Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Kviknes Hotel, Balestrand, Norway
Facts in brief
Official star rating 4
Location In the centre of Balestrand overlooking the Sognefjord at the water’s edge
Annual opening 2 April to 31 October
Closest airport Oslo, Bergen
Distance from airport About 6.5 hours drive from Oslo
Closest railway station Flåm
Distance from railway station About 2 hours by ferry
Hotel facilities and services
Restaurant, lounge, lift in new building (not in the historic building), bar, garden. Car hire can be arranged.
Out and about nearby
Balestrand is a fjord-side village surrounded by lush countryside. From here there are three branches of the Sognefjord to explore. In the village is the Norwegian travel museum, the Sognefjord Aquarium and Balholm AS, a Norwegian producer of brandy, cider and fruit juices using the fruit grown in the surrounding area. Boat trips on the fjord start in Balestrand and you can take a ferry to Flåm for a ride on the famous Flåmsbana (if you have arrived by car and not train). There is an annual jazz festival one weekend in May. Nearby you can also walk in the mountains and fish in the fjord. You can visit the fjord by rib-boat too. At Lunde is an arboretum, at Fjaerland is the Book Town and Norwegian Glacier Museum, at Gudvangen are magical white caves, there the Sogn Folk Museum in Kaupanger and the famous Stegastein on the road over the Aurlandsfjell mountain.
Sports nearby
Hiking (there are good and varied paths that are well-marked and walking maps are available), cycling and fishing. Guided kayak trip, guided mountain trips. Ski-ing in winter as well as glacier hiking and guided snowshoeing. Fishing trips with locals can be organised on request.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 7 nights
From about
£1,560 1 Feb-14 May, 15 Sep-1 Dec
£1,750 15 May-14 Sep
Holiday Code EXH46344
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Kviknes Hotel, Balestrand, Norway
This is a striking, historic, 4-star hotel dating from 1752 and owned by the Kvikne family since 1877 that stands in a commanding position right on the water’s edge of the Sognefjord in the charming village of Balestrand. Today there are 190 bedrooms in two buildings: the original one in a Norwegian alpine style with pretty wooden balconies overlooking the fjord and a modern wing added about 50 years ago. The carved, white, wooden balconies and the steep, grey roof of the exterior are complemented inside by an extensive collection of art and antiques adds to the charming, historic feel of the hotel. This longstanding, traditional hotel has welcomed many prominent guests over the years. The Kviknes hotel places great emphasis on its restaurant which serves traditional Norwegian cuisine from locally sourced ingredients and a buffet dinner and a 4-course menu are offered, accompanied by an excellent wine list. In the Balholm Bar there is a bistro menu as an alternative to the buffet served in the dining room. The hotel’s bedrooms are situated in the historic building, where rooms have a fjord view but each one is unique in terms of its decoration and furnishings, and in the ‘modern’ building which was built in 1965. Here you’ll find comfortable, renovated rooms and most with balconies. The double rooms with a view have a seating area and are on the western side looking towards the fjord, the village and St Olav’s Church whilst the twin rooms with a view are slightly smaller and are on the eastern side of the hotel, facing the fjord, the Aquarium and Tjugum Church as well as the spectacular Esefjell mountain. The position of the Kviknes hotel in the centre of Balestrand and on the fjord makes it a superb base for exploring the area by boat, car and by bike or on foot.The hotel is in an excellent location for hiring a car which can be arranged by the hotel to drive to some of the attractions nearby including the Stave churches at Urnes and Borgund or Happerstad. Also nearby is the village of Fjaerland with a glacier museum.
Room descriptions
Kviknes Hotel in Balestrand. Each room has private shower or bath and wc. There is no lift to the rooms in the historic building.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 7 nights
From about
£1,560 1 Feb-14 May, 15 Sep-1 Dec
£1,750 15 May-14 Sep
Holiday Code EXH46344
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Kviknes Hotel, Balestrand, Norway
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Kviknes Hotel in Balestrand, we include a scheduled flight with British Airways from London to Oslo and a hire-car. The journey time by car is between 6 and 7 hours. However, this may necessitate a stopover in Oslo or en route in both or one direction. Gol and Geilo work as overnight stops. An alternative is the train from Oslo and then a ferry but again the timings are such that you may require a night somewhere in between.
