Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Kviknes Hotel, Balestrand, Norway
Facts in brief
Official star rating 4
Location In the centre of Balestrand overlooking the Sognefjord at the water’s edge
Annual opening 1 April to 31 October
Closest airport Oslo, Bergen
Distance from airport About 6.5 hours drive from Oslo
Closest railway station Flåm
Distance from railway station About 2 hours by ferry
Hotel facilities and services
Restaurant, lounge, lift in new building (not in the historic building), bar, garden. Car hire can be arranged.
Out and about nearby
Balestrand is a fjord-side village surrounded by lush countryside. From here there are three branches of the Sognefjord to explore. In the village is the Norwegian travel museum, the Sognefjord Aquarium and Balholm AS, a Norwegian producer of brandy, cider and fruit juices using the fruit grown in the surrounding area. Boat trips on the fjord start in Balestrand and you can take a ferry to Flåm for a ride on the famous Flåmsbana (if you have arrived by car and not train). There is an annual jazz festival one weekend in May. Nearby you can also walk in the mountains and fish in the fjord. You can visit the fjord by rib-boat too. At Lunde is an arboretum, at Fjaerland is the Book Town and Norwegian Glacier Museum, at Gudvangen are magical white caves, there the Sogn Folk Museum in Kaupanger and the famous Stegastein on the road over the Aurlandsfjell mountain.
Sports nearby
Hiking (there are good and varied paths that are well-marked and walking maps are available), cycling and fishing. Guided kayak trip, guided mountain trips. Ski-ing in winter as well as glacier hiking and guided snowshoeing. Boat tours. Fishing trips with locals can be organised on request.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 7 nights
From about
£1,560 1 Feb-14 May, 15 Sep-1 Dec
£1,750 15 May-14 Sep
Holiday Code EXH46344
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Kviknes Hotel, Balestrand, Norway
This is a striking, historic, 4-star hotel dating from 1752 and owned by the Kvikne family since 1877 that stands in a commanding position right on the water’s edge of the Sognefjord in the charming village of Balestrand. Today there are 190 bedrooms in two buildings: the original one in a Norwegian alpine style with pretty wooden balconies overlooking the fjord and a modern wing added about 50 years ago. The carved, white, wooden balconies and the steep, grey roof of the exterior are complemented inside by an extensive collection of art and antiques adds to the charming, historic feel of the hotel. This longstanding, traditional hotel has welcomed many prominent guests over the years. The Kviknes hotel places great emphasis on its restaurant which serves traditional Norwegian cuisine from locally sourced ingredients and a buffet dinner and a 4-course menu are offered, accompanied by an excellent wine list. In the Balholm Bar there is a bistro menu as an alternative to the buffet served in the dining room. The hotel’s bedrooms are situated in the historic building, where rooms have a fjord view but each one is unique in terms of its decoration and furnishings, and in the ‘modern’ building which was built in 1965. Here you’ll find comfortable, renovated rooms and most with balconies. The double rooms with a view have a seating area and are on the western side looking towards the fjord, the village and St Olav’s Church whilst the twin rooms with a view are slightly smaller and are on the eastern side of the hotel, facing the fjord, the Aquarium and Tjugum Church as well as the spectacular Esefjell mountain. The position of the Kviknes hotel in the centre of Balestrand and on the fjord makes it a superb base for exploring the area by boat, car and by bike or on foot.The hotel is in an excellent location for hiring a car which can be arranged by the hotel to drive to some of the attractions nearby including the Stave churches at Urnes and Borgund or Happerstad. Also nearby is the village of Fjaerland with a glacier museum.
Room descriptions
Kviknes Hotel in Balestrand. Each room has private shower or bath and wc. There is no lift to the rooms in the historic building.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 7 nights
From about
£1,560 1 Feb-14 May, 15 Sep-1 Dec
£1,750 15 May-14 Sep
Holiday Code EXH46344
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Kviknes Hotel, Balestrand, Norway
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Kviknes Hotel in Balestrand, we include a scheduled flight with British Airways from London to Oslo and a hire-car. The journey time by car is between 6 and 7 hours. However, this may necessitate a stopover in Oslo or en route in both or one direction. Gol and Geilo work as overnight stops. An alternative is the train from Oslo and then a ferry but again the timings are such that you may require a night somewhere in between.
