Eidfjord

Eidfjord sits where the Hardangerfjord ends and the mountains begin, which made it the natural crossing point between western and eastern Norway and now makes it a busy junction: route 7 climbs from here through the Mabodalen gorge onto the Hardangervidda plateau, passing Voringsfossen, the country's best-known waterfall, with its viewing platforms and footbridge across the gorge. Cruise ships call at the village quay through the summer, which changes its character on landing days. The Hardangervidda Nature Centre stands at Ovre Eidfjord with exhibitions on the plateau and its wild reindeer. Above the village, a tunnel road climbs to the cliff farm at Kjeasen, and the old Mabodalen navvy road can be walked.

What you actually see

• Voringsfossen - a 182-metre waterfall with platforms and a footbridge.
• The Mabodalen gorge - the route climbing from fjord to plateau.
• The Nature Centre - exhibitions on Hardangervidda and its reindeer.
• The cruise quay - ships calling directly at the village through summer.

When to go

May to September, when the mountain road is reliably open and the facilities run; route 7 stays open in winter but can close in storms. Voringsfossen is strongest with the June snowmelt.

Honest expectations

Cruise days transform a small village into a crowded one, with buses filling the roads to the waterfall. Parking at Voringsfossen is charged and limited. The village itself has little beyond services for passing travellers.

Nearby

Voringsfossen and Hardangervidda are up the valley; the Hardanger bridge and Ulvik lie west.