Selje: Pilgrimage Centre, Beach and Monastery Island

Selje brings together pilgrimage history, walks along the beach and the opportunity to visit the monastery ruins on the island of Selja. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing between the services in the town centre, seasonal opening hours and boat connections. This lets you choose the focus of your stay—whether you are interested in the pilgrimage route, culture or outdoor activities.

Pilgrimage Centre and Accommodation

Selje Prestegard is centrally located in the town centre. The Selje Regional Pilgrim Centre there offers a pilgrim reception and accommodation for pilgrims. Prestegard has twelve pilgrim beds, which are booked through the Regional Pilgrim Centre. Check the booking arrangements before your trip. The centre is one of four regional pilgrim centres along the Coastal Pilgrim Route.

The buildings also give the place a historic setting: they date from the 16th to the 19th century, and the farm complex is protected as a heritage site. Selje Prestegard also rents four electric bicycles to adults—two mountain bikes and two road bikes. Availability and seasonal rental conditions may change, so check in advance.

Boat Trip to the Monastery Island of Selja

Selja Monastery is on the island of Selja, off the centre of Selje. Guided tours of the monastery ruins are offered daily during peak season; check tour times before you arrive. The monastery boat takes about 15 minutes to travel from Selje centre to Selja Monastery. Timetables and availability may change.

Monastery boats run daily from the harbour in Selje to Selja; express boats to Bergen also depart from there. If the island is part of your itinerary, check the timetables in advance. This helps you factor the boat connection into your day’s plans without confusing the approximate journey time with the departure times.

Beach and Town Centre

Seljesanden is a sandy beach about 500 metres long, right in the middle of Selje. At the southern end, there is a service building with toilets and showers, as well as a tourist information office. Parking is available both north and south of the beach. A water sports centre, which includes a guest harbour, is also located at the southern end.

During the summer season, from mid-June to mid-August, Prestelåna Café at Selje Prestegard is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00. Light refreshments are served, including coffee, tea, juice and waffles. As it operates seasonally, check the opening dates before your trip.

Cultural Walk, Exhibition and Church

The cultural walk in Selje starts at Nabben in the town centre and follows the beach on foot along Seljesanden to Selje Church. It ends at Selje Prestegard, where a traditional Norwegian lunch or a coffee break in a historic setting is planned. The combination of a beach walk, church and refreshments sets this walk apart from a visit to the monastery ruins alone.

The Sunniva exhibition at Innbyggartorget introduces the legend of Saint Sunniva and the restoration work at Selja Monastery. Selje Church is open daily during the summer; check the current opening arrangements before visiting.

Trails and Outdoor Activities

Above the town centre, Selje’s day-trip cabin is located on Risnakken. The trail there can be used year-round. The cabin has outdoor exercise equipment, a shelter and a play area. At Nabben, you can borrow outdoor activity equipment free of charge from the BUA equipment bank. The beach, cultural walk and Risnakken offer different ways to spend time outdoors, without requiring you to plan the same kind of outing for each.

Discover more destinations: Stadlandet, Barmen, Flatraket.

For the main travel overview: Selje.