Discover the Briksdal Glacier and enchanting Olden

After a wonderful day in Oslo, we had another beautiful sea day ahead of us before we reached the enchanting town of Olden at the tip of the Nordfjord arm. You can find out what you can do on sea days in our blog post TOP 15 activities on sea days.

The entrance to the idyllic coastal town alone, with its breathtaking mountains, white peaks and reflections in the dark fjord water, is unique. The impressive mountain world is reflected in the water with green and blue colors. Far and wide, you can only see small splashes of color in the mountain valleys, which turn out to be individual cottages. The scenic beauty of this fjord is simply breathtaking. At the sight of the surroundings, time seems to stand still and inner peace returns. We will remember this idyllic tranquillity for a long time to come.

The Queen Mary 2 moved quietly and slowly through the waters until it arrived in the small village of Olden. Olden is located around 100 kilometers from the sea, so you can enjoy the panoramic view of the fjord in peace and quiet in the morning. With a population of just under 1,000 inhabitants, the village is fairly small but unique. A wide valley with steeply rising mountains over 1800 meters high welcomes the cruisers.

Finally docked, the large cruise ship is moored at the small harbor jetty, showering the town with the number of tourists that could take over the city. Several sightseeing buses and tourist guides have already positioned themselves in the harbor to welcome Olden’s guests. Olden is part of the municipality of Stryn and the towns of Olden, Stry and Loen all have their own lake and glacier.

On your own to the Briksdal Glacier

The Briksdal Glacier is therefore a popular excursion destination. The shipping company also offers an excursion to the glacier for 93 US dollars per person. However, this only includes the trip to the “Briksdal Inn” restaurant, coffee and cake and the return trip. You have to walk to the glacier or book the Trollmobile excursion, which costs 26 US dollars extra.

However, we recommend that you take the public bus to the restaurant “Briksdal Inn”. It departs at 9:58 am and arrives at the restaurant at 10:45 am. The journey costs 69 Norwegian kroner each way, which is the equivalent of just under 7 to 8 euros. That’s about 16 euros for a return trip. There is a small discount for two people. Important: The return journey can only be purchased on the bus on the way back, not in advance. However, there is only one trip a day from the port, so you should be outside at the bus stop between 9 and half past 9 in the morning. The bus stop is located directly on the left-hand side of the harbor jetty as you leave the ship. There is also a sign with the departure times. The return trip is at 13:30 from the restaurant and arrival in the city center of Olden is at 14:00. Then you still have enough time to take a short walk and then walk the few meters back to the ship. Click here for more information.

Important: If you don’t want to make the one-hour ascent from the restaurant to the glacier on foot, but rather by Trollmobile, you should either book an excursion or take one of the tourist buses to the glacier early in the morning. When we arrived at the restaurant by public bus, the tickets for the Trollmobile were already fully booked for hours. Tickets for the Trollmobile cost an additional NOK 100 per person (approx. 11 euros). And you can pay everywhere by credit card, you don’t have to exchange money. We paid everywhere by credit card: at market stalls, on buses, on the train and in stores.

The bus ride to the Briksdal glacier takes you through the magical Olden valley. Along the way you will see small waterfalls in the mountains and the beautiful Olden Lake. Every now and then there are a few colorful little houses dotted around the picturesque landscape and decorating the green areas. The 45-minute drive flies by.

Hike to the glacier tongue

The Briksdal Glacier is located in Jostedalsbreen National Park and is part of the largest glacier on the European mainland. The glacier tongue is located at the end of the footpath, at the top of the mountain. From there, the glacier plunges 1,200 meters down the mountain into the valley.

Once you arrive at Brisdal Inn, the footpath to the glacier leads about 2.5 kilometers upwards. There are steep and flat sections, but you will definitely need a warm jacket, water and sturdy shoes. Even if the sun is shining and you can move around in a T-shirt, there will be stretches where it gets freezing cold. That’s why we recommend an onion look. We had a T-shirt, sweater, fleece jacket and rain jacket with us. The rain jacket is particularly important when you’re walking along the huge waterfall. You can get quite wet here if the wind is blowing in the right direction. The majestic river and the breathtaking glacier waterfall can be admired and photographed on the way up.

During the walk, you have enough time to capture the spectacular impressions around you. You even pass a few goats.

After a 500-metre climb, just before you feel like giving up, you reach the glacier tongue, which is located in a quiet spot behind a wooded area. Here you are surrounded by mountains in shades of gray and the glacial lake shines in a soft turquoise hue.

The silence and the icy cold give you the feeling of being in a foreign place after climbing up the mountain along the rushing river in the blazing sun. There are stones lying on top of each other everywhere and you think there is fog in the air because the wind is carrying the water from the waterfalls in the mountains through the air. A moment to remember.

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The way downhill then goes surprisingly quickly and you soak up every impression of the overwhelming landscape before arriving back at the Briksdal Inn, tired and overjoyed at the same time. Here you can take a detour to the souvenir store before getting back on the bus that will take you safely and warmly back to the cruise ship.

Pub Lunch at the Golden Lion Pub

When we arrived back at the Queen Mary 2, we hurried so that we could quickly go to the pub lunch. The pub lunch is from 12 to 14:30 in the Golden Lion Pub on deck 2. In the Golden Lion Pub you can make yourself comfortable on comfortable leather armchairs and enjoy the view outside. The pub is decorated in beautiful brown and red tones and a stylish bar gives you the feeling that you have landed in Great Britain. The menu features traditional British dishes such as oven-roasted Cumberland sausages, cottage pie and the Ploughman’s lunch with cheddar, pickled onions and Branston pickle. Our tip: You should definitely order fish and chips. Even if this dish is not on the menu, you will get it if you ask for it. In fact, it is the most popular lunch in the pub. The food in the pub is free and simply fabulous.

Departure from Olden

We cast off in the afternoon and left the picturesque village of Olden on our way to Andalsnes. From the harbor jetty, the song “Time to say Goodbye” was still playing loudly from the loudspeakers as the Queen Mary 2 set course out of the fjord and into the sea. We recorded the departure with a short video:

Have you already been to Olden? How did you like it? If you like our article, leave us a comment!

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Many thanks to Cunard for the trip with the Queen Mary 2. This article is not sponsored, we only report on our own impressions.