This tiny Norwegian town is being overrun by lost tourists looking for a famous cliff
Getty Images/Robert Harding World Imagery
Technology doesn’t always know best.
There’s a glitch in Google Maps that keeps sending tourists to the wrong Norwegian town.
Travelers who search Google Maps for the Preikestolen cliff in Norway often end up in Fossmork, almost 20 miles away, according to a local news report.
“Sometimes two, three, four or five tourists come in. Everyday,” local resident Gunnar B?e told the Stavanger Aftenblad newspaper. “They say they are going to Preikestolen and understand nothing.”
Sometimes minibuses full of tourists line up outside the town, only to turn around. Drivers must navigate a “terrible,” winding and narrow road to reach Fossmark and, according to locals, when some are told to turn around, they become very upset.
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Preikestolen — which translates as the Pulpit Rock — is one of Rogaland county’s most famous tourist attractions. The plateau rises almost 2,000 feet above Lysefjord and has been named one of the most scenic photo spots in the world. Most tourists take about four hours to complete the hike up and down the mountain.
Fossmark, although not much of a tourist destination, has started accepting its new status. Preikestolen is visible from the village and locals have begun lending binoculars out to lost tourists so they can see the plateau.
Google responded by saying that it appreciates all feedback it receives and it is constantly working to improve its services.