Honest
Is a Hardangerfjord RIB tour worth it? The honest answer
An hour on the water, in a suit, at thirty knots, for about the price of lunch for two in Bergen. Fourteen hundred reviews average 4.9, which is the highest score of anywhere we track. There is also a way to spend this money badly, and it involves a ten-hour day and a lot of driving.
Quick answer
Yes — the short RIB trips are the good ones. An hour from a fjord village at $81 gets you under a waterfall and into an arm no big boat can enter, and the interesting water starts five minutes from the quay. Where it goes wrong is the ten-hour day trip from Bergen booked by somebody who wanted a boat: that day is five hours of driving and a glacier walk.
The honest numbers
- Cheapest trip
- $81one hour on the water
- Most booked
- $9475 minutes, all year
- Reviews across the page
- 1,399average 4.9
- Highest we track
- Yesno destination scores higher
- Thin evidence
- 3 of 7 listingsfewer than 60 reviews each
- Time in transit
- Almost nonethe good water is minutes from the quay
- From Bergen
- 2–3.5 hours by roadeach way
- Suits
- Providedon every RIB trip
- You will get wet
- Yeson purpose
- Cancellation
- Free to 24 hon all seven trips
What makes it worth it
Five things about this fjord specifically
No transit, real access, ordinary prices and hardly anybody else.
There is no transit. On most boat trips anywhere, the first hour is getting to the interesting part. Here the interesting part starts five minutes from the quay, which is why an hour is a complete trip and why the ratings are so high.
Small boats reach places nothing else can. Fyksesund, the inner arms at Eidfjord, the base of falls with no shore. A cruise ship on the Hardangerfjord passes all of it at a distance.
The price is ordinary. Eighty to a hundred and forty dollars for an hour or two, in a country where a restaurant dinner costs the same. For Norway this is not an expensive activity.
It is a working landscape, not a set. Orchards on the slopes, farms on ledges, a boatyard restoring wooden vessels in Norheimsund. The skippers grew up here and the commentary reflects it.
And it is not crowded. Hardanger is the fjord the cruise circuit mostly skips. In June you may share Fyksesund with nobody at all.
When it is not worth it
Four situations where the answer is no
A driving day, the wrong month, a passenger who hates spray, or a private boat split two ways.
When you book a Bergen day tour expecting a boat trip. Five to six hours of that day is a road. The Folgefonna day is excellent as a glacier walk and it is not a fjord cruise.
When the month is wrong. Only one trip here runs all year. Building a January day around a boat that does not sail is the commonest way to be disappointed.
When somebody in the party cannot get wet or cold. These are open boats at thirty knots that drive under waterfalls. It is exhilarating and it is not for everyone; the Folgefonna day or a drive along the Sørfjorden are the alternatives.
When you are booking a private yacht for two. At $3,474 it is the most expensive thing on this site by a distance. Split four or six ways it is a luxury; split two ways it is arithmetic that does not work.
Every trip, current fare
What each trip costs, and where it starts
If you have decided it is worth doing, this is the whole decision in one table.
| Trip | How long | Price | Starts from | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eidfjord: 1-Hour Fjord RIB TourAn hour at the inner end of the fjord | 1 h | $81 | Eidfjord | $81.00 | 4.8 · 258 |
| Øystese: Hardangerfjord RIB safari to the Fyksesund branchInto Fyksesund from the other side | 1 h | $91 | Øystese | $91.00 | 5.0 · 40 |
| Norheimsund: All-Year Hardangerfjord & Fyksesund RIB SafariThe narrow arm, and it runs all year | 75 min | $94 | Norheimsund | $75.20 | 4.9 · 136 |
| Ulvik: Hardangerfjord Ultimate RIB TourThe longest RIB trip on the fjord | 105 min | $137 | Ulvik | $78.29 | 4.8 · 56 |
| Bergen: Folgefonna National Park & Glacier Lake Tour & LunchA glacier day, with 896 reviews | 10.5 h | $207 | Bergen | $19.71 | 4.9 · 896 |
| Bergen Private Full-Day Waterfall tour to Hardanger & cruiseA private car and guide for ten hours | 10 h | $954 | Bergen | $95.40 | 5.0 · 9 |
| From Bergen: Private yacht Fjord Cruise with WaterfallsA private yacht, and the priciest here | 7–7.5 h | $3,474 | Bergen | $479.17 | 5.0 · 4 |
Making it worth it
Six decisions taken before you reach the quay
All of them are free.