Additional information
Children: Extra beds are available in some rooms.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 7 nights
From about
£1,560 1 Feb-14 May, 15 Sep-1 Dec
£1,750 15 May-14 Sep
Holiday Code EXH46344
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Kviknes Hotel, Balestrand, Norway
About Vestlandet and Norway's fjordland
Vestlandet contains many of the archetypal sites the visitor associates with Norway: spectacular fjords, colourful fishing ports, stave churches and dramatic panoramas. Vestlandet is a long, thin region in the west of the country, bordering the North Sea and interspersed by jagged inlets from the sea into the mountainous interior: the fjords including Sognefjorden, Geirangerfjord, Lysefjorden, Hardangerfjorden and Eidfjord. Bergen is the outstanding jewel as a town in this region, a World Heritage City, with ancient history, attractive buildings, world-class museums and superb restaurants. Sognefjord is Norway’s longest and deepest fjord and is composed of five large arms with fingers, of which Naeroyfjorden is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To complement the dramatic natural scenery, there are ample man-made delights in the area too, with charming villages, waterfronts, well-preserved Viking heritage sites and local foodie specialities. You can witness the drama of the Sognefjord by boat from Bergen to Flam on a journey of about five hours. Just north and south of the innermost reaches of the Sognefjord are the outstanding stave churches of Borgund, unchanged since the Middle Ages, and Urnes, the oldest stave church in Norway. The Geirangerfjord is one of the best-known and justifiably so as it contains ten miles of dramatic natural beauty with numerous waterfalls tumbling down the vertical cliff face. The Hardangerfjord runs from the North Sea to the Hardangervidda Plateau and offers a wealth of attractive scenery and pretty towns, with numerous activities. There are also apple orchards and farmland, hiking and cycling. Towards the north of the region is the coastal town of Alesund, whose centre consists mainly of striking Art Nouveau buildings, constructed in the early 20th Century after a fire destroyed most of the old town centre.
Highlights of Vestlandet
Vestlandet is fjord country and the most well-known and spectactular are Sognefjorden, the Geirangerfjord, Lysefjorden, Hardangerfjorden and Eidfjord. The seafaring cities and ports of Bergen and Alesund offer a mixture of cultural, food and sightseeing possibilities. Bergen has the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bryggen with museum, shops, galleries and restaurants. There is the KODE museum of art and design and at Troldhaugen you can visit the home of Edvard Grieg. The region is also home to the Flam railway and cable cars take you to mountain tops. Alesund is renowned as an Art Deco town after a fire in 1904 destroyed the old town. From here it is the gateway to the Geirangerfjord and the Trollstigen mountain road. Combine land and water sports as well as spectacular scenery in Vestlandet. You can also visit glaciers in this region and take the Atlantic Road for coastal vistas.
Cultural highlights of Vestlandet
There is a wide range of cultural visits throughout the region: KUBE art nouveau centre in Alesund, Agatunet traditional Norwegian village on the Hardangerfjord, Kinn stone church from the Middle Ages, Alesund medieval age museum, The Vicarage at Nesset childhood home of Nobel Prize for Literature winner Bjornson, Bergenhus Fortress in Bergen, Suldal living museum farm, Eldhuset at Undredal on the Sognfjord showing local traditions, pasture farming and goat's cheese production, Sirdal mountain musuem, Bergen school museum, Geirganger timber church, Flam railway museum, Steffagarden on Ona croft from 1793, Visnes mining museum, Hardanger fold museum, Baroniet Rosendal manor house and gardens, Viking exhbition at Eidfjord, Vik historical tour, Kaupanger stave church on the Sognefjord, Trollveggen visitor centre, Viking village at Gudvangen, Borgund church, Osteroy museum, Ardal old church Ryfylke.
Festivals of Vestlandet
Kristiansund has a food festival in June, there is a Viking festival in Avaldsnes in June, Sola holds a kite festival in June, Floro holds the world's longest herring table in June, early July sees the Skudefestivalen the largest gathering of coastal culture in western Norway, Floro holds a sea sports festival in mid July, Molde holds the oldest continuously running jazz festival in the world in July, Haugesund harbour days is a yearly tradition in mid August, The Tomato festival is held in mid August at Finnoy on the Ryfylke Islands near Stavanger, Hardanger holds a music festival at the end of August, Bergen has a food festival at the beginning of September.
Gastronomy of Vestlandet
The mild climate and soils of the region lend themselves to the growing of fruit and berries that produce apple juice, cider and jams. Strawberries, raspberries and cherries are also grown locally. Cheeses are produced in the region including the Tingvoll cheese that has been produced here since 1303. Smoked salmon and cured meats are also local. Clipfish (dried salted cod) in the Alsesund area.
