Few Norwegian calls have so understated an arrival as Nordfjordeid. The ship eases the last few miles up the Eidsfjord, the inner arm of Nordfjord, with the green flank of the Hornindalsrokken on one side and the lower meadows of the Eidsbygda on the other. There are no banks of waterfalls, no glacier-fed cataracts, no terraced cliffs. Just water that goes very still, a wide flat eid (the isthmus that gives the village its name) and a small clutch of white houses gathered at the head of the fjord. Then the floating pier swings out, and you step off directly into the village.
What waits there is quietly extraordinary. In a low timber-clad hall a few minutes walk along the shore sits the Myklebust ship: a full-size, fully seaworthy reconstruction of the largest Viking longship ever found in Norway, built by local boatbuilders from the rivet count of a ninth-century chieftain burial unearthed at the farm next door. The Sagastad knowledge centre that houses it opened in 2019, and it has quickly given Nordfjordeid a reason for the small ships to call.
This guide covers the walk-off pier and the village circuit, Sagastad and the Myklebust ship, the white wooden Eid Church of 1849 and the Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre, and the longer drives out to Briksdal Glacier, the Loen Skylift, Europe’s deepest lake at Hornindalsvatnet and the outer-coast oddity of the Kannesteinen rock. Nordfjordeid is a small port that rewards a small day. Most calls run six to eight hours, and that is comfortably enough for the village plus one longer excursion.
Port Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Port Type | Dock |
| Distance to Town | Walk-off pier directly into the village; Sagastad 700 m / 10 minutes on foot |
| Currency | Norwegian krone (NOK) |
| Language | Norwegian (Nynorsk in Vestland); English very widely spoken |
| Best Known For | A quiet inner-Nordfjord village built around a Viking burial mound, now home to the full-size reconstruction of the Myklebust longship, the largest Viking ship find in Norway. |
- Nordfjordeid Cruise Pier , Walk-off floating pier at the head of the Eidsfjord
- Eidsgata Old Street , Restored wooden main street with cafes and shops
- Sagastad Viking Centre , Home of the full-size Myklebust longship reconstruction
- Eid Church (Eid kyrkje) , White wooden long church from 1849
- Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre , National breeding centre for the Nordfjord horse
- Gamlebanken Gallery , Old bank building with art gallery and tourist information
- Sagaparken , Park and swimming beach beside the Eidselva river
Nordfjordeid: Cruise Pier · View larger map
Getting From the Port to Town
Walking: The Best Option
Free- Walk time: 10 minutes on foot from the pier to Sagastad; 5 minutes into the centre of Eidsgata; 20 minutes to the Fjord Horse Centre
- Nordfjordeid is genuinely a walk-off port. Ships dock at a floating pier of around 250 m alongside the village itself, and the old street of Eidsgata begins within five minutes of stepping ashore. Sagastad sits 700 m along the fjord edge, a pleasant ten-minute stroll on a flat path. Eid Church is a further few minutes north, and the Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre is about twenty minutes from the pier on a quiet road. The village is small enough that you will pass everything of interest on a single circular walk.
Local Bus
No regular shuttle bus on most cruise days; local Kringom buses serve Loen and Stryn from around NOK 70- Nordfjordeid is small enough that no shuttle into the village is needed. For trips along the fjord to Loen, Stryn or Olden, the regional Kringom bus network runs limited daily services. Departures are infrequent and aimed at commuters rather than cruise schedules, so check return times very carefully before setting out and have a fallback in mind.
Taxi
Short hops around the village around NOK 150 to 250; Loen Skylift around NOK 1,200 to 1,500 one way; Briksdal around NOK 1,800 to 2,200 one way- A small number of taxis meet ships at the pier but availability is limited and cannot be relied on for return journeys from distant attractions. For Briksdal, Loen Skylift or Hornindalsvatnet, pre-booking a private driver through the port or a local operator is wise. Ship-organised coach excursions usually work out more economical than taxis for the longer drives, and they hold the ship if delayed; an independent taxi to Loen does not.
