5 Best Sights in Aurland, The Western Fjords

Built in 1180, Borgund is one of only 28 stave churches left in Norway. It's one of the country's most visited and best preserved churches. 

Covering about 48 km (about 28 miles), Route 243 from Aurland to Lærdal is one of Norway's most scenic drives in the summer. The mountain pass is closed for much of the year due to massive amounts of snow, garnering it the nickname Snow Road.  The road is open all year from Aurland to the Stegastein viewpoint (about 7½ km [5 miles]). 

A 20-minute drive from Aurland, this scenic overlook has panoramic views of the Aurlandsfjord and all the way to Flåm. Designed by the architectural team of Todd Saunders and Tommie Wilhelmsen, the 98-foot-long, 13-foot-wide, steel-and-wood Stegastein viewing platform protrudes from the side of a mountain roughly 2,100 feet above sea level. It's a rather challenging drive along a winding road, but there are also buses running here, and it’s a popular stop for visitors traveling by Flåm Railway.

This beautiful stone church was built in 1202 and has since been nicknamed Sognedomen, meaning the "Sogn Cathedral." This is the largest stone church in the area and well worth a visit.