Geiranger Webcam – Norway’s UNESCO Geirangerfjord

The Geiranger Webcam looks down from Hotel Union, on the slope above the village, over a white octagonal church and out along the Geirangerfjord in western Norway. The fjord runs away between mountain walls that rise almost straight from the water, with small farms on green ledges high on the right-hand slope. A river rushes over rocks along the bottom of the frame, and a road curves past the church on the right. Low cloud drags across the ridges, sun lights one wall while the other stays in shade, and wind can roughen the fjord in minutes. In early October the birches on the lower slopes turn yellow and orange, and in summer the cruise ships that call at Geiranger often lie in the fjord just left of the church.

About Geiranger

Geiranger sits at the inner end of the Geirangerfjord in Stranda Municipality, More og Romsdal county, in the Sunnmore district of western Norway. Only 215 people lived in the village in 2023, yet it handles 140 to 180 cruise ship calls in a four-month season. The fjord is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) long and no more than 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) wide, a branch of the Sunnylvsfjorden. In 2005 UNESCO listed it together with the Naeroyfjord as the West Norwegian Fjords World Heritage Site.

The camera belongs to Hotel Union, which the Mjelva family has run for four generations since 1891, when it opened as a wooden building in the Swiss chalet style. Today it has 197 rooms, and the Norwegian Fjord Centre, the visitor center for the World Heritage area, stands opposite. The white church in the frame is Geiranger Church, an eight-sided wooden building from 1842 that is believed to be the third church on the site. Below the hotel, the Storfossen waterfall drops through the village toward the fjord.

The village also lives with a known risk. A slide from the unstable mountainside at Akerneset into the fjord would set off a tsunami capable of destroying Geiranger, the scenario behind the 2015 Norwegian film The Wave.

Weather and Climate in Geiranger

Averages for 2015 to 2024 put summer highs in Geiranger at about 18 C (64 F) in June and 19 to 20 C (66 to 67 F) in July and August, with nights near 12 C (54 F). January is the coldest month, with days around 1 C (34 F) and nights near -3 C (26 F). Spring warms slowly, to about 7 C (45 F) in April and 12 C (54 F) in May. Autumn cools quickly, from about 16 C (61 F) in September to 10 C (50 F) in October and 4 C (40 F) in November.

Rain or snow falls in every month, and the wettest stretch runs from October to January. On the camera that means long spells of low cloud, with the ridges vanishing and reappearing, and on wet days raindrops can sit on the lens. Snow can linger on the high peaks into early summer while the valley below is fully green. At 62 degrees north the sun is up for about 20 hours in late June and about 5 hours in late December, so summer evenings stay light late into the night and winter days end by mid-afternoon.

Things to Do Near Geiranger

The Waterfall Walk is the easiest start: 327 steps, landings and viewpoints beside Storfossen, linking the village center with the Norwegian Fjord Centre and Hotel Union. On the water, the Hellesylt ferry passes the Seven Sisters, a set of falls that drop about 410 meters (1,345 feet) in total, with the Suitor facing them across the fjord. Kayak and RIB boat tours run mostly between May and September. Hikers can climb to the abandoned Skagefla farm, 250 meters (820 feet) above the fjord, in 40 to 60 minutes of steep walking.

The roads out of Geiranger are sights in their own right. Ornesvingen, the Eagle Road, climbs above the fjord in 11 hairpin bends to a viewpoint at 620 meters (2,034 feet). Flydalsjuvet, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the village, is a 100 meter (330 foot) walk from the road. The 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) toll road up Dalsnibba adds 11 more hairpins on its way to the Geiranger Skywalk platform, about 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) above sea level, and it opens in late May and closes with the first heavy autumn snow.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More fjords and harbors, from the same village to the edge of the Arctic:

• Geirangerfjord Cruise Port Webcam
• Nordfjordeid Webcam
• Ilulissat Icefjord Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Geiranger located?

Geiranger is in Stranda Municipality, More og Romsdal county, on the west coast of Norway. It lies at the inner end of the Geirangerfjord, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) by road from Alesund and about an hour by ferry from Hellesylt.

What can you see on the Geiranger Webcam?

The camera looks down over the white octagonal Geiranger Church and out along the Geirangerfjord, with steep mountain walls on both sides and farms on the green ledges to the right. A river runs over rocks along the bottom of the frame and a road passes the church on the right.

Which hotel runs the Geiranger Webcam?

Hotel Union Geiranger. The stream comes from the hotel’s own YouTube channel and carries its name, logo, date and time in the top left corner. The Mjelva family has run the hotel since 1891, and the Norwegian Fjord Centre stands opposite.

Does the Geiranger Webcam show the cruise port?

Partly. In the cruise season, ships calling at Geiranger often lie in the fjord just left of the church, so a liner can fill that part of the frame. The separate Geirangerfjord cruise port camera listed above gives the closer view of the port.

Can you see the Seven Sisters waterfall on the Geiranger Webcam?

No. The Seven Sisters fall into the fjord on its northern side, near the abandoned Knivsfla farm, farther out than the stretch of water this camera covers. The Hellesylt ferry and the RIB boats from the village pass close to them, and the falls run strongest from May to July.

Is the Geiranger Skywalk visible on the webcam?

No. The Skywalk stands on Dalsnibba, about 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) above sea level and up the valley behind the camera, while the lens points the other way, down the fjord. The platform hangs over a sheer drop of about 500 meters (1,640 feet).

What is the weather like in Geiranger?

Mild for 62 degrees north, but wet. Summer days reach about 18 to 20 C (64 to 68 F), January days hover around 1 C (34 F), and the wettest months run from October to January. The live stream currently shows a weather panel in the lower left corner with the temperature and a three-day forecast.

How long is the ferry from Geiranger to Hellesylt?

About an hour. The ferry runs from April to October and passes the Seven Sisters and the Suitor on the way, which makes it the usual way to see the outer fjord from the water.

Source: Hotel Union Geiranger