At a glance
- The drive from Bergen takes around six and a half hours on the E39 with the Oppedal to Lavik ferry, or 8 to 10 hours with stops.[2]
- From June to August, Hurtigruten's northbound Coastal Express sails from Bergen into the Geirangerfjord and calls at Geiranger around 2.30 p.m.[4][5]
- The boat to Måløy, a bus and the car ferry from Hellesylt into Geiranger add up to about 10 hours 16 minutes with two changes.[3]
- A same-day return means about 13 hours of driving before you see anything, so plan at least one night in Geiranger.[2]
- Once there, the Dalsnibba coach tour booked from this site spends 3.5 hours at Flydalsjuvet, Dalsnibba, Djupvatnet and Eagle Bend.[1]
| By car | Boat, bus and ferry | By coastal ship | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journey time | About 6.5 hours[2] | About 10 h 16 min[3] | About 17 h 55 min[3] |
| Route | E39 and the Oppedal-Lavik ferry[2] | Boat to Måløy, bus, then ferry[3] | Hurtigruten, northbound[4] |
| Changes | One car ferry on the way[2] | Two changes[3] | None[3] |
| Season | Rv63 pass opens late May[6] | Hellesylt ferry from 1 May[11] | June to August[4] |
| Recommended for | Stops along the way | Travellers without a car | Arriving by water |
From June to August, our summer schedule includes sailings into Geirangerfjord on northbound journeys.
During the summer season, there are bus connections from Bergen or Oslo via Stryn or Otta.
Which way to travel from Bergen
Before leaving Bergen
How to get to Geirangerfjord from Bergen
Geiranger lies on the Geirangerfjord, a 15 km branch of the much larger Storfjord, and every way of reaching it from Bergen takes most of a day. By road the trip covers about 370 km and takes around six and a half hours of driving, following the E39 north and crossing on the Oppedal to Lavik ferry.[2][4]
Without a car, a journey planner lists several chains. A boat from Bergen to Måløy, a bus and the car ferry from Hellesylt into Geiranger takes about 10 hours 16 minutes with two changes. In summer, the Hurtigruten sails the whole way in about 17 hours 55 minutes with no change at all. A flight to Ålesund followed by a car ferry comes to about 9 hours 10 minutes.[3]
Read every one of those times as a planning figure rather than a promise. The driving time assumes no stops at all, and the estimate for the same drive with breaks along the way is 8 to 10 hours.[2]
The drive from Bergen to Geirangerfjord
The fastest road route, as the local Geiranger guide describes it, runs along the E39 to Førde and Byrkjelo and then on the Rv15 to Stryn. Once the mountain crossing has opened for the year, somewhere between 17 and 31 May, drivers stay on the Rv15 to Langevatn and turn onto the Rv63 down into Geiranger.[6]
Before that date the stretch from Langevatn to Geiranger is still closed for winter. The same guide then sends Bergen drivers left at Stryn onto the Rv60 to Stranda, followed by two short ferries: Stranda to Gravaneset, about 20 minutes, and Linge to Eidsdal, about 10 minutes.[6]
A second route takes the E16 and Rv5 through Flåm to the Mannheller to Fodnes ferry, joins the E39 at Skei, follows the Rv15 and Fv60 and finishes on the ferry from Hellesylt into Geiranger. It adds around two hours to the drive.[2]
The end of the journey from Bergen: Geiranger at the head of its fjord
Is there a Bergen to Geirangerfjord cruise?
