Vik
Municipality · Vestland
About Vik
Hopperstad stave church, Kaiser Wilhelm's 10.5-metre Fridtjov statue on its 12-metre plinth at Vangsnes, and gamalost, the pungent old cheese still made in Vik.
What to do and where to stay in Vik
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Hopperstad stavkyrkjeHistory & culture
Stave church from around 1130, restored by architect Peter Blix in the 1880s, with a carved dragon portal and a medieval canopy altar with four carved heads.
Prestgarden 34, above Vik centre · 30–60 min · summer (open to visitors in summer; groups by arrangement)
2Hove steinkyrkjeHistory & culture
Small stone church from about 1170, one of the oldest stone buildings in Norway, built when nearly all churches were wooden and a sign of local wealth.
Hove, Vik centre, short walk from Hopperstad · 20–40 min · summer (open to visitors in summer)
3Fridtjov den frøkne (Fridtjov statue)Local oddity
A 10.5-metre Viking on a 12-metre plinth, a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II, shipped in 15 parts and raised by German marines in 1913 above the fjord.
Fridtjovsparken, Vangsnesvegen 1099, Vangsnes · 20–30 min · all year
4VikøyriHistory & culture
Old shoreline settlement of small wooden houses and boathouses by the quay, a protected area of about 60 houses, beside the dairy that still makes gamalost.
Vik quay and centre · 30–60 min · all year
5MoahauganeHistory & culture
Group of burial mounds, mostly from about 200–400 AD, on the walk between Hopperstad stave church and Hove stone church.
Between Hopperstad and Hove churches, Vik · 20–30 min · spring to autumn (snow-free)
6VidasethovdenHike
Steep 9 km return climb from Lunde above Feios past the Vidasete summer farm to 1,227 m, looking down on Vangsnes, Leikanger and Balestrand.
Lunde farm above Feios · 4–6 h (9 km return, 400 to 1,227 m) · summer to early autumn
7Vikafjellsvegen (Rv13)Viewpoint
Mountain road between Vik and Voss, finished in 1957, climbing to about 1,000 m past old summer farms, a base for walks in Vikafjellet and Stølsheimen.
Rv13 south of Vik towards Voss · 1 h drive with stops · best summer; can close in bad winter weather
8Ovriseggi (Daurmålshaugen)Hike
A 7.4 km walk of about 2.5 hours from a car park at 895 m off Rv13 to Daurmålshaugen at 935 m, looking down Bødalen, Ovrisdalen and to Vik and the fjord.
Vikafjellet, Rv13 above Vik · 2.5 h (7.4 km) · April–November
9ArnafjordenNature
Quiet arm of the Sognefjord about 20 km west of Vik with many waterfalls, about 70 households of farmers spread over three small settlements.
20 km west of Vik, Fv92 · 1–2 h drive there and back · all year; waterfalls best in spring
10Storesvingen viewpointViewpoint
Roadside viewpoint on Rv13 just above Vik, looking down over the village and the Sognefjord; a common first stop on the way to Hopperstad.
Vikafjellsvegen 168, above Vik · 10 min · all year