Aurland
Municipality · Vestland
About Aurland
The Nærøyfjord (UNESCO), the Flåm Railway and the Stegastein viewpoint.
What to do and where to stay in Aurland
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1StegasteinViewpoint
Viewing platform jutting about 30 m out into the air some 650 m above the Aurlandsfjord, 8 km up the road from Aurlandsvangen and open all year.
Aurlandsvegen (Fv243), 8 km above Aurlandsvangen · 30 min (plus 15 min drive each way) · all year (the stretch to Stegastein is kept open in winter)
2Aurlandsfjellet (Snøvegen)Viewpoint
Norwegian Scenic Route climbing 47 km from Aurlandsvangen to 1,308 m and down to Lærdal; closed in winter, and snowbanks can tower over the car in midsummer.
Fv243 Aurlandsvangen – Lærdalsøyri · 1.5 h drive · usually late May/June to October (closed in winter, may close at night)
3Flåmsbana (Flåm Railway)Sight
Railway climbing from the fjord at Flåm to Myrdal at 867 m through 20 tunnels, with a summer stop where a costumed huldra dances at Kjosfossen.
Flåm station – Myrdal · 2 h return (about 1 h each way) · all year (huldra show in summer)
4Flåmsbana MuseumHistory & culture
Free museum in the old Flåm station building on how the steep Flåm Line was built and run, next to the platforms.
Old station building, Flåm · 30–45 min · all year (check hours)
5Ægir Gastropub (Ægir BrewPub)Food & drink
Brewpub in Flåm with a nine-metre fireplace and Norse-style interior, serving beer brewed on site and a 'Viking plank' of five dishes with five beers.
A-Feltvegen 19, Flåm · 1–2 h · all year; beer garden in summer
6UndredalLocal oddity
Fjord village of about 100 people and hundreds of goats, reachable only by boat until 1988, with Scandinavia's smallest stave church still in use (40 seats).
Undredal, on the Aurlandsfjord · 1–2 h · all year; church tours and cheese tasting in season
7Otternes BygdetunHistory & culture
Cluster farm of 27 buildings on a shelf above the Aurlandsfjord between Flåm and Aurlandsvangen, the oldest houses from about 1700.
Otternes, between Flåm and Aurlandsvangen · 45–60 min · summer (exhibitions and crafts); yard can be walked around
8BrekkefossenHike
Short, steep climb of about 160 m on stone steps built by Nepalese Sherpas, from the river path near Flåm up to the foot of the waterfall.
Brekke, Flåm valley · 1.5–2 h from Flåm centre (30–45 min climb) · May–October
9Aurlandsdalen (Østerbø – Vassbygdi)Hike
Classic 20 km, six-hour day walk from Østerbø to Vassbygdi through the gorge, past Nesbøgalden, the Vetlahelvete cave and Almen farm under a rock overhang.
Østerbø to Vassbygdi, Aurlandsdalen · about 6 h (20 km one way) · end of May/June – September, depending on snow
10RimstigenHike
Steep path from just past Bakka church on the Nærøyfjord up to Rimstigbotn, with a wide view down over the UNESCO-listed fjord; about 4 hours there and back.
About 500 m past Bakka church on the Gudvangen – Bakka road · about 4 h return · June–September