Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
Take the
train
from Bergen to Voss, where a connecting
bus will take you the rest of the way. The train from Bergen to Voss takes 1 hour
and 15 minutes and costs 144NOK ($21).
Buses
for Eidfjord depart three or
four times a day from Voss, taking 1
3
⁄
4
hours.
Part of the route across the Eidfjord itself requires a 10-minute ferryboat ride
from Ulvik. In summer the ferry departs every 10 minutes, and in winter every
40 minutes. From Odda in the south,
motorists
take Route 47 north; from
Geilo in the east, go along Route 7 west. The drive takes an hour.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Eidfjord Tourist Office
(
&
53-67-34-00;
www.eidfjordinfo.com) lies in the town center and is open June to August
daily from 9am to 7pm. There are no street names. Also visit the website for
information.
SEEING THE SIGHTS
The county contains nearly one-quarter of the
Hardangervidda National
Park
, the largest mountain plateau in Europe, rising 1,000m (3,280 ft.) to
1,200m (3,937 ft.) high, and covering an area of 7,500 sq. km (12,070 sq.
miles). The park is home to some 20,000 wild reindeer, the herd supplemented
in the summer months by horses, goats, and sheep brought here by local farm-
ers to graze. The park is also home to the southernmost habitats of the snowy
owl; the arctic fox; the lynx; and other creatures from the frozen tundra of the
north; as well as a diverse bird population, ranging from ravens to eagles.
Hiking trails carved centuries ago by footpaths of early settlers cut through
the mountainous area, leading to a series of more than a dozen tourist huts (log
cabins). The local tourist office (see above) will provide maps and more infor-
mation if you want to go hiking.
Before going on a hike, stop in at the
Hardangervidda Naturscenter,
Øvre
Eidfjord (
&
53-55-59-00
), which shows an informative 20-minute movie and
offers geological exhibitions of the park. It's open June to August daily from 9am
to 8pm. From April to May and in September and October, hours are daily 10am
to 6pm. Admission is 70NOK ($9.95) for adults, 35NOK ($4.95) for children.
On-site is a restaurant that makes a good luncheon stopover, plus a souvenir shop.
Several canyons, including the renowned
Måbø Valley,
lead down from the
Hardangervidda plateau to the fjords. Part of the 1,000-year-old road across
Norway, traversing the Måbø Valley, has been restored for hardy hikers. At a
point 18km (11 miles) southeast of Eidfjord, you'll see the dramatic
Voringfoss
Waterfall
, dropping 145m (475 ft.). It's reached along Route 7.
About 14km (9 miles) from Kinsarvik en route to Eidfjord, off Route 7, is the
Bu Museum,
Ringøy (
&
53-66-69-00
). It has three old houses containing fur-
niture and domestic and craft equipment. The basement of an old farmhouse is
filled with artifacts dating from the Stone Age to modern times. The museum
also has a collection of national costumes from the Hardanger area. It's open
June 1 to August 10 daily from 11am to 4pm, and by request the rest of the year.
Sultry, Tropical Norway
Did you know that some half a billion years ago, Norway was situated
south of the equator? You can learn more astonishing facts like this at the
Hardangervidda Naturscenter in the Eidfjord district.
Fun Fact
