There are 5 hotels in Balestrand. There’s also a campground in Dragsvik (Veganeset Camping, a 15-minute drive from the center of Balestrand), and many cabins and apartments for rent online. But here we’re looking only at the hotels. And while we’re talking about hotels: there’s also one in Høyanger, 45 minutes west from Balestrand: Øren Hotel.

Full disclosure: Balestrand Adventure is partly owned by Kviknes Hotel.

Kviknes Hotel

Kviknes Hotel is the best-known landmark in Baletsrand, with its enormous Swiss-style veranda facade. It has been run by the Kvikne family since 1877, and is full of history and art. The hotel has a big dining hall with an excellent breakfast and dinner buffet. You can also order à la carte in their Balholm Bar. Both restaurants are open to the public.

What do you think about the two buildings above? Kviknes Hotel (and 3 other hotels in Balestrand) have both a historic wooden building and a new boxy building built after 1960. The elaborate wooden building style was seen as a cliché during the 60s, and hotel owners rushed to get with the times. Not only that, the wooden buildings were dangerous. Several wooden hotels burned down in Norway, and guests would refuse to stay in them, preferring instead the safety of modern concrete buildings.

Today the roles are reversed. Most guests and locals find the new buildings ugly and imposing. But it might not be that way forever. With a little patience (maybe 20 or 30 years—it took about that long for the wooden buildings to come back into style) maybe we will love these big boxes again!

Midtnes Hotel

Midtnes Hotel overlooks St. Olaf’s Church, and across the street they have a lovely fjordside picnic area and beach. It’s only a short walk from the village center. This is generally the only hotel open in the winter. It is possible to get individual rooms here in the wintertime. They have a webcamera on top of the hotel, so you can see what it looks like in Balestrand today.

Balestrand Hotel

The next hotel along the road is the Balestrand Hotel. They cater to individual guests instead of groups, and are open only during the summer months. They also have a beautiful little fjordside picnic area and beach across the road. They’ve made a nice video about what it’s like there.

Kringsjå Hotel

Kringsjå is a Balestrand institution, and the hotel is only a part of it. It’s also a youth hostel, and best known for its outdoor education program, together with the Sognefjord aquarium. The program draws middle school students from all over Norway. The whole class stays in Balestrand, and the students get outside, catch fish, and learn about the fjord. In the summer it’s open to guests. Don’t be fooled by their website—they are open and in operation!

Dragsvik Fjord Hotel

On the other side of the Esefjord you’ll find the Dragsvik Fjord Hotel. It’s about a 15-minute drive from the center of Balestrand. If you don’t have your own car, they have a pick-up service for a small fee.

The hotel is made up of several buildings, and some of the rooms are in fact separate cabins, scattered over the hillside down towards the fjord. And they have a beautiful greenhouse-like room with a view over the Fjærlandsfjord, used for dining and small events.

The map below shows where all the hotels are.