Njardarheimr, Gudvangen: the Viking village on the Nærøyfjord
A purpose-built Viking village at the head of the Nærøyfjord, on the Norway in a Nutshell route between Bergen and Flåm. It is open every day rather than for a market weekend, and through June, July and August the resident Vikings live and sell their craft on site.
Is there still a Viking market at Gudvangen?
No. Gudvangen ran one of Norway’s best known Viking markets for years, and it is still what people search for, but the organizer told us by email in September 2026 that they no longer arrange markets. Njardarheimr is now a year-round Viking village and living museum instead.
What replaced the market is longer rather than smaller. Through June, July and August the village fills with Vikings who stay on site and sell their own craft, which the organizer describes as a three-month market. If you came for traders and handwork, any summer day now gives you roughly what a market weekend used to, without a date to plan around.
Why go
Njardarheimr sits at the head of the Nærøyfjord, at the point where the fjord narrows to its tightest and the valley walls go almost vertical. It is a purpose-built village rather than an excavation: timber and turf-roofed houses, a chieftain’s hall, workshops, and staff in costume who cook, forge and weave through the season.
The reason to go is position as much as content. Gudvangen is a stop on the most travelled fjord route in Norway, so this is the easiest Viking village in the country to reach without building a trip around it.
When to go
The organizer told us in September 2026 that the village is open every day, 10:00 to 18:00. Check vikingvalley.no before you travel, because opening hours outside the summer season are worth confirming.
June to August is when the village is busiest and fullest: that is the stretch when the resident Vikings are living on site and selling craft. Outside those months you get the buildings, the setting and the staff, which is a quieter and shorter visit.
What to do
Guided tours in costume are included in the ticket and are what most visitors rate highest. There is archery and axe throwing, craft demonstrations in the workshops, and the hall and houses to walk through. Two hours covers it comfortably.
What visitors say
Njardarheimr’s Tripadvisor reviews split on price. The enthusiasts call it one of the most memorable stops of a Norway trip, praise the guided tours, the costumed staff and the craft demonstrations, and find it good value with hours to fill. The doubters say the admission is a lot for a village smaller than the marketing suggests. Both are describing the same place; the difference is what they expected.
Our take
Njardarheimr is the Viking village for people who are on the fjord route anyway. It sits an hour into every Norway in a Nutshell itinerary, and two hours there with a guided tour is a good use of a fjord afternoon. Do not detour from Bergen for it alone, and set expectations for a built attraction with an admission price rather than an archaeological site. Now that the market is gone, there is no longer a weekend that rewards timing, so go on whichever day the fjord itinerary puts you there.
Getting there
Gudvangen sits at the end of the Nærøyfjord. From Bergen it is about two and a half hours by car on the E16, or a day on the Norway in a Nutshell route by train, bus and fjord boat. From Flåm it is twenty minutes by road through the Gudvanga tunnel, or a two-hour fjord cruise. Bergen Flesland is the nearest airport, roughly two and three quarter hours away.
Village admission is sold at the gate and through GetYourGuide, which also lists the combined fjord cruise and village tours from Bergen and Flåm. Cards are taken everywhere and English is spoken, including on the tours.
Where to stay
Flåm has the hotels and the railway. Gudvangen has a hotel and a campsite by the fjord.
Related events
Sources
Last updated 2026-09-15. Prices and opening hours change; check the venue before you go. Back to Plan your trip or the festival calendar.