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Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5
Different marked route. One great option is using the bus from Aurland to Østerbø and walk back. You will walk between high mountains and waterfalls. On the way you will pass abandoned, but preserved old farms. You will wonder how the farmers could make a living here.
Aurlandsdalen is a glacially-formed Norwegian valley that is about 40 kilometres (25 mi) in length (Geiteryggen-Vassbygdi). The valley is situated in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, to the south of the Sognefjorden. One of the best-known tourist tracks in Norway follows the valley from Geiteryggen just across the border of Hol Municipality and north east to Aurlandsvangen at the Aurlandsfjorden in Sogn. The valley narrows and becomes a tight, dramatic Western Norway valley. It combines glacially carved valleys with diverse plant species, and a number of cultural monuments in the form of old farms and mountain dairy farms to form a recognized tourist attraction. The richness in plant species is due to both the soil, rich in minerals formed from phyllite in the rocks and cultural influence through the centuries.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Art gallery showing the painting of Johannes Vinjum, who was inspired by the fjord landscape.
Vangen kyrkje
Vangen church, parish church for Aurland, is the largest of the few masonry churches in Sognefjord area, often referred to as Sogn Cathedral. Built around year 1200. William Gladstone, UK prime minister, visited the church in 1885.
Flåm kyrkje
The little 1670 church has richly decorated interior.
Flåmsbana
This railway climbs from sea level to 866 m (2841 ft) in 20 km (12 mi), making it the third steepest normal railway in the world. The railway is an engineering achievement. Several switchbacks are needed to climb the steep valley, one tight switchback is inside a tunnel. One tunnel, known as the Shelf, has a "window" allowing view from within. The switchback system at one point creates 3 or 4 levels of rail stacked up. The rail was opened in 1940 after 17 years of construction. Tunnels were largely built by hand and 1000 metres required 10 years of labour. With 5.5% gradient it is one of the steepest rail tracks in the world. View of high mountains and waterfalls through the gorge-like valley. A power station was built at the waterfall to provide electricity for the trains.
Flåmsbana Museet
Museum telling about the Flåm railroad and how it was constructed. Exhibits include an authentic El 9 locomotive, an old electric shunting engine, and a number of rail inspection trolleys. Photography permitted. No toilets and no wifi in the museum, but you can find toilet facilities and wifi in the nearby train station/visitor center.
Undredal stavkyrkje
A tiny stave church, seats 40 only, white painted exterior, decorated interior. Medieval origin, 12th century, exact age unclear.