Hordaland is located on the west coast of Norway. The county covers an area of 6,030 square miles, and is made up of five regions:

Hardanger, which stretches from the coast up into the mountain area called Hardangervidda. Hordaland is split from southwest to northeast by the Hardangerfjorden, the second largest fjord in Norway. This great tourist attraction extends 114 miles from the Atlantic Ocean into Hordaland County. An eastern branch of the Hardangerfjord, the Eidfjord, extends 15 miles to the quaint village of Vik near the Vøringfoss, a waterfall 535 feet high. A southern branch of the Hardangerfjord, the Sørfjord, divides the mountain plateau called the Hardangervidda. At the head of Sørfjord are the village of Odda and the famous Skjeggedalsfoss, a waterfall 525 feet high. The Hardangervidda rises to 6,153 feet in the Hardangerjøkel mountain.

Voss is centrally located between the two most famous Norwegian fjords, the Hardanger fjord and the Sognefjord, forming a natural starting point for fjord trips.

In Sunnhordland, the wild ocean meets peaceful mountain plains, rocky shores and verdant agricultural districts, sheltered spots of paradise, glaciers of blue ice, and one of Norway’s mightiest waterfalls, hi-tech innovations and Stone Age, Iron Age, Bronze Age and Viking relics. Here you can ski on year-round snow, bathe in the sea, fish for trout in a river and pollack in the fjord – all in one day! From one thousand islands in the mouth of the ocean to Folgefonna, the jewel in the crown to the east of the region, it all makes Sunnhordland into a varied and challenging kingdom, where history, nature and heritage interplay. This is where large and small gems join to form a beautiful piece of jewelry. And this is a jewelry box that you are heartily welcome to help yourself from!

Midthordland; The city of Bergen is the capital of Hordaland. It is Norway’s second largest city and a major shipping center.

The Gateway to the Fjords of Norway A city that still retains the charm and atmosphere of a small town, with its wooden buildings and narrow alleys. An international city; filled with tradition and history.

A cultural city, that features international music and cultural events. You can combine a vibrant city life with unforgettable experiences of nature. Take the Fløibanen funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen, or the cable car to Ulriken’s peak, and take in a view of the city surrounded by fjords and mountains in one of Norway’s most beautiful scenic areas.

Nordhordland, Norwegian author Gunnar Staalesen on Nordhordland:
”From the outermost reefs, where the ocean’s swell laps at the rocky shore like Nature’s beating heart, across heathlands and sounds, fields and outlying land, knolls and hills, until the point where the landscape rises steeply up towards the mountains, with mountain farm after mountain farm extending all the way to the horizon – Nordhordland is like a miniature version of Norway.

If this entire region from the island of Fedje to the mountains of Stølsheimen were to break off from the mainland and be set adrift, it would still contain most of the geographic features that Norway has to offer – with one exception: there are no glaciers in Nordhordland. The ice has disappeared forever.”

Most of the population in Hordaland live in towns along or near the fjords and coastline. Fishing, farming, and manufacturing (including chemicals and metal goods) are the chief occupations, but tourism is also an important source of income in this county.