The Hardanger orchards
Apple and cherry in the fjord directly below the ice.
Zairon — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Karl Brodowsky — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Karl Brodowsky — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Unknown authorUnknown author — Public domain
Late April to mid-May depending on the year. The fjord slopes are covered in apple, cherry and plum orchards, and when they flower the banks turn white and pink above blue water with white ice above that — three layers in one view. Norwegians come for it over the May holidays, and the region produces apple juice and cider that now carry a protected origin designation. The season is very short, so time it carefully if this is your aim.
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Folgefonna is Norway's third-largest glacier, covering the spine of a peninsula between the Hardangerfjord and the Sørfjord south of Bergen — and the closest of the major glaciers to the city, about two hours by car. What distinguishes it is a contradiction held in a small space: you climb from a fjord of apple and cherry orchards — Hardanger is Norway's first fruit-growing region, and its blossom in May is a sight in itself — to permanent ice in under an hour's driving. The practical advantage is a summer ski centre on the ice: Fonna opens from roughly May to September, so you can ski in the morning and descend to the fjord by midday. The park itself is free with many marked routes, and from the road looping around it the glacier tongues are visible from several points without a long walk. Access is far easier by car than by public transport.
Apple and cherry in the fjord directly below the ice.
Ski in the morning, descend to the fjord by midday.
Folgefonna peninsula, Hardanger