Olden: Cruise Port on the Inner Nordfjord

Cruise Pier at Oldebukta

Olden lies at the head of the Nordfjord in western Norway. The public cruise pier is on the eastern shore of Oldebukta, north of the town centre. Olden Cruise Park serves as a tender landing point. According to the operator, the main pier can also accommodate the largest cruise ships. From the quay, the view extends into the fjord: the town centre lies farther south, at the end of the bay near the mouth of the Oldeelva.

Town Centre and Bus Stop

A public bus stop is located immediately north of the cruise pier. The valley continues south from the town centre towards Floen. Sandane Airport (Anda) is west of Olden.

Oldedalen, Oldevatnet and Glaciers

From Olden, Oldedalen stretches about 20 kilometres south to Jostedalsbreen National Park. Steep mountain slopes, waterfalls and several glacier arms define the valley. At its centre lies the long, emerald-green Oldevatnet, whose colour comes from glacial meltwater; from there, the Oldeelva flows on towards the Nordfjord. At the far end of the valley, Briksdalsbreen descends from the high mountains into the green Briksdalen. Melkevollbreen and Brenndalsbreen also extend from the highlands down into the valleys as glacier arms.

Olden and Early Tourism

Olden and Oldedalen have welcomed visitors since the late 19th century. Among the early visitors were wealthy English travellers who came to the fjord by cruise ship and continued from there into the valleys. Even then, Briksdalsbreen was the valley’s main attraction. Another connection to the town’s history began in 1913, when the American couple William Henry Singer Jr. and Anna Brugh Singer came to Olden and fell in love with the landscape. They settled there; their estate, Singerheimen, comprises several distinctive green buildings set in a garden and is now open to visitors on guided tours. The old and new churches are also located in the town centre.

On longer trips around Norway, the Coastal Express links Bergen and Kirkenes on a 12-day coastal voyage; shorter sections are also available. Bergen is another starting point for journeys into the Norwegian fjords. In Ã…lesund, by contrast, Art Nouveau buildings dating from the period after the 1904 city fire form the distinctive urban setting for a Norwegian port call.