Welcome to Nordfjordeid, a small town hidden in the fjords of Western Norway. It may be challenging to navigate a new destination. Thus we have created this article to help you familiarize yourself with our town, and the many attractions hidden within.
Location
Nordfjordeid is located in the region of Nordfjord in Vestland County. The village rests peacefully at the end of the Eidsfjord. A perfect stop between Bergen and Ålesund for a more rural fjord experience.
Climate
Nordfjordeid is in the northern hemisphere. Offering a similar climate to destinations in Norway, however being located inside a fjord we are shielded from the worst weather.
Summer starts here at the end of June and ends in September.
The month with the highest relative humidity is November (91.98 %). The month with the lowest relative humidity is May (77.18 %).
The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 13.1 °C | 55.6 °F.
January has the lowest average temperature of the year. It is -3.9 °C | 24.9 °F.
During the summer temperatures regularly reach above 20°C.
We get regular snowfall from late October. The snow is usually gone by late April. As a result we can offer special winter excursions such as skiing during early arriving calls in January, Febuary, March and potentially April.
The Seawalk and cruise terminal
If you arrive with a larger ship (150m+) you will be greeted by the Seawalk.
A large foldable vessel that can stretch 250m from the port. Guests disembark and follow the Seawalk to the cruise terminal while enjoying a great view of the fjord, without any disturbances. Our friendly vikings and staff will be ready to greet them, and provide information and assistance as needed.
If the ship uses tender, the procedure once the tender boat arrives at the dock is identical from a guests perspective.
The terminal building houses a souvenir shop, toilets, tourist information / excursion office as well as Port Security.
Technical port information (docking procedure, mooring charts etc.)
Here you can see the first ever cruise call to the Port of Nordfjordeid in 2019. Fully utilizing the Seawalk every single passanger on AIDAperla disembarked to explore the town. The video gives a good idea of how docking and disembarking functions at our port.
We have a livestream camera from the port that you can access here. It is active 24/7 and provides up to date weather information.
Interactive map
Here you can find a quick overview of select attractions and resources close to the port. All within walking distance.
The Seawalk and Cruise terminal
Located at the south end of the village. All journeys start from this point.
Sagastad Viking Center
The home of the largest Viking ship ever discovered in Norway.
The Eid Church from 1849
The old town street.
Full of souvenirs, cafes and history. Local unique products.
The Norwegian Fjord horse Center
The old military training grounds.
The oldest in Norway.
The Eid National Salmon River
Tourist information office and the historical old bank building.
Tourist information, Excursion office, Port Security
Nordfjordeid Hospital
The Opera House
Historical Skårhaug home
(Home visit excursion)
Viking Warrior Gym
Climbing for kids, obstacle courses etc.
Nordfjordeid Golf Park
ALTI Shopping Center
The Sagapark.
Excursions
Once guests have entered the port they are within walking distance of everything the town of Nordfjordeid has to offer. We provide town maps for free to all guests to help them locate attractions, shopping opportunities and more. 🧗🏻♂️
If they have booked an excursion the buses 🚌 will be lined up outside the terminal ready to take them to their chosen destination. This will be the easiest destination to explore during your itinerary we guarantee!
Top 10 things to see in Nordfjordeid
From here you can also try out our zero emission electric bus tour. It takes you around the town, providing information about our history and culture. We aim to keep a green profile, soon the RIB tours on offer will also use electric boats.
Top 10 excursions close to Nordfjordeid
A Nordfjordeid Adventure
Once you depart from the cruise terminal head North towards the town center. Here you will be met by the old town street. A collection of lovely old buildings from the 1800s. 🏘️
The old town streets offer a wide selection of cafes, restaurants and unique gift shops offering exclusive producs found only in Nordfjordeid. Visitors can spend hours getting lost in everything on offer here. A must visit during your stay.
A bakery with fresh pastries, our very own goldsmith, yarn, souvinirs, even a shoemaker! We are certain that you will fall in love with the streets unique architecture and offerings. Almost like a Disney movie.
⚔️ Encounter rich Viking history, the final resting place of the king of the fjords himself. A powerful story that can only be experienced in Nordfjordeid. 🛡️
Armed with our map it should be easy to navigate the street. Perhaps you will get a coffee to fill yourself with energy before you continue your adventure?