- Sleep on the fjord if you can
One night turns a ten-hour day trip into two mornings and an evening.
- Take the morning boat
Stiller water, better reflections in the arms, and no wind chop on the run out.
- Come in late May or June if you have the choice
Blossom, peak meltwater in the falls, and long light.
- Dress under the suit
A fitted hat and usable gloves. The suit does the rest.
- Bag the phone
Before the boat turns towards the waterfall, not after.
- Read the review count
One listing here has 896 ratings; three have fewer than sixty.
What the reviews say
Fourteen hundred ratings, and the highest average we track
The highest average we track — built on small boats and small samples.
We do not write reviews and we do not average other people’s into a score of our own. The counts are public, and this fjord has an unusual pattern.
The average is 4.9. Across seven listings and 1,399 ratings, which is the highest of any destination on any of our sites. Small operators, small boats, one skipper who does the whole trip — that combination scores well everywhere, and here it scores exceptionally well.
The evidence is thinner than the score. One listing holds 896 of those ratings and three hold fewer than sixty each. A 5.0 from forty people is a good sign; it is not the same as 896 people at 4.9.
The complaints are almost non-existent, and where they appear they are about weather cancellations and about getting wetter than expected. Both are predictable, and the second one is in the brochure if you read it.
Cheaper things to do in Hardanger
Five alternatives, honestly
If the boat is not the right spend for your trip.
- Steinsdalsfossen
Walk behind a waterfall in Norheimsund, for nothing.
- Vøringsfossen
182 metres off the plateau near Eidfjord, and free to look at.
- The orchard roads
The Sørfjorden arm in May is the best free drive in Norway.
- The boatyard in Norheimsund
A working conservation yard with a rope walk, for the price of a small ticket.
- The Bondhus lake walk
The track from Sunndal is public: an hour each way to a turquoise glacier lake.
Common questions
Is it worth it, answered
Is a Hardangerfjord RIB tour worth it?
Yes for most visitors. The interesting water starts minutes from the quay, so an hour is a complete trip, and the average rating across these seven listings is 4.9.
Is the day trip from Bergen worth it?
As a glacier walk with transport, yes — the Folgefonna day has 896 reviews at 4.9. As a boat trip, no: five to six hours of it is driving.
Will I get wet?
Yes. The boats go under waterfalls deliberately, and suits are provided for exactly that reason.
Is an hour long enough?
Here, yes. Unlike most fjord trips there is almost no transit — the narrow arms and the waterfalls are minutes from the villages.
Is Hardanger better than the famous fjords?
It is greener, closer to Bergen than Geiranger and far less crowded than either it or Nærøyfjord. It is also the only one with orchards.
What is the biggest risk?
Booking a seasonal trip out of season, or booking a driving day when you wanted a boat. Both are avoidable and neither costs anything if you book with free cancellation.
Go deeper
More on the Hardangerfjord
Hardangerfjord boat tours
What the trips are, where they leave from and what you see.
The verdictWhich trip is best
Seven trips ranked, and which village to start from.
From BergenFrom Bergen
Two hours by road, and what actually fits into a day.
NorheimsundNorheimsund
The village with the waterfall you can walk behind.
FyksesundFyksesund
The narrow arm, the bridge and why the boats go in.
EidfjordEidfjord
The inner end, under the plateau and Vøringsfossen.
