Leirvik is a town in the county of Hordaland in Norway. It is located on the island of Stord in the municipality of the same name (which only covers the southern half of the island). Confusingly, Stord municipality as a whole has town status, but Leirvik is the only town-like settlement in the municipality. Leirvik had a population of about 14,000 in 2019. It is the second largest town in Hordaland county.

Get in

By car

From Bergen, follow European route E39 south through Os. Take the ferry from Os to Stord (Fitjar municipality). From the ferry terminus, continue following the road south until you reach Leirvik, about 28 km to the south.

From Stavanger, follow E39 north. From Haugesund, drive north on FV 47 then continue on E39.

From Oslo, drive to Bergen, then follow the instructions above.

By plane

• 1 Stord Airport, Sørstokken (SRP  ^IATA) (located not too far from Leirvik). Ot has flights from Oslo and Billund in Denmark.  

Alternatively, Bergen Airport, Flesland (BGO ^IATA) and Stavanger Airport, Sola (SVG ^IATA) are each within a 2½-hour drive. Haugesund Airport, Karmøy (HAU ^IATA) is even closer, and has scheduled flights from Alicante (Ryanair), Oslo (SAS) and Gdansk (Wizz Air), as well as a few charter flights.

Get around

Walk.

See

• 1 Sunnhordland Folk Museum, Museumsbakken, 5417 Stord (On the hilltop behind Leirvik town center), ☏ 47 53413899. M Tu Th F 10:00-15:30; W Su 16:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-13:00. Permanent agricultural, forestry and fishery history exhibitions, exhibition of life in prehistoric times, and a sculpture collection. Sunnhordlandstunet farm cluster is a few minutes’ walk up the hill from the centre of Leirvik, or by car from Sæ. It consists of eleven old buildings in Vidsteensparken park. The farm cluster has an ancient history exhibition, agriculture and fisheries exhibition, and an old general store selling old-fashioned confectionery. 
• Stord Maritime Museum, Leirvik (At the docks), ☏ 47 53413988. Tu-Sa 11:00-14:00. Exhibitions of the maritime history of the region. Open June 23 - August 6. Adult kr 30, child (under 15) free. 

Do

• Hystadmarkjo (North of Leirvik town centre). A nature reserve near Leirvik with a 2-km-long hiking path. The area has many cultural and historic monuments, including a cholera graveyard from the 19th century and burial mounds from the Bronze Age. Bathing possibilities. 

Eat

• Fengselet Mat og Vinkjellar, Jens Hystadveg 14 5417 Stord, ☏ 47 53417760. Tu-Sa 18:00-24:00. Kitchen closes at 22:00. Closed M and Su. A restaurant in an old, restored prison building in the centre of Leirvik. Building also contains a wine cellar. 

Sleep

• Grand Hotell, Leirvik, ☏ 47 53409600. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Conference hotel in the centre of Leirvik. Spa and wifi. 1195 kr for a standard single room; 1395 kr for a standard double room. 
• Stord Hotell, Leirvik, ☏ 47 53402500. Modern conference hotell. Restaurant, swimming pool, sauna, etc. Mid-range prices. 
• Almås Hotell AS, Kjøtteinsvegen 60, ☏ 47 53 40 99 99. 
• Langenuen Motell og Camping, Børtveit, ☏ 47 53 49 58 15, [email protected]. 
• Sponavik camping, Sponavikvegen, ☏ 47 99 64 01 21, [email protected]. 

Go next

There are lots of hiking possibilities on Stord and elsewhere in the region. Contact Bergen Hiking Association for more information. A map of the hiking paths on Stord can be bought in the book stores on the island.

• Bergen Hiking Association (Bergen Turlag), Tverrgaten 4 Bergen (from the front entrance of the railway station, walk straight ahead halfway through Marken), ☏ 47 55335810, fax: 47 55335829, [email protected]. M Tu W F 10:00-16:00; Th 10:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-14:00. 

Routes through Leirvik

Bergen ← Os ←

N  S

→ Stavanger → Kristiansand