Hardanger Fruit & Cider Route: Ulvik’s Orchards & Tastings

The Hardanger Fruit & Cider Route is the only one of its kind in Norway: three fruit farms in the village of Ulvik, on the Hardangerfjord, where you can walk between the orchards, taste cider made from the apples in front of you, and buy bottles to take home. It is a small, walkable route, not a theme park, and it is the best food experience in the fjords for travellers who like to know where things come from.

The route is simple. Three farms, all within walking distance of Ulvik centre: Lekve Gard, home of the Hardanger Saft- og Siderfabrikk; Syse Gard, with its farm shop and tasting plank; and Ulvik Frukt & Cideri, the family farm with more than 20 apple varieties. Guided tours run by appointment, about an hour, and a guided tasting with a farm tour costs NOK 525. The farms are working businesses, not a single attraction with one shared opening time, so book ahead and do not assume you can walk in.

What the route is

The Fruit & Cider Route, in Norwegian the Frukt- og siderruta, is a walkable circuit from Ulvik centre connecting the three farms. Ulvik sits on the Ulvikfjord, a sheltered arm of the Hardangerfjord, where orchards climb from the water towards steep green slopes. Fruit and sheep are the main farming here, and Hardanger has been Norway’s fruit country for generations.

Each farm offers something different, and each one needs booking separately. Tours run by appointment with each individual farm, with a minimum of 10 people, and last about an hour. All three farms have licences to sell cider and have farm shops. The route is easy to reach on foot from the centre, but the farms are working businesses, so check each farm’s opening schedule, and never assume a tasting is available on arrival.

The route is at its best in two seasons: May, when the apple blossom covers the orchards, and September, when the harvest comes in and the new cider is released. The farms are open for visits through the summer, and the regional tourist office lists seasonal cider and fruit events, including releases in spring and autumn.

The three farms

Lekve Gard: Hardanger Saft- og Siderfabrikk

Lekve Gard, home of the Hardanger Saft- og Siderfabrikk, is the cider factory of the route. The farm at Lekve produces apple juice, cider and spirits, and the guided tour takes you into the production facilities and around the farm, ending with tastings of the finished products. The farm also has a restaurant seating 80, serving traditional Norwegian dishes and desserts.

Lekve is the historic farm of the route: it was the first farm in Norway to produce cider commercially. The tour here is the most technical of the three, and it suits travellers who want to understand how cider is made, from the orchard to the barrel to the bottle.

Syse Gard

Syse Gard is the food farm of the route, at the innermost part of the Hardangerfjord in Ulvik. The farm shop sells jams, juices and cider, along with traditional cured lamb meats such as fenalår and dry-cured sausages, and the cider tasting plank, a board of different ciders from the farm, is the thing to order.

The guided tasting with a farm tour at Syse Gard costs NOK 525, and it is the standard introduction to Hardanger cider: a walk through the orchards, a tour of the farm, and a tasting of the ciders the farm makes. Fjord Tours also sells a cider tasting with lunch at Syse Gard, four ciders with traditional local food, for NOK 795, but availability varies, so check the listing before you plan around it.

Ulvik Frukt & Cideri

Ulvik Frukt & Cideri, at Hakastad farm, is the family farm of the route, growing more than 20 varieties of apples, many of them traditional, along with sweet cherries. The farm produces apple juice, cider and apple cider vinegar, and the farm shop sells all three. The tasting here is the most personal of the three farms, and the range of apple varieties makes it the best place to understand what Hardanger apples taste like.

All three farms offer the cider plank, a tasting board of different ciders unique to each farm, and all three sell bottles to take home. Cider is alcoholic, and the farms will not serve it to anyone under 18, so check the age rules when you book.

What a tasting costs

A guided tasting with a farm tour costs NOK 525, which is the standard price across the three farms for a booked tour. The tasting with lunch at Syse Gard, sold through Fjord Tours, costs NOK 795, and it includes four ciders with traditional local food. A cider plank at the farm shops costs less, and the price depends on the farm and the number of ciders on the board, so ask at the shop.

Farm shops sell bottles of cider, apple juice and vinegar to take home, and the prices are reasonable for a farm product. The farms also sell jams, cured meats and other local produce. Bring cash or a card; the farms take cards, but the small shops in the area sometimes prefer one or the other.

The route is not a cheap day out, but it is a fair one: the tastings are generous, the tours are personal, and the money goes to the farms themselves.

Cider, juice and spirits: what you are tasting

Hardanger cider is not one drink. The farms make apple juice, cider and apple cider vinegar, and the ciders differ from farm to farm because the apples differ. Ulvik Frukt & Cideri grows more than 20 varieties, many of them traditional, and the taste of a cider depends on which apples went into it. The Hardanger Saft- og Siderfabrikk makes spontaneously fermented ciders, which means the fermentation starts with the yeasts on the apples themselves, and it also distils spirits, aged in oak barrels.

The cider plank is the way to learn the difference: a board of small glasses, each one a different cider from the same farm, so you can compare them side by side. Ask the farmer what you are drinking. The farms are proud of their apples, and the tasting is a conversation, not a lecture. The apple juice is worth tasting too, especially if you are driving or under 18, and the vinegar, sharp and fruity, is the farm product most visitors do not expect.

