Nærøysund
Municipality · Trøndelag
About Nærøysund
Hurtigruten calls at Rørvik, home of the Norveg coastal museum, and in summer a boat runs out to the protected fishing village of Sør-Gjæslingan on the open sea at Folla.
Nærøysund lies on both sides of the sound it is named after: the low Vikna islands to the west, bog and bare hills of up to about 150 m, and a flatter mainland round Kolvereid, with peaks of 600–870 m inland. Skerries run on into the Norwegian Sea.
It suits a night or two on Kystriksveien, with short island walks such as Valøytind, the old fishing village at Abelvær and sea fishing. Parts of the protected outer skerries are closed to all traffic from April to July.
Good to know
- Getting there: Fv770 runs from Foldereid via Kolvereid and Nærøysund Bridge to Rørvik. About 2 h 30 from Namsos and 3 h 15 from Steinkjer, plus the ferry.
- Season: The boat to Sør-Gjæslingan runs late May to late August, and Norveg is open daily mid-June to mid-August.
- Sleeping: Campsites such as Kolvereid Familiecamping (open all year) and Skjærgårdscampingen (April–September), and Kysthotellet in Rørvik.
- Food: Café Norveg in the coastal museum, or the summer boat trip on M/S Sunniva to a salmon farm, with a seafood lunch.
What to do and where to stay in Nærøysund
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Kystmuseet NorvegHistory & culture
A wave-shaped 2004 building on Rørvik's waterfront covering some 10,000 years of Namdal coast history, with exhibitions on fish farming.
Strandgata 7, Rørvik harbour · 1–2 h · 15 June–15 August daily (Visit Namdalen 10–17; Visit Norway Mon–Sat 10–16); rest of year Tue–Sat 11–15
2Berggården trading postHistory & culture
A restored trading post beside Norveg, central to Rørvik's growth from 1878, with boathouses, wharves and an old shop interior open to visitors.
Rørvik harbour, next to Norveg · 30–60 min · Summer (15 June–15 August, on the Norveg ticket)
3Sør-Gjæslingan fishing villageHistory & culture
In its heyday the largest fishing village south of Lofoten, with thousands of fishermen in season, this group of islets out at Folla has been protected since 2010.
Folla, open sea south-west of Rørvik (boat only) · Half day by boat (4 h on the museum's boat trip) · Public express boat late May–late August
4ValøytindViewpoint
A short marked trail, 1.1 km return with a shelter halfway, climbs a low top on Valøya with a wide view over the skerries; a 2023 visitor suggests sunset.
Valøya, western Ytter-Vikna, about 40 km west of Rørvik · 30–45 min (1.1 km return) · All year in decent weather
5Hurtigruten evening call at Rørvik quayLocal oddity
Rørvik has been a Hurtigruten port since 1893, and Visit Norway says the northbound and southbound ships meet at the quay most evenings around 21:00.
Hurtigruten quay, Rørvik centre · 30 min · All year, daily
6Garstad ChurchHistory & culture
A white wooden long church at Garstad on Mellom-Vikna, consecrated in 1856 on the site of a church that lightning burned down in 1854.
Garstad, Mellom-Vikna · 15–30 min · All year (outside)
7Café NorvegFood & drink
The café in the Norveg coastal museum on Rørvik's waterfront, open daily in summer and a dry stop between the museum and the Hurtigruten quay.
Strandgata 7, Rørvik harbour (in Kystmuseet Norveg) · 30–60 min · Summer daily 10–17 (Visit Namdalen); Visit Norway says Mon–Sat 10–16 in summer
8VæremsnubbenHike
An easy-to-medium unmarked path of about 2.8 km each way from Værem near Kolvereid to a 402 m top with views to Vikna, the open sea, Leka and the Helgeland peaks.
Værem, north-west of Kolvereid · 2–3 h (about 5.6 km return) · May–October
9Abelvær fishing villageHistory & culture
A fishing village on Kalvøya at the mouth of Foldafjorden, run by the Brandtzæg family since 1802, where the old cannery restarted as a salmon plant in 2019.
Kalvøya, southern Nærøysund · 30–60 min · All year
10Nærøysund Bridge (Nærøysundbrua)Viewpoint
The 700 m bridge that carries the road over Nærøysundet, the sound between the mainland and the Vikna islands, on the way into Rørvik.
Nærøysundet, on Fv770 towards Rørvik · 15 min · All year
Book something local
boat / food / heritage
A time journey through seafood history (MS Sunniva) ↗
A summer boat trip on M/S Sunniva from Norveg to a salmon farm at Bondøya, with guiding at the pen and a seafood lunch.
Kystmuseet Norveg (MUSEET MIDT) · Floating pier at Norveg, Rørvik