Luster & Nigardsbreen
On the Lustrafjord at the innermost end of the Sognefjord, you can hike the Nigardsbreen glacier and see Feigumfossen and the village of Solvorn; it's a base on the eastern side of the Jostedalsbreen glacier.
Luster, in Norway's Vestland county, is the municipality on both shores of the Lustrafjord, the innermost arm of the Sognefjord, the world's longest and deepest fjord. To the north lie Jostedalsbreen, the largest glacier in mainland Europe, and the Breheimen mountains, with Jotunheimen right next door to the east. Glaciers are the main draw: head about 35 km up the Jostedalen valley to Nigardsbreen, cross the glacial lake by small boat and walk to the glacier snout, or join a guided blue-ice hike with crampons; the Breheimsenteret glacier centre at the mouth of the valley explains how glaciers work. Along the fjord you'll find Solvorn, a village of white wooden houses, the 218 m Feigumfossen waterfall, the village of Skjolden at the head of the fjord, and the hiking trail up Molden with views over the fjord; head west over the mountains to Fjærland to visit the Norwegian Glacier Museum and the roadside Bøyabreen glacier. The UNESCO-listed Urnes Stave Church stands just across the fjord from Solvorn, about 15 minutes by small ferry. The best season is June–September, when glacier hikes run from about late May to mid-September and summer days are very long; in winter the mountain roads are snowbound, the Sognefjellet road is closed and many facilities shut. Getting there: take the express boat or a bus from Bergen to Sogndal (about 4–5 hours), then drive or take a local bus to Gaupne or Solvorn; in summer a glacier bus runs into the Jostedalen valley. Allow 2–3 days; driving is easiest and lets you combine the area with Flåm, Jotunheimen and Geiranger.
Top sights
- Nigardsbreen – The most accessible tongue of the Jostedal Glacier, Europe's largest glacier. You can cross the glacial lake by boat and walk to the ice fr…
- Lustrafjorden – The innermost branch of the Sognefjord, with emerald-green water and orchard villages and snowy peaks along its shores. It suits kayaking a…
- Solvorn – A small village of white wooden houses on the fjord, home to Norway's oldest family-run hotel, with a ferry to the Urnes Stave Church acros…
- Breheimsenteret Glacier Centre – A glacier exhibition center at the entrance to the Nigardsbreen Glacier, housed in an ice-mountain-shaped building, and the meeting point a…
- Jostedalen – A glacier valley stretching about 50 km north from Gaupne along Lustrafjord, with a turquoise glacial river flanked by waterfalls and histo…
- Feigumfossen – A waterfall that drops 218 meters straight down a cliff on the fjord's edge, accessible by a hike to its base, and a landmark of the Lustra…
- Molden – A 1,116-meter lookout peak with views over Lustrafjord and the Jostedal glacier, and a popular hiking route in the area.
- Skjolden – A small village at the innermost end of Lustrafjord, where Wittgenstein once lived in seclusion, and the starting point of the Sognefjell m…
- Dale Church – A 13th-century Gothic stone church with medieval murals, a soapstone porch, and a landmark of Luster village.
- Kaupanger Stave Church – A 12th-century stave church on the shores of Sognefjord, the largest stave church in the Sogn region, still in use today.
- Sogn Folk Museum – An open-air folk museum in Kaupanger with dozens of relocated traditional wooden houses and farm buildings showing rural life in the Sogn r…
- Norwegian Glacier Museum – A glacier and climate museum in Fjærland, with a panoramic glacier film and ice blocks you can touch that are a thousand years old. Great f…
- Bøyabreen – A glacier tongue visible right from the road. Its milky-green meltwater lake, dotted with floating ice, is a must-stop on the way through F…
- Fjærland Book Town – A fjord village at the foot of a glacier, where old barns and ferry waiting rooms have been turned into used bookshops, creating a relaxed…
- Austerdalsbreen – A glacier at the end of Vetastrand valley, reached by a 2–3 hour hike, with few visitors and a wild, dramatic landscape.
Where to eat
- Lustrabui Bakery – A wood-fired bakery by Lustrafjord in the village of Luster, where sourdough bread and the local lustrabolle sweet bun…
- Walaker Hotel Restaurant – A four-course dinner at a century-old hotel in Solvorn, using local ingredients such as Lustrafjord Norway lobster and…
- Breheimsenteret Café – A café in the national park centre with a terrace facing the Nigardsbreen glacier, serving homemade hot dishes, cakes a…
Itineraries
- Western Fjords Grand Loop: 13-Day Self-Drive Itinerary – A self-drive loop from Bergen covering the Sognefjord, Geirangerfjord, Atlantic Ocean Road, and Hjørundfjord.
- High Mountains & Fjords: 14-Day Hiking Loop – Head north from Oslo to Dovre, tackling classic trails in Romsdal, Geiranger, and Jotunheimen.