Driving over the mountain and seeing Geirangerfjord for the first time is a memory I will carry forever. The views of the steep mountains, waterfalls, and deep fjord below our bus was breathtaking. Geiranger only has a few hundred residents, but thousands of tourists flock to the city to see Geirangerfjord, hike in the mountains, and to ride the ferry to Hellesylt. Our full-day Jewel of the Seas shore excursion group rode a bus from Alesund, and we enjoyed three ferry rides, including the hour-long ride from Geiranger to Hellesylt. Before joining the ferry, we had a buffet lunch at the Union Hotel, which sits high on the hill above town. The restaurant and rooms have spectacular views. The fjords of Norway near Flam and Bergen were beautiful, but not nearly as magnificent as Geirangerfjord.
The fjords of Norway are often thousands of feet deep, so even very large modern cruise ships sail up the Geirangerfjord to Geiranger.
I visited Geiranger a second time while on a transatlantic "Voyage of the Vikings" transatlantic cruise on the ms Maasdam of the Holland America Line. On this cruise, we sailed up the fjord from the sea after a day in Molde and spent a very long day walking around this quaint little town and touring the Geirangerfjord via small boat before sailing back down the fjord to nearby Alesund.
Because of its spectacular setting, Geiranger is one of best sail away ports in the world.
More Ports on the Fjords of Norway
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