To reach Fjaerland isn’t easy. Arriving at last in the small village snug in the valley of the largest glacier in Europe, you ask yourself, ‘is this place real?’
I came to Fjaerland by choice. My introverted nature and inherent curiosity for places less known were the reasons to look for a fjord hotel in a remote location.
After I found Fjaerland Fordstue, I booked my hotel room instantly. From the pictures, the location seemed special. That’s all I knew about the village as I often prefer to discover the places intuitively and learn more on the go.
The Place of Fjaerland
The few tourists, mostly elderly couples seeking the tranquility of the fjords, were walking on the single road after dinner.
They were covering most of the log house in Scandinavia until late 19th century. The turf, or sod, is resting on several layers of birch bark.
It was rebuilt twice. First, in 1610 after storm destroyed it. The current building is from 1861 and was renovated in 1931.
The Norwegian Book Town
The Largest Glacier in Europe and Its Museum
In winter, the adventurous skiers can have a blast going cross-country, off-piste, or taking advantage of the different difficulty levels on the ski slopes around Fjaerland.
The Norwegian Glacier Museum despite its small size is thoroughly informative. Its interactive exhibitions are fun for the whole family. If you don’t know much about glaciers, and this one in particular, you will find the film screened at the entry very interesting. Its aerial shots are fascinating, exhilarating, and daunting at the same time.
While at the museum, ask about the glacier walks and you can book your pick. These walks are organised daily. Keep in mind that these are challenging walks. They take up to four hours before you even enter the glacier.
Accommodation Options
I wrote about my stay at Fjaerland Fordstue and this is the hotel I would recommend to you as well. The historic Hotel Mundal opened its doors in 1891. In the past several years, the building has been closed for guests due to necessary maintenance and improvement works. Check their website. By the time you make it to Fjaerland, it might be reopening! The third alternative is Boyum Camping. It is probably the best choice if you are on a road trip and travelling with children.
Getting to Fjaerland
The alternatives are road trip or a combination of rail and bus.
Use Skyss’ trip planner to organise your travel to Fjaerland. It proved very useful during my solo trip around Norway. If you travel by car, you might want to take some of the Norwegian scenic routes.
Fjaerland is the right place for those looking to connect with Nature while learning about the culture and history of Norway and its people. It offers variety of things to do despite of its small size and remote location. Most of all, it is genuine and qualitative destination of all kinds of travellers – solo, couple, groups or families with children.
