Spring comes to the Sognefjord around Easter and the landscape is probably at its most beautiful in May - with full-fl owing, cascading waterfalls, green hillsides and meadows, snow-capped mountains and exhilaratingly clear air. At the end of May the orchards around the villages are a sea of apple blossom. Conditions can vary from cool spring air to mild summer weather. Most mountain passes open again in May.

Summer usually lasts from June until the end of August. Daytime temperatures can vary from 10 to 30 degrees Celsius, but you can normally expect between 15 and 25 degrees. Long, sunny days, light summer nights and fresh air all help to make the fruit and berries unusually good in this area. The area has most visitors during the last three weeks in July (the peak holiday season in Norway), and it is a good idea to book accommodation and activities for these weeks in advance.

In autumn, the Sognefjord takes on its mantle of lovely colours, first in the mountains and then down by the fjord. A lot of people consider this the best time for mountain walking. The snow has gone, the rivers are low and the ground is dry and firm underfoot in most places as you walk among the red, orange and yellow hues of the autumn heather and bushes.

Light snowfalls are not unusual from the beginning of November, but the snow does not usually lie in the lowlands before December. The trees lose their leaves and the days are at their darkest until the snow paints the landscape white. The ski lifts and ski tows by the fjord usually open for the Christmas holidays and stay open until the end of the Easter holidays. January and February can be dry and cold, with temperatures sometimes falling to 10-15 degrees Celsius below zero.