Nordfjordeid Cruise Port: What to Do in Six Hours
Nordfjordeid is a small place, and that is the point. The ship docks at the SeaWalk pier at the south end of the village, the centre is a five-minute walk, and everything in this guide is within reach on foot. The best way to spend a port day here is outdoors: up a hill for the view, into the fjord after a sauna, and back to the old wooden street for coffee and a bun.
This guide is written for a typical call, roughly 08:00 to 20:00, by a guide who lives here. It covers what is within walking distance, what things cost, and how to put a six-hour day together without a bus or a tour desk.
The lay of the land
From the pier, walk north along the waterfront (Sjøgata) and you are in the centre in about five minutes. The village sits where the Eidselva river meets the fjord, with hills on both sides and the mountain Trollenykjen straight ahead. Three things are worth knowing from the start:
- Eidsgata is the old main street: about a kilometre of white wooden houses from the late 1800s, listed as a historic town centre, running from the waterfront up to the church, with cafés, the bakery and small shops along the way.
- Sjøgata, the waterfront, has the Alti shopping centre, the Viking ship centre Sagastad, the Badestova fjord sauna and the small-boat harbour where our hikes start.
- The hills start where the houses stop. Marked paths leave from the edge of the village; the nearest viewpoint is an hour’s walk from the pier.
You do not need a taxi, a shuttle or a ticket to have a good day in Nordfjordeid.
The village
Walk Eidsgata from the waterfront to the top. The street is flat, pedestrian-friendly and lined with wooden houses; at the northern end stands Eid church, a wooden church from 1849. Along the way:
- Minibakeriet, the bakery on Eidsgata, for a bolle, the Norwegian cardamom bun.
- Didriks café for the best coffee in town, sitting down or to go.
- Cats café for pizza and other hot food, if you want a proper meal before you go back on board.
- Souvenir shops: there are several in the centre, so pick the one closest to your coffee. For everything else, the Alti shopping centre is on the waterfront.
Sagastad, on the waterfront, is built around a full-size reconstruction of the Myklebust ship, the largest Viking ship found in Norway, with exhibitions about the ship and the people who built it. Count on about an hour. Adults 240 NOK, children 6–15 140 NOK, family ticket 690 NOK; on cruise days it is open 09:00–17:00, and daily in summer (prices and hours from sagastad.no).
Nordfjordeid is also the home of the Norwegian Fjord horse, and you can see them from the street. From the centre, walk up Rådhusvegen to the roundabout on the E39 and continue up Skulevegen; the horses are usually in the small paddocks on the right-hand side, a few hundred metres up. Norsk Fjordhestsenter, the national centre for the breed, is on the edge of the village and welcomes visitors who want to see the horses and the facilities; call ahead on +47 57 86 48 00 to check what is on that day.
And yes, there are alpacas: in the field between Lotevegen (the E39) and the Myklebust farm, just east of Eidsgata, with a Viking burial mound next to it. The Myklebust farm is where the ship that Sagastad is built around was dug out of the ground in 1874.
Once you have walked the street, seen the ship and had your coffee, the next good thing is uphill.
Go up
The hills around Nordfjordeid are what make the stop worth it. The village looks different from the ridge above it, and the fjord opens out in a way you never see from the pier. All of the trails below are marked, public and free to walk on your own; the links go to the hike pages, where you also find our guided version with the timing planned around your ship, a guide, and coffee and a local snack at the top.
| Hike | Time from the pier | Difficulty | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utsikta viewpoint | about 2 hours return | Easy | A short day, a first look at the fjord from above |
| Bjørneskarnakken | about 3 hours (the trailhead is a short drive; the guided hike includes the transport) | Easy to moderate | Families with children who are used to walking, from about 8 |
| Ossætra Ridge Walk | 3–4 hours | Moderate | Old summer farms, a mountain lake and a ridge with the fjord below |
| Trollenykjen, 898 m | 4.5–5 hours | Demanding | Fit hikers who want the summit and the big panorama |
Ossætra and Trollenykjen are the two we recommend most: Ossætra is the gentler mountain morning, Trollenykjen the challenge. Bjørneskarnakken is the mildest of the three: a relaxed walk for families, though still a proper walk if you are not used to being active. The guided departures on cruise days leave at 11:00 from the small-boat harbour; other times can be arranged privately. Online booking closes 15 hours before departure, so book the day before; for last-minute requests, send a WhatsApp.
If the weather is good and you are fit, there is a bigger round above the village: up past the Skårhaug summer farms to the lake Gautevatnet, over Tortenholvarden and down by the Fossane summer farm. Steep, quiet, with farms and views the whole way, and it takes most of a port day, so we run it on request rather than on the timetable.
Then the sauna
Badestova is a small, modern sauna on the waterfront behind the Alti shopping centre, a few minutes from the pier: a big window onto the fjord, 90-minute sessions, and the water right outside the door for a dip afterwards. A place in a shared session is 225 NOK, the whole sauna (up to eight people) 900 NOK; book a hike with us on the same day and both are 15% off. Bring swimwear and a towel. Details on our Badestova page.
A six-hour plan that works
For a ship in from 08:00 to 20:00, this is the day we would put together:
- 08:15 — Walk in from the pier: a bun from Minibakeriet and coffee at Didriks.
- 09:00 — Eidsgata at an easy pace, the church at the top, and Sagastad if the Vikings appeal.
- 11:00 — Guided hike from the small-boat harbour: Ossætra (back around 14:30) or Trollenykjen (back around 16:00).
- 15:00 or 16:30 — Sauna at Badestova, 90 minutes of heat and a swim in the fjord.
- 17:30 — A last coffee, a souvenir, or a meal at Cats.
- 19:00 — Back on board with time to spare.
Short on time? Walk up to Utsikta for the view, or take the Bjørneskarnakken hike, which includes transport and is back in about three hours.
Raining? It still works. The hikes run in rain (strong wind or thunder is another matter), Sagastad is indoors, and a sauna is better in bad weather anyway.
Practical things
- Money: cards and phone payment work everywhere, including the bakery; you do not need Norwegian cash. Tipping is not expected.
- Sundays: most shops are closed. Cafés, Sagastad and the sauna open on cruise days.
- Weather: it changes by the hour. A waterproof jacket and a warm layer belong in your bag even on a blue morning, and shoes with grip if you plan to go uphill.
- Trails: free and open to everyone under Norway’s right to roam. Close every gate behind you; the grazing animals keep these hillsides open.
- Timing: check your all-aboard time before you leave the ship, and give your guide the ship’s time, not local time, if they differ.
Questions we get asked
Can I hike on my own?
Yes. All the trails are public and marked. Utsikta is easy to do alone and is described in our guide to the hikes from the cruise port. For the ridge and the summit, a guide saves you the wrong turns and keeps an eye on the clock.
How far is the centre from the pier?
About five minutes on foot along the waterfront. Our meeting point, the small-boat harbour, is four minutes from the terminal.
Where can I see the Fjord horses?
From the street, in the paddocks by Skulevegen north of the centre, and at Norsk Fjordhestsenter if you call ahead. The alpacas are in the field by Lotevegen, just east of Eidsgata.
What does a day like this cost?
A guided hike is 790–1,190 NOK per person, a shared sauna session 225 NOK (15% off both when combined), a coffee around 60 NOK and a bun about the same, Sagastad 240 NOK. Walking Eidsgata and Utsikta costs nothing.
If we were visiting Eid with a cruise ship, we would go for a hike and a sauna, and afterwards enjoy a coffee on the old streets of Nordfjordeid.
Planning your day? Send us your ship and your times ashore, and we will tell you which hike fits.