Backpacking in Norway: Top 5 Sights in Voss

When backpacking in Norway, time of year actually does affect your travels somewhat. The reason for this is that Winter is low season and I simply loved the weather. So first of all I suggest touring Norway in the Winter time. I was there in February, but January is also low season. The extreme snow and ice make the landscape beautiful in Winter and I can’t imagine being there in Summer without all the snow. I loved the freedom of it all, the fresh air and the fact that apart from the Fjord tour and mountain train, I rarely met other backpackers in Norway. I’ll aim to get a few more Norway reports typed up in the next month or so and I’ll start with the tranquil town of Voss.

In Summer months I’d imagine Voss will be packed. It’s a small town but a good stop over place and if you plan to visit Gudvangen or Flam, it’s highly likely you’ll at least pass through Voss at some point. It’s on the main train route between Oslo and Bergen too.

I had a morning here before heading out to tour the Fjords and I recommend this quick fire top 5 (it excludes the hikes around the town by the way).

1. The Voss Sign
A cliched thing to do is head down by the Lake and get your photo taken by the Voss sign. Yes, so I did it to. The beautiful mountains in behind are simply magnificent. It looked breathtaking in winter.

2. Voss Kulturhus
Voss Kulturhus is as it sounds – a Culture House. Inside this complex is also a library and a cafe but the museum and cultural rooms are here to show what Voss is all about.

3. Voss Church – Vangskyrkja
Built in 1271 – 1277, Voss church is still in use and one of the main sights in the town.

4. Voss Lake
Having heard from other travellers that there was a nice lake in Voss, I headed on a walk to find it. Only to ask myself “where the hell is it?” The answer soon became obvious – right behind the town, but of course in winter it was completely frozen over and I had no idea it was a lake.

5. Fleischer Hotel
This hotel had the friendliest staff and cosiest lounge I could have hoped for. What happened was I arrived in Voss by train early morning and everywhere was closed – it was freezing outside so after my first stroll round the town I really fancied a hot coffee.

Fleischer Hotel also had a computer in the reception which meant WiFi! It was a cool cosy place to relax before heading off on my next adventure.

After Voss, I headed by bus to the village of Gudvangen where I embarked on my fjords tour. Norway was a simply magnificent country to travel in and I will try and get some more stories up soon. Also be aware that in winter times the train near Voss get completely packed – you probably won’t get a seat in day time hours due to the amount of ski-ers and their skis, so early morning is a good time to head. Here are my videos from backpacking in Norway and exploring Voss: