Norway Western Norway

Bergen is a city in Hordaland on the west coast of Norway, on the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen. The remains of the quays, Bryggen, is a World Heritage Site. The city's Fisketorget (fish market) is a local tourist attraction. Other attractions include the Ruins of the Christ Church, the Ole Bull statue, the Madam Felle monument, the lake Tennebekktjørna beach and the Mt. Ulriken trail. Bergen is also Norway's largest cruise ship port. The city hosts several festivals including the Bergen International Festival.

Geiranger is a small tourist village in Sunnmøre in the western part of Norway. Geiranger is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, and has been named the best travel destination in Scandinavia by Lonely Planet. Since 2005, the Geirangerfjord area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Seven Sisters waterfall is located just west of Geiranger. The tourist season stretches from May to early September and there are five hotels and over ten camping sites. Tours of the nearby historic farms of Knivsflå and Skageflå are available from Geiranger.

Ålesund is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture. The Norwegian Centre of Art Nouveau Architecture, Jugendstilsenteret, is situated in Ålesund. It is a museum telling the story of the town fire and Art Nouveu/Jugendstil in Norway and Europe. Ålesund occupies seven of the outer islands in the county of Møre og Romsdal and the town centre is located on the islands Aspøya and Nørvøya.

Stavanger is a city located on the Stavanger Peninsula in Southwest Norway. The city is a popular tourist destination, especially in summer and in recent years, Stavanger has also become one of the most popular ports of call for cruise ships. Along the coast south of Stavanger there are a number of large, sandy beaches within close reach from the city. Not far from the city several alpine centers are available for skiers and snowboarders throughout the winter season. Stavanger region is often referred to as Norway's answer to the French food region of Lyon, and Gladmat food festival is held here each year and is considered to be one of Scandinavia's leading food festivals.

Olden is a village and urban area in the municipality of Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Olden is located at the mouth of the Oldeelva river at the northern end of the Oldedalen valley on the southern shore of the Nordfjorden. Olden is a major tourist area. The cruise port in Olden had 61 cruise ship arrivals in 2003. The Briksdalsbreen glacier, a popular hiking destination, is located about 25km south of Olden, at the end of the Oldedalen valley. It is a small arm off the main Jostedalsbreen glacier. There are two churches in Olden, the Old Olden Church (built in 1759) and Olden Church (built in 1934).

The village of Flam has since the late 19th century been a tourist destination. It currently receives almost 450,000 visitors a year. Most ride the 20-kilometre (12 mi) Flam Line between Flam and Myrdal, one of the steepest railway tracks at 1 in 18 (not counting rack railways) in the world. There are also a few spirals. A former rail station building in Flam now houses a museum dedicated to the Flam railway.

Molde is a city in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway, located on the northern shore of the Romsdalsfjord. The city center is located just west of the river Moldeelva, which runs into the city. The rivers of the area, especially the Rauma, Driva, and Eira are known as prime fishing locations. The Romsdal Museum, one of Norway's largest folk museums is located in town. Varden, a viewpoint directly above Molde, has a good view of the city, the fjord with the Molde archipelago and the Molde panorama.

Sandnes is a city and municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren. Sandnes hosts a large array of retail shops of most kinds and malls and department stores have also been established. The major tourist attraction in Sandnes is the Science Factory - a 4000 square meters science museum with science and art exhibitions, a planetarium, sun telescopes and chemistry shows.

Haugesund is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway. The town is the main population centre of the Haugaland and northern Rogaland area. Haugesund is the main cultural centre for its region, and is home to several festivals, the largest being the Norwegian International Film Festival and Sildajazz, an international jazz festival. The town has several relatively large shopping centers. A nation-wide local landmark is the Haugesund's town hall, one of the finest neo-classical buildings in Norway.

Andalsnes is a town in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Andalsnes is the administrative center of Rauma Municipality. The village of Isfjorden lies about 7 km to the east, Veblungsnes lies just to the west across the Rauma River, and Innfjorden lies about 10 km to the southwest via the European Route E136 highway. The local church is Grytten Church, but its actually located across the river in Veblungsnes. The harbour is called "Tindekaia", and is visited every year by many cruise ships, including Costa Marina, MS Thomson Celebration, Costa Victoria, and Costa Atlantica—the biggest ship that currently comes to Andalsnes.

Rich discoveries from prehistory have been made in the entire area. Reheia (also known as Blodheia) is located approximately 1 km west of the Church. King Harald I of Norway located his main farm at Avaldsnes in about 870. In 953, King Haakon the Good fought a fierce battle at the Bloodheights against the sons of his half-brother King Eirik Bloodaxe. The forces of King Haakon won the battle and he reigned as King of Norway until his death in 961. This site contains the only Norwegian example of Bronze Age burial mounds. A ship burial from the time of the Merovingian Dynasty (approximately 680-750 AD) found here is the oldest ship burial uncovered within the Nordic countries.

Odda municipality is very mountainous and the settlements are all located in valleys. Because of the many mountains, there are many large waterfalls including Latefossen, Espelandsfossen, and Tyssestrengene. There are also many large lakes such as Sandvinvatnet, Votna, Valldalsvatnet, Roldalsvatnet, Ringedalsvatnet, Langavatnet, and parts of Stavatn. On top of the high mountains in western Odda is the vast Folgefonna glacier, including the Buarbreen glacier near the town of Odda. Part of Folgefonna National Park is in Odda. The western part of the municipality sits on top of the southern part of the Hardangervidda plateau, which also includes part of the Hardangervidda National Park.