Hareid
Municipality · Møre og Romsdal
About Hareid
The Arctic sealing museum in Brandal with the 1912 ship Aarvak, the Viking battle monument at Overåsanden beach, and Melshornet's view over Sunnmøre.
What to do and where to stay in Hareid
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Ishavsmuseet AarvakHistory & culture
An old seal-processing shed in Brandal built around the 1912 sealer Aarvak, on Arctic hunting, Greenland overwintering and the Svalbard mine once called Brandal City.
Brandal, 4 km from Hareid centre · 1–2 h · 1 Mar–20 Nov (daily mid-April–20 Oct, weekdays only at the ends)
2Kvitneset coastal fortHistory & culture
A flat walk of about 4–5 km return from Brandal pier to a German coastal fort of 1941, where command bunkers, ammunition tunnels, gun positions and a prison camp site remain.
Northern tip of Hareidlandet, beyond Brandal · 1.5–2 h (8 km return) · all year
3Overåsanden and the Hjørungavåg monumentSwim
A shallow white sand beach with a bathing jetty, 3 km from Hareid, with the national monument to the Battle of Hjørungavåg in 986, raised in 1986.
Overåsanden / Leira, inner Hjørungavåg · 30 min–2 h · all year (swimming in summer)
4MelshornetHike
A 668 m summit with a toposcope naming the peaks, looking out over the Herøy islands, Breisundet, Storfjorden and the Sunnmøre Alps.
Ulsetleitet, between Hareid and Hjørungavåg · 3–3.5 h (3.6 km each way, 563 m up) · spring–autumn
5HåbakknottenHike
A short, steep climb on foot from central Hareid to a 267 m knoll, past an old summer-farm barn ruin and Merkarsteinen, a flat stone slab where families rest.
Above Hareid centre · 1.5 h (1.8 km each way) · all year (snow-free best)
6Rotarystien along HareidselvaHike
A 5 km gravel trail up the Hareidselva river to Grimstadvatnet nature reserve, with Rotary-built lean-tos, a restored mill house and an old power dam.
From the fjord in Hareid up to Kaldholen · 1–2.5 h (walk or bike any part) · all year
7Hareid Church and PrestestovaHistory & culture
A white wooden church of 1877 with a 1660 altarpiece, beside Prestestova, a priest's cottage dated to before 1600, and memorials to those lost at sea.
Hareid centre · 20–30 min · all year (interior when open)
8Holesanden at SnipsøyrvatnetNature
A sandy lake beach at the inner end of Snipsøyrvatnet, 10 km from the harbour, where the YMCA cabin sells café treats on most summer Sundays.
Snipsøyrdalen, south end of Snipsøyrvatnet · 1–3 h · summer and winter
9Millennium KaféFood & drink
A café at Strandgata 91 in Hareid centre serving local food, salads, burgers and coffee; it served the lunch on the Arctic museum's Viking-house trip in May 2026.
Strandgata 91, Hareid · 30–60 min · all year
10Sunnmøre Golfklubb – park walk and football golfLocal oddity
A 9-hole parkland course from 1989 with rivers and ponds across the fairways and the Sunnmøre Alps behind; non-golfers may walk the park, and there is football golf.
Snipsøyrdalsvegen 77, Hareid · 30 min–2 h · snow-free season (weather dependent)