It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 7 nights
From about
£1,560 1 Feb-14 May, 15 Sep-1 Dec
£1,750 15 May-14 Sep
Holiday Code EXH46344
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Kviknes Hotel, Balestrand, Norway
About Norway
Norway is a fascinating destination for a luxury, tailor-made holiday. The land and the culture of Norway lend themselves to a diverse and rich array of holiday experiences and a choice of mode of transport. At first glance, Norway offers magnificent, dramatic, severe and wild natural surroundings in its glaciers, Arctic snow and ice, majestic fjords, crashing waterfalls and mystical natural phenomena such as the Aurora Borealis and Fata Morgana. However, Norway also offers cultural ties, a shared history dating from the days of the Vikings, a cosiness in its orchards and pastures, brightly-painted wooden houses, folk tales and mythology, world-class art, literature and music in the works of Munch, Ibsen and Grieg, to name but three, and international philanthropy as exemplified by the Nobel prize. Many towns have superb museums, ancient wooden stave churches are well-preserved, the heritage of the Vikings is visible not just in major centres such as Oslo but all around, and seemingly small places are rich with music and drama festivals. Whilst the length of Norway with is 2518 km poses a challenge to the visitor, this also means that it makes sense to use a variety of transport modes to travel around; scenic trains, sleeper trains, boat rides, coastal cruises and car-hire can all be incorporated. The landscape lends itself well to hiking and cycling and there are many national parks that offer a variety of conditions depending on your ability. Norway’s cities are vibrant and manage to blend modernity with tradition. The iconic Oslo Opera House sits a short distance from the Akershus fortress, the Old Town Hall dating from 1641 is a stroll away from the Akrobaten pedestrian bridge, a near-futuristic construction of steel and glass.
Highlights of Norway
The numerous fjords: Eidfjord – branch of the Hardangerfjord, Geirangerfjord – precipitous, one of Norway’s signature images, Hardangerfjord – rolling hills and pretty villages, Jossingfjord – vertiginous fjord in the flatlands of the south, Lysefjord – plunging cliffs, cruises and look out points, Naeroyfjord – narrow and very pretty, Sognefjord – Norway’s longest and one of the most beautiful, Trollfjord – very steep fjord on Lofoten, Vestfjord – sheltered bays and pretty villages separating Lofoten from the mainland. The Hurtigruten ferry that covers over 2500 km from Bergen to Kirkenes with over 30 stops. The Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights. Stave churches, beautifully preserved in wood, dating from Viking times, for example at Borgund, Lom, Ringebu and Urnes. Viking ships and artefacts, burial mounds and trinkets in museums throughout the country. The red, wooden houses perched stilts over the sea on the Lofoten Islands. The modern architecture of Oslo. Picking wild blueberries, sampling aquavit made from potatoes and caraway, and tasting reindeer steak with cranberries. The charm of Oslofjorden with its pretty, arty village and towns, harbours with sailing boats, islands offshore and beaches. Hike over the Jotunheimen and relish the natural landscape of this stunning National Park.
Cultural highlights of Norway
The architecture of stave churches dating from the Viking era and Viking treasure in museums around the country. The literature of Henrik Ibsen and Knut Hamsun. Folk tales and mythology. The music of Edvard Grieg and the art of Edvard Munch. Contemporary jazz and folk music.
Gastronomy of Norway
Norway’s gastronomy is a clear reflection of its land and sea. From the land come reindeer, venison, lamb, cured meats and potatoes of all types: boiled, roasted and fried. From the freshwater lakes and streams come salmon served grilled and smoked, and freshwater fish. Sea fish is a vast array of cod, haddock, shrimps, mackerel, fish soup, fish balls, salt cod. From the orchards particularly around the Hardangerfjord come apples, cherries and plums as well as berries of all sorts including blueberries, cranberries, bilberries and, a great delicacy, cloudberries. Cheeses include Jarlsberg and brown cheese. Coffee is almost certainly the national drink, followed by beer, of which there are all sorts of craft beers brewed locally, and Aquavit is the national spirit made from potatoes and caraway.
Facts in brief
Capital OsloAirport Oslo Gardermoen
Size 323,878 sq km
Population 4.4 million
