Borgund Stave Church & Stegastein Viewpoint

On the way to Borgund, the bus will take you through the 24,5 km long Lærdalstunnel, which is the world's longest road tunnel. The work on the tunnel started in 15th of march 1995, and was finished 27th of november 2000. The disposal of 2.5 million cubic meters of excavated rock from the tunnel was one of the greatest challenges in planning the tunnel. While the main tunnel has white lights, three halls along the way feature blue lighting with yellow lights on the sides to create the impression of a sunrise. The halls are designed to give drivers a brief sensation of daylight for a few seconds, helping to prevent drowsiness and maintain concentration during transit.

The Borgund Stave Church was built around 1180, and is dedicated to the Apostle Andrew. As early as in the 18th century, at a time when stave churches were common in Norwegian villages, the Borgund stave church was referred to as an extraordinary stave building. The more exact dating has been determined through dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating), which is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed in a tree, and also by studying the runic inscriptions.

The church is exceptionally well preserved and is the most distinctive stave church in Norway. The church is decorated with carvings of dragon heads on the roof, and lavishly carved portals and crosses.

We stop for approximately 45 minutes at Borgund Stave church. You can then visit the church, and the exhibition on the Visitor center. On busy days, there can be a little waiting time to enter the church (20-30 minutes). You can visit the exhibition while waiting. You explore the church by yourself, but there will be guides from the visitor center in the area around the church. If you have some questions about the church, it is possible to ask the staff/guides.

Norwegian Scenic Route Aurlandsfjellet is a narrow mountain road that goes between the two villages of Aurland and Lærdal. The road is normally open from approximately 1th of June to 15th of October. From Aurland to the Stegastein Viewpoint (7,5 km), the road is open all year. The mountain pass is 48 km long, and the highest point is 1306 meters above sea level. The road is also called "The Snowroad", because of the amount of snow, and that you can see snow along the road most of the summer.

When the bus arrives in Aurland, the tour starts the climb up towards Stegastein’s vantage point. On the way up the steep mountainside towards Stegastein, you will have a scenic view over the Aurlandsfjord and the beautiful mountains.

The Stegastein viewpoint is a 30 meter long and 4-meter wide construction of steel and laminated pine. It was designed by Todd Saunders and Tommie Wilhelmsen and completed in 2006. On the platform 650 meters above sea level, you will have panoramic views of the Aurlandsfjord, Aurlandsvangen, and the mountains.