Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Your Pass to the Fjords
Some 230 hotels and upmarket B&Bs offer discounted overnight rates to
holders of the Fjord Pass. The card costs 100NOK ($14) and is valid for two
adults and all children under 15. The pass is available from Fjord Tours,
Stromgate 4, N-5015 Bergen ( & 55-55-76-60; www.fjord-tours.com).
Tips
separating the Granvin and the Eid fjords. A great ravine breaches the steep
slope of Oksen. Utnefjorden is almost 3.3km (2 miles) wide opposite Utne and
nearly 822m (2,700 ft.) deep in places, making it deeper than any other part of
the Hardangerfjord.
Utne is at the northern end of the Folgefonn peninsula, with mountains
looming nearby. Two valleys converge on the town, Utnedalen to the east and
Fossdalen to the west. The river through Fossdalen forms falls as it drops
through the woods toward the end of its course, dividing into two branches as
it reaches the fjord.
GETTING THERE
In the west, board the ferry at Kvanndal; in the east, at Kinsarvik. From Mon-
day to Friday, ferries leave every hour, and on Saturday and Sunday, they leave
every 2 hours. Train connections are possible from Voss 38km (24 miles) to the
east, on the main Bergen-Oslo line. Bus connections are made via Odda in the
south and from Bergen in the west. By car, head east from Bergen along the
E16. At Kvanndal, board the ferry for Utne.
SEEING THE SIGHTS
Founded in 1911, the Hardanger Folk Museum , lying near the ferry quay at
Utne ( & 53-67-00-40; www.hardanger.museum.no), exhibits old timber build-
ings, furnished according to their eras, from several parts of Inner Hardanger. By
the fjord are old boathouses and a general store that once stood on the quay side.
In the administrative building are local arts and crafts, national costumes, and
data on the fruit-growing industry. The famous Hardanger fiddle, so beloved by
Ole Bull and Edvard Grieg, came from this area. The museum owns several of
these antique fiddles, and you can also visit a fiddle-maker's workshop here.
The museum charges 40NOK ($5.70) for adults and is free for children. In
May, June, and September, it's open daily 10am to 4pm. In July and August
hours are daily 10am to 5pm. The rest of the year hours are daily 10am to 3pm.
When fjords were the highways of western Norway, Utne was an important
junction. The Utne Hotel (see below) opened in 1772.
WHERE TO STAY & DINE
Utne Hotel Dating from 1722, this is Norway's oldest hotel in con-
tinual operation. To settle a war debt, King Christian VII granted Sergeant
Børsem permission to operate an inn here, and it's been going strong ever since.
Børsem's family ran the hotel until 1995 when new owners took over. Torbjørg
Utne (1812-1903)—nicknamed Mother Utne—gave the hotel the romantic
character it still possesses today. By the mid-19th century the hotel offered “the
best quarters in the country.” Today a foundation owns the well-preserved hotel,
which has a distinctive atmosphere and intimate ambience. Only a few minutes'
walk from the ferry quay, the antique-filled place offers generous hospitality. The
well-maintained bedrooms have the gracious comfort of the 19th century, and
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