'''West Norway''' [http://www.fjordnorway.com/en/] is a section of Norway famous for its fjords as well as cities like Bergen and Alesund.
Regions
Hordaland
More og Romsdal
Rogaland
Sogn og Fjordane
Cities
Bergen Regional center and ancient hanseatic trading point.
Haugesund
Floro Small, charming costal town.
Kristiansund Known for clipfish.
Molde Impressive panorama and great fjord.
Stavanger Norway's petroleum capital and Bergen's little brother.
Voss
Alesund Rebuilt in characteristic art noveau after the 1904 devastating fire.
Other destinations
Balestrand A charming village by the Sognefjord.
Flam Scenic railway and UNESCO-protected fjords
Geiranger Impressive mountain road and world-famous fjord in UNESCO-protected area
Jostedalsbreen The largest glacier on the european mainland.
Ulvik
Valldal Green valley among alpine mountains, connects Geiranger and Trollstigen/Andalsnes
Andalsnes With Trollstigen and Trollveggen, at the mouth of scenic Romsdal valley
Understand
Geographically, this is the archetypal Norway. Although '''fjords''' can be found in other parts of the world, the word is Norwegian, and this is the region of Norway where the most of them can be found. A fjord (the "j" is pronounced like an "y" in English) is a long, narrow, deep bay, usually surrounded by equally steep mountainous terrain. In West Norway, the largest can extend 200 km (124 mi) inland, 1300 m (4265 ft) deep. Note that in some areas freshwater lakes, although not an extension of the ocean, are frequently called fjords. The fjords of western Norway has been rated as the world's top tourist destination by [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/features/destinationsrated0403/destinationsrated.html National Geographic Magazine]. In a rating of UNESCO world heritage sites, Geiranger, in More og Romsdal and Naroyfjord, in Sogn og Fjordane, also obtained top score in a survey conducted by [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/features/whsrated0611/whsrated_europe.html#norway National Geographic].
Several great waterfalls can be found in Western Norway. Many of them fall directly into the famous fjords as well as along the deep valleys extending into the mountains beyond the fjords. Unique in West Norway is that these waterfalls are found in large number all across the region.
Talk
The language in West Norway is Norwegian, with dialects that are distinctly different from eastern dialects. Foreign visitors will note a difference in melody only. Written Norwegian may differ somewhat as a different standard for writing, called nynorsk, is frequently used in West Norway.
As in the rest of Norway, virtually everybody under 60 years of age speak or understand English. In tourist hot spots like Geiranger and Bergen, French and German are also common among service personnel. Don't be surprised to meet service workers that manage other languages such as Russian, Dutch, Italian or Spanish.
Get in
By plane
Bergen and Stavanger is well conected with many european cities. There are also international flights to Haugesund, Molde and Alesund.
By rail
There are several lines from Oslo to end stations in the West. Raumabanen (an arm of Dovrebanen, the Oslo-Trondheim line) runs from Dombas to Andalsnes. Bergensbanen connects Oslo and Bergen across the mountain. The famous Flamsbanen (Flam railway [http://www.flaamsbana.no/eng/]) is an arm of Bergensbanen. Sorlandsbanen connects Oslo and Stavanger via South Norway including Kristiansand.
By car
Western Norway occupies the entire west coast south of Trondheim until the mountain passes. There are accordingly numerous domestic entrances, basically along the east-west European highways (E18, E134, E16, E136) as well as E39, the coastal main road. Travellers should also consider alternative routes (frequently the more scenic) on national highways number 7, 50, 55 and 15.
By boat
West Norway can be reached by ferry [http://fjordline.com/] from Hirtshals in Denmark, to Stavanger and Bergen.
Get around
By plane
There are frequent flights between Bergen and Stavanger. There are also flights between Bergen and Alesund, Molde and Kristiansund. Bergen is also conected to Sogn og Fjordane with small planes.
By boat
Bergen is connected to many coastal towns to the north by Hurtigruten (the coastal steamer), which is a combined cargo and cruise ship (also accepts cars). North-south along the coast there are a few express passanger boats between Bergen and Stavanger (operated by Tide [http://eng.tide.no/]), and between Bergen and small towns to the north (operated by Fjord1 [http://www.fjord1.no/en/]). The small towns along Sognefjorden is also connected to Bergen by these high speed catamarans. The fjord and island areas are typically best enjoyed from a boat.
By rail
Due to complex topography West Norway does not have an integrated rail network. The railway does however offer opportunity for scencic rides. Train is most suitable for transport between Bergen, Voss, Flam and the mountains; transport between Stavanger, Sandnes and small towns south of Sandnes. Bergen-Voss-Flam is included in the famous "Norway in a nutshell" tour. The scenic Raumabanen railway from Dombas to Andalsnes is an alternative to bus or car in the Romsdalen valley.
By bus
Instead of a rail network there is an integrated network of express buses (operated by Nor-Way [http://www.nor-way.no/]) covering most of West Norway, these buses run few times every day. Inside More og Romsdal county there is also the Timesekspressen connecting main towns (Volda-Alesund-Molde-Kristiansund) by hourly departures.
By car
Because most of west Norway is sparsley populated with limited public transport, a car provides superior freedom and flexibility for the traveler. Because some roads are narrow and steep (not shown on most road maps), travellers are advised to calculate plenty of time for driving and not to rush as this increases risk of accident. Ferries are an integral part of the road network and trips across West Norway always involve ferries. '''Car ferries''' on the main roads are rather frequent (typically every half hour), extremely reliable and operate with reserve capacity. Except for the popular Geiranger-Hellesylt and Valldal-Geiranger ferries, tourists generally need not worry about time tables and reservations. Travellers are however recommended to caclulate plenty of time for trips involving car ferries. Buses, ambulances and livestock transport have priority. On most crossings, ferries have cafeteria selling coffee, beverages, sandwiches and some hot food.
Because nature is the main sight in West Norway, travellers are advised not to rush from town to town, but instead to calculate plenty of time for the road.
See
Bryggen, the old hanseatic docks in Bergen
The fish market in Bergen
Flam railway in Flam
The UNESCO-listed fjord in Geiranger.
Latefossen waterfall in Odda.
Narofjord by Gudvangen.
Preikestolen (The pulpit rock) by Stavanger.
Trollveggen in Andalsnes.
Itineraries
Do
Fishing. Endless posibilities along the coast, in the fjords and in lakes.
Glacier walks on Jostedalsbreen and Folgefonna.
Hiking. Several posibilities, among them Hardangervidda and Jotunheimen.
Skiing in Voss.
Skiing, in sumertime, in Stryn
Eat
There are various high class dining facilities in West Norway. See articles for each town.
Drink
Stay safe
West Norway is as safe as the rest of Norway (see general information on Norway). In western Norway there are several roads with very narrow stretches where even small cars can not pass easily. Be extremely careful around blind corners on these roads.
Show respect for the sea. Every year tourists die in small rented boats; usually having gone out in bad weather. Waves coming in from the Atlantic can be extremly powerful, but even in what seems like sheltered waters the wind can capsize a small boat.
Get out