Laerdal Norway
Norway
Frequently Asked Questions
No. There is no terminal and no large pier: the ship anchors in the deep, calm water of the Sognefjord and tenders bring passengers ashore a few steps from the village. As with any anchorage, rough weather can put the landing at risk.
At the very head of the Sognefjord, Norway's longest fjord at 205 km. The ship takes hours to sail up from the sea, farm after farm, waterfall after waterfall. That passage is part of the call.
Old Laerdalsoyri, right where the tender lands: some 160 protected wooden buildings, most raised in the 18th and 19th centuries when the village was a trading post between eastern and western Norway. The whole quarter is a listed national heritage site.
You have to choose. Either the old village and the Wild Salmon Centre on foot, or the excursion to Borgund stave church some thirty kilometres up the valley. The two do not combine comfortably in a short call.
A stave church built around 1200, considered the best preserved in Norway: stacked roofs, carved dragons, dark timber frame. It is the outing to prioritize, and most shore excursions here head straight for it.
A dramatic surviving stretch of the Kongevegen, the royal road that once linked Oslo to Bergen. Its tight stone switchbacks between rock walls take about an hour to walk, on the original paving. It sits in the same valley as Borgund.
Yes, and it takes about an hour. Set on the bank of the Laerdalselvi, a salmon river famous since the 19th century, it has viewing tanks and explains the fish's life cycle. A riverside walk extends the stop nicely.
Yes. Around the village, gentle paths follow the fjord and the river with no real climb. The Vindhellavegen asks more of you. Many passengers simply sit on the shore facing the anchorage, where the walls drop into 1,300 m of water.
The Norwegian krone (NOK), and cards everywhere. Even in a village of 160 wooden houses, the cafes and shops take them without hesitation. There is no need to carry cash.
May through September, when the tenders run and the valley is green. Mornings often bring mist drifting on the fjord and late afternoon a low raking light on the rock walls: two moments regulars watch for.