Beyond Ulvik: Lofthus and Sørfjorden

Lofthus, on the Sørfjorden, a branch of the Hardangerfjord, is the other great fruit village, best known for its apple blossom in spring and for the Hotel Ullensvang, the grand hotel above the fjord. The village is surrounded by orchards, and several farms produce their own apple juice and cider, including Lofthus Sideri, Helleland Gard and Opedalstunet.

Lofthus is worth a day on its own. The blossom in May is the best in Hardanger, the fjord is calm, and the farms welcome visitors for tastings and farm visits. The Hardanger National Tourist Route, 158 km long, passes through Lofthus, and the road itself is part of the experience.

From Odda or Lofthus, a fjord safari by RIB boat combines a trip on the Sørfjorden with a visit to one or more cider farms, with a guided tour and tasting at the farms. The season runs from 1 May to 5 October, and the trips start by RIB from Odda or Lofthus. It is the best way to combine the fjord and the cider in a single day.

The seasons: blossom and harvest

The route has two high seasons, and they are different experiences. In May, the apple blossom covers the orchards in white and pink, and the fjord is at its prettiest. The blossom usually peaks in mid-May, and Lofthus is the best place to see it. The farms are open, the weather is mild, and the villages are quiet.

In September, the harvest comes in, and the new cider is released. The orchards are full of fruit, the farm shops are at their best, and the cider events of the autumn bring the producers together. September is the best month for tasting, because the new season’s cider is available and the farms have time to talk.

Summer, from June to August, is the main visiting season: the farms are open, the tours run, and the weather is warmest. Winter is quiet: the farms are working, but the tours are by appointment only, and the blossom and the harvest are months away. The cider year follows the orchard: winter pruning, spring blossom, summer growth, and the autumn harvest and pressing, when the new cider is made. The regional tourist office lists seasonal cider and fruit events through the year, including releases in spring and autumn, which are the best times to taste the new season’s cider.

Getting there

Ulvik is reached from Bergen via Voss, about three hours by car or bus. The bus from Voss to Ulvik runs on Skyss route 945, with connections to Granvin, and route 990 links Voss, Granvin, Kinsarvik and Odda. Check the Skyss planner before you travel, and leave enough time for the return.

In summer, the Hardangerfjord cruise from Bergen runs by bus to Norheimsund and then by boat on the fjord, passing Herand, Utne, Lofthus, Kinsarvik and Ulvik on the way to Eidfjord. It is the best way to arrive in Ulvik without a car, and it shows you the fjord the cider comes from.

Once you are in Ulvik, the route is walkable from the centre, and the three farms are within walking distance of each other. A car is useful for Lofthus, which is about an hour’s drive from Ulvik along the fjord, and for the wider Hardangerfjord. The Hardangerfjord guide covers the fjord and its villages in full, the Bergen guide covers the city you will most likely start from, and the best time to visit guide covers when to come.

Where to stay

Ulvik has a handful of hotels, and it is a good overnight base for the route: stay in the village, walk the route in the morning, and take the bus or the boat onward in the afternoon. Lofthus has the Hotel Ullensvang, the grand hotel above the Sørfjorden, which is the most atmospheric stay in Hardanger. Both villages have guesthouses and cabins as well. Book ahead in May and September, when the blossom and the harvest bring visitors, and in July, when the fjord is at its busiest.

A one-day plan

A day on the route looks like this. Arrive in Ulvik in the morning, by bus from Voss or by boat from Bergen. Walk the circuit from the centre, starting at Lekve Gard for the production tour, then Syse Gard for the tasting and lunch, then Ulvik Frukt & Cideri for the shop and the widest range of apples. Allow an hour at each farm, plus walking time, and book the tours ahead. In the afternoon, take the bus to Lofthus for the blossom or the fjord, or the boat back towards Bergen.

Do not try to do all three farms and Lofthus in a single day. The route deserves a day, and Lofthus deserves another.

What to skip

Skip assuming you can walk in for a tasting: the tours are by appointment, with a minimum of 10 people, and the farms are working businesses. Book ahead, and check each farm’s opening schedule. Skip driving after a tasting; the cider is alcoholic, and the roads are narrow. Take the bus, or stay overnight in Ulvik. And skip the idea that Hardanger cider is one thing: each farm makes different ciders from different apples, and the tasting plank exists so you can tell them apart.

Finding your way around

Key map links for the route:

• Syse Gard, Ulvik, the food farm, tastings from NOK 525
• Hardanger Saft- og Siderfabrikk, Ulvik, the cider factory at Lekve Gard
• Ulvik Frukt & Cideri, the family farm at Hakastad
• Ulvik, Norway, the village on the Ulvikfjord
• Lofthus, Norway, the blossom village on the Sørfjorden
• Hotel Ullensvang, Lofthus, the grand hotel above the fjord

The three farms, compared

Farm	What it is	Best for	Booking
Lekve Gard: Hardanger Saft- og Siderfabrikk	Cider factory, juice, cider and spirits	Understanding how cider is made	By appointment, minimum 10 people
Syse Gard	Food farm, shop, tasting plank	Tasting with local food	By appointment, minimum 10 people
Ulvik Frukt & Cideri	Family farm, 20+ apple varieties	The widest range of apples	By appointment, minimum 10 people
Lofthus farms (Sideri, Helleland, Opedalstunet)	Fruit farms on the Sørfjorden	Blossom in May, tastings	By arrangement with each farm

Frequently asked questions