In the municipality there are the following villages:

• Geiranger, 250 inhabitants


• Hellesylt, 680 inhabitants


• Liabygda, (260 inhabitants


• In the administrative centre of Stranda there are 3500 inhabitants.

Each village has got their own school, old people`s home and kindergarten/ nurseryschool. In the centre of Stranda there are also two upper secondary schools.
COMMUNICATION/TOURISM:
- Bus connection to Ålesund, Bergen, Trondheim and Oslo
- Plane, Ålesund airport Vigra
- Train, Åndalsnes

Stranda is an attraction in itself. A unique scenery with wild and high snowcapped mountain peaks, foaming waterfalls and rivers, fertile valleys and crystalblue fjords.

You can climb a mountain top, in summer or winter, enjoy the marvellous view with the deep fjord lying far down beneath you. To experience high mountain peaks, glaciers, waterfalls and the fjord at the same time is what makes this area so fantastic and breathtaking. For instance the spectacular Alpinerace, a skiing competition that takes place each year in February, when 200 competitors on Telemark- or slalomskis or snowboards fly down the 6200 m long track, from the mountain peak Roaldshorn
(1230 m above sea level) to the fjord.

Stranda is situated in “the heart of tourism” in western Norway. In the course of 1-1½ hours by car you can from the centre of Stranda visit these attractions:

• The town Ålesund (The art nouveau town and the Atlantic Park, a wonderful aquarium)


• Runde (The bird island, population of 500.000 birds)


• The Golden Route (Geiranger, the Eagles` Road, the Giants` Road, Åndalsnes)


• The valley of Romsdalen (mountain climbing)


• The town Molde (Jazzfestival, Bjørnsonfestival, roses)


• The Summer Ski centre of Stryn Mountain


• Hiking trips on arms of the Jostedal Glacier (Kjenndalen, Bødalen, Briksdalen)

TOURISM has long and strong traditions in Stranda. Geiranger and Hellesylt arelong been well known destinations. The first cruiseship with tourists from abroad came to Geiranger in 1869. Today Geiranger is the second largest cruise-port in Norway, visited by 160 cruiseships every summer. It´s also said that regarding all the cruiseships in the world, every fourth of them visits Geiranger. Besides the Coastel Steamer runs daily round trips Ålesund-Geiranger April to mid September. Altogether about 700.000 tourists visit Geiranger each summer.

The waterfalls, the fjord, the mountains and the abandoned mountainfarms that cling to the prepice have given Geiranger the title The most beautiful fjord in the world. Among all the unspoilt and wonderful fjords in western Norway, the Geirangerfjord is certainly heading the field, a true pearl. No wonder that it has a place on the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage List. Royal persons, especially Queen Sonja, have contributed to make the fjord famous all over the world. By annual trips, visiting and even spending the night on these abandoned mountains farms, and publishing a book about these trips with her own photos that have also been exhibited among other places in New York, Queen Sonja has done much for the area.

Of great importance is also the voluntary work by the members of the organization The friends of the Storfjord. Over the years they have restored many of the mountain farms. More about this you´ll find in Link below.

TRADE AND INDUSTRI
The municipality of Stranda has a great variety as to trade and industry. About 160 farms produce milk and meatproducts. Many factories have long traditions for making meat products, especially salted and cured meat. Also the making of furniture and textile products is an important industry that gives good work to many persons (There is almost no unemployment in the area). Norway´s biggest factory that produces pizzas is situated in Stranda. There are also much aquafarming and many fish processing factories in the municipality. Tourism is, of course, a very important business in the whole district.

CULTURE
Stranda municipality is known for being a good place to live in. Sport associations, shooting teams, song and music groups, humanitarian and christian societies work conscientiously for children and grown-ups. In the municipality there are sporthalls, alpine areas, machineprepared tracks for cross-country skiing as well as areas for off piste skiing in powdersnow, football grounds, swimminghalls, tennis and a golf pitch. In the centre of Stranda there is a modern culture centre. In Hellesylt one may visit Hægstad Gård which contains wonderful woodcarvings, scenes from Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen, and in Geiranger the new Norwegian Fjord Centre shows local history and wonderful pictures from Geiranger. For more details, see Kultur og fritid.

SPORTS AND LEISURE
Stranda offers fantastic possibilities for all sorts of sport and leisure activities. There are marked tracks for hiking or one can join organized trips/tours (Stranda Turlag, Stranda IL Trim, Sinclus Park Hellesylt, Geiranger Næringslag).

In the alpine area at Strandafjellet open Nov.-April, you´ll find 5 skitows and alpine pistes of very good standard. Each winter great alpine competitions are being arranged here. “Experiencies beyond expectations are awaiting you”. “Like a paradise” are expressions that are used about Strandafjellet.

Service facilities are being built, the infrastructure is being modernized. Building sites for 200-300 cabins/chalets are available. Things are really developing at a high speed!

ACCOMMODATION
There are many hotels, cabins to rent, camping sites in Geiranger, Hellesylt and Stranda as well (for more info, see Lenke below).

Other things to do in your leisure time
- hunting, deer and small game
- angling in the fjord (boats to let) and rivers for salmon angling, Hellsylt and Stranda
- canyoning, Hellesylt
- golf, the Stranda Valley
- kayaks to let

For more details, see Lenke below.

You are welcome to Stranda!