NO25.22 Geiranger – Fjord Yes, Village Not So Much

The Geirangerfjord is as beautiful as everyone says. Probably even more so. Deep blue water, sheer rock faces rising hundreds of metres, and waterfalls trickling down the cliffs like white threads. It’s UNESCO World Heritage listed for good reason. The drive to the fjord alone is spectacular, and when you stand at the top and look down, it genuinely takes your breath away.

The village of Geiranger itself, however, is a different story. Touristy, a little soulless, dominated by cruise ships and souvenir shops. The charm that the fjord radiates is unfortunately almost entirely absent from the village. It feels as though someone took the most beautiful backdrop in the world and built a tourism machine in front of it.

Our advice: absolutely visit the fjord, make the viewpoints, soak up the nature – but feel free to give the village itself a miss. The magic lies in the landscape, not the souvenir shops.