Geiranger Geirangerfjord

The approach to Geiranger is stunning. Geirangerfjord is renowned as the most beautiful in Norway. You will tendered to a pier downtown.

Geiranger and Hellesylt are tandem ports: At either one of the ports you will stop only for a few hours to tender passengers who book the overland tour to the other port, where your ship will stay longer. On occasion cruise ships also allow passengers to get off, just to stroll around for an hour or so.

The new SeaWalk pier which is now in operation, provides easy shore access and reduce time-consuming tender operations, allowing cruise passengers to walk directly from the ship to Geiranger town center. Normally when using tenderboats this used to be a three hour affair. Now in less than an hour all passengers can be ashore. The pier can handle only one ship, so tenders may be used. Renting the Seawalk pier is expensive for the cruise lines, so not all lines will use this service.

Printable map to take along.

Webcam.

Cruise calendar for this port. SW and if your ship will use the Seawalk Pier.

Geiranger is the highlight among Norway's fjord district's pearls of natural beauty. Majestic, snow-covered mountain peaks, beautiful and wild waterfalls, lush, green vegetation and the deep blue waters of the fjord - yes, it really is like something taken from a fairy tale.

Geiranger itself is not much of a village - a camping site, a few hotels, some attractive souvenir shops and some nice walks along the coast line.

Hop on/off buses are available when cruise ships are in port. You will be able to enjoy a 80 minute tour, with Pre-recorded commentary in 8 different languages, so you can learn about Geiranger while enjoying all the different sights. You will also have 15 minutes photo stops at both viewpoints.

Geiranger and some of these other fjord port villages are very small, small. Unlike Bergen, Oslo, Copenhagen, etc., they don't have the wider range of transportation options, nor a handy variety of attractions right there. Mt. Dalsnibba (nearly a mile up) is a big, big distance from sea level and this tendering location. In this area, getting "up country" can be important to see a wider range of scenic beauty. Ship tours are not perfect, but they can get you "around" and solve many of your logistical needs. Things are not cheap in Norway, also, whether for private tours and/or by a ship excursion.

To do Mt.Dalsnibba on your own, you'd either need to book a private excursion (there are some listed at the tourist office) or rent a car. The road will probably be open by early July, as it can be snowing well into June. It is also recommended to wait until the very day you're in Geiranger because if it's raining you won't see much anyway.

The public bus route runs 3 times per day from Geiranger to Dalsnibba in the period 21.06.-31.08. This is a beautiful bus tour with photo stops. The round trip Geiranger-Dalsnibba takes about 2 hours.

Walking instructions

If you want to see Geiranger from the finest view-points, you can drive up to Ørnesvingen, Flydalsjuvet or Dalsnibba (toll road). Or you can walk up to Vesteråsfjellet or Skageflå.

The Tourist Office offers a wide variety of tours and rentals.

As the weather in Norway can be very unpredictable, make sure to check the cancellation policies in case of inclement weather. It is no fun doing an excursion in the clouds.

Taxis are few and very expensive (about 100 Euro an hour).

Basically a few souvenir shops.

The Norwegian currency is the Norwegian crown (Norske krone), abbreviated kr. A 1/100th krone is called øre. 1.00 EUR = about 9 NOK. Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world!

One free (10 minutes) internet station at the tourist office. Some cafes offer WiFi with the purchase of a consumption. And depending on your provider, there is free WIFI on and around the pier and pier shops. Norway is considered part of the European Union as far a data roaming is considered!

All stores and restaurants are open when a cruise ship is in town.