Foto: Lukas Oettli / Voss Resort

Voss – Environmentally friendly adventure walk

Text: Anne Bloksgaard Nielsen Published 09.02.2022

How does an environmentally friendly hiking holiday at a relaxed pace, with minimal baggage – and full of unique experiences in nature sound to you? If it sounds appealing, why not leave your car at home and set off towards Voss! You can reach it by bus, ferry and train – and experience one of Scandinavia’s most beautiful gondola rides on your way towards the area’s stunning hiking trails.

Foto: Kristoffer Fürstenberg / Voss Resort

Journey to Hirtshals

Pack your rucksack or suitcase with your hiking gear and other essentials for your trip. Start your green ski trip by taking the train or bus to Aalborg and from there, the regional train RE76 to Hirtshals. From the station in Hirtshals, it’s only about a 2 km walk to Fjord Line’s ferry terminal.

Hirtshals-Bergen

Fjord Line’s environmentally friendly ferry departs from Hirtshals at 8:00 pm. When you’ve left your bags in your cabin, you can enjoy a delicious dinner in one of the ferry’s many eateries and then make yourself comfortable in the sports bar or Fjord Lounge. When it’s time to settle down for the night, you can go back to your cabin.

The next morning, you can get a great start to the day with Commander Buffet’s celebrated breakfast buffet – and then just sit back and enjoy the spectacular view of the coastline, mountains and fjords between Stavanger and Bergen. If the weather allows it, you should go up on deck and experience the fantastic approach to Bergen, which is nestled amongst the beautiful mountains in an inland fjord, before going on land when the ferry docks at 12.30 pm.

Foto: Fjordline.com

Bergen-Voss

The last part of your trip to Voss is made by train. The journey takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes, and you can lean back and take in the stunning landscape of the Norwegian fjord that glides by outside the windows. The trip is so delightful, it’s often called a “destination in itself”.

Once you arrive at Voss, you can choose to continue on foot or take a taxi for the last 5 km to Voss Resort Bavallastunet, where you’ll stay overnight if you’ve bought a package deal through Fjord Line.

Voss Gondola – the spectacular climb to the highlands

The next morning, you can head off to one of the area’s many hiking trails, for example the hike to Bordalsgjelet, which begins in Voss city centre – but if you want a completely unique experience, we recommend you take Voss Gondola to the top.

The Gondola is the first and most modern gondola in Northern Europe and brings you to Hangurstoppen – 820 masl – in around 9 minutes, where you see the landscape unfold all around you as you rise up into the air. In fact, the ride up is even more unique on a cloudy day, as the gondola glides up through the layer of clouds and into the sunlight, where the mountaintop reveals itself to you – an experience that leaves most people with goose bumps!

Foto: Jon Hunnålvatn Tøn/Voss Resort

At Hanguren, you’ll find hiking trails that are suitable for all ages and levels of fitness – from the spectacular, 800 metre long “Hanguren Panorama” trail to the 16 km long round trip to the top of Lønahorgi mountain. Whichever route you take, you’ll be enthralled by the incredible landscape that often offers views of glaciers, fjords and lakes as well as spectacular dales and mountain peaks around you.

Find more fantastic hiking trails on Visit Voss’s website.

When hunger calls, you can visit the new atmospheric restaurant, Hangurstoppen, which seats 450 guests and is Voss’s largest restaurant. Hangurstoppen serves food and drink based on local ingredients, which you can enjoy along with the 360 degree view over the mountains.

The return journey – train, ferry and bus

Filled with breathtaking experiences in nature after your hiking holiday in Voss, the return trip to Denmark also relies on green methods of transport of course – train to Bergen, ferry to Hirtshals and train/bus the rest of the way home, wherever you live in Denmark.