The Osterfjord is one of three fjords surrounding Osterøy, and the fjord that is closest to Bergen. The fjord is 27 kilometers long and 1-3 kilometers wide. It stretches from Sørfjorden and Salhusfjorden by Knarvik in the southwest to Romarheimsfjorden by Hokøy in the northeast.

Take a road trip to this beautiful fjord landscape, and experience nature and the famous “from fjord to table”-food.

Distance: 182 km.
Driving time: 3 hours and 9 minutes.
Best time of the year: May to September

Modalen – the perfect starting point for hiking

This road trip starts along the western shore of the Osterfjord. From Bergen, follow Europavei 39 to Romarheim, and continue on county road 569 to Mo i Modalen. The drive to Mo takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes. This small authentic western village is located in the heart of the Osterfjord, with a view of the fantastic mountain and fjord landscape.

Mo is an excellent starting point for hiking in Stølsheimen if you want to combine your road trip with a hike in the mountains. Both the trip to Slottet (the castle) - The Pulpit Rock in miniature, and the slightly longer hike to Skavlabu are great hikes.
 

View over the Mofjord, Modalen. Photo: Britt Farestveit.

Experience Hesjedalsfossen waterfall!

From Mo, the road trip continues towards Dale on Europavei 16. Along the way (about 30 minutes drive from Mo) you arrive at the incredibly beautiful Hesjedal waterfall, which has a 70 meter high drop. There is a small picnic area by the waterfall, perfect for a shortstop.

In this area you can also see the so-called salmon gilts along the fjord. Salmon gills are an old fishing method where the fisherman sat for hours in a small cabin high above the fjord, waiting for a salmon to swim past and catch it in the net. This method is now illegal, but many of the gilts have been restored, and there are guided tours if you want to learn more.

Hesjedalsfossen waterfalls, Vaksdal. Photo: Sveinung Styve.

Visit a 7000 year old Stone Age settlement site

People have lived along the Osterfjord for thousands of years. One of Norway's famous Stone Age sites is found at Skipshelleren in Straume. This settlement was excavated in 1930–1931, and showed that people had lived here for more than 7000 years. These people were hunters, and lived under Skipshelleren which has a natural 30-metre high ‘roof’, with an overhang of 15 metres. There is a marked path from Bolstadstraumen bridge to Skipshelleren, where you can see the settlement.

Shopping along the road

10 minutes drive from Skipshelleren you arrive at Dale. One of the attractions in Dale is the factory which produces Dale of Norway, beautiful knitted garments with authentic Norwegian design. Visit their factory outlet (open Monday to Saturday) and treat yourself to one of their famous sweaters .

Photo: Dale of Norway

The last stop on our road trip is Oleana Èconomusèe in Ytre Arna. All their products are knitted and sewn in Norway, and Oleana’s own designer, Solveig Hisdal,values the ideals and richness in Norway’s cultural heritage but also takes pride in creating textiles with a modern expression. The Èconomusèe is open for tours Monday to Friday and you can shop in the factory outlet Monday to Saturday.

From Oleana it takes you about 25 minutes to drive to Bergen city centre.

Check out our full list of road trips by car from Bergen.