Lustrafjord

The Lustrafjord is where the Sognefjord finally ends, about two hundred kilometres from the open sea, and it is the most concentrated stretch of the whole system: emerald water fed by glacier melt, farms on every shelf of flat ground growing apples and cherries at a latitude that should not allow them, and a remarkable density of history along the shore. Urnes stave church, on the eastern side, is the oldest surviving stave church and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reached by a small ferry from Solvorn. Dale church at Luster is a stone Gothic building of around 1250. Behind the fjord, roads climb into Jostedalen toward Nigardsbreen glacier and over Sognefjellet, the highest mountain pass in northern Europe.

The landscape

• The emerald water - glacier meltwater colouring the innermost fjord.
• Urnes stave church - the oldest stave church, on the UNESCO list.
• The fruit farms - apple and cherry orchards on the fjord shelves.
• The valley roads - routes into Jostedalen and over the Sognefjell pass.

When to go

May for fruit blossom, August and September for the harvest and cider; the Sognefjell road opens roughly May to October depending on snow. Glacier trips into Jostedalen run through summer.

What to expect

Distances along the fjord are long on narrow roads with ferries that run to timetables, so a day covers less than expected. Urnes has limited opening hours and a small ferry with capacity limits. Accommodation is scattered and books out in July.

Nearby

Nigardsbreen glacier is up Jostedalen; Solvorn, Urnes and the Sognefjell pass are along the shore.

Key facts