful place and so much natural history and beauty all around. Eidfjord seems to be a perfect place to explore Norway’s landscape.
This is stunning! I think having a base is such a great idea when exploring somewhere new. I definitely want to explore Norway now and visit Eidfjord!
When we did our cruise in Norway, we stayed pretty close to the coast. So we missed inland gems like Eidfjord. It certainly does look like a great base with lots of things to see in the area and on day trips. Hiking and waterfalls would definitely call me back to see more of Norway.
Wow this really does look like the ideal place to make a base from! I can’t wait to explore more of Norway, and I’ll be looking into visiting this area on my next trip for sure!