Eidfjord
Municipality · Vestland
About Eidfjord
Walk the stair bridge over Vøringsfossen, drive up to Kjeåsen's cliff-top farms high above the fjord, and step out onto Hardangervidda.
What to do and where to stay in Eidfjord
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Vøringsfossen and the stair bridgeViewpoint
A 99-step bridge by architect Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk, opened in 2020, crosses the gorge right above the 182 m fall from Hardangervidda into Måbødalen.
Fossli, by Rv7 at the top of Måbødalen · 45 min–1.5 h · May–October (the plateau road can have snow early and late)
2Kjeåsen mountain farmLocal oddity
Farms on a shelf about 600 m above the fjord, reached by a 5 km road that is half a narrow tunnel with one-way traffic: up on the hour, down on the half hour.
Above Simadal, about 8 km from Eidfjord centre · 1–1.5 h by car; or 1–1.5 h each way on foot · road open summer; check in winter
3Norsk Natursenter – HardangerSight
Three floors of hands-on displays on rocks, fossils, wildlife and climate, plus the film 'Fjord Fjell Foss' on a 225-degree screen about 21 m wide.
Sæbøtunet 11, Øvre Eidfjord · 1.5–2 h · spring to autumn (check hours)
4Hæreid Iron Age burial siteHistory & culture
About 350 graves from AD 400–1000 lie on the moraine flats at Øvre Eidfjord, the largest such site in western Norway.
Hæreid, Øvre Eidfjord · 30–60 min · snow-free months
5Old Eidfjord ChurchHistory & culture
Stone church from 1309 that, the story goes, the powerful Rich-Ragna built to make up for her sins.
Lægreid, Lægreidsvegen 33, Eidfjord · 20–30 min · all year (outside; inside by arrangement)
6Måbø steps to FossatrommaHike
From Måbø museum an old path to Hardangervidda zigzags up some 1,300 well-kept stone steps towards Fossatromma above the Måbødalen gorge.
Måbø, Eidfjordvegen 10, Øvre Eidfjord · about 3 h return · late June to autumn
7Valurfossen from HjølmabergetHike
A marked plateau path from the end of the Hjølmo road leads to Vivelid, and a partly unmarked extension goes on to Valurfossen, which drops about 272 m.
Hjølmaberget, end of the Hjølmo road from Øvre Eidfjord · about 3 h (8.4 km return) to Vivelid; longer with the Valurfossen extension · June–September (usually snow-free only July–August)
8Galleri N. BergslienHistory & culture
Eidfjord's own gallery shows its collection of paintings by Nils Bergslien beside changing summer exhibitions by other artists.
Ostangvegen 20, Eidfjord centre (next to Vøringfoss Hotel) · 30–45 min · mid-April to early October (daily late June–late August, weekends otherwise)
9Simadal valley walk to SkytjefossenHike
An easy walk on path and quiet roads from Sima power station up the Simadal valley ends below Skytjefossen, which is at its biggest in spring melt.
Simadal, from Sima kraftverk 6.5 km from Eidfjord · up to 4 h (up to 12 km return, 250 m up) · April to November
10SysendammenLocal oddity
One of Norway's largest rockfill dams, 1,160 m long and 81 m high, finished in 1980 to hold back Sysenvatnet, with a car park and info board just off Rv7.
Rv7 above Fossli, Hardangervidda edge · 20–30 min · when Rv7 is open (snow-free months)