Scenic Skudeneshavn
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Port
Haugesund, Norway
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$134.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
4 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
The island of Karmøy, measuring a mere 88 square miles, holds a treasure trove of historical sites tied to the sea. Discover this relationship during a half-day excursion to two of its most charming storybook villages.
You'll travel across the Karmsund Bridge that links Karmøy Island to Norway's mainland. Once on the island, an otherworldly landscape of verdant forests, heather-clad hills and rolling pastureland accompanies you to the southern tip. Karmøy was an important Viking settlement -- the seat of power of King Harald Fairhair. Fairhair was the first King of unified Norway, so it should come as no surprise that the burial mounds, stone monuments and other archaeological finds discovered around Ferkingstad are considered very significant.
Fast forward a few centuries to the late 1800s, when the town was home to a successful herring-fishing fleet. Take a leisurely stroll down the path to the Fishermen's Memorial, dedicated to the fishermen lost at sea in these waters.
Herring was the key to the success of Skudeneshavn -- the next stop on your itinerary. This village looks much as it did when herring fishing peaked at the end of the 19th century. Feel the decades slip away as you stroll past 130 well-preserved wooden, white homes and seafront wharves nestled against Skudeneshavn Old Town's narrow streets.
To glimpse what life was like on the island 150 years ago, you'll visit the Mælandgården Museum. Set in a former merchant's house that dates back to 1840, the museum showcases the life of a typical middle-class family, with artifacts from the era, as well as a dentist's office and workshops filled with fishing equipment and boats.
Notes:
The guided tour in Skudeneshavn takes approximately one hour and covers just under a mile. Terrain includes a few steps at the museum.