Visiting Eidfjord for just 1 day during your Norwegian cruise? Want to make the most of your day there and explore the area’s natural beauty? Read on for the best 1-day Eidfjord budget itinerary (including how to visit the famous Voringfossen Waterfall and recommended hikes/viewpoints!). No pricey taxi or overpriced ship excursions needed.
You really can’t go wrong with a visit to Norway. Every square inch of the country is filled with beauty. And one of the best ways to visit the country is by planning a cruise trip.
But if you get the chance to visit Eidfjord (especially on a cruise stop that’ll have you sail directly through the fjord), then you’re really in for a treat!
Sailing through the fjord that leads to Eidfjord
Though if you’re anything like us, perhaps your searches of “what to do Eidfjord cruise stop” or “how to spend 1 day in Eidfjord” or “Eidfjord 1-day budget itinerary” aren’t turning out many results.
Before our visit, we were quite surprised by how difficult it was to find information about this beautiful destination.
That’s why we wanted to write this article based on what we learned to help you plan your perfect, active, outdoorsy, and budget-friendly day in Eidfjord. No pricey private taxi or overpriced cruise ship excursion needed.
And even if you aren’t visiting Eidfjord on a cruise or have more than 1 day to visit, I’m sure you’ll still find at least one useful tip in the article below. Especially when it comes to the cheapest way to get to Voringfossen from Eidjord, or how to rent a bike or canoe in Eidfjord (we really couldn’t find this information anywhere online before our trip)!
The 1-day Eidfjord itinerary you’ll find below is roughly broken up into two parts: a visit to Voringfossen Waterfall in the morning, and enjoying the city’s many hiking trails (and stunning viewpoints!) in the afternoon.
Let’s get to it!
Table of Contents
1-Day Eidfjord Itinerary Part #1: A Visit to the Famous Voringfossen Waterfall
(AKA how to get to Voringfossen from Eidjord by bus, or the cheapest way to get to Voringossen from Eidfjord)
Before we arrived at Eidfjord, a quick Google search told us that the famed Voringfossen Waterfall – located about a 45-minute drive from Eidfjord up a windy mountain road and crystal-clear river – was one stop we didn’t want to miss.
Voringfossen Waterfall, Norway (pictures don’t do it justice!)
But our searches for how to get from Eidjord to Voringfossen didn’t turn up much information, other than expensive private taxi tours that were well out of our budget.
We did, however, find one website that mentioned we could get bus tickets to Voringfossen directly at the Eidfjord tour office when we arrived, though there wasn’t a way to book tickets online in advance and they often sold out fast.
So, we decided to put this theory to the test.
HOW TO GET THE BUS FROM EIDFJORD TO VORINGFOSSEN
The first piece of advice I can give here is to get up EARLY since these bus tickets can’t be booked in advance. We were allowed to get off our ship shortly after 8, and were personally on land by about 8:15.
After getting off your ship, you’ll see the tourist office immediately to your right when facing the town (it’s that white building just after those buses, you really can’t miss it).
Eidfjord tour office (white building on the left)
There were probably about 10 people or so already waiting out front. The tour office wasn’t yet open (and no one was exactly sure when it did officially open), but there was a very helpful “tour info” guy standing outside who could show us some details on a map and let us know we were correct about the bus to Voringfossen.
(Note: just outside the tour office, there was a local tour operator operating a photo safari tour to Hardangervidda National Park. The tour cost about 100 USD per person, and he had less than 10 spots available in total as he just had one van. I didn’t get his company’s name, unfortunately, but if this is something you may be interested in, make sure you get there early!)
After a bit more waiting, the tour office finally opened up at 8:40. At this point, we were very glad we had arrived early as there was quite a line of people behind us already.
We went inside the tour office, and simply told the people inside we’d like two bus tickets to Voringfossen. Since we were some of the first ones there, we were able to get tickets for the first bus of the day (leaving at about 9:30 or 9:45 AM), which gave us some time to wander around the town before it departed.
Approaching Eidfjord by ship
How much is the bus ticket from Eidfjord to Voringfossen?
The tour office was able to confirm that this bus would be the cheapest way for the two of us to get to Voringfossen as the only alternative would be a private taxi.
That said, depending on how large your group is, getting a private taxi and splitting the cost may be cheaper than each of you paying for the bus. Check with the tour office to be sure.
