Sights in Sognefjorden
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Stave Church
The stave church at Urnes is famed for its unique and elaborate wooden carvings – animals locked in struggle, stylised intertwined bodies and abstract motifs.
This lovely structure, a Unesco World Heritage Site, gazes out over Lustrafjord. Built in the 1130s, it has undergone several alterations through the ages; it’s likely that much of the rich carving on its gables, pillars and door frames were transferred from an 11th-century building that previously stood here. A car and passenger ferry (adult/child/car Nkr27/13/73, 20 minutes) shuttles roughly every hour between Solvorn and Urnes; many drivers prefer to leave their vehicles on the Solvorn bank. From the Urnes f…
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Borgund Stave Church
Some 30km southeast of Lærdalsøyri along the E16, this 12th-century stave church was raised beside one of the major trade routes between eastern and western Norway. Dedicated to St Andrew, it’s one of the best-known, most-photographed – and certainly the best-preserved – of Norway’s stave churches. Beside it is the only freestanding medieval wooden bell tower still standing in Norway. Buy your ticket at the visitors centre, which has a worthwhile exhibition (included in the price of your admission) on this peculiarly Norwegian phenomenon. If you enjoy walking, build in time to undertake the two-hour circular hike on ancient paths and tracks that starts and ends at the c…
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Hopperstad Stave Church
On the southern outskirts of the village of Vik is the splendid Hopperstad stave church, about 1km from the centre. Built in 1130 and Norway’s second oldest, it escaped demolition by a whisker in the late 19th century. Inside, the original canopy paintings of the elaborately carved baldequin have preserved their freshness of colour. For an additional Nkr20 you can use the same ticket for the Hove stone church, 1km to the south, which dates from the same era.
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Otternes
Between Flåm and Aurland, and high above the fjord perches the restored hamlet of Otternes, a complex of 27 restored buildings, the earliest dating from the 17th century. To get full value from the visit, follow the one-hour guided tour (Nkr20 extra; available in English four times daily) and plan a rest break to lick a locally made organic ice cream or eat a bowl of rømmegrøt, a rich sour-cream porridge.
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Village Church
The tiny, barrel-vaulted village church, originally built as a stave church in 1147 and seating 40, is the smallest still-operational house of worship in mainland Scandinavia. Look up at the roof with its charmingly naive roof paintings of angels, Christ on the cross and other biblical figures, surrounded by stylised stars.
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