As you pass the bakery you look over your right shoulder and discover the Viking grave mound! This is where the largest (and yes we mean it, the largest!) Viking Long ship was discovered in 1874. Quickly you will discover that you can walk all the way to it. In fact you can even walk on it! It is an incredible sight to take in, and you start to reflect on what sort of people lived here over 1000 years ago…
Now you look ahead and the church tower is visible. The church from 1849 is the 4th church to be built in the town. All of the prior churches burned 
to the ground. Burned ships? Burned churches? Burned farms? what sort of pyromaniacs are these Norwegians? You think to yourself…
The Eid Church
The church is open every cruise day for free. People of all backgrounds and religions are welcome to admire the architecture or embark on a spiritual journey.
Except on days where services such as funerals and weddings occupy its halls. Understandably on such days the church is not open to visitors.
The majestic wooden church was originally built with a capacity to house 900 people. Today´s capacity is 750 people.
The church has beautiful and rare carvings and Norwegian rose paintings in vibrant colours. The artwork was created by Mr. Kinsarvik in 1915, and the work is strongly national-romantic in style..
Now that you are fully caffeinated and spiritually fulfilled your eyes are drawn to a large modern building on the hill side. This is the Nordfjordeid Opera House your map helpfully informs you. A Opera House? In a town with barely 6000 residence? How is that even possible you wonder…
The Opera House
Many of the 6000 inhabitants in the municipality are heavily interested in culture.
They strongly wanted a concert hall with good facilities for performing music. What to do when you don`t have much money ? You seek partnerships and contribute with voluntary work.
The Opera House is financed by national, regional and local funds. In addition, there are sponsorships, and numerous hours of voluntary work.
In the past twenty years, all the most appreciated operas have been performed here, such as La Boheme, Carmen, Eugene Onegin, La Traviata to mention some. The Opera House has 534 seats in an amfi theatre with perfect acoustics for music. Focusing on culture has been successful, and the opera company and the opera house are both highly appreciated by everyone in the small town today.
What we are about to experience in a moment is fascinatingly improbable. We will attend the premiere of Carmen in a newly built opera house in a small western village with barely 6,000 inhabitants. It seems unlikely – and is fantastic.
Her Majesty Queen Sonja
at the premiere of Carmen in Nordfjordeid (2009)
The Opera House is in fact (and we are serious) the second Opera House in the entirety of Norway. That’s right, there is one in the capital city of Oslo and one in Nordfjordeid.
Not only does Nordfjordeid have its own Opera House, it even has its own Opera company. A opera company that produces annual productions, of some of the most well known operas out there. The building also houses the local high school.
Now that you have also been culturally awakened you check your map and see a place called the Norwegian Fjord Horse Center. What could that be? You are curious to learn more so you walk for 10 minutes before being presented with fantastical beasts of ancient origin.
The Fjord horses
Sitron is Prince Hans’ horse in Disney’s 2013 animated feature film Frozen. He accompanies Hans to the kingdom of Arendelle for Queen Elsa’s coronation.
At the Fjord Horse Center you can experience the fjord horse up close, a once in a lifetime experience. You can join their organized riding trip up to Vårsetra and Utsikten. The guides will walk together with you and will help you if you need any assistance.
The Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre is a national resource centre for Norway’s national symbol: the Fjord horse, and it is no accident that the centre is located in Nordfjordeid. Nordfjordeid is known as ‘the Mecca of the Fjord Horse’. The reason for this is historic, because the village is famous for its long-standing horse traditions. Stallion shows have been held here since 1886. Today, the village has an active community of Fjord horse owners and breeders. It is in this environment steeped in tradition that the Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre is based, and it is not uncommon to meet Fjord horses on the local roads.
Did you know that the horses from the Disney film “Frozen” are fjord horses?
This ancient breed dates back to the Viking era.
The Norwegian Fjord Horse is dependable and calm with a gentle temperament.
After your visit to the Fjord Horse Center you might start to feel hungry, and make your way towards the fjord. At the shore in the northern part of town you will find the idyllic Sagapark. 🏞️
The Sagapark and the fjord
After enjoying a great meal, with the fantastic view offered by the park you will without a doubt by drawn to the premier attraction in Nordfjordeid. The Sagastad Viking Center that is also situated right next to the park, at the southern section.
