Norheimsund

Just beyond the Steinsdalsfossen waterfall on the banks of the Steinsdalselva river is the western edge of the town of Norheimsund.

There is a parking lot for visitors to the waterfall, a tourist information center, several souvenir shops and cafes.

Like most small Norwegian settlements, Norheimsund occupies a vast territory, where there are isolated houses and farms, only the center of the town is densely built up.

Cross the canal connecting the Movatnet lake to Hardangerfjorden. In the lake flows the river Steinsdalselva.

Next to the bridge is a beautiful wooden Kvam cinema, with carved patterns on the portal and a roof covered with natural stone plates. The cinema is functioning, even in the era of high-quality home video, Norwegians go to the movies with families and companies, especially children's sessions are popular. The ticket price is low by Norwegian standards, 110 kronor (about 10 euros).

Norheimsund, located on the bay of the same name and has about three and a half thousand inhabitants. It is the administrative center of the commune of Kvam. In October 1932, the сentral part of the city was destroyed by fire and rebuilt. Most of the buildings are designed in the style of Scandinavian rationalism. There are always a lot of tourists in the city, they are attracted by the Steinsdalsfosen waterfall, which is the sixth most visited waterfall in Norway, as well as the picturesque shores of Hardangerfjord. In 2013, Norheimsund received the State award as a popular tourist destination. The city has a Marine center (Hardanger fartøyvernsenter), where you can learn about the history of shipping in Hardangerfjord and see traditional technologies for making wooden sailboats, and even take part in this process.

After driving another 15 kilometers along the scenic Hardargenfjordvegen road, we cross the mouth of one of the most picturesque branches of the Hardangerfjord, the banks of which are declared the Fykesund landscape Park. Here we will visit the Steinstø fruit farm and take a short cruise on the Bay of Fykesund.