Yes, but only in summer. From June to August, Hurtigruten's northbound Coastal Express, the voyage that starts in Bergen and runs up the coast to Kirkenes, includes a sailing into the Geirangerfjord.[4] The ship reaches Geiranger around 2.30 p.m. and leaves again at about 3.15 p.m., so the call itself is short.[5]
Passengers joining the ship at Geiranger are taken out on the M/S Geirangerfjord from pier 2 in the harbour, and that transfer is part of the ticket.[5] Journey planners give about 17 hours 55 minutes for the direct sailing from Bergen to Geiranger, nearly three times the drive, with no change of vehicle along the way.[2][3]
The trade is time for the approach by water. The ship sails into the Geirangerfjord itself, while the fastest drive reaches Geiranger over the mountains from Langevatn, and the sailing is limited to those three summer months.[4][6]
Boat, bus and the Bergen to Geirangerfjord ferry
Without a car, the public transport chain that reaches the village starts on the water. A planner route from Bergen takes the boat to Måløy, continues by bus and finishes on the car ferry from Hellesylt into Geiranger.[3] Fjord Tours builds the same coastal boat journey between Bergen and Måløy into its own Geirangerfjord package.[9]
The final crossing from Hellesylt to Geiranger takes 1 hour 5 minutes on the car ferry sold by Fjord Tours, from 390 NOK, with a 2026 season running from 1 May to 15 December.[11] Fjord1, which also sailed the route, has cancelled its crossings for the rest of the 2026 season, so check which operator your ticket is with before you travel.[8]
Bus connections exist too. Fjord1 notes that in the summer season there are bus connections from Bergen via Stryn, and a journey planner lists a bus route from the Bergen bus station with one change at Stryn, taking about 8 hours 12 minutes.[3][8]
5
In summer the Hurtigruten from Bergen reaches Geiranger around 2.30 p.m. and leaves again at about 3.15 p.m.[5]
Distance Bergen Geirangerfjord: 370 km, several ferries
Mapped by road, Bergen and Geiranger are about 371.5 km apart, and route guides round that to 370 km.[2][3] The number is misleading on its own, because both driving routes include ferries: the Oppedal to Lavik crossing on the faster one, and the Mannheller to Fodnes and Hellesylt to Geiranger crossings on the other.[2]
Flying takes most of the road out of the day. Bergen to Ålesund is a 45-minute flight, and from Ålesund a one-way electric boat runs to Geiranger in about three hours, from US$112, through the Storfjorden and Sunnylvsfjorden.[2][12] A planner puts a flight and ferry day at about 9 hours 10 minutes in total, so it is not faster than driving, only different.[3]
The season changes the road distance too. In winter both the Hellesylt ferry and the Geirangervegen over the mountains are closed, and the only road link into the village that stays open all year is Ørnevegen on county road 63, the Eagle Road, which drivers from Bergen reach after the Stranda to Gravaneset and Linge to Eidsdal ferries. That detour is the one to plan for on any drive made before the pass opens in late May.[6]
Can you do a Bergen to Geirangerfjord day trip?
Not in any comfortable sense. The drive alone is about six and a half hours each way, so a same-day return means around 13 hours at the wheel before any stop, and the fastest public transport chain is longer still.[2][3] Nothing this site books runs from Bergen to Geiranger and back in a day.
Norway in a Nutshell, the Fjord Tours round trip that can start in Bergen, heads for a different fjord. It runs all year from 2,698 NOK, can be done in a single day, and cruises the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord with rides on the Flåm Railway and the Bergen Railway.[10] If Bergen gives you only one free day, that is the fjord trip that fits it.
Geiranger works as a multi-day trip instead. Fjord Tours sells a self-guided Geirangerfjord and Norway in a Nutshell package from 8,459 NOK and from three days, running Bergen, Ålesund, Geiranger, Oslo, Flåm and back to Bergen between 1 June and 30 September.[9]
Stopping on the way, and what to book in Geiranger
On the fastest road route the towns you pass are Førde, Byrkjelo and Stryn, so a driver who wants to split the journey has those to choose from.[6] Driving on and sleeping in Geiranger itself puts you in the village the Dalsnibba coach tour runs from, with the next day free for it.[1]
The tour booked from this site is the Dalsnibba, Flydalsjuvet, Eagle Bend and fjords coach tour: 3.5 hours with a live guide speaking English, from US$116, with free cancellation.[1] Its four stops are Flydalsjuvet, Dalsnibba, Djupvatnet and Eagle Bend, and it is rated 4.61 from 2,636 reviews.[1]
If you have a second day, a sightseeing cruise from Geiranger starts from US$68 for 75 minutes to two hours, and a RIB safari from US$95 for an hour. Travellers staying in Hellesylt can also cross to Geiranger on a one-way catamaran, from US$42.
Hours from Bergen to Geiranger
Driving time excludes stops; the other three are journey planner totals for the whole trip.[2][3]
Price the Geiranger end of the trip
Every figure is a "from" price for one adult and not a quote. Child prices may differ, so check each listing for your own party before you book.
Timing a trip from Bergen
Planning from Bergen
Pick road, water or both
Drive in about 6.5 hours, or chain boat, bus and ferry in about 10 hours without a car.[2][3]
Check the season
The Rv63 pass opens in late May, and Hurtigruten enters the fjord only from June to August.[4][6]
Book the last ferry leg
Hellesylt to Geiranger takes 1 hour 5 minutes, from 390 NOK, on the ferry sold by Fjord Tours.[11]
Sleep in Geiranger
A same-day return means about 13 hours of driving, so stay at least one night.[2]
Book the Dalsnibba tour
3.5 hours to Flydalsjuvet, Dalsnibba, Djupvatnet and Eagle Bend, from US$116.[1]
Arrived from Bergen? Spend your first full day on the Dalsnibba coach tour
from US$117Reserve now & pay later
