Tiny houses in Hardangerfjord

The Hardangerfjord is Norway's orchard fjord — steep valley walls where apple and cherry trees blossom pink and white every May, right down to the waterline. Around Herand, a scatter of treetop cabins and waterside huts looks out over the water, close enough to Trolltunga that early risers can be on the trail before the day-trip buses show up, and to Vøringsfossen, one of the country's most photographed waterfalls, thundering into the valley below.

This is fjord Norway at its most classic: ferries crossing between fruit-growing villages, kayaks pulled up on gravel beaches, and cabins built with a deck facing the water rather than the road. Days split between hiking (Trolltunga is a full-day, well-marked slog; there are gentler orchard and shoreline walks too) and simply watching the light change on the fjord walls. Bergen, with its fish market and colorful Bryggen wharf, is 2.5 hours away if you want a city day.