Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2026

Olden and Skjolden are two small villages on Norway’s western coast, each sitting at the end of a different fjord system north of Bergen. Skjolden occupies a dramatic position at the innermost tip of the Lustrafjorden — a branch of the Sognefjorden, the longest and deepest fjord in Norway — while Olden sits on the southern shore of the Nordfjorden, the country’s sixth longest. Both are surrounded by rugged, cloud-draped mountains with glaciers and waterfalls dropping directly into the valleys below. Neither village is large — Skjolden has around 200 residents, Olden under 900 — but for a cruise passenger, that small scale works in your favor. The scenery is the whole point, and with far fewer crowds than Bergen, you can actually stand still long enough to take it in. We visited both as part of our Baltic cruise aboard the Sky Princess, and found them to be among the most purely beautiful stops of the entire trip.