A roundtrip ticket for this bus was 40 USD, 40 Euro, or 400 Kronor (in which case, paying in Kronor was the cheapest because of the exchange rate at the time). This ticket also included a free coffee or tea at the charming hotel that overlooked the falls.
How long is the bus from Eidfjord to Voringfossen? How much time do you have in Voringfossen?
It’s roughly 20-30 minutes by bus each way, and you’ll have about a 40-minute stop at Voringfossen once you get there (so the entire trip should be about 90 minutes in total).
Honestly, we felt that this time in Voringfossen was a little short as we wanted to go to each and every viewpoint (as well as enjoy our free coffee!). We actually mentioned this to the tour office when we got back, so perhaps they will have extended the visit by the time you get there.
Information about the bus from Eidfjord to Voringfossen, though it seems that the price has gone up to 400 NOK
1-Day Eidfjord Itinerary Part #2: An Exploration of Eidfjord’s Best Hiking Trails
(AKA how to find the best view in Eidfjord, visit ancient Viking graves & more!)
Assuming you’re able to get on the first bus to Voringfossen, you should be able to get back to Eidfjord quite early (we were back by about noon). In other words, you’ll still have plenty of time to explore!
This was the line for the bus we found when we got back, so you won’t regret going early!
Eidfjord has a number of really lovely hiking trails that you can get to straight from town. You can get a trail map at the tour office.
Basically, there are three major trails for you to choose from: blue, yellow, or orange.
The best viewpoint in Eidfjord (found on the yellow trail)
If you only do one, I’d recommend the yellow trail as it is Eidfjord’s most beautiful hike. The yellow trail will give you the best view of the fjords and your ship in the entire town, a picturesque stop by a pristine lake, and a forest stroll past ancient Viking burial mounds.
Ancient Viking burial mound in Eidfjord
The trail is very well marked (just look for the yellow paint), is 5 kilometers (3 miles) in total, and takes about 90 minutes including stops for pictures and perhaps a lunch picnic by the lake.
Beautiful lake you’ll find along Eidfjord’s yellow trail
Since we still had time after the yellow trail and we like to walk (we’re talking 30k steps!), we decided to finish out our day with a bit of blue trail.
The blue trail isn’t as dramatic as the yellow trail, but it’ll still offer you a nice stroll by the water, the base of the fjord, and then later past some centuries-old historical churches (we turned back to the ship after making it to the first church).
Views along Eidfjord’s blue trail
It also won’t take you too far away from your ship, so you can easily get back before departure when you need to.
As we didn’t do any of the orange trail, I can’t comment on it either way.
OTHER ACTIVITIES TO DO IN EIDFJORD
Voringfossen and the hiking trails are definitely the highlights of Eidfjord (particularly as the town itself is very small and won’t take long to wander through), but there is also the Eidfjord Trolltrain which is quite popular for families with kids.
Otherwise, you can also look into canoeing in the fjord or renting a bike. (See next section for more on this.)
HOW TO RENT A CANOE OR BIKE IN EIDFJORD
As we said, it was very hard to find information about visiting Eidfjord online, and we didn’t end up kayaking or renting a bike here ourselves. But we did grab a picture of these flyers (on the right) we saw at the tour office just in case they help anyone!
Activities to do in Eidfjord from the local tour office
In which case, it looks like you can rent directly from the Eidfjord tour office. Bikes are 150 NOK for the first hour (and 50 NOK for each hour after that). Canoes are 200 NOK for the first hour (and 50 NOK for each hour after that).
FINAL TIPS FOR VISITING EIDFJORD
- The Eidfjord tour office is great and is where you can book just about anything you want to do. But since, as of July 2022, there are no online bookings… if you’re coming by cruise ship, make sure you get there early before the line gets long and everything sells out!
- Bring extra clothes. It’s rainy and the weather can change fast! (We were there in the middle of the summer and still wore pants and a light jacket.)
- If you’re on the hunt for free WiFi (especially if you’re sick of the cruise ship’s WiFi), you can connect right by the town’s free public bathrooms. No password needed, and just a few minutes walk from the ship.
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And that’s it! Eidfjord is truly a beautiful place, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy your visit as much as we did.
If you still have any questions about visiting Eidfjord by cruise (or if you’ve already visited and see that some of our info here is out-of-date), let us know in the comments area below!