Aurland

Peaceful Aurland is much less hectic than its neighbour, Flåm, a mere 10km south along the fjord. These days it's renowned as one end of Lærdalstunnel (24.5km), the world's longest road tunnel. This is an essential link in the E16 highway that connects Oslo and Bergen; before its completion, traffic had to ferry-hop between Lærdal and Gudvangen. It’s a fast alternative to the sinuous, 45km-long Aurlandsfjellet, sometimes known as the Snow Road, which crests over the mountains via one of Norway's loftiest road passes. As such, it's generally only passable from June to October.

It's your choice: speed and convenience via the Lærdalstunnel, or driving fun and massive views via the mountain road. We know which we'd choose.