Where to stay in Kleppestø
Most beds in Kleppestø gather by the ferry quay at the centre of Askøy, where the hotels and guest rooms of the town stand within reach of the crossing, the shops and the strait that runs across to Bergen. The quay is the natural base. It suits visitors who want the island town and the ferry point of the south-western part of Vestland on the doorstep, with the city of Bergen a short crossing away over the water.
Rooms there fill in summer. Near the old harbour at Strusshamn kirke, lodging spreads through the quieter quarters along the inner shore of the island. Stock thins beyond the centre.
Across the rest of the Askøy country, holiday houses and farm stays scatter among the parishes near Ask kirke, Tveit kirke and Erdal kirke, a base for travellers touring the island shores of western Norway by car and ferry. Reserve well ahead in the busy months, when the ferry, the island shore and the road from Bergen draw visitors to Kleppestø and Askøy.
Things to do in Kleppestø
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
- Det Hanseatiske Museum og Schøtstuene Heritage-listed — Museum on Bryggen
- Thetamuseet — museum in Bergen
- Bergens Tekniske Museum
- Gestapomuseet
- Museumssenteret i Hordaland — heritage institution
Churches & Religious Sites
- Strusshamn kirke Heritage-listed — church building in Askøy
- Tveit kirke Heritage-listed — building in Askøy
- Ask kirke Heritage-listed
- Erdal kirke
Stadiums & Sports
- Krohnsminde Idrettsplass — sports area in Bergen
About Kleppestø
What is Kleppestø known for?
Kleppestø is the centre of Askøy, in the south-western part of Vestland. The town gathers by the ferry quay where the strait runs across to Bergen, the service and crossing point of the island. Churches mark the parishes.
Strusshamn kirke stands near the old harbour, Ask kirke serves the inner island, and Tveit kirke and Erdal kirke hold the older parishes of Askøy in this corner of western Norway.
What are the main landmarks in Kleppestø?
The old churches are the chief sights of Askøy. Strusshamn kirke stands near the old harbour, the protected church by the inner shore. Around the island the parishes keep their own.
Ask kirke serves the inner island with its protected church, Tveit kirke marks an older parish across the fields, and Erdal kirke holds its parish near the shore, the scattered built marks of the island in this corner of western Norway around the ferry town of Kleppestø.
What is the history of Kleppestø?
Kleppestø grew as the ferry and gathering place of Askøy, in the south-western part of Vestland, where the strait runs across to Bergen. The island farms worked the land between the shore and the inner slopes, and the crossing drew the boats and the traffic of the island to the quay across from the city. Boats ran the strait.
Strusshamn kirke rose near the old harbour as a parish church, while Ask kirke and Tveit kirke served the older parishes of the inner island in this corner of western Norway. The town settled into its role as the centre of the island. Kleppestø became the leading service and ferry place of Askøy, drawing the trade of the island farms and the crossing traffic to Bergen over the strait.
The fishing and the island trades shaped the working past of the place, set on the shore where the ferry still runs across the water to the city. The settlement held its footing as the centre of Askøy, an island town where the churches at Strusshamn, Ask, Tveit and Erdal, the quay and the strait still mark the long story of Kleppestø.
Where is Kleppestø?
Kleppestø lies on the eastern shore of Askøy island, in the south-western part of Vestland, in western Norway. The town sits where the strait runs across to Bergen, its centre gathered around the ferry quay on the inner shore near Strusshamn kirke. Strait and island frame the place.
The Askøy country reaches across the island past the inner parishes near Ask kirke and Tveit kirke, where the low slopes and the skerries break the open water of western Norway (Vestlandet).
What is the climate of Kleppestø?
Kleppestø has the mild, wet climate of the outer coast of western Norway. Winters stay cool and damp rather than harsh, the open water of the strait holding hard frost and lasting snow off the low island shore around the town through much of the season. The shore greens early in spring.
Rain off the Atlantic reaches the coast in most months, watering the low slopes around Kleppestø and the island parishes of Askøy, while the long northern daylight and the open sea bring the warmer spells to the shores facing Bergen.
How do you get to Kleppestø?
Kleppestø sits at the ferry crossing on the eastern shore of Askøy in the south-western part of Vestland. The ferry runs across the strait to Bergen, and the centre lies a short walk from the quay and the shops. Many arrive by ferry or car.
The crossing and the island roads link Kleppestø with the inner parishes near Ask kirke and the wider towns of western Norway, while the bridge and the road to Bergen carry the traffic of the island, and the nearer airport handles the longer journeys from farther afield.