Lærdalsøyri

The Lærdal Valley is situated where Norway’s longest fjord, the Sognefjord, reaches its farthest eastern end. It connects to three more branches there: the Lustrafjorden, which goes north, the Årdalsfjorden in the east, and the Lærdalsfjorden, the shortest of all three, which goes south-east. At the end of the latter is the beginning of the Lærdal valley, which stretches all the way to the vicinity of Maristova and the King’s Road (Kongevegen) through the Filefjell Mountains. The valley is often linked to the historic route connecting western Norway to the rest of the country, especially the capital. In the past, when the network of roads and communication connections was not so developed, it was the deep valleys between the slopes of the mountains that determined the directions of roads. One of the first was established here.

Lærdalsøyri, a town perched at the end of the Lærdalsfjord, is the center of the valley community.In the past, there was a trade center here (the largest one outside Bergen), which is hardly surprising given its location on the east-west route.Traces of settlement come from the Middle Ages.To this day, the historic wooden buildings of the town arouse admiration.In Old Lærdalsøyri (Gamle Lærdalsøyri), you can see about 160 preserved buildings from the old days (some even from the mid-18th century).Unfortunately, in January 2014, a fire broke out in one of the houses, which, together with strong wind gusts, spread further and damaged some of the protected buildings, and one of them burned down completely.

The historic houses in Gamle Lærdalsøyri are not abandoned, but they are still full of life.There are shops with antiques, interior design, and restaurants.There are also two cozy wooden hotels here: Hotel Lindstrøm and Guesthouse Sanden.

Currently, the town is inhabited by just over 1,000 people.Just a walk through the peaceful, idyllic Lærdalsøyri, full of charming wooden houses, is an extraordinary experience.If you’re ever around, stop by for a while.And there are several other interesting attractions in the area:

– Borgund Stavekirke, dating from 1180, 28 km (20 min drive) from the center of Lærdalsøyri. In the same place as part of the Royal Road (Kongevegen) from 1790, you can walk the spectacular sections of Vindhellvegen or Galdane.

– The Norwegian Wild Salmon Centre.

– Snøvegen or Snow Road (National Scenic Route Aurlandsfjellet), a 44 km route through the mountains leading to Aurlandsvangen.This road is closed between October and April.

– The world’s longest tunnel, Lærdalstunnelen, 24.5 km long, connecting the Lærdal valley with Aurlandsvangen, an alternative route to the one mentioned above.

– The unique microclimate of the Lærdal valley causes that apricots, peaches, raspberries and strawberries are grown on the surrounding farms.