The fjord that appears on every postcard — and surpasses them all
Geirangerfjord is Norway's most celebrated fjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with walls rising 1,400 metres, cascading waterfalls with names like the Seven Sisters and the Suitor, and a handful of abandoned farmsteads clinging to near-vertical cliffs. The village of Geiranger at its head is tiny — around 250 permanent residents — but receives roughly 700,000 visitors a year, arriving by cruise ship, ferry, kayak, and the famously vertiginous Ørnesvingen (Eagle Road) overlooking. The Eagle Road and Trollstigen mountain pass together make for one of Europe's greatest drive routes.
Geirangerfjord was carved during the last ice age when glaciers gouged 500-metre-deep channels through the mountains. The abandoned farms visible on the cliff faces — most famously Skageflå and Knivsflå — were occupied until the early 20th century, accessible only by rope ladder or boat. The farmers who lived there grew crops and raised livestock on near-vertical terrain, lowering goods down to the fjord. The fjord was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005 as part of the West Norwegian Fjords. Cruise ships began calling regularly in the 1800s.