You can enjoy the fantastic view of the fjord. The modern park has benches where you can relax and enjoy the fantastic view, play grounds for children, the excellent beach is equipped with a barbeque area. The official logo of NORDFJORD is a popular meeting point where selfies can be taken with the amazing Nordfjord as backdrop. Bring your camera, your loved ones, and secure your holiday’s best photos.
If you have not brought your own food to grill on the barbeque you can make your way to Magnifikk! One of the many local resturants in Nordfjordeid. Magnifkk offers rustic elegant experience with an unmatched view of the fjord if you wish to sit outside.
They offer fresh food, if you are lucky the meat will have been hunted by the head chef himself!
The Viking Destination
The Sagastad Viking Center building is inspired by the grave mound you passed earlier in your adventure. It is the home of the largest Viking long ship ever discovered in Norway; The Myklebust ship. A visit here is a powerful experience. You can immerse yourself in the exhibition that takes you back 1000 years. You can learn about the mighty Viking dynasty that ruled over the west coast of Norway from Nordfjordeid, their rituals, about their king and much more.
Nordfjordeid was an important place during the Viking Age, and home to the chieftain in Firda county. Here you will find one of the country’s richest, largest and most spectacular Viking graves with the burnt remains of the magnificent Myklebust ship. Remains of a chief or king together with his riches tell an exciting story that can be linked directly to a named person from the sagas. There are also several other rich tombs from the Viking Age in Nordfjordeid, which confirm the towns central role at this time. These unique finds form the basis for the story you can experience at Sagastad.
The number one most visited attraction in our town.
Sagastad is a knowledge center of national format. The center is anchored in research in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Medieval Cluster. The most central part of the center is the spectacular Myklebust ship. The ship is located in the middle of the center, surrounded by interactive exhibitions that are mainly related to the ship and the other grave finds in Nordfjordeid.
The Sagastad Viking Center offers experiences for all ages. The Virtual Reality experience on offer uses cutting edge modern equipment to present guests with an experience that takes you 1000 years back in time to the Viking Age.
Using teleportation it is possible to explore a recreation of Nordfjordeid during the Viking era. Guests can immerse themselves in the world, test their archery skills and meet the Vikings that inhabited this town. A big hit with the kids, but even senior guests that have never tried a video game in their life can get a once in a lifetime experience.
Unlike in Oslo where you can only view the Viking ships on display, Sagastad enables you to board the Myklebust ship. You can truly get an impression of how it was to sail with such mightly ships during the Viking age.
Having enjoyed learning about the Vikings at the Sagastad Viking Center and perhaps picking up a souvenir or two from the souvenir shop as a memory from your journey so far, you get ready for one of the local excursions.
Home Visit Skårhaug.
Home Visit Skårhaug
Here you will visit one of the oldest privately owned houses in Eid. The house was built in 1840 as a main house on the sheriff’s farm. Since 1870 the house has been in private care and accommodates several kinds of interior from various periods. You can visit Skårhaug and be given a tour of the house. See and touch old tools and objects and learn about the local baking traditions. Perhaps you would like to make some yourself? Enjoy your coffee in old porcelain cups and relax in the garden or in beautiful salongs.
Now that you have enjoyed visiting the old house at Skårhaug, you have gained insight into how people lived here during the 1800s. Now you may find yourself going back to the old town street to explore more of the historical buildings in the town. There is a lot to discover if you know where to look.
The Old Bank
The military training grounds
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Located in the old street Eidsgata, you will find the beautiful Kulturhuset Gamlebanken.
It was at one time the bank of Nordfjord (Nordfjord Sparebank) and dating back to the year 1881.
At present, it is a house full of exciting activities, such as an art exhibit, pop-up concerts, the Malakoff Rock Festival shop, tourist information, and a cozy bar.
The art exhibit includes the visual arts, photos, glass art and crafts. You may find an item to be a precious memory of your fjord cruise right here in the old street of Eid (Eidsgata). Perhaps it will be an art piece from the collection in the Kulturhuset Gamlebanken? The building is an old wood constructed building. It is known for its good acoustics. Over the years there have been countless memorable concerts featuring a variety of music, such as rock, classical, and opera.
Perhaps there will be a pop-up concert when you are visiting ?
As you pass historical buildings through the old street it is easy to imagine how people lived during this period.
