Hjørundfjorden - the Hjørundfjord - is the 35-kilometer side fjord that branches from the Storfjord in the Sunnmøre district of western Norway. The fjord is unusually dramatic: it is ringed on both sides by the granite peaks of the Sunnmøre Alps, which rise approximately 1,700 meters straight from the water. The peaks include Slogen (1,564 m), Skopphornet (1,300 m) and Råna (1,586 m), and form one of the most concentrated sea-to-summit landscapes anywhere in Europe.
Despite the spectacular geography, Hjørundfjorden is one of the quietest serious fjords in the country. The cruise ships do not enter (the fjord mouth is too narrow for the larger vessels), the road infrastructure is light, and the only village of any size - Sæbø, on the western shore - has a permanent population of about 130. The combination produces a fjord experience closer to what most international visitors think they want from Geiranger but cannot find there: the same vertical drama, without the crowds.
The fjord is anchored by the Hotel Union Øye, a wooden landmark built in 1891 in the so-called Swiss style that was fashionable in late 19th-century European mountain hotels. The hotel has hosted, at various points, Wilhelm II of Germany, Roald Amundsen, Knut Hamsun, the Empress of Austria, and a substantial cross-section of European royalty. It was carefully restored over the past two decades by the Mittet family and remains in working operation; its dining room is one of the more considered fjord-edge restaurants in western Norway.
For travel planning, Hjørundfjorden is the single fjord we would most strongly recommend to a traveler with time for only one. A two- or three-night base at Hotel Union Øye or at the smaller Sagafjord Hotel in Sæbø supports kayaking, small-boat trips, mountain walks and ski-touring (in season - the Sunnmøre Alps are one of the most-respected ski-touring destinations in Northern Europe). Several of our cycling and hiking trips include the fjord. See The narrow fjords and Cycling from Ålesund to Åndalsnes.