Hjørundfjorden - the Hjørundfjord - is the 21-kilometer side fjord that branches from the Storfjord in the Sunnmøre district of western Norway. The fjord is unusually dramatic: it is ringed on both sides by the peaks of the Sunnmøre Alps, which rise more than 1,000 meters above the water and reach about 1,700 meters at Kvitegga, the highest in the range. The peaks include Slogen (1,564 m) and Kolåstinden (1,432 m), and together they form one of the most concentrated sea-to-summit landscapes anywhere in Europe.
Hjørundfjorden is a quieter fjord than the best-known ones. The road network is light, and Sæbø, on the western shore, is a village of about 280 residents. The combination gives a fjord experience with the same vertical drama as Geiranger in a quieter setting.
The fjord is anchored by Union Øye, a wooden landmark hotel that arrived by ship in 1891 as a prefabricated building. The hotel has hosted, by its own account, Wilhelm II of Germany (a visitor every other summer from 1890 to 1908), Karen Blixen, Edvard Grieg and Arthur Conan Doyle. It remains a working hotel; its dining room is one of the more considered fjord-edge restaurants in western Norway.
For travel planning, Hjørundfjorden is the single fjord we would most strongly recommend to a traveler with time for only one. A two- or three-night base at Union Øye or at the smaller Sagafjord Hotel in Sæbø supports kayaking, small-boat trips, mountain walks and ski-touring (in season, with local guides - the Sunnmøre Alps are known for guided ski-touring from fjord hotels and mountain lodges, and for hiking in summer). Several of our cycling and hiking trips include the fjord. See The narrow fjords and Cycling from Ålesund to Åndalsnes.