Geirangerfjord is a narrow arm of the sea that cuts into the mountains for about fifteen kilometres, and its walls climb straight up out of the water. Waterfalls drop down the cliffs, the best known being the Seven Sisters, and abandoned mountain farms cling to ledges that seem impossible to reach. The whole area is on the World Heritage list, and the reason is easy to grasp the first time you come around a bend and see it. The village at the head is small and in summer is crowded by cruise ships, which dwarf the houses and give the place a strange scale.
Getting here is half the point. From the north the road comes down from Åndalsnes over the Eagle Road, Ørnevegen, with eleven hairpins dropping to the fjord, and from the south you can arrive over the road from Stryn or by the small ferry from Hellesylt. The tight bends are fun but need patience in a line of campervans, and the surfaces are generally good. The high road up to Dalsnibba, a viewpoint well over a thousand metres up, is a toll road and gives a vast view back down to the water. Like all the high roads here, these routes close in winter and may open late after a heavy snow year.
The weather rules everything. A bright morning can turn to rain by lunch, and the mist can hide the view completely, so it pays to be flexible and let the clouds clear. Early or late in the day the crowds thin and the light is kinder to the cliffs. The air in the fjord smells of wet rock and pine, and a cold wind comes down off the glaciers even in July.
Services are limited, and the nearest bigger places on your map are Stranda to the north-west and Stryn to the south, both some distance away, so top up the tank before the climb. The village has places to eat and drink, but prices are what you would expect in a tourist harbour. If you want a quiet moment, stop on one of the lay-bys above the water and just listen to the falls.