UNESCO
Nærøyfjord cruise from Bergen: the narrow one on the UNESCO list
Two hundred and fifty metres wide at its narrowest, with walls going up past a thousand metres, and on the World Heritage list since 2005. Getting there from Bergen takes a whole day, and it is worth knowing how much of that day is actually on the water.
Quick answer
Reaching the Nærøyfjord from Bergen costs $299 or $427 and takes about eleven hours. The fjord is an arm of the Sognefjord, roughly seventeen kilometres long and about 250 metres across at its narrowest, and it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2005. The trips reach it by boat, train and bus rather than by boat alone.
The Nærøyfjord, at a glance
- Length
- About 17 kman arm of the Sognefjord
- Narrowest point
- About 250 mwalls rise past 1,000 m above it
- UNESCO listed
- Since 2005as part of the West Norwegian Fjords
- Winter day trip
- $29911 hours, rated 4.9
- Full day with the railway
- $42711.5 hours, rated 4.8
- Private version
- $1,21810 hours with a private guide
- On the fjord itself
- A couple of hoursthe rest is train, bus and road
- Flåm Railway
- Included on two tripsone of the steepest standard-gauge lines
- Stegastein viewpoint
- Includeda platform high above the Aurlandsfjord
- Free cancellation
- All threeup to 24 hours before
What the day actually contains
Eleven hours, and where they go
A couple of hours on the fjord, plus a railway, a viewpoint and a lot of road.
Bergen to Flåm or Gudvangen. The first leg gets you across to the Sognefjord system, and it is road or rail rather than water. This is the part people do not picture when they book.
The fjord cruise itself. A couple of hours on the Nærøyfjord and the Aurlandsfjord, which is the reason the day exists. Walls close in to about 250 metres at the narrowest, with farms clinging to ledges and waterfalls coming off the tops.
The Flåm Railway. One of the steepest standard-gauge railways anywhere, climbing away from the fjord through tunnels and past a waterfall stop.
Stegastein. A viewing platform high above the Aurlandsfjord, reached by a narrow mountain road by bus. The photograph from here is the one on every Norway poster.
And the road home. Which is why eleven hours is eleven hours.
Is it worth a whole day
The honest case for and against
Worth it if you have the days to spare; not the best use of a short trip.
For: the Nærøyfjord is genuinely one of the narrowest and most dramatic fjords in Norway, and the UNESCO listing is not marketing. The Flåm Railway and Stegastein are each worth seeing in their own right, and doing all three in one booking from Bergen removes a lot of planning.
Against: only a couple of the eleven hours are on the fjord. If what you want is time on the water, the three-and-a-half-hour Mostraumen boat gives you more of it, from the middle of the city, for a quarter of the price.
The practical answer. If you have three or more days in Bergen, do both: a Mostraumen boat on one afternoon and the Flåm day on another. If you have two days and must choose, take the Mostraumen boat and keep the second day for the city.
Common questions
The Nærøyfjord, answered
How wide is the Nærøyfjord?
About 250 metres at its narrowest, with mountain walls rising past a thousand metres above the water.
Is the Nærøyfjord a UNESCO site?
Yes — it has been on the World Heritage list since 2005 as part of the West Norwegian Fjords.
How do you get to the Nærøyfjord from Bergen?
By a combination of boat, train and bus on an organised day trip taking about eleven hours. It is not reachable by boat alone from Bergen in a day.
How much does it cost?
$299 for the winter day trip or $427 for the version with the Flåm Railway and Stegastein. A private guided version is $1,218.
How long are you actually on the fjord?
A couple of hours out of about eleven. The rest is the railway, the bus to Stegastein and the road there and back.
Is it better than the Mostraumen cruise?
The fjord itself is more dramatic. The day is far longer and far less of it is on the water. If you only have one day, most people get more out of the Mostraumen boat.
Go deeper
More on fjord cruises from Bergen
What it costs
From $68 to $427, and what an hour on the water is worth.
The verdictWhich cruise is best
All eleven ranked, and the three that are one trip.
The classicThe Mostraumen route
Three and a half hours through a strait fifty metres wide.
HardangerThe Hardangerfjord
A hundred and seventy-nine kilometres, and how to reach it.
RosendalRosendal and the manor
Seven hours, and a house built in 1665.
The long dayFlåm and the railway
Boat, train and bus in one eleven-hour booking.