Top Excursions
Things to Do in Nordfjordeid
Nordfjordeid rewards a slow morning followed by a single decisive excursion. The village circuit itself, Sagastad and the Myklebust ship, the white timber bulk of Eid Church, an hour on Eidsgata with a coffee and the Fjord Horse Centre at the far end, is perhaps three hours at a steady pace. That leaves the afternoon clear for one of the longer drives along the fjord or up onto the glaciers.
Almost everything in the village itself is within twenty minutes on foot of the pier. The exceptions are the regional excursions to Briksdal Glacier, the Loen Skylift, Hornindalsvatnet and the outer coast, all of which need a coach or a pre-booked taxi.
- Sagastad and the Myklebust Ship. A low timber-clad knowledge centre on the fjord edge, 700 m from the pier, opened in 2019 around the full-size reconstruction of the Myklebust longship. The original ship was burned and buried in a chieftain’s grave at the farm next door in the ninth century and excavated in 1874. From the 7,000 rivets and 44 shield bosses recovered, archaeologists at the University of Bergen sized the vessel at 30 m long, 6 m wide and around 7 m to the mast head, with 24 pairs of oars: by total volume the largest Viking ship find in Norway. Local boatbuilders spent years reconstructing it in full. Visitors walk the deck. Open 08:30 to 16:30 on every cruise day; adult admission around NOK 235.
- Eidsgata Old Street. The old main street of Nordfjordeid is a quiet line of restored wooden buildings, many in the pale yellows, ochres and whites of nineteenth-century western Norway. Cafes, a mini-bakery, a handful of small shops selling Norwegian wool and ceramics, and the old bank building (now the Gamlebanken gallery and tourist information from mid-June to August) make for an unhurried hour. The street is flat and entirely walkable from the pier.
- Eid Church (Eid kyrkje). The white wooden long church at the northern end of the village was built in 1849 by Claus Wiese to plans by Hans Linstow, the architect best known for the Royal Palace in Oslo. It is the fifth church on the site, originally seated about 900, and was consecrated on 29 October 1849. The interior is decorated with traditional Norwegian rosemaling folk painting. The previous church on the site served as a valgkirke in March 1814, where local delegates were chosen for the Eidsvoll Constituent Assembly that drew up Norway’s constitution. Free entry, generally open daily in season.
- Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre (Norsk Fjordhestsenter). The national breeding centre for the Nordfjordhest, the Fjord horse, sits about twenty minutes on foot from the pier at the northern edge of the village. The breed is one of three native Norwegian horses (alongside the Dole and the Nordland/Lyngen) and is regarded as the national horse: a small, dun-coated, eel-striped working horse with markings reminiscent of the wild Przewalski’s horse, and a famously calm temperament. Organised horse traditions here date to 1886. Stable visits and short demonstrations are available; two-hour rides for experienced riders run from around NOK 1,200 with advance booking.
- Sagaparken and the Eidselva. A green park and small swimming beach beside the Eidselva, the salmon river that runs the five kilometres from Hornindalsvatnet down through the village to the fjord. The Eidselva is one of the better-known salmon rivers of western Norway. A short walk along the bank from the centre makes a pleasant break between Sagastad and the Fjord Horse Centre, and on a warm summer afternoon the local children are usually in the water.
- Briksdal Glacier (Briksdalsbreen). An arm of Jostedalsbreen, mainland Europe’s largest glacier, in Jostedalsbreen National Park. From Nordfjordeid the drive is around an hour each way through Olden and the Oldedalen valley. From the Briksdalsbre Fjellstove cafe at the road end, the round-trip troll-car shuttle to the glacier viewpoint is NOK 300 per adult and takes about 1.5 hours including time at the top; the alternative is a 45-minute uphill walk each way on a clear gravel path. Ship excursions from Nordfjordeid run roughly six hours door to door.
- Loen Skylift. A 5-minute cable car ride from sea level at Loen to the 1,011 m summit of Mount Hoven, on a 1,524 m cable with gradients up to 60 degrees: among the steepest aerial tramways in the world. Inaugurated by Queen Sonja of Norway on 20 May 2017. From Nordfjordeid the drive is around 40 minutes each way. The Hoven Restaurant at the summit seats around 370. Ship excursions including the coach and ticket run around NOK 1,495 and take about 5 hours in total.
- Hornindalsvatnet. Europe’s deepest lake at 514 m, around thirty minutes drive east of Nordfjordeid. The surface lies 53 m above sea level, so the bottom is 461 m below sea level. Unlike most Norwegian lakes it is not fed by glacier meltwater, which gives it unusually clear, dark water. The village of Grodaas sits at the eastern end. A taxi out to a viewpoint along the northern shore makes a short, easy half-day for those who prefer water and woodland to glaciers.
- Kannesteinen Rock and the Outer Coast. About 1.5 hours drive west, on the open Atlantic edge of the Vagsoy peninsula near Maaloy, sits the Kannesteinen: a three-metre mushroom-shaped rock of eclogite, sculpted by waves and tumbling stones over thousands of years. Its widest circumference measures 10.4 m, its narrowest stem 6.3 m. Combined with the medieval Selja Abbey ruins on the island of Selja and the working fishing town of Maaloy, the outer-coast drive makes a different kind of full-day excursion to the inland glacier trips.
Sagastad opens at 08:30 on every cruise day regardless of normal seasonal hours. Walk the 700 m along the fjord edge first thing, before the village fills with coach groups returning from Briksdal in the late morning. You can be on the deck of the Myklebust ship within twenty minutes of leaving your cabin, and an unhurried visit takes about an hour.
Eating Near the Cruise Port
- Dock Port
- 5 min on foot to Eidsgata; 10 min to Sagastad
- Norwegian krone (NOK)
What to eat in Nordfjordeid
This is inner Nordfjord farming country and the food is pastoral rather than coastal. Spekemat is the plate to order: cured mutton, ham and sausage served with flatbread, butter and sour cream, and it is what Norwegians eat on a summer holiday. Rømmegrøt, the sour cream porridge with cinnamon, often comes alongside it. Local cheeses and cured lamb are excellent here. Fresh salmon and trout come from the fjord.
What to drink
Nordfjord’s orchards press apple juice and some cider, and the juice is a genuinely good buy. Norwegian prices apply, so a beer is roughly double the UK and spirits are sold only through the state Vinmonopolet. Akevitt is the traditional spirit with cured meat. Coffee is the default and the village cafés do it properly.
Where to find it
Eidsgata, the village street, is five minutes on foot from the pier, and the Sagastad Viking centre is about ten. Nordfjordeid is a small place with a handful of cafés and restaurants along that one street, so choice is limited and it fills when a ship is in. Prices are lower than the big fjord villages because far fewer ships call.
Good for a short port call
Eidsgata is five minutes away and covers the whole village. Sagastad and lunch together fit comfortably into a half-day call.
Getting Around
Briksdal Glacier is the same destination ships call at when docking at Olden, and it is reached by the same Oldedalen valley road. From Nordfjordeid it is roughly an hour’s drive each way rather than half that, so a ship excursion is the practical option. Allow six hours door to door and book early on busy two-ship days.
Essential Travel Tips
Stryn Sommerski on the Tystigbreen glacier sounds wonderful on paper, but the centre has had recent closed seasons including 2025. Check operating status with the port or directly with Stryn Sommerski before building your day around it. If it is open, the drive is around an hour each way and the lifts run between 1,060 and 1,300 m elevation.
Europe’s deepest lake, at 514 metres, lies just 30 minutes drive east of Nordfjordeid. Its surface is 53 m above sea level, so its bottom sits 461 m below the level of the fjord you arrived on. Unlike most Norwegian lakes it is not glacier-fed, so the water is unusually clear. A taxi out to Grodaas at the eastern shore makes a short, easy half-day for those who would rather not commit to a full glacier excursion.
All-aboard, not the headline sight, is the time most Nordfjordeid cruise days are organised around: the journey back to the ship rewards a margin. A short packing list works in your favour: layers, water, sun protection, and shoes that handle the local pavements.
For first-time cruisers in Nordfjordeid, the choice between a shore excursion and independent travel is one of the few decisions that shapes the whole day, and the honest answer changes by destination. Walking-distance ports reward independence; long-distance day trips reward the buffer that comes with a ship’s coach.
Excursions are worth the premium in some ports and not in others. Nordfjordeid sits in the middle: ship tours carry real logistical value on long day trips, but the city itself is straightforward enough that your spending money goes further on independent food, taxis and the occasional museum.
Timing a cruise that visits Nordfjordeid well comes down to two practical levers: when you book (which affects both price and cabin choice) and how your passport sits against the destination’s entry rules. Both are worth checking before you commit to a sailing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Walk-off. Ships dock at a floating pier of around 250 m alongside the village, and there is no terminal or shuttle: the old street of Eidsgata begins within five minutes of stepping ashore. Sagastad is 700 m along the fjord edge, about ten minutes on foot.
Five to eight hours is the usual call. That comfortably covers the village circuit, Sagastad and the Myklebust ship, Eid Church and the Fjord Horse Centre, plus one longer drive to Briksdal Glacier, the Loen Skylift or Hornindalsvatnet. Shorter calls are best spent on the village circuit alone; longer ones leave room for the outer coast.
The Myklebust ship was a ninth-century Viking longship burned and buried in a chieftain’s grave at Myklebust farm, a short walk from the village. It was excavated in 1874, and sized by archaeologists from the recovered rivets, nails and shield bosses at around 30 m long, 6 m wide and 7 m to the mast head, with 24 pairs of oars. By total volume it is the largest Viking ship find in Norway, larger than the famous Oseberg and Gokstad ships. A full-size, fully seaworthy reconstruction is housed at Sagastad and was christened in May 2019.
Yes, but it is the same Briksdal that ships docking at Olden visit and from Nordfjordeid the drive is around an hour each way rather than half that. A ship-organised excursion of around six hours door to door is the practical option. The troll-car shuttle at the road end is NOK 300 per adult and takes about 1.5 hours, with a 45-minute walk as the alternative.
It is the deepest lake in Norway and in Europe, at 514 m. The surface lies 53 m above sea level, so the bottom sits 461 m below it. Unlike most Norwegian lakes it is not fed by glacial meltwater, which gives it unusually clear water. It is around 30 minutes east of Nordfjordeid.
The Norwegian krone (NOK). Norway is not in the European Union and does not use the euro. Cards are accepted almost everywhere including at Sagastad, the Loen Skylift, the Briksdal troll-car and most cafes; cash is rarely needed.
For the village itself, Sagastad and the Fjord Horse Centre, independent walking is the easiest option and a ship excursion adds little. For Briksdal Glacier, the Loen Skylift and Hornindalsvatnet, ship-organised coaches make more sense than trying to assemble taxis or limited public buses, and they hold the ship if delayed.
The village circuit itself, Sagastad and the Myklebust ship, the white timber bulk of Eid Church, an hour on Eidsgata with a coffee and the Fjord Horse Centre at the far end, is perhaps three hours at a steady pace. That leaves the afternoon clear for one of the longer drives along the fjord or up onto the glaciers. The main options are Sagastad and the Myklebust Ship, Eidsgata Old Street, Eid Church (Eid kyrkje).
The main options are Sagastad and the Myklebust Ship, Eidsgata Old Street, Eid Church (Eid kyrkje), Norwegian Fjord Horse Centre (Norsk Fjordhestsenter). The village circuit itself, Sagastad and the Myklebust ship, the white timber bulk of Eid Church, an hour on Eidsgata with a coffee and the Fjord Horse Centre at the far end, is perhaps three hours at a steady pace.
Ready to Explore Nordfjordeid?
Nordfjordeid is one of the gentler arrivals in Norway and one of the more rewarding small ports on the inner fjords. Step off the pier, walk along the shore to Sagastad and spend an unhurried hour with the Myklebust ship, then loop back through Eidsgata and the white wooden bulk of Eid Church to the Fjord Horse Centre. Save the afternoon for one longer drive: Briksdal if you want the glacier, Loen Skylift if you want the view, Hornindalsvatnet if you want the quiet. Allow a comfortable buffer for the return and you will leave with a clear sense of why this small Viking heartland is becoming a fixture on the small-ship Norway itineraries.
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